DM Advice

>>52710178
>The system is Pathfinder.
Good luck.

Remember that your first games are gonna be okay at best, so don't worry about it too much. And remember to liberally gut the rules if they're getting in the way of fun. When in doubt, roll and shout.

>>52710234
This. The rules mean nothing, they allow for fun times but if you don't like some just gut em. Let your players build their characters however they want but make sure they know what they do. Rip off the plots to anything you enjoy and toss it in. And keep a list of names for the inevitable moment they try to talk to everyone in a village.

>>52710178
Prepare a few lv'd encounters

>3 orcs or 5 kobolds, or 4 goblins, etc

Give the illusion of free will and choice. If the players take the left road, they'll encounter goblins (because that's the fight you want for them at this time.) If they players take the path on the right, they'll encounter goblins...if the players set up camp......guess what, they encounter goblins.

Prep a few "random" encounters, and use them as a fill when you need. Roll often, so it looks like you're just allowing luck and their choices to set the pace and control things.......meanwhile, use your prep'd encounters no matter their choices.

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>>52711054
Ease up on the throttle there.
A beginning GM needs to hear advice with a measure of moderation.

>The rules mean nothing, they allow for fun times but if you don't like some just gut em.
The rules are important, but never let them impede fun. Don't sit around arguing, looking up rules, or wrestling with rules you don't like.
Handwave it and readdress it after the session, if at all.

>Let your players build their characters however they want but make sure they know what they do.
Not all characters are okay.
Some aren't appropriate for the game and some won't work with the party.
Read pic related.
It is part of the GM's job to help change, or turn down, PCs that won't work.
But otherwise, be flexible and let players play what they want.

>Rip off the plots to anything you enjoy and toss it in. And keep a list of names for the inevitable moment they try to talk to everyone in a village.
Solid advice.

You don't even really need to give them the illusion of choice imo
Just write out everything important beforehand and see how running a session feels. Worry not about whether you are railroading. The PCs will either not notice, not care, or forgive you for it.

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>>52711217
This is a bad habit to get into.
Player choice and random rolls can inspire better games than what you originally came up with.

>>52711216
The only rule I put on character creation is no murder hobo. Hopefully I don't need more than that, but I'll talk to them if I think it's not really meshing with the world.

>>52711108
That's the plan. I'm actually making the encounters now. Trying to figure out how to make kobolds and goblins more interesting.

>>52711516
Sometimes it's just a matter of one player wanting to play a CE assassin and one player wants to play a Paladin.
It *can* work, but it needs to be done well.

There are players that also love to play the guy who doesn't fit, like a pacifist in a combat heavy game. That can ruin a game.

>>52711538
>Trying to figure out how to make kobolds and goblins more interesting.
Give them flavor like fluff classes.
Goblin with a looted helmet and bracer is the tank, Kobold shaman in training with headress, that sort of thing.
Don't need to give them mechanical aspects.
Just an appearance of uniqueness.

>>52710178

Remember that the game is not a competition. The goal is for everyone to have fun. not to "win".

>>52711217

Bullshit. Shut up. This leads to shitty games and you should feel bad for even suggesting this.

>>52711674
that's a great idea. Thank you!

>>52711804
No problem.

Another thing I like to do, if it's more than just a random encounter, is explain in my head why those creatures are there and what brought them there.
But I like to do that for fun, really.