First time DM. I'm running my first game monday night and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XikjjQok5Y

Look for more ways to say "yes" than "no."

If your players are terrible at coming up with what they want to do next, don't be afraid to drop in an NPC that is super chill and is all "come with me, friends, adventure awaits!"

>>54559506

This is the guy you want. You don't need to do the exact rooms, but he has a lot of great ideas to utilize as a fresh DM. He has a whole New to D&D playlist that you could go through in an afternoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIFxPXlTzlQ

>>54559506
The Complete Book of Villains.

https://dnd.rem.uz/Advanced%20D%26D%20(unsorted)/AD%26D%202E%20-%20Accessory%20-%20DMGR6%20-%20The%20Complete%20Book%20of%20Villains.pdf

It is the single greatest characterization tool I have ever seen.
It really helps you design a campaign, too.
The advice works for any system.

>>54562666
its "yes, but.." always

they can try anything, but everything has consequences.

>>54559506
And some advice I posted earlier today:

>Never waste play time arguing with a player for more than a minute or two.
Make a call, stick to it, and if it turned out to be the wrong move, make up for it next session.

Stopping the game to argue setting details, rules, or anything else is bullshit nonsense whether it's religious issues, the melting point of steel, or whether or not wine is flammable.
If a player makes a solid point about how something in the setting doesn't seem to make sense internally, I throw out an "Yeah, that seems odd, doesn't it?" And then move on.
If they circle back to it naturally IC, I add something like a corrupting force in the church, starmetal, or Dwarven wine, plucked directly from betwixt my cheeks.
If it's a rules issue, if you can't find the answer out in a minute or so, just make a ruling and move on. Check the books or internet later.

Just get drunk before you run it

You're welcome

>>54563911
>they can try anything
This.

You can even try jumping off a cliff and flapping your arms to fly if you want, but don't bother rolling for it.

>>54559506
the one tip I don't see often enough is to be organized. Have the PHB and DMG earmarked with those little color tabs you can pick up Staples (focusing on where the spells are and the loot tables and equipment lists).

Any monsters that are going to make an appearance, maybe photocopy and print out their MM entries or have those entries dog marked too with those color tabs.

Figure out how you are going to track initiative. Name tags on clothes pins on your DM screen? Just written down on a piece of paper is fine but having something visual that the players can see helps them keep on track too (you can use a dry erase board or something).

I like to use a toy abacus to track spell affects so I have an idea of when 10 rounds have passed or what have you. You don't need the abacus but just realize you may need something to help track those things.

Consider cheep plastic poker chips from a dollar store you can write on to track your players spell slots. Just hand them three 1s and one 2 chip for example and everyone knows how the spell slot situation is.

Super anal retentive organization is key to running a smooth game. There is a point when it can become cumbersome and get in the way but it takes experience to figure all that out.

Be sure to keep notes on what major things the players have done, even some of the little things because those can always come back to bite them in the ass when you are trying to think of next weeks adventure.

>>54559506
This is a rather long series of videos but pretty in-depth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8

>>54564254
Oh yeah, the poker chips can track more than spell slots. Also good for channel divinity, action surges, rages and what have you. They turn in the chip when they use that ability and get them back on short or long rests. Everyone knows if they have their class abilities available and also serves as a reminder that those class abilities exist and are on the table (sometimes people just plain forget)

>>54559506
As a counterpoint to what >>54562666 says: this is your first game. While letting your players try unexpected things is important, you are allowed to be a total noob. If the players are going in a direction you think you can't deal with, trust your gut.
Tell them "sorry guys, you know I'm new. If you kill that NPC/go into that area/try that crazy plan, I won't be able to handle it". If they're good people, they shouldn't mind.
Let's be real: as a player, being gently directed back on the rails is better than forcing the newbie GM to shit out an utter fucking mess. Get the basics down first (how to narrate, judge player actions, run combat, do skill checks), and THEN you can learn how to improvise.

If you're running an existing adventure, you shouldn't give a damn about encounter building, my dude. Again, trust your gut to adjust the existing encounters to group size and level, and fudge as much as possible. You can worry about the math behind appropriate challenge rating later. I'm repeating myself, but focus on the basics.

I know /tg/ is a bit wary of this guy's advice, but I feel like without his article my first session would have been an unsalvageable mess, so check this out. http://theangrygm.com/jumping-the-screen-how-to-run-your-first-rpg-session/