Hey guys! I've never played D&D before, but I am familiar with the rules and how it plays via podcasts like Crit Role. I'm having a hard time deciding what would be a good introduction to the game for 3 completely new players, as I would be DMing a game for my two sisters (all adults).
Ideally I'd like something that wouldn't take more than a few hours to get through and that doesn't have any crazy custom mechanics. I have the players handbook, monster manual, and DM guide that I'm borrowing from a friend. I've spent some time online googling simple oneshots, but most of the threads I read are from old players becoming new DMs. I'm not sure what would be best for a complete newbie like myself!
Tales from the Yawning portal have short-ish adventures that probably take around 8 hours minimum not counting prep. You can adjust the goals to make them shorter. The new Ghosts of Saltmarsh have similarly short adventures (might take longer to establish the setting though), but also what are essentially large encounters that can take just a few hours to finish.
If you bought the beginner set, just use the first bit of that. The module included in that, "the Lost Mine of Phandelver" is a good read and, in my opinion, a great way to prepare for DMing.
Another option is to create a 3-5 room dungeon. Try to have a balance (based on what the players are your table are interested in) between combat, social and other skills.
I would second what TexasDevin said in using the Matt Colville link as a reference.
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"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
Personnally, I began DMing 2 years ago (also a fan of Critical Role, High Rollers, Adventure Zone...), and after running a few homebrew one-shots, I used one-shots from the Adventurer's League, that I built a campaign around. Harried in Hillsfar, Treasure of the Broken Hoard, City of Danger and In Volo's Wake all provide 4 to 6 very short adventures (that you likely won't run in an hour, though), include everything you need to know, and you can easily link them together or not. They also all have enough reviews to help you decide which to choose.
But really, I support TexasDevin and Koradgee about Matt Colville's one shot. It's really made for new DMs in mind, includes everything you need to play and is overall really fun to play. Also, if you and your players are happy with this first session and want to make it into a campaign, it will be easy for all of you (including you as a DM) to keep going with Mine of Phandelver. Or you can try another one shot or campaign if that was not to your taste !
I'm going to be making a one shot for some folks who have never played DnD before. I can send you some notes if you'd like, or I can just post them here as well.
Personally, I like creating a small setting based around a core idea. For new players, I like starting them at level 3 so that they actually have some class-specific abilities, but not so much to be overwhelmed. There should be some (a) exploration (b) social interaction (c) and combat. Depending on what your players prefer you can favor one or two of those more than others. Also, part of the fun for some is LOOT, and the ability to see their character grow. I like throwing in a couple of quirky magic items as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
A very short one-off I ran for a few kids at a party once. Very short combat encounter:
The roads east of Daggerford has been haunted by a monster for weeks. Survivors say it is a monster that is part man, part rat. The duchess Morwen have hired you three adventurers, and offered an award of 100 gold if you bring back the monster's head. After borrowing silvered weapons, you have now traveled east for about half a day. Have the players introduce the characters.
The party encounter a woman (Alva) lying by the side of the road. She tells them that her girlfriend (Sophia) was taken by monsters, and she begs them to save her. If the party refuses, gently inform them that this is a plothook, and that they can ignore it, but that means you have to make up a new adventure. Have one or more party members roll survival to follow the tracks, which leads to a cave. In the cave, they find Sophia's body, along with three goblins. Combat engage (or negotiate, depends on the players). Roll up random loot from the DM's guide for Sophia and the goblins.
After defeating the goblins, the players probably try to leave, but are stopped by Alva, who's standing at the mouth of the cave. She says "What a shame. Oh, well. She'll make an excellent desert", and transforms into a wererat. Again, combat engage. If you think the wererat is a bit hard for 1st level players, you can remove her multiattack.
Once the players return with Alva's head, narrate how the duchess is doubting about their story, until they present the head, and are awarded the gold. If any of the players were infected with lycanthropy, they can get it healed at the temple of Chauntea for a small fee (20 gold or more)
Oh thank you all SO much for the help! I'll have a look at all of these links more in depth soon, but just skimming through the suggestions has absolutely got the gears turning and I already have a much better idea of which one I may pick (or do multiple, depending on if my sisters want to keep playing!)
I don't have the beginners set currently, but if this first game goes well I'll definitely invest in it to get the Phandelver game. I think I'll stick with a super simple 3-5 room dungeon with goblin(oid)s to start and work my way up to some of these longer adventures. My sisters have chosen an elven wizard and elven ranger from some pre generated sheets, and I think depending on if it goes poorly I'll have a fighter NPC at the ready to aid them.
I'm always open to more suggestions if anyone has them though! But you all have been overwhelmingly helpful. Thank you!
Be careful DMing the first encounter(s) of Phandelver. The goblin ambush can be potentially a "total party kill". (I don't have my books in front of me, but that was my first takeaway when I read that adventure. I also was a little surprised at the amount of complexity and possible avenues for RP in the text. Good adventure overall).
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Hey guys! I've never played D&D before, but I am familiar with the rules and how it plays via podcasts like Crit Role. I'm having a hard time deciding what would be a good introduction to the game for 3 completely new players, as I would be DMing a game for my two sisters (all adults).
