I am new to this site and newish to Dungeons and Dragons, I haven't touched it since I was like 15 now 31. I have made the choice to get myself back into the game as well as my two boys, 12 and 9, and two of their friends, both 12. So far they all seem extremely excited and all I have told them is that we are going to play a roleplaying game that involves dice, monsters, and using their imagination, along with some cool spells and fun races/classes. I am also planning on using models as I know they will feel much more involved if they actually have something to represent them and move around from time to time. I picked up a physical Players Handbook as well as a digital copy on here. I also bought the Monster Manual and Volos Guide to Monsters in digital form. They have all created characters, with my help, and are all ready to play.
My biggest worry is that, even though I am good at story telling and using my imagination, I wont have enough going on to keep them entertained. I bought the newest iteration of the Starter Set but feel that it may be slightly more than they, and even myself currently, to handle. I have looked into Milestones for leveling rather than experience and will be taking out encumbrance, magic items, and certain other functions just to make it simpler for now.
Any tips and tricks for a new DM on his first time? I have read quite a bit and watched quite a bit online and have learned a lot but still not quite sure I am ready yet.
Welcome back! I had a similar journey, dabbling when I was young then brought back into the DnD fold by my kids.
First, breathe! You don't have to know everything or do everything "right." The goal is to have fun.
Deciding to eliminate some elements to avoid being overwhelmed is a good idea. You can always add some of them back in (like magic items) later once you all have the feel of it. Depending on what games the kids have played (both "board" and video), they may pick up a lot of the character mechanics quickly. I initially dropped encumbrance, opportunity attacks and reactions...maybe some other things. We did find that dropping reactions somewhat nerfed the rogue in particular, so we made some adjustments there. I still don't bother with encumbrance, but have since added back in the other items.
When you say you picked up the "newest iteration of the starter kit" do you mean the one with Lost Mines of Phandalin or Dragon of IceSpire Peak? I'm more familiar with the first, but both are designed for new DMs, and provide a lot of guidance along the way. Dragon of Icespire Peak, from the Essentials box, uses milestone leveling, although it may not use that term. You don't have to digest all of the adventure in one sitting; either one will take several sessions to play out. There are some short "one shot" adventures on DMsGuild, but they won't provide you with as much help as a new DM as either of these starter adventures will. Plus, if you run one of the starter adventures, you don't need to worry about the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, or Volos to run the starter adventures: the basic rules included in them will give you everything you need to handle those adventures. (Don't get me wrong, they are great books, and very helpful when you feel able to start making your own adventures, but if "mastering" all of that material is freaking you out, you can set them aside for now.)
A few other random tips/ideas to consider:
-Make copies of this Dice cheat sheet for the players (and for you, if you are shaky on the dice) You might want to write the d20, d12, etc below the image of the dice, too. I used this with my last batch of new players, and they set the corresponding die on the image.
-As long as no one in the group is color blind, consider color coding their character sheets. The last time I ran a table for brand new players, i bought highlighters in several colors: I ran orange down the skills box, purple around the AC, put a green box around attacks, etc. Then if they had trouble finding things, I could say "It's in the [color] section" (this assumes you are using paper character sheets and not character sheets here)
-I use the "Matt Mercer method" for sorting out initiative: I ask everyone to role and remember their number (including their initiative modifier). Then I ask "Anyone have a number above 20?" and write down those numbers and characters in order; then I ask for 15 to 20, then 10 to 15, etc. This speeds up my getting the initiative order sorted out. I write this all down on a wipe erase board, and also track monster hp there.
-Speaking of initiative, I sometimes roll a batch of d20s before the session and write down the results. Then I use those rolls for monster initiative rolls (adding in their modifier when the time comes). This also speeds things up, especially if there is more than one monster type in the encounter.
-with kids, I find it helpful to spell out that this is a cooperative game, where it works best (and is the most fun) if they work together for the same goal.
Awesome! Thank you for the help. This actually helps a lot.
Yes, Lost Mine. Actually didn’t know about the other one hahaha.
As for the rules I’m used to reading and understanding rules quickly or on the fly, I also play games like Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar. My issue is remembering everyone else’s rules. I do realize that I have all of their characters on my phone, computer, and extra character sheets so don’t actually need to remember it all. I bought those books For eventually things but also for my personal use as I’m hoping to find a group in my area I can play with as well.
That sounds like a great way to roll initiative too. I’ll definitely be using that. And I will look into picking up highlighters as well as it even sounds like it’ll help me remember things too.
With kids (and new players) the biggest thing to to nudge choice. Sometimes there lots of choices and for new players that can be paralyzing. So its okay to highlight the obvious options that experienced players would recognize. In cases like this I will often pose the questions not just narrowing down the choices but invoking the sort of character they are playing. Especially when they seem confused. So what do I mean?
