I have read through a few DM guides that you can find online and DMsguild and they are all very useful. I do have a particular question of how to deal with Covid and masking. As the leader of the group I feel a bit of responsibility to the members of the group and anyone they know. I will mask up but not sure what do do if the CDC starts to ask people to mask up. I will bring it up in group and talk about it with out getting any politics involved if possible. I am immunocompromised and have gotten the boosters. I won't be asking anyone their status unless the place we are holding it has any rules. I think asking players to please put on a mask would be the minimum I can do. I would also ask that if people feel like they are sick or could have it to either not show up for that session or at least let us know. I don't go around people much so I am not too worried about spreading it. Catching it however would be an issue. How have others handled this in the past? Would hate for the group to fall apart over something like this.
On another note is it usual for the DM to bring snacks or something? I really do not have the funds to do that but I thought maybe something would be cool for 1st session. I have about 3-5 people interested and that sounds like plenty so I don't want to advertise for more till I get a good idea of the group size. Any suggestions on some easy 2-3 hour 1st level One Shots to run. I am looking at WIld SHeep chase as that seems pretty easy but not sure if that would take 2 hours. I will be providing character sheets for people to use and roll up a character. I have some new players and I am pretty new so I thought walking them threw this would be fun. I wouldn't stress too much over backstory just the mechanics so people know what the Abilitiy mod and profciency Mod do in game. I also have about 7 set of dice but not sure if people will bring their own. I also think it is a good idea to suggest people bring a copy of the PHB if they can get one as it will make the game flow much quicker. Any other tips would be very welcome.
Regarding masking, I think you are well within your rights to ask people to mask up, and, frankly, anyone who hears “cases are rising in our area and I am immunocompromised, can everyone please wear a mask?” and responds “no, I won’t” probably isn’t someone you want in your playgroup.
It would be a good idea to have a backup plan in case someone is feeling sick so they don’t miss the session. I have been using Discord video and my phone on a tripod if someone can’t make the session in-person. Most folks would still be around the table, but you could still get the isolating person to play remotely.
Regarding snacks, that’s one of those things that changes by playgroups. I know I tend to put out a charcuterie spread and some D&D cocktails for my players. Other groups expect the players to bring snacks since the DM generally incurs more costs in terms of books, miniatures, and just general time investment. Another group might set up a revolving order of who brings snacks.
I think a good rule of thumb is to either provide snacks for first session (and something as simple as a couple bags of chips are generally sufficient) and speak with your players after to determine the snack plan moving forward, or just reach out and speak to them before hand, addressing snacks as part of general pregame administration.
Regarding player number, I find 4-5 the best number for a group. Three tends to be a little small - you’ll often have situations where it is 2 on 1, so there’s not much room for party discussion on what should be done. 4 or 5 gives you enough different views and character types within the party, without making combat last too long between player turns.
Regarding one-shots, I don’t personally run those, preferring to set up long-standing campaigns. That said, some of the Candlekeep Mysteries mini-adventures are delightful - I have slid slightly modified versions those into larger campaigns and they’re always a hit.
I would recommend everyone use D&D Beyond for their character building and bring a laptop or tablet rather than everyone being the PHB. D&DB is great for new players in particular, since all the information is right at their fingertips. You would want to have a “no getting distracted on the internet rule”, but that is not too hard to enforce.
My group just discussed masking and decided what was right for us. Some people were willing to be more open about the reasons for their risk tolerance, others weren't, but we've all been playing together for a while, so we're comfortable enough around each other that we were able to talk about it without anyone getting upset one way or another. We've been toggling back and forth between in person and online play as surges have come and gone.
As far as snacks, I never did as DM. Usually the players would all brin food for themselves, and a couple would bring me beers as a naked attempt at bribery.
