Hey all! So, I am thinking of maybe trying to DM a campaign, maybe LMoP, and have several questions.
1. In school or out of school? I’m at a school with a thriving D&D club, but have heard they don’t get anything done… last session they opened a door. That’s it. So not sure I want to play with them.
2. What’s a good size of group (# of players) to start DM’ing for? I don’t want it to be too big…
3. How to run the role playing bits and not just encounters. I know how encounters work, but still could use some help with rests/interaction with NPCs.
4. Can I have a full description of what you guys do for their session 0? I’ve heard/read about it, but am not totally clear yet on what to go over.
5. Miniatures or not? Seems complicated, but how do you set up otherwise?
6. Any online recourses to use right of the bat? Would love to make this as smooth as possible.
7. Any general tips? I’ve only played D&D a few times but really liked it and would love to help others enjoy it too!
3 - it is pretend. You get to be someone else -- but it helps to have a faint idea of what hey are like and what hey do, which is why stuff always says "read the adventure before you run it". Mostly, that's about knowing he NPCs. If you have to make them up on the spot, don't forget motivations.
4 - My session 0 includes creating characters, explaining the world, talking about the story, figuringing out where everyone's red flags and redlines are, seeing what backstory stuff I have to work into the later campaign, seeing what NPCs I will have to do, making suggestions, laughing a lot, being firm in my rules, making sure that everyone understands they are supposed to be heroes, not mass murderers, identifying what I will need to do to make them all part of the story (because every adventure has to have a personal connection, a reason for them to take part), recalling some crazy thing from a past campaign, team stuff (no lone wolves), the time and place and all that and when and how to say cancel, and it all finishes up with a pure role play session between the players as they figure out how they all met, what they were all doing, and how they all ended up at wherever it is that I tell them they are to begin the adventure.
Gotta tell ya, my zero sessions can be two or three sessions long. But we've also done them in one session. I did a quick google search, and this came up and seems useful: https://www.level1geek.com/dnd-session-0/ . I don't know a damn thing about the site or the writer, though.
5 - I rarely use miniatures, and I have the stuff to print everyone their own personal customized one, lol. I don't use digital tabletops, or maps on the table, either -- I just describe it. I always include my three dimensions, my six senses, and details of value. Sometimes, once in a while, things will get a little complicated, and I might draw out a quick map and toss whatever on it (I've used dice, french fries, coins, pills, hell, if it is handy, its been used.
6 - There are a lot more knowledgeable people than I for that here on these forums.
7 - Have fun. There is no rule that cannot be changed if it is fun. Fun is not only joy and happiness. Don't argue rules during the game, argue them after. Don't listen to negative nellie's online. Or positive pollies, for that matter. It is the internet, haven't you heard how dangerous it is? Do listen to little old ladies who play a mean dragon.
Ok, wait, no, scratch that last part.
Be Open, Be Willing. You are not just playing a game. You are doing something that can carry you through over 40 years of joy and sadness, high adventure and low comedy. Let it be what it will be, and roll with it.
lastly, something we never had when I started was "live play" stuff -- go watch a few of those, but only watch the DMs. Not the players, just the DMs.
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1. In school or out of school? I’m at a school with a thriving D&D club, but have heard they don’t get anything done… last session they opened a door. That’s it. So not sure I want to play with them.
That's down to you. The most important element for a long-lasting DnD group is that you are all friends, and want to spend the time together. You can become friends through DnD, but DnD alone won't keep people glued to your table.
2. What’s a good size of group (# of players) to start DM’ing for? I don’t want it to be too big…
3-4 for a first time DM. 5 is the absolute limit. Any group size above this takes too long to get anything done.
3. How to run the role playing bits and not just encounters. I know how encounters work, but still could use some help with rests/interaction with NPCs.
Before you run a game, make sure you know who the NPCs are and what they want. Imagine yourself into their heads when you're role playing. Their wants and needs are what matter to them, not what the PCs want. If your PCs are overly aggressive or outright hostile in conversation, that should make them reticent, and make them want to avoid them. If the PCs are helpful, they may offer things freely. Watch a couple of streams. Try High Rollers DnD, the Aerois campaign on Youtube. Watch ep 1.
4. Can I have a full description of what you guys do for their session 0? I’ve heard/read about it, but am not totally clear yet on what to go over.
There's tons of info on the internet for this, and takes longer than a forum reply. Google.
5. Miniatures or not? Seems complicated, but how do you set up otherwise?
Miniatures are ideal, but coins or buttons or lego men or anything will work. You need a grid - this can be graph paper, and just draw some key features onto it, or you can get a wipeable board (very very cheap, order from Amazon) and use marker pens.
6. Any online recourses to use right of the bat? Would love to make this as smooth as possible.
If you have the rules, an adventure and dice you're good to go.
7. General Tips
The goal is for everyone to have fun and provided you're all sitting around rolling dice, you will do. Don't expect to be God Tier. The more you DM, the better you'll get at it, but even a first time DM can put on a great game.
Both. You can learn as much from what doesn’t work as you can from what does work. So you might as well learn as much as possible.
3 or4. Most people agree that 4 players is the Goldilocks zone.
This is trickier to explain. The way I do it is I don’t write scripts or anything, it never works out for me. I simply get to know my NPCs so well I can extemporize whenever needed. But that takes a fair amount of preparation.
