I am looking to begin DM (new to that also). Three of our kids will be part of the PCs. I am trying to decide what is a good beginner campaign. Ages are 10,15, & 17 for the players. Thanks in advance! Of all the various campaigns which one is good to start with? We will be utilizing DDB and all its mechanics and tools.
Mines of Phandelver is a classic(I think it’s now rolled into Shattered Obelisk). Side note: first encounter can be very lethal, might want to start characters at level 2. Dragon of Icespire Peak is also really good(bit more of a quest board thing but very cool).
thanks, also, I am playing around with the maps editor. I am wondering do I do the main 'EDITING' on the dm map? I have been doing that, but when I open the player map on a separate tv with fog of war most everything is still visible...any suggestions. Or is it because I am under my "DM" account. Do the players actually see something different.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage is far and away the best, I can’t recommend it enough, both for a new player and DM.
It simply cuts right to the chase about what Dungeons and Dragons is at its core- a survival horror genre of game where the objective is to navigate the challenges of dangerous environments known in the abstract as “dungeons”, completing tasks and plundering treasure.
You are leaning all the essential skills of how to be a good dungeons and dragons player- how to succeed in combat, how to manage your resources and equipment, using the environment to your advantage, dodging traps, solving puzzles, circumventing obstacles, everything a new player needs to learn first after understanding the rules.
And as a new DM, you are just soaking it all in, and getting your head around how a dungeon works. From there the adventure specifies places for you to expand the dungeon with your own content. This is so convenient and important because that in turn is the most important thing for a new DM to learn, how to make a dungeon.
One more. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is a joy. Starts at a faerie carnival, a little bit different in tone(think Alice in wonderland meets Grimm’s fairy tales), and you may want to throw in a combat mini game, but it’s great fun.
or you could opt to create your own setting. A pad of graph paper and a notebook are the oldest of a dungeon masters tools you can make everything from sleepy hamlet to a continent with multiple kingdoms at war.
Going to agree that Phandelver and Icespire are probably your best bets, since they're written with new players and DMs in mind. I've only run Icespire of the two, but I had a pretty good experience running it for mostly new players. The goal of a first campaign is basically to get comfortable with the game and figure out what parts of it you enjoy, and Icespire at least shows you a variety of types of adventure in a short span.
I believe we settled on ICESPIRE PEAK as our first one, with the variety of quests it offers some small doses of what is available in larger quests. With that being said, this is located in Phandelver, so if we did this entire compaign, how could I connect this into say the lost mines campaign, the newer lengthy version of course. Is it set before this or could it be after? It does mention a tragedy in phandelvor concerning orcs and such years before.
You can mix and match. Make a quest board with Falcon as the paymaster if you want more xp or encounter variety. Phandalin needs some fleshing out. I just skip thunder tree because I find twig blights trivial and annoying…and the dragon fight can be an unfair tpk. Put in the Icespire peak stuff you like.
I believe we settled on ICESPIRE PEAK as our first one, with the variety of quests it offers some small doses of what is available in larger quests. With that being said, this is located in Phandelver, so if we did this entire compaign, how could I connect this into say the lost mines campaign, the newer lengthy version of course. Is it set before this or could it be after? It does mention a tragedy in phandelvor concerning orcs and such years before.
Many people have combined Dragon of Icespire Peak with Lost Mines of Phandelver. However, since you are new, I highly recommend asking yourself how much effort and time you want to invest in this. New DMs can accomplish combining the two, but the amount of prep work required is quite high.
Since you're new, just run DoIP. It's got PLENTY to keep a new DM busy. If you and your players enjoy the little town, then run Phandelver and Below as your next adventure.
Good luck!
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I am looking to begin DM (new to that also). Three of our kids will be part of the PCs. I am trying to decide what is a good beginner campaign. Ages are 10,15, & 17 for the players. Thanks in advance! Of all the various campaigns which one is good to start with? We will be utilizing DDB and all its mechanics and tools.
Mines of Phandelver is a classic(I think it’s now rolled into Shattered Obelisk). Side note: first encounter can be very lethal, might want to start characters at level 2. Dragon of Icespire Peak is also really good(bit more of a quest board thing but very cool).
thanks, also, I am playing around with the maps editor. I am wondering do I do the main 'EDITING' on the dm map? I have been doing that, but when I open the player map on a separate tv with fog of war most everything is still visible...any suggestions. Or is it because I am under my "DM" account. Do the players actually see something different.
Dungeon of the Mad Mage is far and away the best, I can’t recommend it enough, both for a new player and DM.
It simply cuts right to the chase about what Dungeons and Dragons is at its core- a survival horror genre of game where the objective is to navigate the challenges of dangerous environments known in the abstract as “dungeons”, completing tasks and plundering treasure.
You are leaning all the essential skills of how to be a good dungeons and dragons player- how to succeed in combat, how to manage your resources and equipment, using the environment to your advantage, dodging traps, solving puzzles, circumventing obstacles, everything a new player needs to learn first after understanding the rules.
And as a new DM, you are just soaking it all in, and getting your head around how a dungeon works. From there the adventure specifies places for you to expand the dungeon with your own content. This is so convenient and important because that in turn is the most important thing for a new DM to learn, how to make a dungeon.
One more. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is a joy. Starts at a faerie carnival, a little bit different in tone(think Alice in wonderland meets Grimm’s fairy tales), and you may want to throw in a combat mini game, but it’s great fun.
or you could opt to create your own setting. A pad of graph paper and a notebook are the oldest of a dungeon masters tools you can make everything from sleepy hamlet to a continent with multiple kingdoms at war.
Going to agree that Phandelver and Icespire are probably your best bets, since they're written with new players and DMs in mind. I've only run Icespire of the two, but I had a pretty good experience running it for mostly new players. The goal of a first campaign is basically to get comfortable with the game and figure out what parts of it you enjoy, and Icespire at least shows you a variety of types of adventure in a short span.
Medium humanoid (human), lawful neutral
I believe we settled on ICESPIRE PEAK as our first one, with the variety of quests it offers some small doses of what is available in larger quests. With that being said, this is located in Phandelver, so if we did this entire compaign, how could I connect this into say the lost mines campaign, the newer lengthy version of course. Is it set before this or could it be after? It does mention a tragedy in phandelvor concerning orcs and such years before.
You can mix and match. Make a quest board with Falcon as the paymaster if you want more xp or encounter variety. Phandalin needs some fleshing out. I just skip thunder tree because I find twig blights trivial and annoying…and the dragon fight can be an unfair tpk. Put in the Icespire peak stuff you like.
Many people have combined Dragon of Icespire Peak with Lost Mines of Phandelver. However, since you are new, I highly recommend asking yourself how much effort and time you want to invest in this. New DMs can accomplish combining the two, but the amount of prep work required is quite high.
Since you're new, just run DoIP. It's got PLENTY to keep a new DM busy. If you and your players enjoy the little town, then run Phandelver and Below as your next adventure.
Good luck!