If you are going to roll up characters there, in person, expect that to pretty much take up the session. This goes double if people are sharing books, and triple if they are new. You might instead look at making pregen characters for this. For one, it will be easier for you to DM, since you'll know just what everyone can do, and there won't be surprises. For two, for new players, making a first character can be overwhelming. Many have no idea what they want, or what the options are, and barely know enough to know what questions to ask. After a session with some pregen characters, they'll probably have a better handle on how the game works (like how a 16 ability score is way better than a 15, but not really any different than a 17), and maybe a better idea of the kind of character they want to play.
My suggestion is: communicate with your players about all of this. Early and clearly. The sooner expectations are established in a group and the more frequent the communication, the smoother things tend to run in my experience.
As a DM, you are well within your rights to set ground rules for everything from game mechanics to table etiquette. It is commonplace for DMs to give a session zero "this is what you can expect at my table" talk, and people who aren't comfortable with that can ask for compromises or politely bow out. Requiring masks because you're immunocompromised is perfectly legitimate.
For things you are willing to open up for discussion, or you haven't decided on yet, feel free to raise it to the group. "Hey guys, I thought I'd bring snacks on week one as a special treat. If you want snacks in the future, would one of you mind bringing them? Or maybe we can all take turns. What do you think?"
As for one-shots, bear in mind that combat takes much longer than you'd expect. Many published adventures aren't designed around time limits, and sessions traditionally tend to be 4-6 hours on the shorter end. You can absolutely run a one-shot in 2-3 hours, just be prepared to push things along and limit the number of combat encounters you throw at your players.
Finally, I recommend DMDave for free, published content. If you sign up for his emails, you get tons of encounters that can be dropped into any setting or used as standalone adventures. It's well-written, varied, and tends to span all kinds of levels of play. (The free adventures only provide details for one tier of play, and usually the lower levels. If you become a Patreon patron, you get access to everything.) Also, his blog is good reading for new and veteran DMs alike.
My tip is to make a good impression. Have a room set aside for the day, and get some music playing in the background. I make my players character tokens, and they'll always appreciate ambiance. Essentially, anything that gets them more into the game.
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"A wise man puts Charisma as his dump stat"
-Sun Tzu
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I have read through a few DM guides that you can find online and DMsguild and they are all very useful. I do have a particular question of how to deal with Covid and masking. As the leader of the group I feel a bit of responsibility to the members of the group and anyone they know. I will mask up but not sure what do do if the CDC starts to ask people to mask up. I will bring it up in group and talk about it with out getting any politics involved if possible. I am immunocompromised and have gotten the boosters. I won't be asking anyone their status unless the place we are holding it has any rules. I think asking players to please put on a mask would be the minimum I can do. I would also ask that if people feel like they are sick or could have it to either not show up for that session or at least let us know. I don't go around people much so I am not too worried about spreading it. Catching it however would be an issue. How have others handled this in the past? Would hate for the group to fall apart over something like this.
On another note is it usual for the DM to bring snacks or something? I really do not have the funds to do that but I thought maybe something would be cool for 1st session. I have about 3-5 people interested and that sounds like plenty so I don't want to advertise for more till I get a good idea of the group size. Any suggestions on some easy 2-3 hour 1st level One Shots to run. I am looking at WIld SHeep chase as that seems pretty easy but not sure if that would take 2 hours. I will be providing character sheets for people to use and roll up a character. I have some new players and I am pretty new so I thought walking them threw this would be fun. I wouldn't stress too much over backstory just the mechanics so people know what the Abilitiy mod and profciency Mod do in game. I also have about 7 set of dice but not sure if people will bring their own. I also think it is a good idea to suggest people bring a copy of the PHB if they can get one as it will make the game flow much quicker. Any other tips would be very welcome.
Just to go through some thoughts:
Regarding masking, I think you are well within your rights to ask people to mask up, and, frankly, anyone who hears “cases are rising in our area and I am immunocompromised, can everyone please wear a mask?” and responds “no, I won’t” probably isn’t someone you want in your playgroup.
It would be a good idea to have a backup plan in case someone is feeling sick so they don’t miss the session. I have been using Discord video and my phone on a tripod if someone can’t make the session in-person. Most folks would still be around the table, but you could still get the isolating person to play remotely.