Session 0 is when we go over the rules of the game (character death possible or not, sexy/romantic stuff acceptable or not, etc.), explaining the world, and ten everyone makes their characters together as a group. I find creating them as a group helps players create a team instead of a collection of individuals.
My group doesn’t use miniatures. We do instead what’s called “theater of the mind” where we just try to explain stuff as best we can and everyone imagines what’s going on. Does it occasionally lead to things getting imagined differently by different people? Yes. Is it usually a problem? Not really, no.
You’re using the best online resource there is for D&D right here.
This only goes for me and my process differs a little depending on if it's in person or online. So I'm going to assume an in person game here.
1 - I'd suggest out of school, mainly because I've seen disagreements and school policies change so clubs, activities and groups get the rug pulled out from under them. Easier to arrange for outside.
2 - For a new DM almost all the resources out there assume 4 or fewer players. So. I'd suggest 3-4 personally.
3 - Play to your personal strengths. Don't try and be a voice artist. I say this having directing hundreds of professional actors. Some people enjoy and find it easy to throw on different voices. Don't force it. I'd also suggest looking at the Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak adventures they give the very basics you need to know about the NPCs and the DM builds from there. At the very core, all you really need from an NPC is to know how they will react to a scenario. Do they like strangers? If the answer is no, they might naturally be evasive, shy, or scared of the party who are rough tough adventurers. Are they upper class/Wealthy? Well that person might refuse to speak to the party until they have proven themselves worthy of attention or time. Start with simple stuff though, are they a commoner, a noble or a solider? Are they outgoing, or introverted? You can build NPCs as you go but if you decide that the failing owner of the local tavern is a Gnome that instantly gives you something to go on. They're failing (why? are they slow at serving because they have to do a lot of moving about to get drinks and food? Are they rude?). Start simple, build them as you go and add detail into a notebook as you reveal it to the players.
4 - I have a session zero script/outline. It usually takes two hours or so, but I should highlight that I have usually spoken to players about character prior to the session. This script isn't extensive and is more an outline of the key points that I must touch on during session zero.
Session Zero 'Script'
Housekeeping - let's introduce ourselves - 2 minutes per player - who we are, what experience with TTRPGs we've had in the past.
As a GM my style emphasises storytelling, that means I will utilise elements from character backstories, interactions in game and the like to enhance the story that we as a group tell.
I also build the world your characters occupy - we as a group tell the story - no one person is the main character or star of the show.
I expect mutual respect from everyone - we might have opinions and preferences that differ from each other but it's not a reason for discrimination or personal attacks. Any evidence of such and a player will be removed immediately - no appeal - no argument.
If you have concerns or stop enjoying the ghame speak to me - I can't fix something that I'm unaware has been going wrong.
What are your expections as players? Are you hoping for more exploration? Hack 'n' slash? looting? Puzzles? - Add these to a notepad.
Game Rules and Basics - The short version - For new players you'll be guided through the game by me and I'll explain new mechanics and options as they come up. For existing players here's a refresher. I as GM set up a world - a series of challenges. You as players decide how your characters overcome, runaway from, or subvert those challenges [Insert example challenge with three ways the party could handle it]. When an ability or situation calls for it we'll often roll a dice. The result will be added to a relevant number from your character sheet and that total will decide success or failure. The first time any spell, ability, or new word is encountered as we play we'll read out the description and I'll explain if needed so that we're all on the same page. There are loads of ways that rules interact and as we discover those we'll set a precedent for this group as we play. I will adjudicate the rules but will explain why I have adjudicated the way I have.
Specific house rules - [For D&D my Inspiration House rule is explained here]
Safety Tools - We're all here to have fun and enjoy each other's company. As a result I do utilise safety tools. These are very basic - a Green Tick, a Yellow Circle, and a Red Cross. Ity is known as a variant on the 'X-Card' system. Basically, if you're an arachnophobe and I begin describing the image of a spider in detail you might suddenly not be having fun any more. That's perfectly normal and reasonable. If you decide you want the game to stop so that we can break and you can destress you'd throw up the X card. I'll speak to you privately and I can then adjust the monster, situation or issues there and then. The Red Cross calls and immediate halt to the game and we all break, depending on severity it might even mean we stop playing for the rest of the session and just hang out. The Yellow circle also requires a break but it is more like a pause. Maybe you can deal with the monster the party is facing being a spider you just don't want me to describe it as vividly - that's awesome too. You've told me so I can adjust appropriately. Green Tick is often when I ask if anyone has a spcific problem with something or I ask if we're okay to continue. This tool just allows me to ensure everyone is still enjoying themselves.
Building the Party - Okay let me set the scene for you all - this is the starter location and the reason your characters have all come. Let's have a look through character sheets one by one and discuss how we're going to build these characters and this party - Remember you as a player have a responsibility to ensure your character wants to be a part of this group a collaborative storytelling exercise simply doesn't work with a group of six loners who don't want to engage with each other. We'll take five-ten minutes per character to finalise the character sheet and get an idea of who is playing who.
Questions, Comments, Concerns - Anything that hasn't yet been addressed or discussed.