Chances are in Lost Mines of Phandelver they are gonna be fighting some goblins, the fight breaks out. They get hit by a few arrows and are charged by a bunch of Goblins. So when I get to the ranger's turn, "What are you going to do?"
The player looks up, "My guy is an archer so I am gonna shoot."
Here is where I might say something like, "Great, you can shoot from where you are but have to worry about shooting through your friend here. You can rush over here put your back to this tree and shoot over this way or hey you're a hunter. Being up higher is always helpful, hop up on top of the wagon and shoot wherever you want and force some of the goblins to come to you. Both options have some cover."
Whether the kid knew the rules or not I just reinforce his choice to shoot, gave him options strategically and reminded him he's a hunter for mindset.
The same round I am going to have a wizard. "What are you gonna do?"
The kid looks at his spell list then at the table, "uh I want blast them."
"Always a good choice. In your time of extensive study you know Goblins are susceptible to illusions and mind effecting spells, so do you wanna run for cover . . . let's face it your not wearing the heavy armor right and cast something that can blast one or do you want to take the risk and move here hoping to blast this grouping of goblins with that Burning Hands spell. You also know they are not very hearty so something like sleep might be good."
The best part about this is that it is also giving the next players suggestion. Oh I have to move, and think about position not just the goblins.
Don't forget that this helps you even if you don't know all the rules. You are offering things you do know.
A little bit of prep goes a long way :) a lot further than you would think.
You mentioned your running a module. Read ahead and know what’s coming. Don’t rush it. Just enjoy it :)
I have a 9 year old boy that I’ve been teaching how to play dungeons and dragons for a few years. My advice on playing with kids is understand rules are a suggestion. If they want to do something insane that by the books wouldn’t fly, screw it - let em do it. They want Thor’s hammer - screw it Thor’s hammer pops up 🤣
give them agency with the creativity. Also I would try and teach them aspect about the game every time they play. Rather it’s a specific rule, class or monster. Teach them about something different everytime.
My boy is nine but can tell you about all the races, classes and most monsters. Not because I crammed rules on him during our first session but because Iv slowly been teaching him :)
One thing that will go a long way is knowing the characters the players are borrowing from. Meaning often times when people make characters they are like characters they like from entertainment or are a collection of bits of several characters they player likes. This has very little bearing on the rules but it is huge for knowing the tone of game they will respond to, what sort of treasure they want is rewarding to them, and how they will respond to things. For instance, "Oh man this Barbarian can go into a rage and gets real strong like the Hulk." This is clearly someone who wants to display personal power, break chains, smash things, roar at his enemies and so on. Create opportunities for this to happen. Someone playing a wizard are they talking about Gandalf, Harry Potter, Airbending, summoning monsters to help, and so on.
Unless you are playing in a non-standard fantasy world have your NPCs play to trope. Make your dwarves very dwarfy, your elves quintessential elves, and so on. This is all part of world building it gives them a glimpse of what to expect. It also gives them a reference point when they discover what is out of the norm.
To follow up since you are using Lost Mines: You said the kids created characters, so I presume that means you aren’t using the pregens provided in the Starter set. That’s fine, but if by chance you are using the pregens, make sure you have read the backstories. Especially the rogue’s backstory. That one takes some thinking ahead on the DMs part, and the books/adventure does not warn you about that (one of my few criticisms of the adventure). I won’t say more here to avoid spoilers, but you can PM me if you are using them and want more details.
If you aren’t using them, you still might want to read the backstories, as they will give you some ideas about how their back stories can become “hooks” for some of the side quests; if your players are interested in character development/role play, you might want to help them craft backstories that include similar hooks/connections.
I think youd be surprised how far a little can spread to the unexperienced gamer. Describe everything in great depth to help their imaginations along, elaborate on how theyve fought and dramatize it, giving them an impression of epic-ness in combat, make the big bad a monster they wont have seen elsewhere - something like a beholder, or a mind flayer.
Make it gruesome and mysterious and theyll probrably have a great time.
I have played dnd with kids a lot. So my advise would be do not change anything they will still like the game and(if you do it right) will end up getting super into it and soon you will be a player and they will be dming:)
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The 6 most hated words in all of d&d history: make me a dex saving throw .
Watch a bunch of youtube videos on it there are millions of videos that have given me and probably the rest of us much help on this thing exactly, also i would buy adventures if you dont want to worry about your own story telling, But if you want to make your own world i only ask that you dont confuse world building with campaign building you need a great balance of both to make it a great journey, but most of all dont stress too much and i hope you have fun.
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Hey all!
