I last played D&D back in 2002 (2nd edition! And as a player, never as a DM) with some friends who all went separate ways after graduation. I've pretty much been removed from the RPG community ever since, although I always thought it'd be something I could do when my kids were old enough.
Fast forward to today. My sister threw out the idea that she wanted to find a way to get her two boys a chance to play (17 & 14), and my son (9) is at a point now where he could probably play in shorter spurts. So in about two weeks we'll be having our first evening to test the waters - both my son and her oldest are autistic, so we're hoping that this provides a nice, comfortable setting for them both to try and thrive in a new experience.
That being said, I have nothing for D&D and a very limited budget. They want to do D&D because my sister has the 5E Player's Handbook for them, and I am happy to accommodate for them. I want to do everything I can within reason to make the first few sessions a huge success in fun for all four of the players (my sister is playing as well). Also, I don't have a laptop nor a smartphone, so I'll be limited to printed resources as a primary option to be able to use. I do have the ability to print some documents out, etc. as part of compiling things.
Are there some recommended (preferably free) one shot adventures that would be suitable for the range of ages and their attention spans? Do I need to immediately get the primary three books (Player's Handbook/Dungeon Master Guide/Monster Manual), or would something like a Starter Kit suffice to get us up and running at a smaller introductory price point (and less to cram through in a few weeks!)? Are there other helpful resources that you'd recommend that could be printed and compiled together to either help me as a first-time DM or as good resources for the four players who are also all first-time players?
I too had a 25 year gap. There are 5e rules printed in 2014 and updated in 2024. Not sure if you have caught that yet. There are differences between the two. but the 2014 is compatible. However, is there is a conflict, 2024 wins.
As for the lack of a Laptop/computer, that could be an issue when it comes to cost. This site has some free adventures, but I believe they are all digital. If you had access to a Laptop/computer, you could probably play one-three games with no additional cost as you already have a PHB. There are free rules as well here that you just scroll over with a mouse.
As you need non digital, is there a game store nearby that might be able to assist?
Are there some recommended (preferably free) one shot adventures that would be suitable for the range of ages and their attention spans? Do I need to immediately get the primary three books (Player's Handbook/Dungeon Master Guide/Monster Manual), or would something like a Starter Kit suffice to get us up and running at a smaller introductory price point (and less to cram through in a few weeks!)? Are there other helpful resources that you'd recommend that could be printed and compiled together to either help me as a first-time DM or as good resources for the four players who are also all first-time players?
For a younger group I'd highly recommend the 2014 Starter Set - Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - if you can still get hold of it. Side note, if you do use a starter set use only what is in the starter set. Ignore the PHB until you've run a starter set adventure at least once. In fact if you're a new DM insist that the players pick from the pre-gen characters. It'll reduce workload and allow you all to learn at the same pace without overcomplicating things with druid wildshapes or anything else.
On that note, if you do decide to go with the Heroes of the Borderlands 2024 starter set, again, don't allow a mixing of 5e and 5.5e at this stage. Use only 5.5e (2024 rules) until you're familiar with the ruleset and how it works.
As to free adventures - you literally just missed Kobold Press' adventure calendar which gave away free one-shots. Best advice is to head to library and borrow a copy of a compilation book like Tales from the 'Yawning Portal', or 'Keys from the Golden Vault'. I'm sure you could probably find some free adventures on DriveThruRPG too. There's a cool list here: https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/best-free-dnd-one-shots/
Just be aware though that WotC (and by extention D&D) is one of the least friendly companies out there to print and play folks. Don't expect stuff on D&D Beyond to be simple to print is what I'm saying here.
Your local library is usually a great resource for DnD books and games. A lot of libraries are also running adventures as part of their usual events, and if you don't have easy access to a computer/laptop, you can 100% go to the library and make copies of/check out whatever you need. As for what you need, for a barebones game, the DMG and Monster Manual aren't must-haves for me, though most pre-fab games will make references to monsters and magic items that are in those books, so you'll at least want copies of the relevant stat blocks and gear entries. Beyond that, anything else that's worth running will include stat blocks and entries for any homebrewed monsters/magic items, so that shouldn't be super necessary.
