I'm in uni and have only ever run 2 very rule relaxed games for middle schoolers, My friends really want to Start playing D&D for the first time and asked me to run the game. As much as I am delighted to do that I really want them to have a good experience - they've never even properly heard of D&D and I don't want to ruin their potential love for it by making a boring game. I don't even know where to Start planning stuff out or how to plan. I'm working on reading the player handbook but idk where to go from here.
Anyone have any advice for baby level DMs? Maybe a resource or two?
Are you doing a campaign or a one-shot? If they're just starting out doing a low level one shot (level 5?) would maybe be a good introduction as it lets them try out a class without much commitment and see what's on the horizon for them as they level up. Level one character's are fairly tame and they might find it a bit boring. If they've never really played instead of inundating them with class choice, ask them what they want out of a character. Do they wanna be the muscle and just smash enemies into the ground? A fighter, barbarian or even paladin could be interesting for them. As a side note, wizard is terrible for first time players. They live or die by their spell choices and poor ones can make a new character feel like they're not contributing much. They're also really squishy and die fast if you aren't careful.
As for planning it, if you're struggling why not just run an official campaign or a well rated homebrew? It would have all the things you need with you only needing to read it through to prepare.
Maybe start with the essentials kit. It's phrased in such a way as to help guide new or unfamiliar players in how to be the DM and is supposed to help the players learn and understand how the game works.
If you want them to have a good experience, you're already on the right track in that you want them to have a good experience. Talk to the players about what type of story or gameplay they enjoy the most. Maybe ask them what type of books or movies they enjoy, this might give you an indication of what type of encounter they might like, or what type of scenarios they would enjoy. Get them into gameplay as quickly as possible, without getting them too deeply involved in the meta-swamp of understanding ability scores and proficiency bonuses and the math portion. Give them a pre-gen PC and get them into describing actions, rolling dice and looking for info on their character sheet. They'll pick up the game mechanics soon enough. Lastly, be consistent in your rulings. If you have to table rule a thing just to keep the game moving, then do that and add the caveat that you'll look it up after session and correct as needed later. Just keep the game moving, keep the players engaged in the game and having fun, and you will have succeeded in you quest of bringing more people into this hobby.
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“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
just to tack on to this (you might have seen my other posts) but i have just started a campaign under the same circumstances, except that ive never DMd before at all. I'm running the essentials kit Dragon of Icespire Peak and it will have everything you need to do it and keep you on the right track, and all you really need to do is just read up in advance. Im two sessions in (and already had to homebrew the latest one) and my players that have played before, are saying they're enjoying it more than other games theyre in and i can assure i have made some colossal mistakes already. (namely i forgot to read the classes you're supposed to play as befor eletting everyone create and now i have a dragonborn in a campaign about finding a dragon.) Just roll with it and let it go where it goes. All will be fine.
Ive also found that getting cheap battle map maker on steam (there are one or two) and just making maps without any context is a good way to spur up some creativity. I did this for my homebrew session....... i just made a map just to learn how to do it, and by the time i was finishing it i was already thinking of ways to use it, places to put traps, fights etc etc. By the time i was done finishing the map id already knew how i was going to use it in the homebrew campaign I guess the point is just immerse yourself in everything you have. read the books, use the tools, just take it all in and youll naturally get there.
In general, I would say you're getting good advice here, especially in talking to your prospective players to get a sense of their expectations and/or running a well-rated published adventure.
I would recommend that you read through the DMG. As someone who has been DMing since 2nd ed (you know, back when a 1st level wizard was squishy), I say this edition's DMG is the best I've seen. I wish I had been able to get all the advice it contains when I was starting out, especially that on introducing new players, building encounters, and designing your own world.
Don't feel the need to memorize the rules or do a detailed reading of all the core books. In the PHB, if you have closely read and understand well the combat chapter* and the magic (not spell lists) chapter, you only need to have read the rest of it well enough to remember where a relevant rule is. In the MM, if you've read the introduction and understand how to read stat blocks, you're ready. In the DMG, what you want to focus on will depend upon the kind of game you're running (e.g. if you're running a published adventure, you won't need to know how to create a settlement, or define the way magic works). I find that I reference the PHB and MM often during my games, but most of my reading in the DMG is preparation outside of game time. That said, I'd recommend starting at the introduction and using that reading to inform where in the book you go next.