5. I use Owlbear.Rodeo on a TV screen to display battlemaps as appropriate. I use HeroForge to create virtual minis and character tokens. Players are free either to use a shared tablet or their own device to see the battlemap and control their minis if it is more helpful. I have run games entirely theatre of the mind, but more and more recently I've seen players not just refuse theatre of the mind but actively incapable of it. Printed sheets are far more costly than the Owlbear.Rodeo is (especially as it's free) so that's what I've gone with most recently.
6. Inkarnate for creating maps (their discord community is really helpful and their explore feature allows you to see, clone, and download other people's creations) it's either free or $25 per year so stupidly cheap. Owlbear.Rodeo for Map displays and as a VTT (even in person). And Hero Forge to create the tokens and mini designs it's like $14.99 for three months, but you can get away with creating the tokens and dropping the subscription. Finally, I have also come across Kanka and Chronica both of which are amazing tools for keeping adventure notes, NPC notes, and Quest notes. They're both designed for that and both have free tiers. Kanka is more reasonably priced if you're running multiple campaigns though as Chronica charges you per campaign effectively.
7. Don't run before you can walk. Try running Dragon of Icespire peak first. As you run the adventure you can add in some side quests, monsters, and NPCs of your own devising. Running a premade allows you to have all the major prep work done for you. You've got NPCs, quests, monsters, and locations already drawn and detailed. Feel free to change as much or as little as you wish. Learn as you go.
7a. Don't be afraid to create house rules if your group feels like a modification to the rules would allow you all to have fun.
7b. Remember that the game belongs to the group not any one player. What that means is that you'll find what dynamic works for your group to enable the most fun and once you do, don't let anyone tell your group you're having fun wrong. There's no such thing.
7c. Your enjoyment is just as important as everyone elses - if you're not enjoying things then just like if a player wasn't enjoying things - something is wrong and it's best to talk these issues through as a group and understand why. A five minute chat often avoids hours of someone not enjoying themselves.
Hey all! So, I am thinking of maybe trying to DM a campaign, maybe LMoP, and have several questions.
1. In school or out of school? I’m at a school with a thriving D&D club, but have heard they don’t get anything done… last session they opened a door. That’s it. So not sure I want to play with them.
2. What’s a good size of group (# of players) to start DM’ing for? I don’t want it to be too big…
3. How to run the role playing bits and not just encounters. I know how encounters work, but still could use some help with rests/interaction with NPCs.
4. Can I have a full description of what you guys do for their session 0? I’ve heard/read about it, but am not totally clear yet on what to go over.
5. Miniatures or not? Seems complicated, but how do you set up otherwise?
6. Any online recourses to use right of the bat? Would love to make this as smooth as possible.
7. Any general tips? I’ve only played D&D a few times but really liked it and would love to help others enjoy it too!
Thanks again!
Here are my answers :) ... they may not be yours :) (Sorry much longer than I expected :) ).
1) If you are going to DM then you could do either or both. The DM runs the game and it is really up to them to a significant extent what gets done. If only a door got opened then either that was what the players wanted to do or the DM didn't direct them enough. There are lots of techniques a DM can use to get indecisive groups to make a decision. Keep in mind though that they may have only opened a door because they spent the rest of the time role playing and had a great time (at least some of them). Different people look for different things in a game which is why a mix of exploration, social interaction/role playing and combat usually works since there is something for everyone. If the group has a preference for a specific aspect of play, the DM can focus on that in future sessions.
Anyway, you can consider both since even if you set up a home game you may end up pulling from the same group of players.
2) For a new DM, I'd suggest 4. 3 would be good too. You could probably do 5 if you need to. However, this may depend on player reliability :). It can often be good to have 5 if you expect one or two might not be able to make it each session - since then you will mostly have 3 or 4 and 5 is still doable if everyone shows. On the other hand, if everyone is keen and will usually be there, I'd suggest 4.
3) As AEDorsay said ... think about the "Why" of the NPCs. Shopkeepers and such are typically easy because they might be driven by profits. However, are they generous or a miser? Are they friendly, grumpy, mean? Consider what species they might be and how they might sound. For a random person on the street that your party chooses to interact with - make something up - but start with why they are on the street. Are they on their way to a meeting, going home from a long day at work, making a delivery? If you know the "why" it makes it much easier to decide how the NPC will react to whatever the party does. Finally, for plot related NPCs - the same rule goes - know the "why". Is the local thieves guild leader out to make profits? Do they have a personal motivation for stealing a particular item? Have they been hired to obtain it by a local noble or some other shady organization? A lot of this may be provided by the module if you play something published but even then it often is lacking in details which you can make up that make it easier to play and makes the NPCs a bit less one dimensional.
4) Session 0 is specifics of how you run YOUR game. It can also be character creation. However, the important things would be house rules that you run differently from RAW or rulings that you know you will use in advance.
For example, in one of my home games I use a house rule to make crits more significant - I use max damage of the attack before adding the extra rolled die. A long bow with a crit would usually be 2d8+dex ... if I am using this house rule it becomes 8+d8+dex so that the minimum damage from the crit is greater than the damage from a regular hit. I find it a bit of a let down when a crit does less damage than a regular attack - but it does make them more significant.
