I have never played D&D out with my kids. I am looking to get involved in some beginners games so help me create games for the kids and get better involved with the life too.
My recommendation for new players wanting to get the most out of this forum is not to be afraid to come to us with specific questions. No matter how potentially obscure or obvious you think the answer might turn out to be, people on this forum love to dive into the minutae of a question.
With that in mind, I'd start out with a copy of the Player's Handbook and just start reading though the sections on how the game is played, develope a working understanding, and then you can use the forums to fill in the inevitable knowledge gaps!
Great to hear, I have just bought the Players Handbook and it was delivered yesterday so I will read through and hope to gain some knowledge. Good to hear that I can come here to pose my questions if needed.
I would recommend the essential kit (sadly you already brought the PHB, essential kit contains (or at least used to) discount for PHB here on DDB). It contains a shortish campaign for levels 1-6. It's structure is a series of kinda independent quests with some overarching plot, but the good thing is, that you can take just one or two of the quests and play them as a standalone adventure, which might be easier for a beginner DM.
I actually have the starter set and the essentials kit, we started to play these just to enjoy the game and the kids loved it. We have decided to get into the game and play it the way it is supposed to be played so was looking for as much info as I could about it.
The bits I am trying to teach myself are the type of dice, roles and modifiers.
I actually have the starter set and the essentials kit, we started to play these just to enjoy the game and the kids loved it. We have decided to get into the game and play it the way it is supposed to be played so was looking for as much info as I could about it.
The bits I am trying to teach myself are the type of dice, roles and modifiers.
Thanks for the info
There's no such thing as a way the games supposed to be played. As long as everyone is having fun, you're playing the game the right way.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
I actually have the starter set and the essentials kit, we started to play these just to enjoy the game and the kids loved it. We have decided to get into the game and play it the way it is supposed to be played so was looking for as much info as I could about it.
The bits I am trying to teach myself are the type of dice, roles and modifiers.
Thanks for the info
There's no such thing as a way the games supposed to be played. As long as everyone is having fun, you're playing the game the right way.
While this is true, new players do need some framework (ie. RAW) to begin with. From there they can start shifting their playstyle based on their preferences, but they have to start somewhere.
if your a DM and are willing to spend some money, I HIGHLY recommend the dungeon master's guide. is a great book, full of tips for running the game, designing adventures, customizing you play style for yourself and the players, a guide to creating your own world, and more. (sorry if that sounded like an ad lol)
here are a few general tips for being a DM:
1. you can't be wrong. your the DM, and you run the game. there is not a "right way" to play. the only "right way" is whatever is most fun for you and the players
2. dnd is not players vs. DM. your goal is not to defeat the players, its to create a fun experience for them
3. DMs should have fun too. I said your supposed to make the game fun for our players. you should do this, but yo should also have fun yourself
I can give specific help if you have specific question to be answered
Yeah, we have just been playing the game and if I wasn't sure we would make our own things up. Everyone enjoyed it so we have played a few games changing things here and there.
Once we are playing with the rules in place I think it will be more fun and I am not scrambling for info and ideas.
Thanks very much. I have the Players Handbook at the moment, I did see the Dungeon Master guide but thought I'd start with players guide to see how the game is structured so I can use the sets I have at the moment.
You might want to look up the YouTube series, "D&D with High School Students." It's done by a high school teacher who teaches his teenager students how to play D&D. The kids are also responsible for setting up cameras and running the show (he teaches communications). He does a very good job of going slowly and explaining everything -- he is a good model for how to teach kids D&D.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
Do you have a family friend that also wants to do this with his/her kids? How much experience do you have with the game?
I played AD&D a "few" years ago. Then I came to 5e, with nothing in-between. I had to learn about proficiency, skills, and some things about spells that have changed, but at the core it is still a great RP game.
However, my niece decided she was going to begin playing, and decided to play a bard because my brother is a musician, like me. After she had read the PHB she sat down and roughed out her character. Then we got together and I explained all the facets of ability scores, modifiers, proficiency, skills, and action economy to her, and we rebuilt her character. I gave her a couple specific sections of the PHB to reread so she could focus now that she has a better understanding of how the rules work. You have to read about half the PHB before you get to the part about playing D&D.
My takeaway was that new players have a lot to learn to really understand how the fundamentals fit together. If you can find some friends to help the new players learn then their introduction should be easier. But on the other hand, maybe your kids will have fun making all the beginner mistakes together. I think I would play a short "campaign" to about level 5, and then offer them the chance to start over with new classes and everything.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Great advice, I have no immediate people around me to guide in D&D. I do have one friend who was a DM years ago but getting hold of the guy is a nightmare.
I got my kids into board games to create family time. I also have a kid with Autism so we played a few games with no rules really. but the older ones wanted to get more involved so I am trying to get my head around the game so when it does come time to play and we start with the proper game rules; I can guide my son through the whole process and journey.
What I want to do is to create a game/time where we can all play together and have everyone involved in how it plays out.
A good flowchart can go a long way in helping you visualize how a turn works. Dice, rolls, and modifiers all kind of flow from your general understanding of the turn, imo, so for me, it helps me in organizing and memorizing the rules. Admittedly, long experience has made the process easier for me, but that's my advice. 5th Edition has tried to simplify a lot of stuff. There's always an ongoing tension between the desire to tinker with the rules for the sake of "realism" and the desire to just make a playable game for outsiders to start playing and 5e by design leans towards the latter.
