Dragon of Icespire Peak hands down. For a new DM it has everything you need to run an adventure and it has enough material to allow for you to put your impression onto the adventure. In particular it does a great job of modelling things like describing the environment, dungeons, and suchlike. It's got a good primer on the village's NPCs and it allows players to somewhat choose their path through the adventure.
However, I'm going to make an important suggestion here - if you do run a starter adventure, then make sure that you stick to the source material that it was designed for (i.e. 5e only, not 5.5e/2024). Likewise, I highly suggest limiting player character options to only those found in the Basic Rules. The reason for this is that the complexities involved and the challenge of the encounters are skewed quite badly by having some of the more advanced classes and subclass options such as Druids, or some of the more wonderful races.
As there's no official adventure or starter adventure for the 2024 ruleset I would advise you to avoid the 2024 books at all costs. Until you've got some experience under your belt it will be a little more difficult to see what the designers were intending when designing the newer rules. More experienced DMs will find it easier to work out how to 'fix' some of the issues that the 2024 ruleset brings with them. Add to this that there's currently no adventure that is specifically designed for the new books. WotC are doing their best to label previous adventures as 'compatible'. However, across three groups I've now had the feedback from players that playing old adventures under the new rules is playing on 'hyper easy mode'. For a GM to 'fix' this problem they need to be pulling up the new stat blocks from the New Monster Manual and then running those, in many cases it actually doesn't help because the encounter design and balance isn't quite the same - simply put it's easy to tell that the marketing folks don't play the game they market.
+THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS+ Try Lair Of The Zombie, a lvl 5 Dnd adventure that is being developed and will be released soon. It is about a group of necromancers that work with bugbears to create a zombie army. Is set in a new world, which will be released in a few years or so.
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I have traversed all the outer planes- I have traversed all the inner planes- now I travel to the land of earth to ride an airplane.
-They/Them Pronouns-
If you need lore, spells, heaps of information, come my way!!
Not Icespire! It's a massacre, and it's the players that are being massacred. We went through at least three characters each. Lost Mine of Phandelver is much better. Fun, and mostly balanced.
I'd go with Lost Mines every day of the week. Dragon of Icespire Peaks is great, don't get me wrong, but it's also more of a sandbox which can be daunting as a new DM not knowing where your players might go. Lost Mines by comparison is much more linear and only about 90 pages long so nice and easy to prep and fairly easy to predict where your players would go. I'd also not worry too much about whether you're using the "right" rules with regard to 2014 v 2024, so long as you're all using the same rules it'll work itself out
Never played or run Icespire, but Lost Mine of Phandelver truly is a great intro D&D adventure - including for new players. Hits all the major high notes without being terribly complex. I've been playing and DMing for more than 7 years (with a couple years of unwanted breaks in there) - including running all of Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and I had three brand new players. So I ran Lost Mine, and it went very well. A more complex or tougher campaign would have been harder for them. As it was, Lost Mine gave them a chance to really grow as players and have fun.
Out of the ones I've played or run, my second choice might be Wild Beyond the Witchlight. To be clear, I've only played part of it as a player, and I moved before we finished, but for some groups that theme might be really fun, and it appeared to be structured around specific regions - which might make it easier.
I do not recommend Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. It's probably my favorite module of all time, but it's also set in an urban environment and very complex to run. Tough on players; really, really tough on the DM. It was my first campaign as a DM, but I'd been playing weekly for about eight months at that point, am a natural DM, and most importantly had experienced players (including one who was able to help me at times learn the DM ropes). However, after you have a campaign under your belt, might be fun to tackle!
By the way, I'm with CunningSmile that 2024 or 2014 rules don't really matter too much. If your players are new, them having extra-strong 2024 PCs against 2024 statblocks is actually a good thing. It'll still have plenty of risk - and real risk of death and failure (not just PC deaths themselves) is what makes combat nerve-wracking. And once you (and they) get better, it's not hard to just up the difficulty a bit by adding a couple more mobs.
I'd also say that now would be a good time to get into the 2024 content if you are buying PH or DMG. So far, I have no real complaints about the 2024 update, and in many respects I like what they've done.
Sorry but if we're talking about something for a newer DM, then I have to disagree on Lost Mines of Phandelver. Yes it's far easier for players, but that wasn't the question. The question was about something for a newer DM.
Icespire Peak by far does a better job in guiding the DM through running an adventure than Lost Mines ever did. This is largely because Lost Mines was designed and published before even the PHB had been put out. It's a sampler of the rules, nothing more. But let's get into some actual reasons though:
The 'Running the Adventure' section of DoIP is by far superior and gives the DM a better introduction to how other official sources are laid out. It gives summaries of chapter by chapter and a good guide to the world in which the adventure takes place.
DoIP has a guide to helping the characters build a character, but that guide is written with the DM in mind. This includes a short section to assist RP down the line with some questions about how the characters know each other.
DoIP models simple and brief descriptions of environments and people in a way the LMoP just doesn't. There more detail with fewer words in DoIP than LMoP
DoIP introduces random tables in a user friendly way, and a more similar way to that of other official WotC adventures.
