Let me begin by stating that I know that the learning curve in D&D can be harsh. I would not expect every player to know all of this stuff before sitting down for the first session or even after several sessions. However, learning is a process and if the DM is willing to go through the effort to RUN the game (and it can be an effort, trust me), then as a player it's only fair that you put form some effort to learn some of the more critical parts of the game.
The following assumes that the new campaign is starting at level 1 with new players and that characters have already been generated. If your group hasn't had a Session Zero, I strongly suggest that you do so to avoid mishaps later.
1) Have some clue as to what your character looks like. You don't need every detail memorized...simply have a mental picture of the 2-3 most striking things that people will notice the first time they see you. 'You see a tall man, broad at the shoulders and strong-looking, wearing chain armor and carrying a battle ax and a shield. His hair is bright red, as is his beard, and both have been lovingly braided and tied up with small metal circlets.' Of course, as your gear changes your description will change but by then everyone will know you. If you want to play your character as a detail-oriented noble or an absent-minded bookworm, then spend a little effort considering what such a character might look like.
2) Have an inkling of a backstory. As above, you don't need to write a novel that your DM won't have time to read anyway. Your Background will give you some direction but you can play fast and loose with this with the DM's permission. 'Shamus began his career as a soldier in the local army but after a relatively short time, he left and turned to a life of crime.' There...now you can go with the Soldier or the Criminal/Spy Background. Work with your DM to get the basics down like where you're from and anything notable you've done before the campaign starts (because Wanted posters with YOUR face can be a shock to the party...). If you're the 'Small-Town' hero from Jerkwater on the other side of the kingdom, nobody will know you in the city. However, once you get near Jerkwater, people might recognize you.
3) Know. Your. Name. This might sound like an obvious one, but new players sometimes miss it. As before, this doesn't have to have tons of detail. 'Therald, Son of Gerald.' might be perfectly fine for the culture you're from. An Urchin or orphan might simply be 'Frank' or whatever. Anyone that is a knight or a noble should have a full name and at least one generation of ancestors written down ('I am Lady Gwenneth DeMier, daughter of Lord and Lady DeMier of West Krakistan.'). Feel free to look up possible names of other races. Google is your friend. Also, PLEASE learn how to say your own name. I don't care if it's spelled 'Tedd3ly' and it's pronounced 'Earl', you need to learn how to say your own name and be consistent with it.
4) Learn the basic stuff about the rules like what the various dice are. If you're like me, you'll arrange them in groups like 'D20 for hitting and skill stuff, D8 for damage when I hit with a sword, and D10 when I cast that spell.' This is one of those things that falls under 'learning process' because knowing all of this before the game even starts is a bit much. However. after just a few sessions you should be able to tell the D20 that you use for most things from the other dice. If you're going to be playing a spell-caster, make sure you understand what the spells do or you might be frustrated in battle when things don't work out as planned. Part of this falls under number 5 below.
5) Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is also part of learning the rules because this part never goes out of style. I've played and DM'd for decades and just last session I had to ask if I could do something not included in the rules and how difficult it would be. You're trapped on the stairs and you want to kick the guard off? Ask if it's possible and how it's done. You need to court favor with a child that might have some piece of information you need? Ask if your Woodworking skill is good enough to make a toy. You want to use your Control Flames cantrip to do something not listed in the description? Ask if you can try it anyway. Your DM might be willing (or even hoping) to allow or even encourage this sort of play but they don't want to be constantly suggesting things or it might seem too much like hand-holding. A good DM will encourage and appreciate this sort of creative play because it means that he can use even more challenging things to test the party without worrying that he's going to just crush them.
6) Talk to your DM. I should have put this one first because I consider it the most important one but whatever. Communicating with your DM can not only provide you with help and inspiration, but the two of you might be able to help each other with the campaign. Example: You want to run a Rogue from the city in a campaign where there will be a lot of travel in the wilderness. You and the DM decide that even though you started in the city, you were run out by a local crime lord. You ask if there might be a chance to revisit the city for revenge when you get strong enough and the DM makes a note of it. Now...you have a backstory that fits the theme you wanted (urban Rogue), that gels with the party (who will be doing lots of traveling) AND you have a goal for later on. Plus, you've just handed your DM a plot point he might otherwise not have had. When you eventually return to the city, your familiarity might make things easier or your history might make things harder. One never knows...
Another thing that you need to speak to the DM about is how mature the game will be. We've all read threads describing players who quit or games that fell apart because the DM was introducing more mature details that one or more players weren't comfortable with. This MUST be touched on during Session Zero or discussed in a chat before the game begins or shortly thereafter. Having that one player whose character delights in torturing captives will be bad if the rest of the party, and/or the DM, aren't comfortable with that sort of behavior.
The overall theme of the campaign should also be discussed. Not everyone will like the same things. Some ideas might be better as one-shots or as shorter campaigns lasting a dozen sessions or less just to experiment with new ideas. Players and DMs should both understand that not every player will like every campaign and if the fit doesn't seem right, the player might want to search for another game. If the DM's idea doesn't sit well with any of the players, then they might want to rethink their plans for the campaign or look for another party.
7) Have fun. Fun should always be the core reason that we play games in the first place. If you are having fun, have the presence of mind to step back and let other players have fun as well. If you're not having fun, try to pin down why not and speak with the DM and/or the other players to see if it's something that can be fixed. There's no reason to leave a game or break up a campaign over a small detail that can otherwise be talked out and resolved.
Let's all have fun out there!
