We're not far off finishing our first game, Dragon of Icespire Peak, with me as DM. We've enjoyed it, especially the parts where we had a choice between combat and using more inventive solutions (ie it's not just hack and slash). My wife wants to try her hand at being DM, and we bought Dragon Heist on the recommendation of others.
We're sure we'll enjoy it, but she feels that it's a little too complex for her first run, and wants a simpler campaign to run for her first time. There are a lot of factors, tons of NPC who have various different ways of responding depending on previous interactions etc, just a lot of things to track, which might be a problem for her as a first time DM and only having played once before.
So, do you have recommendations for another campaign that she could cut her teeth on? One that would let her focus more on gameplay and understand the mechanics of the game, rather than worrying about what decision was made with this particular NPC ages ago when we last met?
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Dragon Heist isn't a great adventure for first time DMs. The second chapter, in particular, calls for a lot of work on the part of the DM, and I can easily see where a novice DM could be overwhelmed by it.
Lost Mine of Phandelver is perfect for new DMs.
Sunless Citadel (the first adventure in Tales from the Yawning Portal) is also a solid pick for first-time DMs, but it's very much a dungeon crawl as opposed to Lost Mine which is specifically designed to gradually introduce the DM to running different elements of the game, and is therefor more varied.
If she prefers to start at low level, Lost Mine of Phandelver is great. If she's ready for tier 2, there are three follow-up adventures in the Essentials Kit bundle. They're all pretty good, IMO.
With regards to the Yawning Portal, is it potentially a continuous adventure? By which I mean, completing the first "tale" starting at level 1, it will level you up enough to be be ready for the second "tale" and so forth? Or would you need other adventures to level up your character (if you didn't want to do it artificially)? Also, is it a series of straight fights, or is there more of a variety of ways to complete them?
We'd have level 7 characters and we're fine to do slightly later starts than just lvl1, it's more the skill level needed for the DM that's a concern on that front.
We've looked into Lost Mines of Phandelver, and it's a possibility. However, because it only comes as part of the Starter Set, and since we don't need the rules or the pregenned characters and someone said that the dice were really low quality, we feel it's less value for money (the price is around half that of the full, hardcover books, while only 64 pages compared to the usual 240ish pages, so twice the cost per page as it were).
I've not done pay as you want before, but would it be considered acceptable to, say, pay nothing for it, try it out, and then go back and pay what we felt it was worth for a second copy so they can get the money, or would that be considered poor form? I don't want to rip anyone off, but I'm little reluctant to be spending money on stuff that hasn't been properly published until I can see how good it is.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
We've looked into Lost Mines of Phandelver, and it's a possibility. However, because it only comes as part of the Starter Set, and since we don't need the rules or the pregenned characters and someone said that the dice were really low quality, we feel it's less value for money (the price is around half that of the full, hardcover books, while only 64 pages compared to the usual 240ish pages, so twice the cost per page as it were).
I've not done pay as you want before, but would it be considered acceptable to, say, pay nothing for it, try it out, and then go back and pay what we felt it was worth for a second copy so they can get the money, or would that be considered poor form? I don't want to rip anyone off, but I'm little reluctant to be spending money on stuff that hasn't been properly published until I can see how good it is.
LMoP is currently $11.99 ($14.99 if you don't get it on sale) on DDB, if you're ok with a digital format.
Pay what you want is literally just that. There's no expectation of payment, and I'm sure they'll appreciate it if you go back and put a little something in their account afterwards if you liked it (and maybe leave a comment as well, you might just convince someone else to give it a shot).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
You can indeed download a pay what you adventure for free and then go back and pay more if you enjoy it. Keep in mind that DMs Guild takes a 50 percent cut of whatever you pay them.
In regards to the way Yawning Portal is written: in short, "yes" you should be able to advance from 1st to 3rd level with the first adventure, and then go up from there. It also includes a lot of classic adventures such as Wave Echo Cave and Tomb of Horrors. For a 1st time DM I'd actually almost recommend a milestone system of leveling. Some of the older adventures don't have good milestone guides, but Yawning Portal, Descent into Avernus, and even Waterdeep: Dragon Heist do have pretty clear guides of "your characters should be X level by this point." though its usually not at the start of a chapter.
Echoing what others have said, Lost Mine of Phandelver is the beginner's adventure for both DMs and Players, considering it was in the 5th Edition Starter Set back in 2014. It doesn't give much wiggle-room for players who tend to stray off the beaten path, but if your players are relatively new, they ought to be fine with the railroading and not-so-subtle hints as to where they should go next.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
With regards to the Yawning Portal, is it potentially a continuous adventure? By which I mean, completing the first "tale" starting at level 1, it will level you up enough to be be ready for the second "tale" and so forth? Or would you need other adventures to level up your character (if you didn't want to do it artificially)? Also, is it a series of straight fights, or is there more of a variety of ways to complete them?
We'd have level 7 characters and we're fine to do slightly later starts than just lvl1, it's more the skill level needed for the DM that's a concern on that front.
We've looked into Lost Mines of Phandelver, and it's a possibility. However, because it only comes as part of the Starter Set, and since we don't need the rules or the pregenned characters and someone said that the dice were really low quality, we feel it's less value for money (the price is around half that of the full, hardcover books, while only 64 pages compared to the usual 240ish pages, so twice the cost per page as it were).
I've not done pay as you want before, but would it be considered acceptable to, say, pay nothing for it, try it out, and then go back and pay what we felt it was worth for a second copy so they can get the money, or would that be considered poor form? I don't want to rip anyone off, but I'm little reluctant to be spending money on stuff that hasn't been properly published until I can see how good it is.
The Starter Set is well worth the modest price even if you only use the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure (which covers levels 1-5) and the set of dice. It's also available a la carte on DNDBeyond, so you wouldn't have to pay for the rest of the stuff.