DoIP takes time to emphasise rewarding clever player/character actions and to detail some examples of non-standard ways around encounters and quests.
DoIP is more open and thus far easier to add in influence from the DM as they grow more confident in DMing.
There's more but these are just off the top of my head. That said Lost Mine of Phandelver is not without its strengths, but they exist largely for the players, not the DM. Here's my summary of the two.
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Simple and linear quest design. You go from A to B to C pretty much in the same way. Though this does limit player character agency in favour of a 'railroad' style design.
Combat encounters (with the exception of the first encounter) are largely easy to overcome and defeat for the players.
Less choice of player character options. It really is an adventure designed for the premade characters and not a free choice of character options from PHB.
More of a narrative single arc, than an open world design.
No memorable or well drawn NPCs, which in theory allows the DM to flesh out and add detail to the NPCs.
A reasonably sized dungeon crawl at the very end of the adventure.
Dragon of Icespire Peak
More of an open world design which allows lots of player character agency, but can require the DM to have to encourage the party back to an adventure. Though this does help teach some improv to newer DMs.
Combat encounters are a LOT more varied with more options to sidestep, or overcome combat despite brute force.
Wider variety of monsters and enemies. More behaviours to run, but more interest for players.
A handful of really simple but well drawn NPCs (i.e. the descriptions of the characters are more fleshed out in DoIP despite many being the same characters you'll find in LMoP).
Lots of different environments and areas that feel unique and interesting.
A few smaller dungeons to crawl, that offer social encounters and combat encounters.
Quest board style design lacks a single 'obvious route' or overarching narrative, but gets players used to having their characters make choices.
Three follow-on adventures that can be run after it finishes and takes the characters from level 1-13
Again, I maintain that Dragon of Icespire Peak is superior for the DM. However, in a perfect world WotC would have done some retconning and would have rolled Lost Mines and Icespire Peak into the same adventure and then thrown in Storm Lord's Wrath, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, and Divine Contention. It would've made for a killer book instead of the hot mess we got in Phandelver and Below.
The beauty here though is that none of us are technically wrong. We just all have our opinions based off our experience. Since publication of the Essential's Kit I've been running both and had groups enjoy both. Personally, I've always gotten more positive remarks on Icespire Peak than Lost Mines though.
As you say it's all just opinion but I ran Lost Mines as my first time DMing and Icespire as my second campaign and of the two I definitely found Lost Mines easier, there's a lot to be said for player predicatability when you're starting out.
However I do agree combining the two would have been a much better book than the Phandelver and Below book we did get
If you want something short and simple, go with The Sunlit Citadel. If you want something a little longer than 1-2 sessions but still simple, go with Forge of Fury.
These are there very simplest of adventures...far simpler than any of the others suggested, and far shorter to play. Both are part of the Tales of the Yawning Portal, sold here. R20 sells the adventures separately as well if you are using their VTT.
These two adventures are the easiest for a DM to run that I have ever seen. They are explorer-based...but I have run them a lot and the players always introduce all kinds of roleplay into them. Once, in Forge of Fury, I had a thief steal the underwear right off a guard in town before they even entered the dungeon. I set an extremely high DC...and he rolled a Nat 20! I gave it to him, just for the fun factor. I linked the video to the game just so you can check it out. Keep in mind, it is 4 years old, lol.
What official 5e module would y'all recommend for a newer dm with only a few (like 4) sessions under his belt?
Dragon of Icespire Peak hands down. For a new DM it has everything you need to run an adventure and it has enough material to allow for you to put your impression onto the adventure. In particular it does a great job of modelling things like describing the environment, dungeons, and suchlike. It's got a good primer on the village's NPCs and it allows players to somewhat choose their path through the adventure.
However, I'm going to make an important suggestion here - if you do run a starter adventure, then make sure that you stick to the source material that it was designed for (i.e. 5e only, not 5.5e/2024). Likewise, I highly suggest limiting player character options to only those found in the Basic Rules. The reason for this is that the complexities involved and the challenge of the encounters are skewed quite badly by having some of the more advanced classes and subclass options such as Druids, or some of the more wonderful races.
As there's no official adventure or starter adventure for the 2024 ruleset I would advise you to avoid the 2024 books at all costs. Until you've got some experience under your belt it will be a little more difficult to see what the designers were intending when designing the newer rules. More experienced DMs will find it easier to work out how to 'fix' some of the issues that the 2024 ruleset brings with them. Add to this that there's currently no adventure that is specifically designed for the new books. WotC are doing their best to label previous adventures as 'compatible'. However, across three groups I've now had the feedback from players that playing old adventures under the new rules is playing on 'hyper easy mode'. For a GM to 'fix' this problem they need to be pulling up the new stat blocks from the New Monster Manual and then running those, in many cases it actually doesn't help because the encounter design and balance isn't quite the same - simply put it's easy to tell that the marketing folks don't play the game they market.
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.
