First Time Running D&D - Ten Lessons Learned

I've always understood I was a geek of sorts. I never disliked that side of me, and I actually have learned to embrace it the past few years. I decided that if anyone has any major issues, I can imagine at least 873 ways for them to die grisly deaths... but I digress...

Several months ago, I wrapped up the first D&D campaign I have ever run. It was also my first real experience at D&D (4th Edition) or any table top RPG for that matter. I was very green and made a lot of mistakes. In spite of that, I felt like the campaign went very well... kinda... But mostly, the lessons I learned running it were priceless. Not wanting such glory to go to waste, here is the list of lessons learned from my first Dungeon Mastering attempt:

1. If you constantly give your players moral choices, they will eventually pick bad ones... very bad ones...

2. If you see that giving your players moral choices makes them explode in insulting arguments... STOP GIVING THEM SUCH CHOICES

3. If you state in the beginning, "Don't worry guys, I'll try to make sure you guys don't die!", then at least one player's character will jump head first into every obvious trap like there's delicious jello in the waiting bear trap...

4. If someone says, "If the other 4 team members won't do whatever I wanna do, my character will just leave", LET THEM LEAVE.

5. Your players may try and sneak while carrying a torch...

6. Greed > Valor

7. Nature Loving Human Druid + Pyromaniac Child Dragonborn = Intense Hatred

8. If a player wants to play a mentally challenged halfling warlock, let him. Comic relief is next to godliness when tensions run high.

9. If an NPC warns your characters not to open a door... the door WILL BE opened.

10. Sometimes, a giant neon sign pointing in the right direction will be completely overlooked.


I'm sure there are tons more, and I may update this post when I think of them. Probably not though... sorry.