Ideally I'd like something that wouldn't take more than a few hours to get through and that doesn't have any crazy custom mechanics. I have the players handbook, monster manual, and DM guide that I'm borrowing from a friend. I've spent some time online googling simple oneshots, but most of the threads I read are from old players becoming new DMs. I'm not sure what would be best for a complete newbie like myself!
Thanks a ton!
DM Guild might have some oneshots.
Tales from the Yawning portal have short-ish adventures that probably take around 8 hours minimum not counting prep. You can adjust the goals to make them shorter. The new Ghosts of Saltmarsh have similarly short adventures (might take longer to establish the setting though), but also what are essentially large encounters that can take just a few hours to finish.
Check out Matt Colville's free one-shot adventure. Perfect for a small party wanting to dip their toes in D&D.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
If you bought the beginner set, just use the first bit of that. The module included in that, "the Lost Mine of Phandelver" is a good read and, in my opinion, a great way to prepare for DMing.
Another option is to create a 3-5 room dungeon. Try to have a balance (based on what the players are your table are interested in) between combat, social and other skills.
I would second what TexasDevin said in using the Matt Colville link as a reference.
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
Down the Hole on DMs Guild is great one shot (takes about four hours) for a rookie group to D&D... Both as players and as a DM.
Here is the link
https://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/251744
Personnally, I began DMing 2 years ago (also a fan of Critical Role, High Rollers, Adventure Zone...), and after running a few homebrew one-shots, I used one-shots from the Adventurer's League, that I built a campaign around. Harried in Hillsfar, Treasure of the Broken Hoard, City of Danger and In Volo's Wake all provide 4 to 6 very short adventures (that you likely won't run in an hour, though), include everything you need to know, and you can easily link them together or not. They also all have enough reviews to help you decide which to choose.
But really, I support TexasDevin and Koradgee about Matt Colville's one shot. It's really made for new DMs in mind, includes everything you need to play and is overall really fun to play. Also, if you and your players are happy with this first session and want to make it into a campaign, it will be easy for all of you (including you as a DM) to keep going with Mine of Phandelver. Or you can try another one shot or campaign if that was not to your taste !
I'm going to be making a one shot for some folks who have never played DnD before. I can send you some notes if you'd like, or I can just post them here as well.
Personally, I like creating a small setting based around a core idea. For new players, I like starting them at level 3 so that they actually have some class-specific abilities, but not so much to be overwhelmed. There should be some (a) exploration (b) social interaction (c) and combat. Depending on what your players prefer you can favor one or two of those more than others. Also, part of the fun for some is LOOT, and the ability to see their character grow. I like throwing in a couple of quirky magic items as well.
"An' things ha' come to a pretty pass, ye ken, if people are going to leave stuff like that aroound where innocent people could accidentally smash the door doon and lever the bars aside and take the big chain off'f the cupboard and pick the lock and drink it!"
A very short one-off I ran for a few kids at a party once. Very short combat encounter:
The roads east of Daggerford has been haunted by a monster for weeks. Survivors say it is a monster that is part man, part rat. The duchess Morwen have hired you three adventurers, and offered an award of 100 gold if you bring back the monster's head. After borrowing silvered weapons, you have now traveled east for about half a day. Have the players introduce the characters.
The party encounter a woman (Alva) lying by the side of the road. She tells them that her girlfriend (Sophia) was taken by monsters, and she begs them to save her. If the party refuses, gently inform them that this is a plothook, and that they can ignore it, but that means you have to make up a new adventure. Have one or more party members roll survival to follow the tracks, which leads to a cave. In the cave, they find Sophia's body, along with three goblins. Combat engage (or negotiate, depends on the players). Roll up random loot from the DM's guide for Sophia and the goblins.
After defeating the goblins, the players probably try to leave, but are stopped by Alva, who's standing at the mouth of the cave. She says "What a shame. Oh, well. She'll make an excellent desert", and transforms into a wererat. Again, combat engage. If you think the wererat is a bit hard for 1st level players, you can remove her multiattack.
Once the players return with Alva's head, narrate how the duchess is doubting about their story, until they present the head, and are awarded the gold. If any of the players were infected with lycanthropy, they can get it healed at the temple of Chauntea for a small fee (20 gold or more)
"What do you mean I get disadvantage on persuasion?"
I don't know, Sneet, maybe because your argument is "Submit and become our pet"?
-Actual conversation in a game.
This line had me laughing out loud.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
Oh thank you all SO much for the help! I'll have a look at all of these links more in depth soon, but just skimming through the suggestions has absolutely got the gears turning and I already have a much better idea of which one I may pick (or do multiple, depending on if my sisters want to keep playing!)
I don't have the beginners set currently, but if this first game goes well I'll definitely invest in it to get the Phandelver game. I think I'll stick with a super simple 3-5 room dungeon with goblin(oid)s to start and work my way up to some of these longer adventures. My sisters have chosen an elven wizard and elven ranger from some pre generated sheets, and I think depending on if it goes poorly I'll have a fighter NPC at the ready to aid them.
I'm always open to more suggestions if anyone has them though! But you all have been overwhelmingly helpful. Thank you!
Be careful DMing the first encounter(s) of Phandelver. The goblin ambush can be potentially a "total party kill". (I don't have my books in front of me, but that was my first takeaway when I read that adventure. I also was a little surprised at the amount of complexity and possible avenues for RP in the text. Good adventure overall).