I am new to this site and newish to Dungeons and Dragons, I haven't touched it since I was like 15 now 31. I have made the choice to get myself back into the game as well as my two boys, 12 and 9, and two of their friends, both 12. So far they all seem extremely excited and all I have told them is that we are going to play a roleplaying game that involves dice, monsters, and using their imagination, along with some cool spells and fun races/classes. I am also planning on using models as I know they will feel much more involved if they actually have something to represent them and move around from time to time. I picked up a physical Players Handbook as well as a digital copy on here. I also bought the Monster Manual and Volos Guide to Monsters in digital form. They have all created characters, with my help, and are all ready to play.
My biggest worry is that, even though I am good at story telling and using my imagination, I wont have enough going on to keep them entertained. I bought the newest iteration of the Starter Set but feel that it may be slightly more than they, and even myself currently, to handle. I have looked into Milestones for leveling rather than experience and will be taking out encumbrance, magic items, and certain other functions just to make it simpler for now.
Any tips and tricks for a new DM on his first time? I have read quite a bit and watched quite a bit online and have learned a lot but still not quite sure I am ready yet.
Thanks in advance!
Welcome back! I had a similar journey, dabbling when I was young then brought back into the DnD fold by my kids.
First, breathe! You don't have to know everything or do everything "right." The goal is to have fun.
Deciding to eliminate some elements to avoid being overwhelmed is a good idea. You can always add some of them back in (like magic items) later once you all have the feel of it. Depending on what games the kids have played (both "board" and video), they may pick up a lot of the character mechanics quickly. I initially dropped encumbrance, opportunity attacks and reactions...maybe some other things. We did find that dropping reactions somewhat nerfed the rogue in particular, so we made some adjustments there. I still don't bother with encumbrance, but have since added back in the other items.
When you say you picked up the "newest iteration of the starter kit" do you mean the one with Lost Mines of Phandalin or Dragon of IceSpire Peak? I'm more familiar with the first, but both are designed for new DMs, and provide a lot of guidance along the way. Dragon of Icespire Peak, from the Essentials box, uses milestone leveling, although it may not use that term. You don't have to digest all of the adventure in one sitting; either one will take several sessions to play out. There are some short "one shot" adventures on DMsGuild, but they won't provide you with as much help as a new DM as either of these starter adventures will. Plus, if you run one of the starter adventures, you don't need to worry about the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, or Volos to run the starter adventures: the basic rules included in them will give you everything you need to handle those adventures. (Don't get me wrong, they are great books, and very helpful when you feel able to start making your own adventures, but if "mastering" all of that material is freaking you out, you can set them aside for now.)
A few other random tips/ideas to consider:
-Make copies of this Dice cheat sheet for the players (and for you, if you are shaky on the dice) You might want to write the d20, d12, etc below the image of the dice, too. I used this with my last batch of new players, and they set the corresponding die on the image.
-As long as no one in the group is color blind, consider color coding their character sheets. The last time I ran a table for brand new players, i bought highlighters in several colors: I ran orange down the skills box, purple around the AC, put a green box around attacks, etc. Then if they had trouble finding things, I could say "It's in the [color] section" (this assumes you are using paper character sheets and not character sheets here)
-I use the "Matt Mercer method" for sorting out initiative: I ask everyone to role and remember their number (including their initiative modifier). Then I ask "Anyone have a number above 20?" and write down those numbers and characters in order; then I ask for 15 to 20, then 10 to 15, etc. This speeds up my getting the initiative order sorted out. I write this all down on a wipe erase board, and also track monster hp there.
-Speaking of initiative, I sometimes roll a batch of d20s before the session and write down the results. Then I use those rolls for monster initiative rolls (adding in their modifier when the time comes). This also speeds things up, especially if there is more than one monster type in the encounter.
-with kids, I find it helpful to spell out that this is a cooperative game, where it works best (and is the most fun) if they work together for the same goal.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
Awesome! Thank you for the help. This actually helps a lot.
Yes, Lost Mine. Actually didn’t know about the other one hahaha.
As for the rules I’m used to reading and understanding rules quickly or on the fly, I also play games like Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar. My issue is remembering everyone else’s rules. I do realize that I have all of their characters on my phone, computer, and extra character sheets so don’t actually need to remember it all. I bought those books For eventually things but also for my personal use as I’m hoping to find a group in my area I can play with as well.
That sounds like a great way to roll initiative too. I’ll definitely be using that. And I will look into picking up highlighters as well as it even sounds like it’ll help me remember things too.
With kids (and new players) the biggest thing to to nudge choice. Sometimes there lots of choices and for new players that can be paralyzing. So its okay to highlight the obvious options that experienced players would recognize. In cases like this I will often pose the questions not just narrowing down the choices but invoking the sort of character they are playing. Especially when they seem confused. So what do I mean?