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Let me begin by stating that I know that the learning curve in D&D can be harsh. I would not expect every player to know all of this stuff before sitting down for the first session or even after several sessions. However, learning is a process and if the DM is willing to go through the effort to RUN the game (and it can be an effort, trust me), then as a player it's only fair that you put form some effort to learn some of the more critical parts of the game.
The following assumes that the new campaign is starting at level 1 with new players and that characters have already been generated. If your group hasn't had a Session Zero, I strongly suggest that you do so to avoid mishaps later.
1) Have some clue as to what your character looks like. You don't need every detail memorized...simply have a mental picture of the 2-3 most striking things that people will notice the first time they see you. 'You see a tall man, broad at the shoulders and strong-looking, wearing chain armor and carrying a battle ax and a shield. His hair is bright red, as is his beard, and both have been lovingly braided and tied up with small metal circlets.' Of course, as your gear changes your description will change but by then everyone will know you. If you want to play your character as a detail-oriented noble or an absent-minded bookworm, then spend a little effort considering what such a character might look like.
2) Have an inkling of a backstory. As above, you don't need to write a novel that your DM won't have time to read anyway. Your Background will give you some direction but you can play fast and loose with this with the DM's permission. 'Shamus began his career as a soldier in the local army but after a relatively short time, he left and turned to a life of crime.' There...now you can go with the Soldier or the Criminal/Spy Background. Work with your DM to get the basics down like where you're from and anything notable you've done before the campaign starts (because Wanted posters with YOUR face can be a shock to the party...). If you're the 'Small-Town' hero from Jerkwater on the other side of the kingdom, nobody will know you in the city. However, once you get near Jerkwater, people might recognize you.
3) Know. Your. Name. This might sound like an obvious one, but new players sometimes miss it. As before, this doesn't have to have tons of detail. 'Therald, Son of Gerald.' might be perfectly fine for the culture you're from. An Urchin or orphan might simply be 'Frank' or whatever. Anyone that is a knight or a noble should have a full name and at least one generation of ancestors written down ('I am Lady Gwenneth DeMier, daughter of Lord and Lady DeMier of West Krakistan.'). Feel free to look up possible names of other races. Google is your friend. Also, PLEASE learn how to say your own name. I don't care if it's spelled 'Tedd3ly' and it's pronounced 'Earl', you need to learn how to say your own name and be consistent with it.
4) Learn the basic stuff about the rules like what the various dice are. If you're like me, you'll arrange them in groups like 'D20 for hitting and skill stuff, D8 for damage when I hit with a sword, and D10 when I cast that spell.' This is one of those things that falls under 'learning process' because knowing all of this before the game even starts is a bit much. However. after just a few sessions you should be able to tell the D20 that you use for most things from the other dice. If you're going to be playing a spell-caster, make sure you understand what the spells do or you might be frustrated in battle when things don't work out as planned. Part of this falls under number 5 below.
5) Don't be afraid to ask questions. This is also part of learning the rules because this part never goes out of style. I've played and DM'd for decades and just last session I had to ask if I could do something not included in the rules and how difficult it would be. You're trapped on the stairs and you want to kick the guard off? Ask if it's possible and how it's done. You need to court favor with a child that might have some piece of information you need? Ask if your Woodworking skill is good enough to make a toy. You want to use your Control Flames cantrip to do something not listed in the description? Ask if you can try it anyway. Your DM might be willing (or even hoping) to allow or even encourage this sort of play but they don't want to be constantly suggesting things or it might seem too much like hand-holding. A good DM will encourage and appreciate this sort of creative play because it means that he can use even more challenging things to test the party without worrying that he's going to just crush them.
6) Talk to your DM. I should have put this one first because I consider it the most important one but whatever. Communicating with your DM can not only provide you with help and inspiration, but the two of you might be able to help each other with the campaign. Example: You want to run a Rogue from the city in a campaign where there will be a lot of travel in the wilderness. You and the DM decide that even though you started in the city, you were run out by a local crime lord. You ask if there might be a chance to revisit the city for revenge when you get strong enough and the DM makes a note of it. Now...you have a backstory that fits the theme you wanted (urban Rogue), that gels with the party (who will be doing lots of traveling) AND you have a goal for later on. Plus, you've just handed your DM a plot point he might otherwise not have had. When you eventually return to the city, your familiarity might make things easier or your history might make things harder. One never knows...
Another thing that you need to speak to the DM about is how mature the game will be. We've all read threads describing players who quit or games that fell apart because the DM was introducing more mature details that one or more players weren't comfortable with. This MUST be touched on during Session Zero or discussed in a chat before the game begins or shortly thereafter. Having that one player whose character delights in torturing captives will be bad if the rest of the party, and/or the DM, aren't comfortable with that sort of behavior.
The overall theme of the campaign should also be discussed. Not everyone will like the same things. Some ideas might be better as one-shots or as shorter campaigns lasting a dozen sessions or less just to experiment with new ideas. Players and DMs should both understand that not every player will like every campaign and if the fit doesn't seem right, the player might want to search for another game. If the DM's idea doesn't sit well with any of the players, then they might want to rethink their plans for the campaign or look for another party.
7) Have fun. Fun should always be the core reason that we play games in the first place. If you are having fun, have the presence of mind to step back and let other players have fun as well. If you're not having fun, try to pin down why not and speak with the DM and/or the other players to see if it's something that can be fixed. There's no reason to leave a game or break up a campaign over a small detail that can otherwise be talked out and resolved.
Let's all have fun out there!