I started playing in '95, and the game hasn't really changed since then, they've just futzed with the mechanics a bit. You're running for kids, so just make sure to put in lots of monsters and treasure, and make them all feel like super heroes. You'll do great.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Fast forward to today. My sister threw out the idea that she wanted to find a way to get her two boys a chance to play (17 & 14), and my son (9) is at a point now where he could probably play in shorter spurts. So in about two weeks we'll be having our first evening to test the waters - both my son and her oldest are autistic, so we're hoping that this provides a nice, comfortable setting for them both to try and thrive in a new experience.
That being said, I have nothing for D&D and a very limited budget. They want to do D&D because my sister has the 5E Player's Handbook for them, and I am happy to accommodate for them. I want to do everything I can within reason to make the first few sessions a huge success in fun for all four of the players (my sister is playing as well). Also, I don't have a laptop nor a smartphone, so I'll be limited to printed resources as a primary option to be able to use. I do have the ability to print some documents out, etc. as part of compiling things.
Are there some recommended (preferably free) one shot adventures that would be suitable for the range of ages and their attention spans? Do I need to immediately get the primary three books (Player's Handbook/Dungeon Master Guide/Monster Manual), or would something like a Starter Kit suffice to get us up and running at a smaller introductory price point (and less to cram through in a few weeks!)? Are there other helpful resources that you'd recommend that could be printed and compiled together to either help me as a first-time DM or as good resources for the four players who are also all first-time players?
I too had a 25 year gap. There are 5e rules printed in 2014 and updated in 2024. Not sure if you have caught that yet. There are differences between the two. but the 2014 is compatible. However, is there is a conflict, 2024 wins.
As for the lack of a Laptop/computer, that could be an issue when it comes to cost. This site has some free adventures, but I believe they are all digital. If you had access to a Laptop/computer, you could probably play one-three games with no additional cost as you already have a PHB. There are free rules as well here that you just scroll over with a mouse.
As you need non digital, is there a game store nearby that might be able to assist?
For a younger group I'd highly recommend the 2014 Starter Set - Dragons of Stormwreck Isle - if you can still get hold of it. Side note, if you do use a starter set use only what is in the starter set. Ignore the PHB until you've run a starter set adventure at least once. In fact if you're a new DM insist that the players pick from the pre-gen characters. It'll reduce workload and allow you all to learn at the same pace without overcomplicating things with druid wildshapes or anything else.
On that note, if you do decide to go with the Heroes of the Borderlands 2024 starter set, again, don't allow a mixing of 5e and 5.5e at this stage. Use only 5.5e (2024 rules) until you're familiar with the ruleset and how it works.
As to free adventures - you literally just missed Kobold Press' adventure calendar which gave away free one-shots. Best advice is to head to library and borrow a copy of a compilation book like Tales from the 'Yawning Portal', or 'Keys from the Golden Vault'. I'm sure you could probably find some free adventures on DriveThruRPG too. There's a cool list here: https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/best-free-dnd-one-shots/
Just be aware though that WotC (and by extention D&D) is one of the least friendly companies out there to print and play folks. Don't expect stuff on D&D Beyond to be simple to print is what I'm saying here.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.
Your local library is usually a great resource for DnD books and games. A lot of libraries are also running adventures as part of their usual events, and if you don't have easy access to a computer/laptop, you can 100% go to the library and make copies of/check out whatever you need. As for what you need, for a barebones game, the DMG and Monster Manual aren't must-haves for me, though most pre-fab games will make references to monsters and magic items that are in those books, so you'll at least want copies of the relevant stat blocks and gear entries. Beyond that, anything else that's worth running will include stat blocks and entries for any homebrewed monsters/magic items, so that shouldn't be super necessary.
I started playing in '95, and the game hasn't really changed since then, they've just futzed with the mechanics a bit. You're running for kids, so just make sure to put in lots of monsters and treasure, and make them all feel like super heroes. You'll do great.