When you get really confused by the rules, you've probably hit a weird idiosyncrasy that the game has always preserved to give it its unique personality (for example, weird dice. There's no reason not to just use a fistful of ordinary six-sided dice, but back in 1970's Wisconsin, somebody had a plastic mold and too much time on their hands and now here we are).
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Hi Everyone
I have never played D&D out with my kids. I am looking to get involved in some beginners games so help me create games for the kids and get better involved with the life too.
Thanks
My recommendation for new players wanting to get the most out of this forum is not to be afraid to come to us with specific questions. No matter how potentially obscure or obvious you think the answer might turn out to be, people on this forum love to dive into the minutae of a question.
With that in mind, I'd start out with a copy of the Player's Handbook and just start reading though the sections on how the game is played, develope a working understanding, and then you can use the forums to fill in the inevitable knowledge gaps!
Happy questing!
Great to hear, I have just bought the Players Handbook and it was delivered yesterday so I will read through and hope to gain some knowledge. Good to hear that I can come here to pose my questions if needed.
Thanks for the quick reply.
I would recommend the essential kit (sadly you already brought the PHB, essential kit contains (or at least used to) discount for PHB here on DDB). It contains a shortish campaign for levels 1-6. It's structure is a series of kinda independent quests with some overarching plot, but the good thing is, that you can take just one or two of the quests and play them as a standalone adventure, which might be easier for a beginner DM.
I actually have the starter set and the essentials kit, we started to play these just to enjoy the game and the kids loved it. We have decided to get into the game and play it the way it is supposed to be played so was looking for as much info as I could about it.
The bits I am trying to teach myself are the type of dice, roles and modifiers.
Thanks for the info
There's no such thing as a way the games supposed to be played. As long as everyone is having fun, you're playing the game the right way.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
While this is true, new players do need some framework (ie. RAW) to begin with. From there they can start shifting their playstyle based on their preferences, but they have to start somewhere.
if your a DM and are willing to spend some money, I HIGHLY recommend the dungeon master's guide. is a great book, full of tips for running the game, designing adventures, customizing you play style for yourself and the players, a guide to creating your own world, and more. (sorry if that sounded like an ad lol)
here are a few general tips for being a DM:
1. you can't be wrong. your the DM, and you run the game. there is not a "right way" to play. the only "right way" is whatever is most fun for you and the players
2. dnd is not players vs. DM. your goal is not to defeat the players, its to create a fun experience for them
3. DMs should have fun too. I said your supposed to make the game fun for our players. you should do this, but yo should also have fun yourself
I can give specific help if you have specific question to be answered
I am an average mathematics enjoyer.
>Extended Signature<
Yeah, we have just been playing the game and if I wasn't sure we would make our own things up. Everyone enjoyed it so we have played a few games changing things here and there.
Once we are playing with the rules in place I think it will be more fun and I am not scrambling for info and ideas.
Thanks very much. I have the Players Handbook at the moment, I did see the Dungeon Master guide but thought I'd start with players guide to see how the game is structured so I can use the sets I have at the moment.
You might want to look up the YouTube series, "D&D with High School Students." It's done by a high school teacher who teaches his teenager students how to play D&D. The kids are also responsible for setting up cameras and running the show (he teaches communications). He does a very good job of going slowly and explaining everything -- he is a good model for how to teach kids D&D.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
That sounds great I will definitely check it out. Thanks for the info.
Do you have a family friend that also wants to do this with his/her kids? How much experience do you have with the game?
I played AD&D a "few" years ago. Then I came to 5e, with nothing in-between. I had to learn about proficiency, skills, and some things about spells that have changed, but at the core it is still a great RP game.
However, my niece decided she was going to begin playing, and decided to play a bard because my brother is a musician, like me. After she had read the PHB she sat down and roughed out her character. Then we got together and I explained all the facets of ability scores, modifiers, proficiency, skills, and action economy to her, and we rebuilt her character. I gave her a couple specific sections of the PHB to reread so she could focus now that she has a better understanding of how the rules work. You have to read about half the PHB before you get to the part about playing D&D.
My takeaway was that new players have a lot to learn to really understand how the fundamentals fit together. If you can find some friends to help the new players learn then their introduction should be easier. But on the other hand, maybe your kids will have fun making all the beginner mistakes together. I think I would play a short "campaign" to about level 5, and then offer them the chance to start over with new classes and everything.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Great advice, I have no immediate people around me to guide in D&D. I do have one friend who was a DM years ago but getting hold of the guy is a nightmare.
I got my kids into board games to create family time. I also have a kid with Autism so we played a few games with no rules really. but the older ones wanted to get more involved so I am trying to get my head around the game so when it does come time to play and we start with the proper game rules; I can guide my son through the whole process and journey.
What I want to do is to create a game/time where we can all play together and have everyone involved in how it plays out.
I am currently 10 mins through "D&D with High School Students". Thanks BioWizard.
It is a good series for showing how D&D is played by kids.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
A good flowchart can go a long way in helping you visualize how a turn works. Dice, rolls, and modifiers all kind of flow from your general understanding of the turn, imo, so for me, it helps me in organizing and memorizing the rules. Admittedly, long experience has made the process easier for me, but that's my advice. 5th Edition has tried to simplify a lot of stuff. There's always an ongoing tension between the desire to tinker with the rules for the sake of "realism" and the desire to just make a playable game for outsiders to start playing and 5e by design leans towards the latter.
When you get really confused by the rules, you've probably hit a weird idiosyncrasy that the game has always preserved to give it its unique personality (for example, weird dice. There's no reason not to just use a fistful of ordinary six-sided dice, but back in 1970's Wisconsin, somebody had a plastic mold and too much time on their hands and now here we are).