Somehow I have been roped into DMing tomorrow. I have never played any kind of TTRPG. You might think this is foolhardy, you might be right and I might agree with you, but it's happening anyway.
So, great DMs and GMs of Mumsnet, any tips for making this a fun experience all round? 4 PCs and me (1 wiz, 1 bard, 1 fighter, 1 rogue), all related, 2 with some DnD experience, 2 complete novices, going to be a regular thing if it works out.
I've spent the entire week watching vids and researching (and developing a teensy crush on Matt Mercer), we've gone with DnD5e rules in a homebrew world. I've set it in the Discworld because I know it inside out, I've followed the 121 module structure for a one shot from How to Be a Great GM on YouTube, kicking off with a bar fight and quest giver for a fetch quest in a tavern (yes I know it's cliché, but the group actually explicitly wanted this), brief stroll through the city with possible NPC encounter to a dwarf mine where the quest object is, potential combat and moral choice to make. I could chuck in a quick mugging on the way back/out depending on time and, well, if it looks like it could be fun.
I am still way confused about things like surprise, when to actually skill check them and how precisely that works, passive perception, time, wealth, expenses, all that very involved stuff. Can I just ignore a lot of it while we all find our feet? Can you do things in 'cutscene', to borrow from video game terminology? If the rogue takes a shot at a massively OP troll can I prevent them from dying? Does the whole party have to roll initiative? Is this all just stuff I'm going to have to learn from experience?
TLDR: I'm a total DnD noob, help me make my first one shot as DM a success!