On the 21st of March in 1965, on what was the third attempt by organizers to do so, voting rights activists successfully marched 54 miles from Selma, Alabama to the state capital Montgomery, arriving there with more than 25,000 people.
The marches were organized by civil rights activists to demonstrate the desire for black citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of state repression. By highlighting racial injustice, they contributed to the passage of the Voting Rights Act that year, a landmark federal achievement of the civil rights movement.
The first attempt to make the march happened on March 7th, but failed due to police brutality. Police knocked marchers to the ground, beat them with nightsticks, and fired teargas. One marcher, a 14 year old girl, required 28 stitches in the back of her head. Although the assault ended the first attempt of protesters to march to Montgomery, it brought international attention to the protest.
After a federal court ruled that the march was legal, the third and successful attempt to march to Montgomery was made. By its end, 25,000 people marched to steps of the State Capitol Building in Montgomery. The protest was a watershed moment in the civil rights struggle, and, by the next year, 11,000 black people were successfully registered to vote in Selma.
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I'm gonna be DMing for the first time soon, which will also be my first time playing DND as well. I've read a decent amount and have listened to a fair amount of podcasts but does anyone have some advice that I might not be aware of/you think I should know?
Do NOT get lost in the sauce. Don't bother with small, technical details like percent of edible biomass or realistic economies. Try to improve your improv so you're not spending hours preparing for every session. I was once a first time DM, and I burned out and quit because this is what I did!
some people love to try and piss off the DM for fun like making their characters try to break rules of the universe and stuff, so maybe be ready for that (it's me i'm people)
Thankfully it's all of our first times so I don't think anyone has the ability to break things too much
If you've listened to dnd podcasts you know way more than most 1st time DMs and you're ready to do it.
And if someone does this - Throw them out. Pick them up by the scruff and toss them out. The DM is a player too, trying to deliberately fuck with the DM is not okay.
The brat in my group ended up getting extra enimes added to the encounter to keep the power levels even. A good time was had by all.
No plot survives first contact with the party.
I would suggest checking out "Session Zero"
Here's one article about it
A good session zero to work out what kind of game you want to play - comedy, serious, high fantasy, gritty swords and sandals, whatever - can be really helpful.
Some rules I impose on my players
No torture or SA, ever, for any reason
All characters must know each other and have a reason to trust each other and cooperate. They don't have to like each other but they must have trust enough to cooperate in dangerous situations
One drink per session. I find that more than that just leads to problems as people get distracted
Please show up ready to play. That means having your character sheet, books, etc ready to go
Please show up on time
Please pay attention during the game. Pay attention to what is happening, think about your next move, and be ready to take your turn. Don't browse on your phone. This helps keep the game moving and shows respect for all players, including the DM.
Something else to look in to is the "Fade to black" or X-Card mechanic. Basically, if something in the narrative is making a player upset or uncomfortable they tap the "X-Card", a physical card on the table. That indicates to the DM or GM or storyteller that the player is uncomfortabvle with the content of the scene, so the DM cuts the narration and moves along
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SB0jsx34bWHZWbnNIVVuMjhDkrdFGo1_hSC2BWPlI3A/edit
Never be afraid to bend the rules. You are the MASTER. Your goal is to tell an interesting story. If that means everyone dies at the end so be it, or if it means giving the players a miraculous intervention to save them.
Try to remind your players that this is not a power fantasy. Their characters should have long term personal goals other than "become super powerful." If they don't have them then make them up for the players. I find family obligations to be a good driver like raising money to save the family farm or tracking down a kidnapped/enslaved family member or proving a family members innocence, tracking down an inheritance.
Reward interesting ideas and good roleplaying and do it obviously and immediately. You need to work hard to train your players to join in on telling a good story rather than grasping for more power.
If it is your first time buy a pre-written adventure and run it. Or download it and print but you want a thing to flip through. When you got a feel for how to do that you canstart changing things to your parties taste. Find some ambient music sites, there are a few. It really helps. Get some mood lighting. Dress up a little cute. I used to wear the top of a suit when I was DMing and street clothes when i was just playing. You can get a chain mail shirt from aliexpress for surprisingly cheap. Just the goal is for everyone to have a good time. It is theater mixed with gambling. You want to work in as many little nice details like that. That is what really sells the experience. Find a website that sells cheap 3d printed minies, get a source for nice maps. Little arts and craft props really sell the experience. Get a cute little dice tower or a little set of cups for dice. I recommend a chess clock so if things are taking to long you can let you players know to stay on track.
It is hard to manage the expectations and fun of a hand full of people. The traditional session is 3 hours once a week. I would plan for there to be one thing I knew each player would like specifically each session. I think the current best practice is to have a session be made of six parts. So whatever thing or task the players are doing should by default be about half an hour. Unless you have a good reason you will peobbaly start to lose them if it drags past that. However if they are having fun engaging with a part let it run long or if they aren't enjoying a part move on.