You'd also chat about expectations. Ideally regular attendance but real life always comes first. Will your game allow PVP (where players take actions that can negatively affect other players) .. is PVP consensual only? Meaning that players can agree to role play PVP for fun and for an interesting plot/character twist but either player can decide when it stops. Some other good ones are evil alignments, murder hobos, and metagaming (e.g. using player knowledge of the monster stat blocks to make character decisions - players should ideally ask the DM what they might know about a monster ... basilisks, vampire, zombie, umber hulk, ghoul, trolls etc ... some of them have special attacks or special abilities that require specific counter measures ... troll requires fire to kill and prevent regeneration, vampire is vulnerable to sunlight, zombies are hard to kill, basilisks can turn you to stone etc ... there will always be some metagaming but it helps if you can cover what to do when the player knows something and they aren't sure whether it is something their character also knows).
Also, when playing, if there is something that would be obvious to the character then feel free to mention it as the DM to the player. A lot of DMs play a "gotcha" game where they let the player do something stupid that the character would never have done since the character lives in the game world and the player doesn't. Make sure when you describe situations that you give the player all the important details that their character would notice. This is especially true when assessing the challenge of an encounter. A level 1 character that walks into a room with a couple of ogres is going to run away, the CHARACTER knows that one hit from those meaty hands is likely to be the last thing they see ... a player on the other hand often doesn't grasp the danger so make sure to TELL the player exactly what the character is thinking of the situation since it lets you convey additional information about the scene. The player/party may decide to attack anyway but at least they were fully aware before doing so.
5) Miniatures aren't necessary. A sheet that you can use dry erase markers to draw a situation REALLY helps some players that get stuck with theater of the mind. Not everyone has the same ability to imagine a scene and it can save a lot of time, effort and misunderstanding to sketch a situation map then use something as tokens to mark player/creature locations. They can eventually get minis if they like but anything will do as a token. I've heard of some DMs using candy that the player gets to eat when they kill the monster :). Coins, dice, candy, minis, skinny minis, or even the WOTC creature token pack can all work fine. However, the map will really help some folks with visualization.
6) Online resources won't help that much unless you have the money to buy them. Making characters on D&D Beyond is great, the character creator is one of their best features, but making use of it well and seeing all the options requires purchasing the sources on D&D Beyond. However, Lost Mines of Phandelver was free on Beyond (I don't know if it still is, they were bringing out a new free intro module). I still have LMOP since I claimed it when it was free. The link is here in case it is still available:
I've found the Adventures on Beyond to be pretty well organized and reasonably easy to read in that format but you could just as easily use the printed version if you have it. However, having the adventure on a tablet if you have one might make it easier to run at the table since it should be searchable using your web browser.
Other than characters or having the rules/adventure text available in electronic format ... I haven't seen much cross over between online resources and play at the table. (I've heard of folks using VTT/TV features in person but it seems like a lot of effort and not yet worth the return).
7) Have fun. Know you will make mistakes. Be open to comments and corrections from the players. If it is quick, resolve it right away, if it takes time to look up then promise to look it up after the session and go with your ruling for the day. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind later.
Also, if it is a ruling that might make a significant difference in how something plays out, try to take a step back and make an objective decision rather than one that would make an encounter harder/more dangerous/possibly more exciting for the characters. There will always be other opportunities for excitement :)
e.g. In a recent game, I had to make a couple of rulings on the fly regarding how a Cube of Force would interact with various situations- it was worth taking a couple minutes to re-read the item description to actually have a decent ruling rather than going with whatever first came to mind. In case you are interested :) ...
1) Does a Cube of Force using the setting "Nothing can pass through the barrier." block light? Can you see out from a Cube of Force with this setting? Can something see in? Radiant damage is used by laser weapons in D&D ... can radiant damage bypass a Wall of Force which is set to "Nothing" can pass through the barrier? : The text of the Cube of Force says that the cube is "invisible" so I decided that the intent was likely to allow light to pass through and I went with "Nothing" to mean none of the other effects described by the cube. Different DMs might come up with a different ruling.
2) Does a Cube of Force set to "Nonliving matter can't pass through the barrier." block undead or constructs? They may be creatures but does that make them "alive"? The game doesn't define "living" and "nonliving" ... I'm not sure it ever has but the wording on the Cube of Force hasn't changed since 1e. In this case, I decided that neither undead or constructs constitute "living matter" and so the cube would block them.
3) What happens when a "living" creature is both inside and outside the boundary of a Cube of Force when it is activated to keep out "Living matter". (In this case the creature was a demon and I decided that it could be considered "living"). The ruling in this case was a 50/50 chance that the creature would either be pushed out of the cube or would be confined inside the cube with the wielder. Unfortunately, another situation not covered directly in the rules but there are similar rules in the Wall of Force spell though in that case the caster of the spell gets to choose. In this case, I don't think the user of the cube has any ability to direct the formation of the cube of force other than by where they are standing when they press the button.
1. Honestly, depends on what the club's like and whether you personally think they're a good fit. Sounds like you've got a bad feeling about them, but I couldn't say in general.
2. Yeah, there's no explicit upper limit, but once you've got six or seven-ish players, it's going to get really unwieldy. A particularly small group might find the game more difficult, but there's no specific reason you can't have as few as, well, one player.
3. As the others basically said, just keep a good focus on what the NPC wants and what they're doing to get it, and those are usually something pretty simple. A published adventure will usually have a short writeup covering the important details. Maybe have a couple simple or generic personalities in mind to bring out in case the players interact with someone you didn't expect.