Sunless Citadel covers level 1-3. It is not just fights; there are roleplaying and exploration opportunities as well.
There are further (unrelated) adventures in Tales from the Yawning Portal that you could follow up with; the adventures in both this book and Ghosts of Saltmarsh are all reprints from earlier editions of D&D and some of them offer very different experiences from the ones you'll get from 5E, and are not to everyone's taste.
A first-time DM should run a low-level adventure. If she is concerned with too much complexity, it's not a good idea to run an adventure for level 7 characters as her first attempt.
Also, I wouldn't worry about the quality of DMsGuild products. The best stuff on there compares very favorably with the official adventures. Check out reviews, and most of them have pretty extensive previews you can view.
We're not far off finishing our first game, Dragon of Icespire Peak, with me as DM. We've enjoyed it, especially the parts where we had a choice between combat and using more inventive solutions (ie it's not just hack and slash). My wife wants to try her hand at being DM, and we bought Dragon Heist on the recommendation of others.
We're sure we'll enjoy it, but she feels that it's a little too complex for her first run, and wants a simpler campaign to run for her first time. There are a lot of factors, tons of NPC who have various different ways of responding depending on previous interactions etc, just a lot of things to track, which might be a problem for her as a first time DM and only having played once before.
So, do you have recommendations for another campaign that she could cut her teeth on? One that would let her focus more on gameplay and understand the mechanics of the game, rather than worrying about what decision was made with this particular NPC ages ago when we last met?
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Lost mines of phandelver is great for new DMs, and for new players.
Dragon Heist isn't a great adventure for first time DMs. The second chapter, in particular, calls for a lot of work on the part of the DM, and I can easily see where a novice DM could be overwhelmed by it.
Lost Mine of Phandelver is perfect for new DMs.
Sunless Citadel (the first adventure in Tales from the Yawning Portal) is also a solid pick for first-time DMs, but it's very much a dungeon crawl as opposed to Lost Mine which is specifically designed to gradually introduce the DM to running different elements of the game, and is therefor more varied.
https://cast-party.com/
If she prefers to start at low level, Lost Mine of Phandelver is great. If she's ready for tier 2, there are three follow-up adventures in the Essentials Kit bundle. They're all pretty good, IMO.
Alternatively, there's a lot of free/pay what you want tier 1 material on the DMs Guild. If you pick a well-rated one you can't really go wrong.
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
With regards to the Yawning Portal, is it potentially a continuous adventure? By which I mean, completing the first "tale" starting at level 1, it will level you up enough to be be ready for the second "tale" and so forth? Or would you need other adventures to level up your character (if you didn't want to do it artificially)? Also, is it a series of straight fights, or is there more of a variety of ways to complete them?
We'd have level 7 characters and we're fine to do slightly later starts than just lvl1, it's more the skill level needed for the DM that's a concern on that front.
We've looked into Lost Mines of Phandelver, and it's a possibility. However, because it only comes as part of the Starter Set, and since we don't need the rules or the pregenned characters and someone said that the dice were really low quality, we feel it's less value for money (the price is around half that of the full, hardcover books, while only 64 pages compared to the usual 240ish pages, so twice the cost per page as it were).
I've not done pay as you want before, but would it be considered acceptable to, say, pay nothing for it, try it out, and then go back and pay what we felt it was worth for a second copy so they can get the money, or would that be considered poor form? I don't want to rip anyone off, but I'm little reluctant to be spending money on stuff that hasn't been properly published until I can see how good it is.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
LMoP is currently $11.99 ($14.99 if you don't get it on sale) on DDB, if you're ok with a digital format.
Pay what you want is literally just that. There's no expectation of payment, and I'm sure they'll appreciate it if you go back and put a little something in their account afterwards if you liked it (and maybe leave a comment as well, you might just convince someone else to give it a shot).
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
You can indeed download a pay what you adventure for free and then go back and pay more if you enjoy it. Keep in mind that DMs Guild takes a 50 percent cut of whatever you pay them.
In regards to the way Yawning Portal is written: in short, "yes" you should be able to advance from 1st to 3rd level with the first adventure, and then go up from there. It also includes a lot of classic adventures such as Wave Echo Cave and Tomb of Horrors. For a 1st time DM I'd actually almost recommend a milestone system of leveling. Some of the older adventures don't have good milestone guides, but Yawning Portal, Descent into Avernus, and even Waterdeep: Dragon Heist do have pretty clear guides of "your characters should be X level by this point." though its usually not at the start of a chapter.
Echoing what others have said, Lost Mine of Phandelver is the beginner's adventure for both DMs and Players, considering it was in the 5th Edition Starter Set back in 2014. It doesn't give much wiggle-room for players who tend to stray off the beaten path, but if your players are relatively new, they ought to be fine with the railroading and not-so-subtle hints as to where they should go next.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
The Starter Set is well worth the modest price even if you only use the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure (which covers levels 1-5) and the set of dice. It's also available a la carte on DNDBeyond, so you wouldn't have to pay for the rest of the stuff.
Sunless Citadel covers level 1-3. It is not just fights; there are roleplaying and exploration opportunities as well.
There are further (unrelated) adventures in Tales from the Yawning Portal that you could follow up with; the adventures in both this book and Ghosts of Saltmarsh are all reprints from earlier editions of D&D and some of them offer very different experiences from the ones you'll get from 5E, and are not to everyone's taste.
A first-time DM should run a low-level adventure. If she is concerned with too much complexity, it's not a good idea to run an adventure for level 7 characters as her first attempt.
Also, I wouldn't worry about the quality of DMsGuild products. The best stuff on there compares very favorably with the official adventures. Check out reviews, and most of them have pretty extensive previews you can view.
https://cast-party.com/