Regarding snacks, that’s one of those things that changes by playgroups. I know I tend to put out a charcuterie spread and some D&D cocktails for my players. Other groups expect the players to bring snacks since the DM generally incurs more costs in terms of books, miniatures, and just general time investment. Another group might set up a revolving order of who brings snacks.
I think a good rule of thumb is to either provide snacks for first session (and something as simple as a couple bags of chips are generally sufficient) and speak with your players after to determine the snack plan moving forward, or just reach out and speak to them before hand, addressing snacks as part of general pregame administration.
Regarding player number, I find 4-5 the best number for a group. Three tends to be a little small - you’ll often have situations where it is 2 on 1, so there’s not much room for party discussion on what should be done. 4 or 5 gives you enough different views and character types within the party, without making combat last too long between player turns.
Regarding one-shots, I don’t personally run those, preferring to set up long-standing campaigns. That said, some of the Candlekeep Mysteries mini-adventures are delightful - I have slid slightly modified versions those into larger campaigns and they’re always a hit.
I would recommend everyone use D&D Beyond for their character building and bring a laptop or tablet rather than everyone being the PHB. D&DB is great for new players in particular, since all the information is right at their fingertips. You would want to have a “no getting distracted on the internet rule”, but that is not too hard to enforce.
Hope some of that helps.
My group just discussed masking and decided what was right for us. Some people were willing to be more open about the reasons for their risk tolerance, others weren't, but we've all been playing together for a while, so we're comfortable enough around each other that we were able to talk about it without anyone getting upset one way or another. We've been toggling back and forth between in person and online play as surges have come and gone.
As far as snacks, I never did as DM. Usually the players would all brin food for themselves, and a couple would bring me beers as a naked attempt at bribery.
If you are going to roll up characters there, in person, expect that to pretty much take up the session. This goes double if people are sharing books, and triple if they are new. You might instead look at making pregen characters for this. For one, it will be easier for you to DM, since you'll know just what everyone can do, and there won't be surprises. For two, for new players, making a first character can be overwhelming. Many have no idea what they want, or what the options are, and barely know enough to know what questions to ask. After a session with some pregen characters, they'll probably have a better handle on how the game works (like how a 16 ability score is way better than a 15, but not really any different than a 17), and maybe a better idea of the kind of character they want to play.
My suggestion is: communicate with your players about all of this. Early and clearly. The sooner expectations are established in a group and the more frequent the communication, the smoother things tend to run in my experience.
As a DM, you are well within your rights to set ground rules for everything from game mechanics to table etiquette. It is commonplace for DMs to give a session zero "this is what you can expect at my table" talk, and people who aren't comfortable with that can ask for compromises or politely bow out. Requiring masks because you're immunocompromised is perfectly legitimate.
For things you are willing to open up for discussion, or you haven't decided on yet, feel free to raise it to the group. "Hey guys, I thought I'd bring snacks on week one as a special treat. If you want snacks in the future, would one of you mind bringing them? Or maybe we can all take turns. What do you think?"
As for one-shots, bear in mind that combat takes much longer than you'd expect. Many published adventures aren't designed around time limits, and sessions traditionally tend to be 4-6 hours on the shorter end. You can absolutely run a one-shot in 2-3 hours, just be prepared to push things along and limit the number of combat encounters you throw at your players.
Finally, I recommend DMDave for free, published content. If you sign up for his emails, you get tons of encounters that can be dropped into any setting or used as standalone adventures. It's well-written, varied, and tends to span all kinds of levels of play. (The free adventures only provide details for one tier of play, and usually the lower levels. If you become a Patreon patron, you get access to everything.) Also, his blog is good reading for new and veteran DMs alike.
My tip is to make a good impression. Have a room set aside for the day, and get some music playing in the background. I make my players character tokens, and they'll always appreciate ambiance. Essentially, anything that gets them more into the game.
"A wise man puts Charisma as his dump stat"
-Sun Tzu