This is really important, and it’s something I stress to players: we’re all responsible for everyone’s fun. Be sure that the character choices you make–and the player choices you make–aren’t gonna ruin someone else’s fun. If in doubt, check in with folks; and don’t be afraid to tell people that what they’re doing isn’t fun for you.
This. Your fun is not secondary.
I also recommend Keith Ammann’s “The Monsters Know What They’re Doing.”
When I build my encounter books, I make sure to copy any relevant rules that may come up. e.g: Does it look like a chase may ensue? I paste in the chase rules from the DMG, so I don’t waste time with looking them up. I also prepare little encounter cards for each monster with individual HP and pre-rolled initiative. Here’s an example of a Nighthag named Bella:
Being a nighthag, she had more attacks than would have fit on the card, otherwise I would list the attack, damage amount and type, and to hit roll.
I also do a similar thing for my encounter trackers. The player facing side has the character’s name and the DM side has the Character, the player, the the Character’s AC.
If there is anything I can do to streamline combat, so it doesn’t become a slog, I’ll give it a shot.
Lastly - and this is just a me tool. As soon as the session is done, I go home and write up the events as a narrative. Firstly, because (having worked with me before) I know I’ll forget everything if I don’t, and second, a narrative recap is more fun to read. I then post it to my group’s facebook page and to the CoS subreddit.
An example:
As soon as you say the word “empire” to a group of roleplayers, they’re instantly going to suspect that they’re not the good guys. No matter what else they’re told about it.
It’s definitely good for someone to do this. But if you have a player who wants to do it, it might be even better, because that way, the recap will focus on the things that the players think are important (which they might or might not be right about).
Also I might have tipped my hand by naming the vizier “Twoface Snaketongue.”
I tried that on a couple of mini campaigns. It was like pulling teeth.
Still time to actually make the Empire the good guys!
I’ve become a convert to running games with my laptop open on my DnDBeyond notes and encounters pages.
On the topic of taking notes, I’ve always run games under the premise that the characters know what’s going on in their life. I’ve played at tables where the DM smugly gives the players shit for not remembering the Duchess’s name two weeks later or the location they were told to go for the magic stone. Forget that nonsense – the players have lives full of family, jobs, school, bills, etc and gaps from the story. The characters just learned the magic stone location an hour ago and of course they’d remember it.
It’s awesome if they’re invested enough* to take copious notes but, if no one remembers an NPCs name or who/what “Illsie Shandrath” is when a guard brings it up, I’m just going to remind them.
*And of the mindset to do it. Some people just don’t want to spend their evening transcribing notes like they’re in an Intro to Western History course.
Yeah, like I said, “if you have a player who wants to do it”. Which is, of course, far from a given.
In The Black Hack (OSR-type game) characters gain “Experiences” through actual accomplishments like defeating an enemy or completing a quest rather than the abstraction of experience points, and once they collect “Experiences” equal to their current level they have to go “Caruousing” and share one or more of their “Experiences” in the form of a brief narrative and roll on tha table for a consequence (in addition to gaining a level). I’ve never actually played the game and I suspect that groups probably ignore this because it probably becomes tedious after a few levels but it does theoretically provide an incentive for players to document their gameplay experience.
Stranger
The empire isn’t really bad or good. It’s just a standard D&D setting. It’s not democratic and there aren’t any real civil rights, but it’s not Nazi Germany or North Korea. Most people are barely aware it exists, other than an abstraction. And it’s not going to play that big a role, though the players are originally recruited to keep an eye on the leader of the port.
The real villain is a Lovecraftian horror.
“Hey, guys! What’s up? Where are you going with all those spears?”
Stranger
Good advice.
Let one of the more experienced players run initiative.
Right- it is supposed to be SEVEN ogres attack you- because you failed to actually cast Mordenkainen Watchdog.
Very good advice.
Resist the temptation to run your own PC in the party.
Do not be afraid to make shit up.
I roll my dice out in the open, but you know you can double or half the Hit Points of monsters without the Players knowing it!
Use the environment.
I ran an Arctic campaign, in the 90s.
Deserts or swamps can be handy, too.
Try the old “treasure map”" for buried treasure. Laugh your fanny off, when they forget to bring shovels. 
