Hi all, I've been playing with the same group for a while, with a DM that is pretty experienced. All of us were new to D&D when we started but have been playing for a couple years now so the group is fairly well versed in rules, mechanics etc. The DM wants to take a break and be a player for a bit so I'm going to take over as DM, with a brand new campaign just to start fresh. I'm trying to pick an existing campaign to run so I at least have a framework to use as a starting point, any suggestions on a good one to run? I'd like something that is pretty good for me in terms of learning how to DM while not being totally boring for the players who aren't entry level. Aiming for something that starts with characters in the 1-3 range.
Has your team played any of the published modules yet? If so, let us know... otherwise we are liable to suggest campaigns you have already run.
That said... I will suggest some by rep but keep in mind I have played none of these...
Waterdeep is 1-5. It generally gets very good reviews and seems to be well liked by many who have played it.
Curse of Strahd is 1-10... it is also frequently praised, but keep in mind it is horror and not everyone likes that. Check with the group. The early levels are some sort of "fun house" that supposedly has a rep for brutality and TPKs -- if you have an experienced group they might really enjoy that and probably would survive it.
Ghosts of Saltmarsh is levels 1-11, I believe, and also tends to get good reviews.
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good call. a few of us branched off and are working through CoS (with the same DM, he is staying on for that one) but the main party has been doing a campaign totally from the imagination of our current DM. I wouldn't do CoS because a couple of the players would know it already but I will check out the other ones for sure.
I'm not sure if you're open to using published modules, but I can give you my opinion on the few that I've played or run! It really all depends on your tastes and the preferences of your group, so I'll just give you my take and let you decide.
Lost Mines of Phandelver: The starter adventure. Easy introduction for new DMs, though very simple and generic to start. That said, there's a lot of room for you to add your own spice! Out of the Abyss: This is a horror/survival module. There are a lot of unique and spooky parts of this module, but as a player it gave me more anxiety than I'd like to admit. Definitely depends on your group's tastes. Tomb of Annihilation: I know I said I wouldn't tell you what to pick, but I do not recommend this for a first-time DM unless you're interested in using the setting and nothing else. As written, this is a hex-crawl. I didn't know what that meant when I picked this up but, boy, do I wish I did. Basically, the players inch across this jungle continent and fight a bunch of random encounters each "day" they travel, get lost, etc. Most of the locations aren't really descriptive, leaving the DM to fill in the blanks. The setting is very unique, but requires a lot of prep and work on the DM's part. Waterdeep Dragon Heist: Our group loved this module. It has a bit of reading and prep for the DM, as it takes place in a large city, but provides a setting and multiple adversaries for future storylines and campaigns. I found this one to be very RP-focused, though you could easily incorporate more combat. Waterdeep Dungeon of the Madmage: This group never got past the first floor because it is a very large and extensive dungeon. It's all dungeon crawl. On one hand, every room is written for you so there is less prep for you. On the other, there is a lot of material and it may be overwhelming.
Don't forget, you're not limited to just the official books! I've found plenty of pre-written material from other sources such as DMsGuild. I've never gotten a whole campaign from that site, but have found many cheap (or even free) short adventures that my players have loved.
Thanks for all the suggestions! After reading the reviews of most of them, I'm leaning towards Ghosts of Saltmarsh, seems like it will be fairly good for a new DM while not being too easy for the players. I like the sound of Out of the Abyss but might not be the right group for it, tends to be more lighter focused. But I kind of want to run it someday after I've had more practice
Hi all, I've been playing with the same group for a while, with a DM that is pretty experienced. All of us were new to D&D when we started but have been playing for a couple years now so the group is fairly well versed in rules, mechanics etc. The DM wants to take a break and be a player for a bit so I'm going to take over as DM, with a brand new campaign just to start fresh. I'm trying to pick an existing campaign to run so I at least have a framework to use as a starting point, any suggestions on a good one to run? I'd like something that is pretty good for me in terms of learning how to DM while not being totally boring for the players who aren't entry level. Aiming for something that starts with characters in the 1-3 range.
Has your team played any of the published modules yet? If so, let us know... otherwise we are liable to suggest campaigns you have already run.
That said... I will suggest some by rep but keep in mind I have played none of these...
Waterdeep is 1-5. It generally gets very good reviews and seems to be well liked by many who have played it.
Curse of Strahd is 1-10... it is also frequently praised, but keep in mind it is horror and not everyone likes that. Check with the group. The early levels are some sort of "fun house" that supposedly has a rep for brutality and TPKs -- if you have an experienced group they might really enjoy that and probably would survive it.
Ghosts of Saltmarsh is levels 1-11, I believe, and also tends to get good reviews.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
good call. a few of us branched off and are working through CoS (with the same DM, he is staying on for that one) but the main party has been doing a campaign totally from the imagination of our current DM. I wouldn't do CoS because a couple of the players would know it already but I will check out the other ones for sure.
I'm not sure if you're open to using published modules, but I can give you my opinion on the few that I've played or run! It really all depends on your tastes and the preferences of your group, so I'll just give you my take and let you decide.
Lost Mines of Phandelver: The starter adventure. Easy introduction for new DMs, though very simple and generic to start. That said, there's a lot of room for you to add your own spice!
Out of the Abyss: This is a horror/survival module. There are a lot of unique and spooky parts of this module, but as a player it gave me more anxiety than I'd like to admit. Definitely depends on your group's tastes.
Tomb of Annihilation: I know I said I wouldn't tell you what to pick, but I do not recommend this for a first-time DM unless you're interested in using the setting and nothing else. As written, this is a hex-crawl. I didn't know what that meant when I picked this up but, boy, do I wish I did. Basically, the players inch across this jungle continent and fight a bunch of random encounters each "day" they travel, get lost, etc. Most of the locations aren't really descriptive, leaving the DM to fill in the blanks. The setting is very unique, but requires a lot of prep and work on the DM's part.
Waterdeep Dragon Heist: Our group loved this module. It has a bit of reading and prep for the DM, as it takes place in a large city, but provides a setting and multiple adversaries for future storylines and campaigns. I found this one to be very RP-focused, though you could easily incorporate more combat.
Waterdeep Dungeon of the Madmage: This group never got past the first floor because it is a very large and extensive dungeon. It's all dungeon crawl. On one hand, every room is written for you so there is less prep for you. On the other, there is a lot of material and it may be overwhelming.
Don't forget, you're not limited to just the official books! I've found plenty of pre-written material from other sources such as DMsGuild. I've never gotten a whole campaign from that site, but have found many cheap (or even free) short adventures that my players have loved.
I really liked running Tyranny of Dragons (Hoard of the Dragon Queen) for early-level characters.
Thanks for all the suggestions! After reading the reviews of most of them, I'm leaning towards Ghosts of Saltmarsh, seems like it will be fairly good for a new DM while not being too easy for the players. I like the sound of Out of the Abyss but might not be the right group for it, tends to be more lighter focused. But I kind of want to run it someday after I've had more practice
Saltmarsh generally gets very positive reviews -- it sounds like a good choice.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.