Hi! So I am currently part of a dnd group with a group of friends from my church, but other friends outside of that group have mentioned wanting to learn how to play, and I would like to learn how to DM a game and set up a campaign, but I'm not quite sure how to do that, any tips?
When I was restarting the hobby and getting into DMing my holy trinity was as follows
Matt Colvilles "Running the Game" series on youtube - First part HERE
Matt Mercers "DM Tips" series on youtube - Playlist HERE
and safe social spaces with people who are DM's themselves. I found this in my FLGS (Friendly Local Gaming Store) but many options exist, This forum, Our discord (https://discord.gg/dndbeyond) has a ton of helpful people or Reddit over at https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/
The sites listed by Timer67 are gold. Colville and Mercer are at the top of their game, and you can learn a lot from watching their videos.
That said. Here are some other things to consider. Do you want to run a pre-existing campaign, or homebrew the whole thing. Homebrew is A LOT more work. Particularly getting things started. I would suggest using a prewritten (Lost Mines of Phandelver is perfect for starting new players) and then homebrewing from there based on character backstory. Even then, it's easier to take existing modules and tweak them to suit the players. Change the bad guy from a dragon to a wraith or whatever and away you go. It really comes down to how much time you have to sink into it. What is the players availability like? Maybe you just want to run a one shot to see if people like it. Tales from the Yawning Portal has some good stuff that you can knock over in a couple of sessions. Session Zero. Establish party composition and player rules. Player vs player violence. Mobile phones at the table. Rules arguments. All stuff to work out beforehand. Premade characters: I say don't. People may suggest using premades, or limiting race/class options. I say no. For my players, character development is such a big part of why they enjoy D&D, and limiting their choices or giving them something they didn't choose reduces their connection with the character.
Thanks! I was planning on running a premade campaign with the group first just to see how that would go. Thank you again, and I'll be sure to look at the sites.
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Hi! So I am currently part of a dnd group with a group of friends from my church, but other friends outside of that group have mentioned wanting to learn how to play, and I would like to learn how to DM a game and set up a campaign, but I'm not quite sure how to do that, any tips?
ur mom
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AlumniHey Amarxthine,
When I was restarting the hobby and getting into DMing my holy trinity was as follows
I hope these help!
[ Site Rules & Guidelines ] - [ Homebrew Rules ] - [ D&D Beyond FAQ ] - [ Homebrew FAQ ] - [ Homebrew Video Tutorials ]
Standard "free" content is restricted to the D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules, SRD, and other free content.
The sites listed by Timer67 are gold. Colville and Mercer are at the top of their game, and you can learn a lot from watching their videos.
That said. Here are some other things to consider.
Do you want to run a pre-existing campaign, or homebrew the whole thing. Homebrew is A LOT more work. Particularly getting things started. I would suggest using a prewritten (Lost Mines of Phandelver is perfect for starting new players) and then homebrewing from there based on character backstory. Even then, it's easier to take existing modules and tweak them to suit the players. Change the bad guy from a dragon to a wraith or whatever and away you go. It really comes down to how much time you have to sink into it.
What is the players availability like? Maybe you just want to run a one shot to see if people like it. Tales from the Yawning Portal has some good stuff that you can knock over in a couple of sessions.
Session Zero. Establish party composition and player rules. Player vs player violence. Mobile phones at the table. Rules arguments. All stuff to work out beforehand.
Premade characters: I say don't. People may suggest using premades, or limiting race/class options. I say no. For my players, character development is such a big part of why they enjoy D&D, and limiting their choices or giving them something they didn't choose reduces their connection with the character.
Best of luck!
Thanks! I was planning on running a premade campaign with the group first just to see how that would go. Thank you again, and I'll be sure to look at the sites.
ur mom