First Time DM

Hey there,

Anyone happen to have advice for a first time DM? I'm going through the Dungeon World book and it's kind of daunting at 400ish pages. :p Most of it seems to make sense, but the campaign/adventurer ah.. Fronts? Portents and such are definitely confusing me. That and some of the Monster bits, although that's a little more simplified. I have a major itch for an RPG, but none of my friends are willing to DM. :p Even the ones with experience in it, hah. So I'm trying to step up to the plate--I've played some D&D 3.5, but that's about it. I've never DMed a game period, so it's a huge learning curve here. It's definitely intimidating. Consequently I'm trying to learn what I can and figure things out, even if I'm completely baffled by the Fronts bit. *snort* I figure I'll run an adventure for my other half to begin with, then try and draw in a couple of friends for a campaign once I'm not running around like a chicken with its head cut off panicking about the game rules and such. I figure if nothing else, asking for advice might not be a bad idea.

Thanks in advance.

You've read the Guide, right?

Yes. I actually read it before I started working on the main rulebook. :p Although now that I've gotten through the majority of the book I should probably go re-read it, as I suspect it will make more sense.

Fronts!

Fronts/threats/portents are just an organization tool (plus some inspiration, I guess) for your prep.
You don't need to worry about them at all until after the first session, and even then, they're more... there if you need them.

(In 20+ sessions of DW, I think I've used fronts... twice?)

The most important thing to get down is the flow of play, the moves, asking questions, interacting with the players.
But, once you know the rules (move structure, basic moves, flow of play, some peripheral stuff, damage and healing), just present an interesting, exciting, dangerous situation to your players and go from there.

And then, use fronts if you want them, if you think it'll help. But, don't let them get in your way.
Oh, but, if you have some questions about fronts or want to learn more, do feel free to ask. I mean, not me, I don't really know them well and don't really use them, but I bet someone here can help. :)

- Alex