Chances are in Lost Mines of Phandelver they are gonna be fighting some goblins, the fight breaks out. They get hit by a few arrows and are charged by a bunch of Goblins. So when I get to the ranger's turn, "What are you going to do?"
The player looks up, "My guy is an archer so I am gonna shoot."
Here is where I might say something like, "Great, you can shoot from where you are but have to worry about shooting through your friend here. You can rush over here put your back to this tree and shoot over this way or hey you're a hunter. Being up higher is always helpful, hop up on top of the wagon and shoot wherever you want and force some of the goblins to come to you. Both options have some cover."
Whether the kid knew the rules or not I just reinforce his choice to shoot, gave him options strategically and reminded him he's a hunter for mindset.
The same round I am going to have a wizard. "What are you gonna do?"
The kid looks at his spell list then at the table, "uh I want blast them."
"Always a good choice. In your time of extensive study you know Goblins are susceptible to illusions and mind effecting spells, so do you wanna run for cover . . . let's face it your not wearing the heavy armor right and cast something that can blast one or do you want to take the risk and move here hoping to blast this grouping of goblins with that Burning Hands spell. You also know they are not very hearty so something like sleep might be good."
The best part about this is that it is also giving the next players suggestion. Oh I have to move, and think about position not just the goblins.
Don't forget that this helps you even if you don't know all the rules. You are offering things you do know.
Awesome. Thank you for this! This will definitely help alot and will also help me to remember things too!
A little bit of prep goes a long way :) a lot further than you would think.
You mentioned your running a module. Read ahead and know what’s coming. Don’t rush it. Just enjoy it :)
I have a 9 year old boy that I’ve been teaching how to play dungeons and dragons for a few years. My advice on playing with kids is understand rules are a suggestion. If they want to do something insane that by the books wouldn’t fly, screw it - let em do it. They want Thor’s hammer - screw it Thor’s hammer pops up 🤣
give them agency with the creativity. Also I would try and teach them aspect about the game every time they play. Rather it’s a specific rule, class or monster. Teach them about something different everytime.
My boy is nine but can tell you about all the races, classes and most monsters. Not because I crammed rules on him during our first session but because Iv slowly been teaching him :)
if you have any questions feel feel free to HMU:)
One thing that will go a long way is knowing the characters the players are borrowing from. Meaning often times when people make characters they are like characters they like from entertainment or are a collection of bits of several characters they player likes. This has very little bearing on the rules but it is huge for knowing the tone of game they will respond to, what sort of treasure they want is rewarding to them, and how they will respond to things. For instance, "Oh man this Barbarian can go into a rage and gets real strong like the Hulk." This is clearly someone who wants to display personal power, break chains, smash things, roar at his enemies and so on. Create opportunities for this to happen. Someone playing a wizard are they talking about Gandalf, Harry Potter, Airbending, summoning monsters to help, and so on.
Unless you are playing in a non-standard fantasy world have your NPCs play to trope. Make your dwarves very dwarfy, your elves quintessential elves, and so on. This is all part of world building it gives them a glimpse of what to expect. It also gives them a reference point when they discover what is out of the norm.
To follow up since you are using Lost Mines: You said the kids created characters, so I presume that means you aren’t using the pregens provided in the Starter set. That’s fine, but if by chance you are using the pregens, make sure you have read the backstories. Especially the rogue’s backstory. That one takes some thinking ahead on the DMs part, and the books/adventure does not warn you about that (one of my few criticisms of the adventure). I won’t say more here to avoid spoilers, but you can PM me if you are using them and want more details.
If you aren’t using them, you still might want to read the backstories, as they will give you some ideas about how their back stories can become “hooks” for some of the side quests; if your players are interested in character development/role play, you might want to help them craft backstories that include similar hooks/connections.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
I think youd be surprised how far a little can spread to the unexperienced gamer. Describe everything in great depth to help their imaginations along, elaborate on how theyve fought and dramatize it, giving them an impression of epic-ness in combat, make the big bad a monster they wont have seen elsewhere - something like a beholder, or a mind flayer.
Make it gruesome and mysterious and theyll probrably have a great time.
I have played dnd with kids a lot. So my advise would be do not change anything they will still like the game and(if you do it right) will end up getting super into it and soon you will be a player and they will be dming:)
The 6 most hated words in all of d&d history: make me a dex saving throw .
Watch a bunch of youtube videos on it there are millions of videos that have given me and probably the rest of us much help on this thing exactly, also i would buy adventures if you dont want to worry about your own story telling, But if you want to make your own world i only ask that you dont confuse world building with campaign building you need a great balance of both to make it a great journey, but most of all dont stress too much and i hope you have fun.