Having never played an actual game before I fully admit I don't know the first thing about joining a group. If anyone could drop some advice on joining and any other related etiquette I would be most grateful. I don't want to assume anything and disrupt things for any potential DMs.
Every group is different, so not having too many preconceived notions is probably a good thing. That said, I think the bigger points of etiquette involved are fairly obvious and not specific to D&D or TTRPGs to begin with: be nice, be respectful, be engaged. It's a social activity, so treat others the way you'd like them to treat you.
On the front of things it might be good to ask about if they're not made clear up front: 1) the practical side of sessions: when are they, where are they (in-person or online, in a game store, at someone's house), how are they set up (if online, what tools are used that you might need to get; if in person, what are you expected to bring)? 2) the practical side of characters: what are the rules for character creation (how are abilities generated, which races/classes/backgrounds are allowed, any houserules you should know about)? 3) the campaign: is it a homebrew one or will you be playing published adventures in official settings (and in either case, what should you know about the setting); does the group have a particular style (roleplay heavy, more hack-and-slash, does the group expect you to make optimal choices all the time); are there potentially sensitive themes you should expect could come up or conversely avoid bringing up?
That third part I would tread lightly on though - that might be a little off-putting to the DM to get grilled about and it's really more session zero material, but if you join an existing group you might not get one. Probably best to keep it general, ask if there's anything you should know about the campaign or the style of the group and let the DM fill in whatever details they think they should.
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Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
This might be hard, considering you’ve never played, but think about the kind of game you might like to play. Do you want a lot of combat, but no role play or vice versa or a mix, for example? There’s a lot of other possible styles, you might check the section in Tasha’s about session 0 to see the kinds of things they suggest discussing.
When you talk to the person who may become your DM, find out the kind of game they run and think about whether that would be fun for you. If not, you’ll be making yourself and the rest of the group upset.
And if you don’t click with the first group you join, don’t let that sour you on the game as a whole, try another group. Could be you had a personality conflict, could be you don’t like their playstyle — meaning you might not like the kind of game you thought you’d like. There’s a lot of ways to play D&D, the only right way is the one that’s fun for everyone at the table.
Thank you for this great advice; I hadn't considered the aspect of thinking of the game I would want to be involved in, as silly as that might sound lol.
When you are in combat please know what abilities your character has. Its asking a lot for the DM to know all the monster's abilities as well as yours.
Oh yes indeed, this is great advice. I understand combat isn't identical for each class and what a player might want to do, but it must put such a dampner on the flow if one player is constantly having to ask what their character can do.
From a DMs perspective I'd say definitely give the Players Handbook a once over, then definitely don't be afraid to ask your DM or other, more knowledgeable players questions. They can explain rules in practical situations pretty good, and honestly your DM might have their own style at something.
You can try to do absolutely anything in D&D unless your DM tells you no.
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Having never played an actual game before I fully admit I don't know the first thing about joining a group. If anyone could drop some advice on joining and any other related etiquette I would be most grateful. I don't want to assume anything and disrupt things for any potential DMs.
First, nothing wrong with asking “DM, can i do this?” “DM, is this possible?”
Second, you can’t play DnD wrong as long as everyone’s having fun. That’s the most important part of the game.
Ah cool, that is very good to know! I know I would have several questions.
Every group is different, so not having too many preconceived notions is probably a good thing. That said, I think the bigger points of etiquette involved are fairly obvious and not specific to D&D or TTRPGs to begin with: be nice, be respectful, be engaged. It's a social activity, so treat others the way you'd like them to treat you.
On the front of things it might be good to ask about if they're not made clear up front:
1) the practical side of sessions: when are they, where are they (in-person or online, in a game store, at someone's house), how are they set up (if online, what tools are used that you might need to get; if in person, what are you expected to bring)?
2) the practical side of characters: what are the rules for character creation (how are abilities generated, which races/classes/backgrounds are allowed, any houserules you should know about)?
3) the campaign: is it a homebrew one or will you be playing published adventures in official settings (and in either case, what should you know about the setting); does the group have a particular style (roleplay heavy, more hack-and-slash, does the group expect you to make optimal choices all the time); are there potentially sensitive themes you should expect could come up or conversely avoid bringing up?
That third part I would tread lightly on though - that might be a little off-putting to the DM to get grilled about and it's really more session zero material, but if you join an existing group you might not get one. Probably best to keep it general, ask if there's anything you should know about the campaign or the style of the group and let the DM fill in whatever details they think they should.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Thank you for all this great advice, there are a lot of things here I hadn't considered. I will keep this in mind!
This might be hard, considering you’ve never played, but think about the kind of game you might like to play. Do you want a lot of combat, but no role play or vice versa or a mix, for example? There’s a lot of other possible styles, you might check the section in Tasha’s about session 0 to see the kinds of things they suggest discussing.
When you talk to the person who may become your DM, find out the kind of game they run and think about whether that would be fun for you. If not, you’ll be making yourself and the rest of the group upset.
And if you don’t click with the first group you join, don’t let that sour you on the game as a whole, try another group. Could be you had a personality conflict, could be you don’t like their playstyle — meaning you might not like the kind of game you thought you’d like. There’s a lot of ways to play D&D, the only right way is the one that’s fun for everyone at the table.
Thank you for this great advice; I hadn't considered the aspect of thinking of the game I would want to be involved in, as silly as that might sound lol.
When you are in combat please know what abilities your character has. Its asking a lot for the DM to know all the monster's abilities as well as yours.
Oh yes indeed, this is great advice. I understand combat isn't identical for each class and what a player might want to do, but it must put such a dampner on the flow if one player is constantly having to ask what their character can do.
From a DMs perspective I'd say definitely give the Players Handbook a once over, then definitely don't be afraid to ask your DM or other, more knowledgeable players questions. They can explain rules in practical situations pretty good, and honestly your DM might have their own style at something.
You can try to do absolutely anything in D&D unless your DM tells you no.