I have been playing since I was 10, so going on 28 years now. My family never took interest in it. Now they want to have weekend game nights to spend more time with each other and they agreed to let me introduce them to the fun that is TTRPG. I have enough books and dice to supply them all and the entire population of the city if necessary. I have many years of DMing experience...for people who are genuinely interested in playing.
I think the best way to go about this would be a prewritten so I can spend more time navigating through the questions on how to roll, what to roll, when to roll and why to roll. I am just looking for recommendations on what adventure to run from people who faced a similar situation.
I'm a fan of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for stuff like this. It is pretty fast paced and covers a lot of the basic things players should learn in a contained adventure.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
Personally, I'd go with one of the ones designed to help new starters: Lost Mine of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak.
Personally, having played both, I'd go with DoIP. There's a bit more freedom, and it suggests how to adapt for different numbers of players. It also offers a little more freedom in how to approach the quests. LMoP is a bit more railroady. Still, they'll probably only do one quest (at least, for now), so it doesn't matter too much, so long as the option suits them. DoIP gives more scope for continuing their adventure if they so wish, and the lack of overall narrative is more conducive to dropping in or out.
Other prepubs often use lower levels to build things up, so are often not suitable for what should be expected to be a one-shot. Ones like Candlekeep Mysteries which are an anthology might be an option, though. Tales From the Yawning Portal was quite a tough one, from my experience. However, there were only two in the party and a new DM, so YMMV.
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.
I got my family into playing with Dragon of Icespire Peak. They had such a good time that we ended up going straight into Storm Lord's Wrath/Sleeping Dragon's Wake/Divine Contention.
I recommend one shots. Sometimes your family just isn't willing to make a months long commitment to a hobby they're just not particularly interested in.
However a one shot is a good way to give them a taste get them some experience with the game, and have them humor you. I've done one shots for my family during the holidays as just a way to spend time together and have fun and they've humored me.
They just don't have the time in their lives to commit to a campaign. But I still got to make memories with them and that's special.
I’d second LMoP. I ran it to introduce some skeptical family members, and they really ended up enjoying the whole experience.
I had them roll up characters, because we had a couple days, but if you’ve only got one night, you might want to prevent characters, so you can make them fairly simple and ensure party balance.
Personally I would recommend homebrewing - while adventures are pretty easy to put together and run (and are great for new players generally), the single biggest advantage you have is the fact that you know these people like, well, family.
You probably know what kinds of movies, shows, and books they like, and what kind of characters they find interesting. By homebrewing, you can create a specific story tailor made to their individual interests and give them an experience they are more likely to enjoy.
In the alternative, if you want to stick with an adventure, I would not listen to any of our advice - the best we strangers can do on the internet is “this one is easy to run for beginners” or “this one is generally fun with generic fantasy groups” - only you can really get down into the weeds and discover what would be best for your family.
And, remember, you can always streamline major adventures into a one shot if something like Strahd works better for your family dynamic (there is a “Strahd must die tonight” article on D&D Beyond that likely has adventure shortening advice that can be applied to any adventure).
I'm a fan of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for stuff like this. It is pretty fast paced and covers a lot of the basic things players should learn in a contained adventure.
I agree with metamongoose, Dragon Heist allows loads of RP and is great for begginers.
A book such as Candlekeep mysteries serves a similar purpose, though each adventures plot is unrelated to the next.
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BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
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I have been playing since I was 10, so going on 28 years now. My family never took interest in it. Now they want to have weekend game nights to spend more time with each other and they agreed to let me introduce them to the fun that is TTRPG. I have enough books and dice to supply them all and the entire population of the city if necessary. I have many years of DMing experience...for people who are genuinely interested in playing.
I think the best way to go about this would be a prewritten so I can spend more time navigating through the questions on how to roll, what to roll, when to roll and why to roll. I am just looking for recommendations on what adventure to run from people who faced a similar situation.
I'm a fan of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist for stuff like this. It is pretty fast paced and covers a lot of the basic things players should learn in a contained adventure.
Personally, I'd go with one of the ones designed to help new starters: Lost Mine of Phandelver or Dragon of Icespire Peak.
Personally, having played both, I'd go with DoIP. There's a bit more freedom, and it suggests how to adapt for different numbers of players. It also offers a little more freedom in how to approach the quests. LMoP is a bit more railroady. Still, they'll probably only do one quest (at least, for now), so it doesn't matter too much, so long as the option suits them. DoIP gives more scope for continuing their adventure if they so wish, and the lack of overall narrative is more conducive to dropping in or out.
Other prepubs often use lower levels to build things up, so are often not suitable for what should be expected to be a one-shot. Ones like Candlekeep Mysteries which are an anthology might be an option, though. Tales From the Yawning Portal was quite a tough one, from my experience. However, there were only two in the party and a new DM, so YMMV.
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.
I got my family into playing with Dragon of Icespire Peak. They had such a good time that we ended up going straight into Storm Lord's Wrath/Sleeping Dragon's Wake/Divine Contention.
I recommend one shots. Sometimes your family just isn't willing to make a months long commitment to a hobby they're just not particularly interested in.
However a one shot is a good way to give them a taste get them some experience with the game, and have them humor you. I've done one shots for my family during the holidays as just a way to spend time together and have fun and they've humored me.
They just don't have the time in their lives to commit to a campaign. But I still got to make memories with them and that's special.
I’d second LMoP. I ran it to introduce some skeptical family members, and they really ended up enjoying the whole experience.
I had them roll up characters, because we had a couple days, but if you’ve only got one night, you might want to prevent characters, so you can make them fairly simple and ensure party balance.
Personally I would recommend homebrewing - while adventures are pretty easy to put together and run (and are great for new players generally), the single biggest advantage you have is the fact that you know these people like, well, family.
You probably know what kinds of movies, shows, and books they like, and what kind of characters they find interesting. By homebrewing, you can create a specific story tailor made to their individual interests and give them an experience they are more likely to enjoy.
In the alternative, if you want to stick with an adventure, I would not listen to any of our advice - the best we strangers can do on the internet is “this one is easy to run for beginners” or “this one is generally fun with generic fantasy groups” - only you can really get down into the weeds and discover what would be best for your family.
And, remember, you can always streamline major adventures into a one shot if something like Strahd works better for your family dynamic (there is a “Strahd must die tonight” article on D&D Beyond that likely has adventure shortening advice that can be applied to any adventure).
I agree with metamongoose, Dragon Heist allows loads of RP and is great for begginers.
A book such as Candlekeep mysteries serves a similar purpose, though each adventures plot is unrelated to the next.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.