Finally, I would suggest starting at level 1 for new players. I think whether a given setting or character level is tame and/or boring depends entirely upon the perspective of the DM and PCs. And I think the designations of squishy and crunchy are quite relative. Higher level characters have increasingly more ways to bend the rules, and that means that having a functional understanding of the rules prior to play is ever more important as levels increase. Starting at level 1 is a great way for everyone to learn together.
*try out the following exercise: using the rules from PHB Part 1, generate three 1st lv characters of any race and class, notate their stats and action options on a piece of notebook paper, a note taking app, etc., according to the plan of the character sheet at the end of the PHB; next using the rules from DMG on Creating Encounters beginning on p.81, and the monster lists beginning p. 306, create one easy or medium encounter and one hard or deadly encounter, e.g. a single orc or a pair of goblins, followed by a pair of orcs; finally, using the relevant creature's stat block(s) from the MM, and the Combat rules from PHB Chapter 9, run both encounters, starting characters fresh on resources between them.
I will second the advice to start at level 1, and actually suggest against starting at level 5. Combat is by far the most overwhelming thing for a new player and DM, and level 5 is when all classes start to get more complicated due to features like Extra Attack, improved cantrip damage, Uncanny Dodge and Stunning Strike. Beginning at level 1 gives new players time to get accustomed to the action economy and how their class works. Besides, level 1 is just as fun as any other level if you go into it expecting to have a good time.
I don't know how much experience you have as a player, but I found that watching how other DMs ran their games helped me learn how to run my own better than any book or tutorial did. If you're in a game, watch how your DM makes calls and crafts the storyline. Alternatively, you can watch some streamed games to get a handle on DM mechanics. As always, remember that you don't have to copy what you see, just let it educate you and give you baselines for what is possible. You might also want to check out Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series on YouTube, or the Three Wise DMs blog, both of which are very newbie-DM friendly.
As for what to play, I find that starting off with a pre-written one-shot is much easier than jumping straight into a campaign. The adventure is self-contained, the stakes are low, and if everyone likes it, you can always expand it into something longer. If you're set on a campaign, then I recommend either running a published module or using one as a guideline for how to homebrew your own. Pacing and encounter balance can be tough to figure out in a vacuum, and pre-written stuff does the heavy lifting for you.
Good luck!
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I'm in uni and have only ever run 2 very rule relaxed games for middle schoolers,
My friends really want to Start playing D&D for the first time and asked me to run the game. As much as I am delighted to do that I really want them to have a good experience - they've never even properly heard of D&D and I don't want to ruin their potential love for it by making a boring game.
I don't even know where to Start planning stuff out or how to plan. I'm working on reading the player handbook but idk where to go from here.
Anyone have any advice for baby level DMs? Maybe a resource or two?
Are you doing a campaign or a one-shot? If they're just starting out doing a low level one shot (level 5?) would maybe be a good introduction as it lets them try out a class without much commitment and see what's on the horizon for them as they level up. Level one character's are fairly tame and they might find it a bit boring. If they've never really played instead of inundating them with class choice, ask them what they want out of a character. Do they wanna be the muscle and just smash enemies into the ground? A fighter, barbarian or even paladin could be interesting for them. As a side note, wizard is terrible for first time players. They live or die by their spell choices and poor ones can make a new character feel like they're not contributing much. They're also really squishy and die fast if you aren't careful.
As for planning it, if you're struggling why not just run an official campaign or a well rated homebrew? It would have all the things you need with you only needing to read it through to prepare.
Maybe start with the essentials kit. It's phrased in such a way as to help guide new or unfamiliar players in how to be the DM and is supposed to help the players learn and understand how the game works.
If you want them to have a good experience, you're already on the right track in that you want them to have a good experience. Talk to the players about what type of story or gameplay they enjoy the most. Maybe ask them what type of books or movies they enjoy, this might give you an indication of what type of encounter they might like, or what type of scenarios they would enjoy. Get them into gameplay as quickly as possible, without getting them too deeply involved in the meta-swamp of understanding ability scores and proficiency bonuses and the math portion. Give them a pre-gen PC and get them into describing actions, rolling dice and looking for info on their character sheet. They'll pick up the game mechanics soon enough. Lastly, be consistent in your rulings. If you have to table rule a thing just to keep the game moving, then do that and add the caveat that you'll look it up after session and correct as needed later. Just keep the game moving, keep the players engaged in the game and having fun, and you will have succeeded in you quest of bringing more people into this hobby.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Mark Twain - Innocents Abroad
just to tack on to this (you might have seen my other posts) but i have just started a campaign under the same circumstances, except that ive never DMd before at all. I'm running the essentials kit Dragon of Icespire Peak and it will have everything you need to do it and keep you on the right track, and all you really need to do is just read up in advance. Im two sessions in (and already had to homebrew the latest one) and my players that have played before, are saying they're enjoying it more than other games theyre in and i can assure i have made some colossal mistakes already. (namely i forgot to read the classes you're supposed to play as befor eletting everyone create and now i have a dragonborn in a campaign about finding a dragon.) Just roll with it and let it go where it goes. All will be fine.
