Has anybody ever DMed a tabletop RPG?

Good luck.. and don't let them get smart with you. Remember, you're in charge.

Make sure to wear Boots of Escaping in case things turn for the worse.

The number of years it's been since I played D&D is probably more than the age of some members on this forum

I will say this based on my own disastrous experience as a D&M and being a part of (as a player) other train wrecks.

If you are using an adventure out of a book (a module?) make sure you read that book over and over again. Get it in your head. Learn about everything about the adventure. Learn the specifics of the monsters, traps, and all that stuff. Write down important details on paper so you can refer to them quickly.

The good DMs I played with always knew their stuff. They didn't "ummmm," flip through the adventure book for answers, etc. The process was very fluid because of this.

They also didn't give in to players who died, wanted items, etc. They were tough, but this made the game challenging and fun.

Basically, imagine what a good teacher would be like. That's a good DM.

Don't stick so close to the rules that people are not enjoying themselves.

You can do whatever you want; and you probably want to enjoy the company of the people you're with.

Your post count is '1337'. I think you'll do just fine.

Plan out a rough outline of the game and make sure to give your players a few options; however, be willing to change the plans if your players want to go off and do something else. Being flexible is the sign of a good DM.

You can fudge die-rolls if you don't like the outcome; remember, you are there to make it fun, not kill everyone in the first five minutes (this isn't 1st edition).

When in doubt of what to do-random encounter.

As far as treasure/payouts you should always try to be fair to all the players.

A DM screen or some cardboard/book isn't a bad idea...it seems like something silly but it helps to hide anything you might be doing.

Depending on your comfort level, I always allow players to pass notes to me if they have something they want to tell me in private. It makes the game much smoother and often a lot more interesting. I've even had people pass me notes that were a ruse to make other players think they were up to something.

Depending on the length of the session, try to build in breaks...people don't wanna miss out on the action, and food and drink means eventually having to go.

Beyond that--HAVE FUN! What you say is law, not what the book says. You ARE the Dungeon Master!

-Nylan

I've been a frequent DM in Dungeons and Dragons since shortly before the release of version 3 (I started very young). I don't have any experience with the Iron Kingdoms setting, so I can't help you there. I usually create my own worlds so that I have as much freedom as possible.

My best advice is probably to be prepared, but don't count too heavily on being ready for every contingency. You won't be able to predict everything your players might want to do, and the only alternative is to force them to only do things which you are prepared for. Which isn't good, obviously. I generally work fairly heavily off of improvisation, although I don't know how well that would work with a pre-written module.

A couple of other things that come to mind are the mood and atmosphere of the game. This is mostly subjective based off of the players involved, but it's very important (in my opinion) to the game. Some players like the game to be all about the fighting and dungeon-crawling, some like it to be more role-playing then fighting and some like it in between. Likewise, some players like the game more serious and some less. As I said, this is mostly subjective.

The bottom line, however, is to do whatever works for you. I've known a lot of DMs, and they have a lot of differing styles. My sister, for instance, prefers to have a very detailed plan and simply run everything straight from it. I've also been in some games where the DM basically made up everything as he went along (with varying degrees of success). As long as the game is enjoyable for you and your players, then you're doing a good job.

It's been a long time, but I occasionally ran as DM with friends, though I spent a lot more time as a player. Much of what has been said is good advice. Make sure you're comfortable with the scenario and rules, don't stall, and keep it lively. Don't go strictly by the book. Be sure to throw in surprises and the unexpected. Half the fun is not knowi g what will turn up.

I strongly encourage note passing, scheming, plotting, and conspiring. Maybe my friends and I are a little odd(), but the most fun was pulling stuff on each other.

For whatever reason, I was typecast and pigeonholed as an evil cleric. Aside from the adventure, I'd quietly cast spells on other players and wreak assorted havoc, typically through passed notes. There was usually mystery about whether the "problems" were part of the adventure or whether I was up to something. Again. It kept things interesting.

Let your players open up and mess with each other - it'll keep things lively and they'll love it.