Thank you for the advice.
+THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS+
Try Lair Of The Zombie, a lvl 5 Dnd adventure that is being developed and will be released soon. It is about a group of necromancers that work with bugbears to create a zombie army. Is set in a new world, which will be released in a few years or so.
I have traversed all the outer planes- I have traversed all the inner planes- now I travel to the land of earth to ride an airplane.
-They/Them Pronouns-
If you need lore, spells, heaps of information, come my way!!
Not Icespire! It's a massacre, and it's the players that are being massacred. We went through at least three characters each. Lost Mine of Phandelver is much better. Fun, and mostly balanced.
I'd go with Lost Mines every day of the week. Dragon of Icespire Peaks is great, don't get me wrong, but it's also more of a sandbox which can be daunting as a new DM not knowing where your players might go. Lost Mines by comparison is much more linear and only about 90 pages long so nice and easy to prep and fairly easy to predict where your players would go. I'd also not worry too much about whether you're using the "right" rules with regard to 2014 v 2024, so long as you're all using the same rules it'll work itself out
Never played or run Icespire, but Lost Mine of Phandelver truly is a great intro D&D adventure - including for new players. Hits all the major high notes without being terribly complex. I've been playing and DMing for more than 7 years (with a couple years of unwanted breaks in there) - including running all of Dungeon of the Mad Mage, and I had three brand new players. So I ran Lost Mine, and it went very well. A more complex or tougher campaign would have been harder for them. As it was, Lost Mine gave them a chance to really grow as players and have fun.
Out of the ones I've played or run, my second choice might be Wild Beyond the Witchlight. To be clear, I've only played part of it as a player, and I moved before we finished, but for some groups that theme might be really fun, and it appeared to be structured around specific regions - which might make it easier.
I do not recommend Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. It's probably my favorite module of all time, but it's also set in an urban environment and very complex to run. Tough on players; really, really tough on the DM. It was my first campaign as a DM, but I'd been playing weekly for about eight months at that point, am a natural DM, and most importantly had experienced players (including one who was able to help me at times learn the DM ropes). However, after you have a campaign under your belt, might be fun to tackle!
By the way, I'm with CunningSmile that 2024 or 2014 rules don't really matter too much. If your players are new, them having extra-strong 2024 PCs against 2024 statblocks is actually a good thing. It'll still have plenty of risk - and real risk of death and failure (not just PC deaths themselves) is what makes combat nerve-wracking. And once you (and they) get better, it's not hard to just up the difficulty a bit by adding a couple more mobs.
I'd also say that now would be a good time to get into the 2024 content if you are buying PH or DMG. So far, I have no real complaints about the 2024 update, and in many respects I like what they've done.
Blood Frenzy. The quipper has advantage on melee attack rolls against any creature that doesn't have all its hit points.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
Sorry but if we're talking about something for a newer DM, then I have to disagree on Lost Mines of Phandelver. Yes it's far easier for players, but that wasn't the question. The question was about something for a newer DM.
Icespire Peak by far does a better job in guiding the DM through running an adventure than Lost Mines ever did. This is largely because Lost Mines was designed and published before even the PHB had been put out. It's a sampler of the rules, nothing more. But let's get into some actual reasons though:
There's more but these are just off the top of my head. That said Lost Mine of Phandelver is not without its strengths, but they exist largely for the players, not the DM. Here's my summary of the two.
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Dragon of Icespire Peak
Again, I maintain that Dragon of Icespire Peak is superior for the DM. However, in a perfect world WotC would have done some retconning and would have rolled Lost Mines and Icespire Peak into the same adventure and then thrown in Storm Lord's Wrath, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, and Divine Contention. It would've made for a killer book instead of the hot mess we got in Phandelver and Below.
The beauty here though is that none of us are technically wrong. We just all have our opinions based off our experience. Since publication of the Essential's Kit I've been running both and had groups enjoy both. Personally, I've always gotten more positive remarks on Icespire Peak than Lost Mines though.
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.
As you say it's all just opinion but I ran Lost Mines as my first time DMing and Icespire as my second campaign and of the two I definitely found Lost Mines easier, there's a lot to be said for player predicatability when you're starting out.
However I do agree combining the two would have been a much better book than the Phandelver and Below book we did get
If you want something short and simple, go with The Sunlit Citadel. If you want something a little longer than 1-2 sessions but still simple, go with Forge of Fury.
These are there very simplest of adventures...far simpler than any of the others suggested, and far shorter to play. Both are part of the Tales of the Yawning Portal, sold here. R20 sells the adventures separately as well if you are using their VTT.
These two adventures are the easiest for a DM to run that I have ever seen. They are explorer-based...but I have run them a lot and the players always introduce all kinds of roleplay into them. Once, in Forge of Fury, I had a thief steal the underwear right off a guard in town before they even entered the dungeon. I set an extremely high DC...and he rolled a Nat 20! I gave it to him, just for the fun factor. I linked the video to the game just so you can check it out. Keep in mind, it is 4 years old, lol.
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