4. I feel like a good Session 0 is more about listening than talking; get a sense of what kinds of things your players enjoy. If they're not experienced players, maybe that's more talking about what kinds of stories they like or what other games they play and so forth. And then the boundaries and so forth also fall under "listening," obviously. Of course, you do want to talk about your expectations and plans and rules, but a big part of it is the players' chance to communicate to you before the game's already underway.
5. Miniatures are a racket. Maps are sometimes necessary for more complicated encounters, but anything that can mark a spot on the map will do. Like, you can get away with cutting printer paper into one-inch squares and writing names on them if that's what you gotta do. It's not fancy, but it does a job.
6. Hero Forge, as recommended by others, is pretty versatile for making characters. I'm subscribed to it, but honestly you can get plenty of mileage out of a free account. Otherwise, this is something I only found recently and don't know how good it is, but Dungeon Scrawl seems like a pretty intuitive free mapping software. If you want to play entirely online, I personally use Roll20 as a general virtual tabletop. And DND Beyond itself is good for keeping track of information and planning but not quite able to run the entire game, though they seem to be getting close.
7. Don't put a Bag of Holding in a Portable Hole, remember that gelatinous cubes are not made of vanilla jello, and never sign a contract if the other party has horns.
But also, treat your first game as a learning experience. Like, pay attention to what feels like it's working and what doesn't, but also don't worry too much if things don't quite go according to plan.
I'm only going to answer some questions because I think others have been answered really well and I have nothing to add to them.
1) Very much up to you... What matters is that you're comfortable with your choice and the group.
2) I would say a maximum of four players in addition to yourself, but if possible try to get at least two players. Having only one player puts more pressure on that person as they have to make all the decisions and it can be difficult for a new DM to keep things moving without railroading. Two or three players can feed off each other and give you more input.
5) Especially for a new DM I recommend using a basic battle map but don't worry about miniatures. Numbered pawns or poker chips work really well as you can just say what they are and use them. If you don't want to invest in a battle map to start, grab a cheap roll of wrapping paper. They normally have a one-inch grid on the back and you can just draw out a rough sketch so you and the players can see where things are relative to each other.
7) Your players know less about what's going on in the game than you do so don't worry about getting things wrong. Just keep the game moving and everyone having fun.
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Hey all! So, I am thinking of maybe trying to DM a campaign, maybe LMoP, and have several questions.
1. In school or out of school? I’m at a school with a thriving D&D club, but have heard they don’t get anything done… last session they opened a door. That’s it. So not sure I want to play with them.
2. What’s a good size of group (# of players) to start DM’ing for? I don’t want it to be too big…
3. How to run the role playing bits and not just encounters. I know how encounters work, but still could use some help with rests/interaction with NPCs.
4. Can I have a full description of what you guys do for their session 0? I’ve heard/read about it, but am not totally clear yet on what to go over.
5. Miniatures or not? Seems complicated, but how do you set up otherwise?
6. Any online recourses to use right of the bat? Would love to make this as smooth as possible.
7. Any general tips? I’ve only played D&D a few times but really liked it and would love to help others enjoy it too!
Thanks again!
Join The Ranger’s Guild!
Nobody reads these…
1 -- wherever you can all meet.
2 - 3 to 5.
3 - it is pretend. You get to be someone else -- but it helps to have a faint idea of what hey are like and what hey do, which is why stuff always says "read the adventure before you run it". Mostly, that's about knowing he NPCs. If you have to make them up on the spot, don't forget motivations.
4 - My session 0 includes creating characters, explaining the world, talking about the story, figuringing out where everyone's red flags and redlines are, seeing what backstory stuff I have to work into the later campaign, seeing what NPCs I will have to do, making suggestions, laughing a lot, being firm in my rules, making sure that everyone understands they are supposed to be heroes, not mass murderers, identifying what I will need to do to make them all part of the story (because every adventure has to have a personal connection, a reason for them to take part), recalling some crazy thing from a past campaign, team stuff (no lone wolves), the time and place and all that and when and how to say cancel, and it all finishes up with a pure role play session between the players as they figure out how they all met, what they were all doing, and how they all ended up at wherever it is that I tell them they are to begin the adventure.
Gotta tell ya, my zero sessions can be two or three sessions long. But we've also done them in one session. I did a quick google search, and this came up and seems useful: https://www.level1geek.com/dnd-session-0/ . I don't know a damn thing about the site or the writer, though.
5 - I rarely use miniatures, and I have the stuff to print everyone their own personal customized one, lol. I don't use digital tabletops, or maps on the table, either -- I just describe it. I always include my three dimensions, my six senses, and details of value. Sometimes, once in a while, things will get a little complicated, and I might draw out a quick map and toss whatever on it (I've used dice, french fries, coins, pills, hell, if it is handy, its been used.
6 - There are a lot more knowledgeable people than I for that here on these forums.
7 - Have fun. There is no rule that cannot be changed if it is fun. Fun is not only joy and happiness. Don't argue rules during the game, argue them after. Don't listen to negative nellie's online. Or positive pollies, for that matter. It is the internet, haven't you heard how dangerous it is? Do listen to little old ladies who play a mean dragon.
Ok, wait, no, scratch that last part.
