I will admit to being a total n00b GM. I'd ran two one-shots before starting my Eberron campaign and had only actually played in a few other RPG's before that (most of which were World of Darkness, as a lot of the gamers at my college seem to like to play bloodsuckers).

So I came into my game not quite having intimate knowledge of the d20 system. I still don't have a lot of the stuff down like turning undead, special combat maneuvers, NPC generation, etc. Thus, I fudge it a lot.

For example, I calculate experience based on attendance (takes two sessions to get to level two, three for level three, etc) for simplicity's sake. Of course, I'll probably have to fudge it even more if players want to start crafting items...grr.

My players know I'm not the expert (some have been with d20 since its inception) and know I'm fudging/house-ruling - they don't seem to mind. Still, I question the issues of a GM not entirely knowing the system they're running...thoughts?

I'd say you're on the right track.  You'll screw some things up along the way but that's the way you'll learn.  Don't hesitate to put off any question that doesn't need an immediate answer.  That'll give you time to get some advice on specific rules issues in between sessions.  Sometimes you have to make a call in play.  Don't be afraid to make the wrong call and correct it later.

jrients is wise.  Don't worry about getting it letter perfect first time out the gate.  You've got to make mistakes to learn how to improve.  Most of GMing is finding out what works for your group.  Nothing but experience can teach you what that is.

Best advice I can think of for fudging is "know the rules before you break them."  I'm not saying you have to be the sage of AoOs or Feat balancing, but it's better in the long run if you know how the system fits together, even if it's only so you know why you're skipping rule X.

The best thing about running d20, IME, is that you'll be with players who know the system intimately.  Talk to them, ask them questions and their take on certain rules.  If they're not total pricks, they'll walk you through anything you have trouble with.  

I relied on my play group's expertise with d20 to get my IH game off the ground.  We ran a session or two just walking though combats so I could begin to pick up the flow of the game.  I still haven't figured out how to build a good encounter, but I'm much further along than I'd have been otherwise.

I hear Iron Heroes is delicious. Is this so?

Also, I've found that my group, surprisingly, agrees with my distaste for random encounters and power-gaming. They were most excited last session when I spent about equal time with social interaction, investigation and kicking the shit out of a dozen orcs after being ambushed by them.

Quote from: dsivisI hear Iron Heroes is delicious. Is this so?

Absolutely. One of the best D20 things ever.

The good thing is that many options only conme to fruiton in higher levels. thus you and your players can learn and explore together.
Still it might be smart, if possible to be a player in a d20 game of someone else.

Through the authority vested in me by ownership of not just one but two hot-pink ties, I hereby proclaim that you should Do What Jeff Says.  

Seriously, man, if your players are showing up and having fun...there.  You're doing great.  No one expects more of you; if they want more, let them ask for it.  Baby-steps, man.  

Just stay chill, have fun, and don't get boring.  Zing!  A great gamemaster wilt thou be.

ALL PRAISE UNTO THE TIES!

I would like to note that it's fine to fudge the stuff you don't know, but I've noticed for some players that it has to be a pretty consistent fudge. Only change your rulings as you understand and learn more about the game.

JamesV has a good point.  Always fudge something the same way until you're ready to make a new, definitive ruling.  And if the new, definitive ruling doesn't stick then later down the line issue a newer, more definitive ruling.

GMing is a creative act.  For creativity to bloom you need both structure and freedom.  Sometimes that means freedom to re-work the structure.

You can fudge complex rulesets almost as easy as you can simple ones.  The trick is the game is so complicated the players can never be sure exactly what you're doing.  With d20 D&D if you need a statblock you don't have it's pretty easy to say "Okay, this guy will have +10 to hit with +6 on damage, AC of 23, and 85 hit points.  He fights with a big greataxe so he probably has power attack and crap like that."  Don't worry about his stats, feats, or magic items.  (well the items you'll need to eyeball if and when the characters try to nab them, but don't worry about it now)

Just go into the fight.  As far as feats or items just give him 'on the fly' whatever it would be reasonable to have.  Don't feel like you have to create an entire complete statblock for each character they fight.  That way lies madness.

Won't your players know?  Why should they.  It's entirely reasonable that this guy has +10 to hit, and if you needed to it could be reverse engineered.  The point is that his strength, feats, and other bonuses doesn't matter.  What matters is that it adds up to ten.  Once you have that you can keep the game moving.

I do the same thing with Exalted, just assigning the bad guy a combat pool and figure his charms, specialties, and artifacts are getting it to that level without sweating the details.  Your players will never, ever notice.  You just need to know the system well enough to get your improv-ed stats in the right range.  A 2nd level commoner with +15 to hit is going to raise some eyebrows.

Quote from: Dr Rotwang!Seriously, man, if your players are showing up and having fun...there.  You're doing great.  

I'd say that's the question, really. Every game needs a set of rules, that's for sure, but in any game also the Prime Directive ( ) should be having fun. I've noticed that, especially in d20, not knowing the "advanced" rules is almost unimportant in the basic (like, 1-5) levels, but in the other hand, can be really hard and get really boring in higher (15+) levels. So, I'say that, all in all, the only rules you need to know are the ones you need to make your game run smoothly. Start looking for more when you feel your game needs it.

Quote from: MaddmanWith d20 D&D if you need a statblock you don't have it's pretty easy to say "Okay, this guy will have +10 to hit with +6 on damage, AC of 23, and 85 hit points.  He fights with a big greataxe so he probably has power attack and crap like that."

This is spot on - the idea is that you need to know only stuff that will come up - skills are rarely used in combat, if so you can assume max pts in the skills everyone chooses and none in others. Don't get bogged down in spell lists either.  Figure the spellcaster will have a couple standard long term defensive spells already cast.  Then grab 1-2 attack spells.  If they last longer than that, then just give them more spells on the fly.

Even for NPC that will be around for a while, I grab existing statblocks and tweak slightly or use a chargen program and adjust a bit.  It's ok if they're not totally optimized.  In fact, sometimes the odd results inspire me to add unusual details to the characters.

Quote from: jrientsI'd say you're on the right track.  You'll screw some things up along the way but that's the way you'll learn.  Don't hesitate to put off any question that doesn't need an immediate answer.

This is basically what I was saying in the RPG forum today. If you can't quickly come up with an answer (like say you don't know the grappling rules), make something up, jot it down, look it up later, and then run it the right way next time.

(Unless you happen to like your solution better, in which case, jot down your new house rule. )

I'm playing in said Eberron game, and I'll vouch for the fact that it's going quite well.  I've been slightly anti-D&D for most of my gaming life, due to a really pathetic first game.  Since starting the Eb campaign, I'm realizing that it is actually possible to have fun with it!