Ive also found that getting cheap battle map maker on steam (there are one or two) and just making maps without any context is a good way to spur up some creativity. I did this for my homebrew session....... i just made a map just to learn how to do it, and by the time i was finishing it i was already thinking of ways to use it, places to put traps, fights etc etc. By the time i was done finishing the map id already knew how i was going to use it in the homebrew campaign I guess the point is just immerse yourself in everything you have. read the books, use the tools, just take it all in and youll naturally get there.
In general, I would say you're getting good advice here, especially in talking to your prospective players to get a sense of their expectations and/or running a well-rated published adventure.
I would recommend that you read through the DMG. As someone who has been DMing since 2nd ed (you know, back when a 1st level wizard was squishy), I say this edition's DMG is the best I've seen. I wish I had been able to get all the advice it contains when I was starting out, especially that on introducing new players, building encounters, and designing your own world.
Don't feel the need to memorize the rules or do a detailed reading of all the core books. In the PHB, if you have closely read and understand well the combat chapter* and the magic (not spell lists) chapter, you only need to have read the rest of it well enough to remember where a relevant rule is. In the MM, if you've read the introduction and understand how to read stat blocks, you're ready. In the DMG, what you want to focus on will depend upon the kind of game you're running (e.g. if you're running a published adventure, you won't need to know how to create a settlement, or define the way magic works). I find that I reference the PHB and MM often during my games, but most of my reading in the DMG is preparation outside of game time. That said, I'd recommend starting at the introduction and using that reading to inform where in the book you go next.
Finally, I would suggest starting at level 1 for new players. I think whether a given setting or character level is tame and/or boring depends entirely upon the perspective of the DM and PCs. And I think the designations of squishy and crunchy are quite relative. Higher level characters have increasingly more ways to bend the rules, and that means that having a functional understanding of the rules prior to play is ever more important as levels increase. Starting at level 1 is a great way for everyone to learn together.
*try out the following exercise: using the rules from PHB Part 1, generate three 1st lv characters of any race and class, notate their stats and action options on a piece of notebook paper, a note taking app, etc., according to the plan of the character sheet at the end of the PHB; next using the rules from DMG on Creating Encounters beginning on p.81, and the monster lists beginning p. 306, create one easy or medium encounter and one hard or deadly encounter, e.g. a single orc or a pair of goblins, followed by a pair of orcs; finally, using the relevant creature's stat block(s) from the MM, and the Combat rules from PHB Chapter 9, run both encounters, starting characters fresh on resources between them.
I will second the advice to start at level 1, and actually suggest against starting at level 5. Combat is by far the most overwhelming thing for a new player and DM, and level 5 is when all classes start to get more complicated due to features like Extra Attack, improved cantrip damage, Uncanny Dodge and Stunning Strike. Beginning at level 1 gives new players time to get accustomed to the action economy and how their class works. Besides, level 1 is just as fun as any other level if you go into it expecting to have a good time.
I don't know how much experience you have as a player, but I found that watching how other DMs ran their games helped me learn how to run my own better than any book or tutorial did. If you're in a game, watch how your DM makes calls and crafts the storyline. Alternatively, you can watch some streamed games to get a handle on DM mechanics. As always, remember that you don't have to copy what you see, just let it educate you and give you baselines for what is possible. You might also want to check out Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series on YouTube, or the Three Wise DMs blog, both of which are very newbie-DM friendly.
As for what to play, I find that starting off with a pre-written one-shot is much easier than jumping straight into a campaign. The adventure is self-contained, the stakes are low, and if everyone likes it, you can always expand it into something longer. If you're set on a campaign, then I recommend either running a published module or using one as a guideline for how to homebrew your own. Pacing and encounter balance can be tough to figure out in a vacuum, and pre-written stuff does the heavy lifting for you.
Good luck!