Be Open, Be Willing. You are not just playing a game. You are doing something that can carry you through over 40 years of joy and sadness, high adventure and low comedy. Let it be what it will be, and roll with it.
lastly, something we never had when I started was "live play" stuff -- go watch a few of those, but only watch the DMs. Not the players, just the DMs.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
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That's down to you. The most important element for a long-lasting DnD group is that you are all friends, and want to spend the time together. You can become friends through DnD, but DnD alone won't keep people glued to your table.
2. What’s a good size of group (# of players) to start DM’ing for? I don’t want it to be too big…
3-4 for a first time DM. 5 is the absolute limit. Any group size above this takes too long to get anything done.
3. How to run the role playing bits and not just encounters. I know how encounters work, but still could use some help with rests/interaction with NPCs.
Before you run a game, make sure you know who the NPCs are and what they want. Imagine yourself into their heads when you're role playing. Their wants and needs are what matter to them, not what the PCs want. If your PCs are overly aggressive or outright hostile in conversation, that should make them reticent, and make them want to avoid them. If the PCs are helpful, they may offer things freely. Watch a couple of streams. Try High Rollers DnD, the Aerois campaign on Youtube. Watch ep 1.
4. Can I have a full description of what you guys do for their session 0? I’ve heard/read about it, but am not totally clear yet on what to go over.
There's tons of info on the internet for this, and takes longer than a forum reply. Google.
5. Miniatures or not? Seems complicated, but how do you set up otherwise?
Miniatures are ideal, but coins or buttons or lego men or anything will work. You need a grid - this can be graph paper, and just draw some key features onto it, or you can get a wipeable board (very very cheap, order from Amazon) and use marker pens.
6. Any online recourses to use right of the bat? Would love to make this as smooth as possible.
If you have the rules, an adventure and dice you're good to go.
7. General Tips
The goal is for everyone to have fun and provided you're all sitting around rolling dice, you will do. Don't expect to be God Tier. The more you DM, the better you'll get at it, but even a first time DM can put on a great game.
Sure thing. Here goes:
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This only goes for me and my process differs a little depending on if it's in person or online. So I'm going to assume an in person game here.
1 - I'd suggest out of school, mainly because I've seen disagreements and school policies change so clubs, activities and groups get the rug pulled out from under them. Easier to arrange for outside.
2 - For a new DM almost all the resources out there assume 4 or fewer players. So. I'd suggest 3-4 personally.
3 - Play to your personal strengths. Don't try and be a voice artist. I say this having directing hundreds of professional actors. Some people enjoy and find it easy to throw on different voices. Don't force it. I'd also suggest looking at the Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak adventures they give the very basics you need to know about the NPCs and the DM builds from there. At the very core, all you really need from an NPC is to know how they will react to a scenario. Do they like strangers? If the answer is no, they might naturally be evasive, shy, or scared of the party who are rough tough adventurers. Are they upper class/Wealthy? Well that person might refuse to speak to the party until they have proven themselves worthy of attention or time. Start with simple stuff though, are they a commoner, a noble or a solider? Are they outgoing, or introverted? You can build NPCs as you go but if you decide that the failing owner of the local tavern is a Gnome that instantly gives you something to go on. They're failing (why? are they slow at serving because they have to do a lot of moving about to get drinks and food? Are they rude?). Start simple, build them as you go and add detail into a notebook as you reveal it to the players.
4 - I have a session zero script/outline. It usually takes two hours or so, but I should highlight that I have usually spoken to players about character prior to the session. This script isn't extensive and is more an outline of the key points that I must touch on during session zero.
Session Zero 'Script'
5. I use Owlbear.Rodeo on a TV screen to display battlemaps as appropriate. I use HeroForge to create virtual minis and character tokens. Players are free either to use a shared tablet or their own device to see the battlemap and control their minis if it is more helpful. I have run games entirely theatre of the mind, but more and more recently I've seen players not just refuse theatre of the mind but actively incapable of it. Printed sheets are far more costly than the Owlbear.Rodeo is (especially as it's free) so that's what I've gone with most recently.
6. Inkarnate for creating maps (their discord community is really helpful and their explore feature allows you to see, clone, and download other people's creations) it's either free or $25 per year so stupidly cheap. Owlbear.Rodeo for Map displays and as a VTT (even in person). And Hero Forge to create the tokens and mini designs it's like $14.99 for three months, but you can get away with creating the tokens and dropping the subscription. Finally, I have also come across Kanka and Chronica both of which are amazing tools for keeping adventure notes, NPC notes, and Quest notes. They're both designed for that and both have free tiers. Kanka is more reasonably priced if you're running multiple campaigns though as Chronica charges you per campaign effectively.
7. Don't run before you can walk. Try running Dragon of Icespire peak first. As you run the adventure you can add in some side quests, monsters, and NPCs of your own devising. Running a premade allows you to have all the major prep work done for you. You've got NPCs, quests, monsters, and locations already drawn and detailed. Feel free to change as much or as little as you wish. Learn as you go.
7a. Don't be afraid to create house rules if your group feels like a modification to the rules would allow you all to have fun.
7b. Remember that the game belongs to the group not any one player. What that means is that you'll find what dynamic works for your group to enable the most fun and once you do, don't let anyone tell your group you're having fun wrong. There's no such thing.