Try a campaign at sea. You can import otherwise unusable pre-made modules by putting them on an island.
Speaking of islands–Jurassic Park, anyone? They may not flinch at Dragons, but just wait until the Party gets a look at a T-rex.
Also, consider an all Pirate campaign.
Or, a party that is 100% Paladins and Clerics. No fireballs, but your Party will need to get creative.
Lastly, toss in an unexpected Invasion. Goblins. On foot, riding Dire Wolves, with Catapults, etc. Defend a fortiffied town, until help arrives.
Thanks, but I’ve already got the setting (mostly) down and everyone’s rolled up their characters. I’m mostly looking for game running tips.
Are you all using D&D Beyond? I find it’s helpful to track character sheets. The encounter tracker… not so much.
Streamline combat as much as possible. Pre-roll initiative, if possible. Roll to hit and damage dice at the same time. This will save a few seconds per turn, but that adds up.
It will get silly at one point. Roll with it.
A couple of my players are using D&D beyond. I’ll look into it. I do love physically rolling real dice, though.
It’s already gotten silly and the real game hasn’t even started.
We still physically roll dice. I find it most useful for tracking PC actions and spells - known, prepped, slots cast, effects - and also being able to immediately see the spell & monster stats in pop-ups. I usually have my notes open in one tab, each PC and important NPC character sheet in its own, and the PC notes, with illustrations, in a separate browser window I can pull onto the second monitor everyone can see. Beats paging through printed notes to find my illustration of the arcane thingamajig, or my homebrewed forest gobbos.
Also, just DMed a one-off Humblewood game for a 12 yo birthday, and being able to very quickly generate characters for such a non-standard setting was awesome.
Yeah, I’ll definitely check it out.
I asked a similar question a year or so (on checking , two years!) about my first game. Lots of helpful advice, some of which was specific to the adventure (Storm King’s Thunder) I’m running, lots of which is either transferrable or global in applicability.
As a recent first time DM, things I’ve learned:
DND Beyond is a useful resource - I use it for character sheets, but also spell details, rules checking etc. that I need to reference in the moment - much easier than paging through the physical books.
Enjoyability of the session- particularly for me - is generally directly proportional to the amount of time I spend prepping. Happily, I have found I really enjoy the prepping. But it really makes a difference if I put in the time to make sure I know;
- NPCs motivations, appearance, likely response to the characters, likely response to other NPCs. I am a massive ham, so NPCs are a chance for me to try out different accents. For appearance, well worth searching for online images you can use, or using generative AI to bring people alive. . Same goes for monsters, a good pic of e.g. a rhemorraz (sp?) in full attack mode does a lot to set atmosphere.
- The map and locations (sounds like you’re on this) so I know where people should be going and what should be there. Again, you can find pretty cheaply some good images and maps of standard locations, e.g the warehouse district, dockside tavern etc. that will at least give you ideas.
- What each PC should be doing and how the players are going to find enjoyment. This is partly a mix of character strengths (i.e. if this is a diplomacy-and-stealth mission that suits the Rogue and the Bard, what are the Ranger and Fighter going to be doing? How do they contribute to the party’s success?) and player strengths (i.e. some like strategising, some like interactive role play, some like it when their character does something cool.)
- What’s the main line of this adventure, and what are the variations? What if their first plan fails and their deception is revealed? What if they don’t trust the guy they should trust? What if my daughter takes one look at the picture of the “friendly” bard I’d prepared and immediately declares him untrustworthy, thus screwing up a massive third act reveal the very first time I go off book to script my own session? Some of this you can just force (“Shut up kid”) but I like having an alternate route.
- What do I want people to feel during this session? “Not bored” is the baseline, but is this adventure suspenseful, exhilarating, funny, terrifying? Are we ending with a sense of triumph, relief or on a cliff-hanger?
- Plant some stuff for later. This can go two ways - if you know something big is going to happen in a couple of sessions time, try to foreshadow it by e.g. having an NPC mention in passing the important vote coming up soon, a bard sing a song of a presumed dead hero, a dead villain can have a trinket that will turn out to be more meaningful later etc. etc. Or just have this stuff happen anyhow and then build it in later.
Golden rule; keep looking round the table, if people aren’t having fun, switch things up.
Can be fun- but dont have cannon. Use boarding actions.