I'm about to DM my first big campaign, starting tomorrow.

If only you knew how bad things were going to be.

Well, don't overplan!

>>52086850
Have a list of generic names so you can name people on the fly.

Have more than one plot hook ready if the players miss the first.

>>52086850
Players need guidance, otherwise they flail.

Players need freedom, otherwise they rebel.

>>52087022
so the last words of the dying clan chief are not going to be a good enough plot hook to send them on their way to glory?

>>52087114
Not always

Have fun

>>52086850
don't post "Keep Out!" signs in front of the BBEG's lair.

the chuckle fucks might actually obey it.

>>52087114
I forgot, which way was the glory again?

Maybe it will work. But in the first city they get to, have a minor fetch quest to the same dungeon. Or have some muggers that work for a underling of an underling of the big bad evil guy.

>>52086850

Good advice by
>>52086950
>>52087022
>>52087179

Have a few short scripted moments ready for ab-libs, they make you look uber prepared. I like to keep one on hand for:

>Netural town group setting (e.g, stores, taverns, etc.)
>Middle of fucking nowhere
>Dangerous middle of fucking nowhere
>Dungeon/cave
>Boat/Water's edge

Don't spend more than 3 minutes or so writing any one of the above, they're just for cases where players seem understimulated in an area you otherwise weren't expecting them to linger in for so long.

Spend a little bit longer writing 1 or 2 decently fleshed out sidequests that are location independent and feed them plot hooks to them if players seem to be craving more serious fares or are poking around for plot.

>>52086850
Oh, and have a player take a resume.

You are too busy adlibbing, and otherwise they forget everything important in between sessions.

>>52087271
>But in the first city they get to
It doesn't even need to be the first city. I'm playing my first game of D&D at the moment. It started with the party coming across a ruined village occupied by goblins. There is basically nothing interesting about the village - no quests, no interesting features, just some goblins and very basic looting. Except that in the ruins of the inn we found a woman who, a quick perception check revealed, belongs to a secretive cult (not that I've played D&D before, but I'm guessing this is a plot hook).

At the end of our second six-hour session, the woman is dead and we're still in the ruined village.

>>52086850
Get some lube.

Remind your players to take notes. Hell, handle them paper and pens to make them. It might sound non-important, but having a guy that does book-keeping helps. Not only the group, but you as a GM too.

Make breaks when you see people get tired. I usually run games for 5 hours, with a break in the middle of it, so everyone can use toilet, go for smoke or maybe we even eat something hot, while discussing the game so far.

If you are sitting in a closed room, make sure there is good ventilation, or everyone will get sleepy pretty quick, regardless of how good and enjoyable the game is. During the break, literally throw them out of the room, so they get some fresh air and the room itself is ventilated some more.

>I'm playing my first game of D&D at the moment
Change game.
Last thing you need is playing D&D in current year.

>>52086850
If you're gonna voice/accent certain races make sure to write down what race/people has what accent.
The amount of times I used the wrong voice for estabelished npc's was a bit embarrassing in my 1st campaign.

>>52087114
Depends on the characters, I've had my players go off on silly side quests that they know are of little importance but believe their characters would find compelling.

I've had the power gamers character stand in a road an entire session while the rest of the party raids the bakery they happened to pass while a battle was going on.

Be careful when introducing BBEG, some players will happily throw a characters life away to find out what they are dealing with. Yes it's meta as fuck, but that's how some people roll.