7c. Your enjoyment is just as important as everyone elses - if you're not enjoying things then just like if a player wasn't enjoying things - something is wrong and it's best to talk these issues through as a group and understand why. A five minute chat often avoids hours of someone not enjoying themselves.
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.
Here are my answers :) ... they may not be yours :) (Sorry much longer than I expected :) ).
1) If you are going to DM then you could do either or both. The DM runs the game and it is really up to them to a significant extent what gets done. If only a door got opened then either that was what the players wanted to do or the DM didn't direct them enough. There are lots of techniques a DM can use to get indecisive groups to make a decision. Keep in mind though that they may have only opened a door because they spent the rest of the time role playing and had a great time (at least some of them). Different people look for different things in a game which is why a mix of exploration, social interaction/role playing and combat usually works since there is something for everyone. If the group has a preference for a specific aspect of play, the DM can focus on that in future sessions.
Anyway, you can consider both since even if you set up a home game you may end up pulling from the same group of players.
2) For a new DM, I'd suggest 4. 3 would be good too. You could probably do 5 if you need to. However, this may depend on player reliability :). It can often be good to have 5 if you expect one or two might not be able to make it each session - since then you will mostly have 3 or 4 and 5 is still doable if everyone shows. On the other hand, if everyone is keen and will usually be there, I'd suggest 4.
3) As AEDorsay said ... think about the "Why" of the NPCs. Shopkeepers and such are typically easy because they might be driven by profits. However, are they generous or a miser? Are they friendly, grumpy, mean? Consider what species they might be and how they might sound. For a random person on the street that your party chooses to interact with - make something up - but start with why they are on the street. Are they on their way to a meeting, going home from a long day at work, making a delivery? If you know the "why" it makes it much easier to decide how the NPC will react to whatever the party does. Finally, for plot related NPCs - the same rule goes - know the "why". Is the local thieves guild leader out to make profits? Do they have a personal motivation for stealing a particular item? Have they been hired to obtain it by a local noble or some other shady organization? A lot of this may be provided by the module if you play something published but even then it often is lacking in details which you can make up that make it easier to play and makes the NPCs a bit less one dimensional.
4) Session 0 is specifics of how you run YOUR game. It can also be character creation. However, the important things would be house rules that you run differently from RAW or rulings that you know you will use in advance.
For example, in one of my home games I use a house rule to make crits more significant - I use max damage of the attack before adding the extra rolled die. A long bow with a crit would usually be 2d8+dex ... if I am using this house rule it becomes 8+d8+dex so that the minimum damage from the crit is greater than the damage from a regular hit. I find it a bit of a let down when a crit does less damage than a regular attack - but it does make them more significant.
You'd also chat about expectations. Ideally regular attendance but real life always comes first. Will your game allow PVP (where players take actions that can negatively affect other players) .. is PVP consensual only? Meaning that players can agree to role play PVP for fun and for an interesting plot/character twist but either player can decide when it stops. Some other good ones are evil alignments, murder hobos, and metagaming (e.g. using player knowledge of the monster stat blocks to make character decisions - players should ideally ask the DM what they might know about a monster ... basilisks, vampire, zombie, umber hulk, ghoul, trolls etc ... some of them have special attacks or special abilities that require specific counter measures ... troll requires fire to kill and prevent regeneration, vampire is vulnerable to sunlight, zombies are hard to kill, basilisks can turn you to stone etc ... there will always be some metagaming but it helps if you can cover what to do when the player knows something and they aren't sure whether it is something their character also knows).
Also, when playing, if there is something that would be obvious to the character then feel free to mention it as the DM to the player. A lot of DMs play a "gotcha" game where they let the player do something stupid that the character would never have done since the character lives in the game world and the player doesn't. Make sure when you describe situations that you give the player all the important details that their character would notice. This is especially true when assessing the challenge of an encounter. A level 1 character that walks into a room with a couple of ogres is going to run away, the CHARACTER knows that one hit from those meaty hands is likely to be the last thing they see ... a player on the other hand often doesn't grasp the danger so make sure to TELL the player exactly what the character is thinking of the situation since it lets you convey additional information about the scene. The player/party may decide to attack anyway but at least they were fully aware before doing so.
5) Miniatures aren't necessary. A sheet that you can use dry erase markers to draw a situation REALLY helps some players that get stuck with theater of the mind. Not everyone has the same ability to imagine a scene and it can save a lot of time, effort and misunderstanding to sketch a situation map then use something as tokens to mark player/creature locations. They can eventually get minis if they like but anything will do as a token. I've heard of some DMs using candy that the player gets to eat when they kill the monster :). Coins, dice, candy, minis, skinny minis, or even the WOTC creature token pack can all work fine. However, the map will really help some folks with visualization.
6) Online resources won't help that much unless you have the money to buy them. Making characters on D&D Beyond is great, the character creator is one of their best features, but making use of it well and seeing all the options requires purchasing the sources on D&D Beyond. However, Lost Mines of Phandelver was free on Beyond (I don't know if it still is, they were bringing out a new free intro module). I still have LMOP since I claimed it when it was free. The link is here in case it is still available:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/lmop
I've found the Adventures on Beyond to be pretty well organized and reasonably easy to read in that format but you could just as easily use the printed version if you have it. However, having the adventure on a tablet if you have one might make it easier to run at the table since it should be searchable using your web browser.
