My friends and I recently decided to get into D&D. We're getting the basics together and my wife got me one of the Essentials packs for Christmas. My dilemma is that I have never played before and we have no one to DM our home games. I volunteered to DM the games at home since I happen to have the most knowledge of D&D (which isn't by any means that of an avid player). Some coworkers of mine have also decided to start a campaign once a month at work where I will be a player (I chose a Tiefling Rogue) and the DM is quite experienced. I have watched D&D played via Critical Role (you can thank them for getting me interested) but have yet to experience it myself. I have been reading the material that came with the kit at Christmas and have started reading some of the materials on the D&D Beyond app. With all that in mind, what are some good tip/tricks to make both my experiences as good as possible?
Seems like you're already following what some of my big pieces of advice would be for a new DM, but: Often it's easier to start out with a published adventure, especially one written for new players (the starter set/essentials kit/whatever the new one is called are good examples). Plus, the fact that it sounds like you're running for mostly new players is good because they (likely) aren't coming in with overly specific expectations.
I'd say in addition to that: Plan for a short campaign and don't be afraid to mess it up. The first game---first several games, probably---should be a learning experience. Make sure everybody knows to expect that going in. I've seen advice to pregenerate characters for your players in the first game to keep character creation from bogging down the first session and so you know what to expect in terms of the player characters' abilities, but it sucks to tell someone no when they want to play something else. Still, making sure you extend the option of the pregen characters is good (the essentials pack should have some). Finally, it sounds like you might've already had some of these conversations, but a general best practice as a DM is to run a Session Zero to set expectations about the intended tone/style/content of the game.
As a player, I think there are fewer expectations on you, especially since it's a new game and you know the people in the group. Others might have more advice on that front, though.
Don't get bogged down in rules. If you can look it up quickly, great. But if it's going to take too long just use common sense and move on. Make a note, look it up afterwards and learn more but keeping the game moving is more important than being right every time.
I agree with BatJamags, use a prewritten adventure. Lost Mines of Phandelver is super popular for a reason.
I'm going against BatJamags on this one though... don't use premade characters. For a lot of players, Character creation is half the fun. My first group did this via msg so that everyone could make their characters and then have them ready to go for session 1. Also related: decide how much everyone knows about each other's characters beforehand. Having a whole table of Level 1 Wizards can be a bit of a problem so at least knowing classes can be a good idea for balance.
Aspire to be Matt Mercer (I know I do!) but understand that you're not. It's a bit like watching Michael Jordan and then buying your first basketball, so don't be too hard on yourself!
Keep things simple. You're learning a lot and you're better off learning rules than worrying about bells and whistles. So, in terms of story for example, don't try to create one to improve the game - have the party just be in it for the gold. Just worry about making the game fun while learning the rules.
Don't try to be perfect. Perfection is the enemy of good enough. Forgot a rule? Don't worry. If it's a small thing, make it up and come back to it after the game to understand what the real rule is. If you do have to check during the game, try not to let it bog you down. It's more important that people enjoy themselves than it is that you get things right.
Don't be afraid to jettison rules. Look, 5e has a ton of rules, not all of them are necessary. We got rid of encumbrance (the idea you have to track how much the stuff you're carrying weighs and having limits on how much you can carry) because we wanted to focus on learning the core rules first. You can always introduce those rules back in, if you want to.
Don't aspire to be Matt Mercer. Or anyone else. You are you, not them. Sure, if you see something they do that you really like, try it out in your own game. I do. However, your style is unique to you and it's more important that you're comfortable and confident in yourself than doing what someone else does. What Mercer (or anyone else) does is not even necessarily good - there are things that happens on Critical Role that would drive me from the table if they happened there. Just be yourself.
Remember that Rule 0 is "DM is spelt g-o-d". If you want to change a rule to make things fun, do it. It's your game. Just remember that rules are there for a reason - understand why a rule is there before changing it. Doubling the number of a Wizard's spell slots is rarely a good idea.
Remember that no D&D is better than bad D&D. A perspective you should have is that if you or a player is not having fun (assuming that it's not just that D&D runs counter to your tastes, it happens), then something is being done wrong. If someone doesn't enjoy roleplaying conversations... don't insist on it. Let them just describe their intents and roll for it. Are they really not enjoying their character? Let them choose another. If something is making the game unfun for someone...fix it. It's your game. As I've suggested before - the rules provided are given because the writers think they will provide a better experience, but that isn't universally true, so sit down and think about things. If there's some change you can make to make things better, do it.
Remember; the point of D&D is to have fun, not to play D&D. Rules are there for a reason - but not to dampen your day. Just have fun!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hey there,
My friends and I recently decided to get into D&D. We're getting the basics together and my wife got me one of the Essentials packs for Christmas. My dilemma is that I have never played before and we have no one to DM our home games. I volunteered to DM the games at home since I happen to have the most knowledge of D&D (which isn't by any means that of an avid player). Some coworkers of mine have also decided to start a campaign once a month at work where I will be a player (I chose a Tiefling Rogue) and the DM is quite experienced. I have watched D&D played via Critical Role (you can thank them for getting me interested) but have yet to experience it myself. I have been reading the material that came with the kit at Christmas and have started reading some of the materials on the D&D Beyond app. With all that in mind, what are some good tip/tricks to make both my experiences as good as possible?
Welcome!
Seems like you're already following what some of my big pieces of advice would be for a new DM, but: Often it's easier to start out with a published adventure, especially one written for new players (the starter set/essentials kit/whatever the new one is called are good examples). Plus, the fact that it sounds like you're running for mostly new players is good because they (likely) aren't coming in with overly specific expectations.
I'd say in addition to that: Plan for a short campaign and don't be afraid to mess it up. The first game---first several games, probably---should be a learning experience. Make sure everybody knows to expect that going in. I've seen advice to pregenerate characters for your players in the first game to keep character creation from bogging down the first session and so you know what to expect in terms of the player characters' abilities, but it sucks to tell someone no when they want to play something else. Still, making sure you extend the option of the pregen characters is good (the essentials pack should have some). Finally, it sounds like you might've already had some of these conversations, but a general best practice as a DM is to run a Session Zero to set expectations about the intended tone/style/content of the game.
As a player, I think there are fewer expectations on you, especially since it's a new game and you know the people in the group. Others might have more advice on that front, though.
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
Don't get bogged down in rules. If you can look it up quickly, great. But if it's going to take too long just use common sense and move on. Make a note, look it up afterwards and learn more but keeping the game moving is more important than being right every time.
I agree with BatJamags, use a prewritten adventure. Lost Mines of Phandelver is super popular for a reason.
I'm going against BatJamags on this one though... don't use premade characters. For a lot of players, Character creation is half the fun. My first group did this via msg so that everyone could make their characters and then have them ready to go for session 1. Also related: decide how much everyone knows about each other's characters beforehand. Having a whole table of Level 1 Wizards can be a bit of a problem so at least knowing classes can be a good idea for balance.
Aspire to be Matt Mercer (I know I do!) but understand that you're not. It's a bit like watching Michael Jordan and then buying your first basketball, so don't be too hard on yourself!
Remember; the point of D&D is to have fun, not to play D&D. Rules are there for a reason - but not to dampen your day. Just have fun!
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.