first time GM (in Off-topic)

I'm planning on running a game for the first time, and could use some suggestions from the veteran GMs out there in CB land.

10th lvl starting player driver (3 players) homemade adventure with
encounters to be stolen like mad from anywhere I can find. Mostly I'm just going to be trying not to get mowed down by three veteran power gamers. Theme is rather simple, three Lawful Evil chars go out in the world in search of power, each for there own reasons. Arch-Villain's evil plot to do such and such and that and this somehow conflicts. Poof, your dead.

You have to name a Arch Enemy off me!!! but other than that i dont know much that can be helpful!

Thanks RD, *laughs at self really hard*
I was all ready to be like "what does he have to say"
and instead I get to laugh...nice job man.

What system? By LE I'm guessing D&D?

The mot important thing is to run a game your players enjoy. Being self said power gamers, it would seem they get a kick from combat, and not stuff like social intrigue. Just make sure to have enough combat encounters to make them happy. :)

That being said, make the world real. Have reasons for everything, (Don't have kobolds locked inside a room in thier stronge hold, with another group somehwere holding the key....).

Don't make the game linear. Know what motivates the characters (not players) and make suble hooks to get them where you want them to go, while letting them think it's thier choice. Have multiple solutions to all encounters.

Start with the plot. Make it solid. Then build the encounters into it.

Throw in subplots. :) Like crazy.

Be careful about continuously ramping up the power level of your games. Don't hand out more and more powerful magic items on a whim. It's fine if you can handle it, but the vicious circle of making the players too powerful, having to stick in stupidly hard monsters to compensate, then giving them even more powerful rewards (to better what they last got) is a hard thing to break out of.

If you want any plot/encounter ideas, I'll be more than happy to chew the cud with you!

Get the players to write backgrounds for their characters.

I hope all this helps! :D

thanks GL, it sounds like I've already made a couple mistakes, and a couple good choices. I am having each person write a back story, and the likely hood of me allowing the more flagrant abuses of the weaknesses in 3.5 depends entirely on how good the back story around it is. I'm not actually trying to do much more than enjoy getting monster after monster mowed down, and continuing to disappoint power hungry pcs with meager offerings of copper and coal...

anytime novice...just had to give my 2 cents...lol

:D I've always bent the rules a little for characters that have good backgrounds.

If it fits their character! ;)

I hate people who use terms like munchkin, twink, etc. If you're playing your character, you're role-playing. If not, you should be helped play your charcater or helped roll something you can role-play. :)

There's nothing wrong with a power-gaming concept (wants to be the best fighter/assassin/etc) if it fits the hcaracter and works in the group.

If the GM doesn't want that sort of character in thier games, they should make that clear before the first session. :)

Oh! Another thing. The players also have a responsibility to make sure the group works well. Unless you've got a stong hand and want the dynamic of a party that just really wouldn't be together.

:)

I'm not too sure of the 3.% rules, I left D&D at the end of the Second Ed. But I played a week or so of DDO (poor game...) so hae been introduced to DCs and feats. :)

What worl are you setting your games in? I've always been fond of the Forgotten Relams. :) Home grown worlds might be better, but they take a lot of work!

Another system you might want to take a look at (heoric fanatasy, where youcan play some evil types - or tragic heros) is White Wolfs Exalted. They've just released a second edition, but it will take years for the source books to be updated. :)

most certainly Forgotten Realms (as one of the chars is an Ur Priest who gets to be death phobic as a result)

Evil characters looking for world domination sounds like a good Ravenloft Realm setting to me. Then when they get to be the Lord of their own kingdom they can see what that entails.

With the FR you could look to tie in things like the Red Wizards or the Zent's (it's been a while since I read any FR stuff...). Have them face off against the Harpers.

Manshoon is a God. With Stasis Clone (a personal 9th level spell of his) he literally can never die. :)

Several bits of advice:

1. Don't worry too much about the rules - if you're unsure how something works, just make a decision and look it up later. The smoother the game runs, the better.

2. Remember rule zero - the DM is always right.

3. For the love of all things holy, don't play third edition. I used to play it, but now I play a heavily modified version of first edition (my DM has 20 years worth of gaming under his belt, so he has a lot of house rules). Third runs easier but I feel a lot of its rules are dumber too.

Does Baldur's Gate make any sense in the Forgotten Realms?

It's a town in the Realms. :)