Other than characters or having the rules/adventure text available in electronic format ... I haven't seen much cross over between online resources and play at the table. (I've heard of folks using VTT/TV features in person but it seems like a lot of effort and not yet worth the return).
7) Have fun. Know you will make mistakes. Be open to comments and corrections from the players. If it is quick, resolve it right away, if it takes time to look up then promise to look it up after the session and go with your ruling for the day. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind later.
Also, if it is a ruling that might make a significant difference in how something plays out, try to take a step back and make an objective decision rather than one that would make an encounter harder/more dangerous/possibly more exciting for the characters. There will always be other opportunities for excitement :)
e.g. In a recent game, I had to make a couple of rulings on the fly regarding how a Cube of Force would interact with various situations- it was worth taking a couple minutes to re-read the item description to actually have a decent ruling rather than going with whatever first came to mind. In case you are interested :) ...
1) Does a Cube of Force using the setting "Nothing can pass through the barrier." block light? Can you see out from a Cube of Force with this setting? Can something see in? Radiant damage is used by laser weapons in D&D ... can radiant damage bypass a Wall of Force which is set to "Nothing" can pass through the barrier? : The text of the Cube of Force says that the cube is "invisible" so I decided that the intent was likely to allow light to pass through and I went with "Nothing" to mean none of the other effects described by the cube. Different DMs might come up with a different ruling.
2) Does a Cube of Force set to "Nonliving matter can't pass through the barrier." block undead or constructs? They may be creatures but does that make them "alive"? The game doesn't define "living" and "nonliving" ... I'm not sure it ever has but the wording on the Cube of Force hasn't changed since 1e. In this case, I decided that neither undead or constructs constitute "living matter" and so the cube would block them.
3) What happens when a "living" creature is both inside and outside the boundary of a Cube of Force when it is activated to keep out "Living matter". (In this case the creature was a demon and I decided that it could be considered "living"). The ruling in this case was a 50/50 chance that the creature would either be pushed out of the cube or would be confined inside the cube with the wielder. Unfortunately, another situation not covered directly in the rules but there are similar rules in the Wall of Force spell though in that case the caster of the spell gets to choose. In this case, I don't think the user of the cube has any ability to direct the formation of the cube of force other than by where they are standing when they press the button.
Thank you all for the great ideas, this has really helped.
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1. Honestly, depends on what the club's like and whether you personally think they're a good fit. Sounds like you've got a bad feeling about them, but I couldn't say in general.
2. Yeah, there's no explicit upper limit, but once you've got six or seven-ish players, it's going to get really unwieldy. A particularly small group might find the game more difficult, but there's no specific reason you can't have as few as, well, one player.
3. As the others basically said, just keep a good focus on what the NPC wants and what they're doing to get it, and those are usually something pretty simple. A published adventure will usually have a short writeup covering the important details. Maybe have a couple simple or generic personalities in mind to bring out in case the players interact with someone you didn't expect.
4. I feel like a good Session 0 is more about listening than talking; get a sense of what kinds of things your players enjoy. If they're not experienced players, maybe that's more talking about what kinds of stories they like or what other games they play and so forth. And then the boundaries and so forth also fall under "listening," obviously. Of course, you do want to talk about your expectations and plans and rules, but a big part of it is the players' chance to communicate to you before the game's already underway.
5. Miniatures are a racket. Maps are sometimes necessary for more complicated encounters, but anything that can mark a spot on the map will do. Like, you can get away with cutting printer paper into one-inch squares and writing names on them if that's what you gotta do. It's not fancy, but it does a job.
6. Hero Forge, as recommended by others, is pretty versatile for making characters. I'm subscribed to it, but honestly you can get plenty of mileage out of a free account. Otherwise, this is something I only found recently and don't know how good it is, but Dungeon Scrawl seems like a pretty intuitive free mapping software. If you want to play entirely online, I personally use Roll20 as a general virtual tabletop. And DND Beyond itself is good for keeping track of information and planning but not quite able to run the entire game, though they seem to be getting close.
7. Don't put a Bag of Holding in a Portable Hole, remember that gelatinous cubes are not made of vanilla jello, and never sign a contract if the other party has horns.
But also, treat your first game as a learning experience. Like, pay attention to what feels like it's working and what doesn't, but also don't worry too much if things don't quite go according to plan.
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
I'm only going to answer some questions because I think others have been answered really well and I have nothing to add to them.
1) Very much up to you... What matters is that you're comfortable with your choice and the group.
2) I would say a maximum of four players in addition to yourself, but if possible try to get at least two players. Having only one player puts more pressure on that person as they have to make all the decisions and it can be difficult for a new DM to keep things moving without railroading. Two or three players can feed off each other and give you more input.
5) Especially for a new DM I recommend using a basic battle map but don't worry about miniatures. Numbered pawns or poker chips work really well as you can just say what they are and use them. If you don't want to invest in a battle map to start, grab a cheap roll of wrapping paper. They normally have a one-inch grid on the back and you can just draw out a rough sketch so you and the players can see where things are relative to each other.
7) Your players know less about what's going on in the game than you do so don't worry about getting things wrong. Just keep the game moving and everyone having fun.