Advice for new GMs?

[DeLarge]

Hello all,

I’m not sure if a thread like this already exists, but in my brief browse of the forums I was unable to find the information I was looking for.

I purchased FGU today, and am feeling a little overwhelmed. I really want to DM a 5e campaign for my friends, but I’m not quite sure where to get started. In truth, I’m not the most technologically savvy individual and learning all of the program’s mechanisms is a little daunting.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get started, or a video series you could point me to?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[spoofer]

Welcome to FG! It can be overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it, you will fall in love with the features for 5E.

You want to start here:

https://fantasygroundscollege.net/

This will get you going.

[johnecc]

Hi DeLarge, yes FG has a bit of a learning curve, but you have chosen a product that has one of the most responsive communities I have seen.

In order to learn how to use D&D5e in FG, I can recommend a group called Fantasy Grounds College. They have a website with resources and event schedules (online classes), a youtube channel with many videos, and a discord server where they provide help and also stream the classes.

Fantasy Grounds College A-Z videos - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzjJyt4w-pw0WUEum-1rxDdDsIuxOlDIB

Website - https://fantasygroundscollege.net/

Hope that helps.

[DeLarge]

Thank you so much! That looks like a promising start.

[similarly]

Basic advice:
1. extensions are tempting, but don't do extensions until you REALLY know what FGU can and can't do. I've seen extensions for sale that offer to do what FGU does all right on its own.

2. start with a premade adventure. Lost Mine of Phandelver is a good start. When I used to roleplay and DM back in the 80s and 90s, I NEVER used premade adventures. When I came back to D&D last year, using a premade adventure really helped me get started again.

3. Just let your group know that you're new to FGU, and to be patient with you. Trust me, I started on FGU about a year ago, and you can pick it up fast.

4. Yes, 100%: take some free classes at Fantasy Grounds College. Check out their discord as well. Even experienced DMs and players can learn from their classes.

5. Play with it. I made a "test campaign" that is separate from my player campaign, and in my free time, I play with and try things out to see what it does.

[damned]

Yeah start small, start with no extensions and start with LMoP.

Learn how to create a character and roll from a character.
Learn how to Add Creatures/PCs to the Combat Tracker and from there to the Map.
>> Learn how to Target
>> Lean how to roll attacks and damage
>> Learn how to delete the dead from the CT
Learn how to use Stories and the Reference Manual

Dont learn anything else.
Dont learn effects just use the Modifier Stack to apply modifiers.

Play like that for a session or 6 and then add some more features to your game.

[Primo]

Besides everyone's else tips, watching some real sessions that are recorded on Youtube or where you prefer it's really helpful to see how people actually uses in actual play some of the features (even so you can get a real hold of it).

Welcome!

[LordEntrails]

After you get going, and are looking for some different thoughts on DM/GMing and how you might improve your game or just do things differently, check out this thread; https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?36014-GM-Advice

[JohnD]

A good idea to learn how to use the software as a player because *your* players will be looking to you for guidance later on.

The rest of the advice here is good as well.

[dogfisc]

I found that running two FGU instances, GM and Player, and running a small party through part of the adventure that I had planned helped to gain an understanding of how the software works from both perspectives. It made it easier both to learn how to do things as GM and how to assist my players as they were learning the software.

[Mytherus]

From my fg experience as well as decades of experience supporting users with various applications. Learn the basics of the package before buying anything. Demos are good here of course. Youtube videos and in fg's case fantasygroundscollege .com can not be said enough.

But having bought fgu already the aforementioned advice of others is very good. Start small. You have to give yourself some time. No sense rushing.

[tamahandy]

A lot of good tips here, as a still "new" GM still using FG Classic another one from me, which I follow, as good as I can:

Note down (e.g. in the notes), how you "structure" your work-flow, game, adventure, even notes ....

FG can do a lot for you in different ways, that the large amount of options and flexibility can overwhelm you.

E.g.
* Working "map" based -> I drag and drop all the stories, encounters, tables, in and out going maps, flavour pictures to the map I use these on, so I have them available as pins / links.
* Working story/ note based -> I have a note for the current session where I do the same but this times I use a note not a map.

You can use both mixed, you can use the hot keys and drag the important things you use more often there, you can just use the reference manual as a book a flip the pages there.
Point is I still get overwhelm of the many different ways I can use FG to organize my stuff, that I have to note down my workflow so I stick to a certain workflow so and not organize every session different - unless there is a really good reason for it.

OTOH, also explore what works best for you, which is what I am still doing, but note down what works and what not, so you establish over time a good workflow :-) .

[Nylanfs]

Also "Don't Panic" is good advise, and When in doubt wing it and handle it like you would at the table, ask for a random roll and make up an answer. :)