So, I'm playing D&D 5e for the first time. And I only ever played Pathfinder before. And that was only for a few times. So... Yeah, I have a lot of catching up to do. That said, got myself a group of players and a Dungeon Master on Discord and we're going to use Roll20. That being said, we're trying to figure out which campaign is the "first" one (chronologically the first). So with all that said, is Tyranny of Dragons the first?
Thanks in advance, y'all, and please get back to me.
Out of the Abyss (1485 DR or later) Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat (1489 DR) Storm King’s Thunder (1490 DR) Lost Mine of Phandelver (Starter Set) (1491 DR) Princes of the Apocalypse (1491 DR) Curse of Strahd (1491 DR) Tomb of Annihilation (1490 or 1491 DR) Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (1492 DR) Dragons of Icespire Peak (Essentials Kit) (1492 DR) Descent Into Avernus (1494 DR) Acquisitions Incorporated (1496 DR)
Out of the Abyss (1485 DR or later) Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat (1489 DR) Storm King’s Thunder (1490 DR) Lost Mine of Phandelver (Starter Set) (1491 DR) Princes of the Apocalypse (1491 DR) Curse of Strahd (1491 DR) Tomb of Annihilation (1490 or 1491 DR) Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (1492 DR) Dragons of Icespire Peak (Essentials Kit) (1492 DR) Descent Into Avernus (1494 DR) Acquisitions Incorporated (1496 DR)
Tyranny of Dragons was the first hardback campaign that was published for 5e, but since it was made before the Monster Manuel was finalized there's some *really* odd encounters the party can have (sweats nervously at the final chapter of HotDQ), and it's pretty railroady. Something like Lost Mine of Phandelver or some of the adventures out of Tales from the Yawning Portal would be a better start, probably.
Yeah, Lost Mine of Phandelver was included with the first Starter Set, which actually game out before the core rulebooks. Wikipedia has a publishing history here. You can sort 5e's "adventure modules" by publishing date to get everything you want to know :)
Tyranny of Dragons was the first hardback campaign that was published for 5e, but since it was made before the Monster Manuel was finalized there's some *really* odd encounters the party can have (sweats nervously at the final chapter of HotDQ), and it's pretty railroady. Something like Lost Mine of Phandelver or some of the adventures out of Tales from the Yawning Portal would be a better start, probably.
Since I'm pretty much new to D&D 5e (and tabletop games in general)... Does it matter which campaign you start with?
Tyranny of Dragons was the first hardback campaign that was published for 5e, but since it was made before the Monster Manuel was finalized there's some *really* odd encounters the party can have (sweats nervously at the final chapter of HotDQ), and it's pretty railroady. Something like Lost Mine of Phandelver or some of the adventures out of Tales from the Yawning Portal would be a better start, probably.
Since I'm pretty much new to D&D 5e (and tabletop games in general)... Does it matter which campaign you start with?
Most published adventures start at level 1. They're not meant to be played in sequence with the same characters (with the exception of the two-part Tyranny of Dragons, and to a much lesser degree, the Waterdeep adventures).
Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragons of Icespire Peak (introductory adventures included with the Starter Set and the Essentials Kit, respectively) are really great introductions, and most people would recommend playing through one of those first. But once you've got that experience under your belt, really any of the bigger published adventures would work equally well. Just pick one whose story interests you the most.
Tyranny of Dragons was the first hardback campaign that was published for 5e, but since it was made before the Monster Manuel was finalized there's some *really* odd encounters the party can have (sweats nervously at the final chapter of HotDQ), and it's pretty railroady. Something like Lost Mine of Phandelver or some of the adventures out of Tales from the Yawning Portal would be a better start, probably.
Since I'm pretty much new to D&D 5e (and tabletop games in general)... Does it matter which campaign you start with?
Most published adventures start at level 1. They're not meant to be played in sequence with the same characters (with the exception of the two-part Tyranny of Dragons, and to a much lesser degree, the Waterdeep adventures).
Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragons of Icespire Peak (introductory adventures included with the Starter Set and the Essentials Kit, respectively) are really great introductions, and most people would recommend playing through one of those first. But once you've got that experience under your belt, really any of the bigger published adventures would work equally well. Just pick one whose story interests you the most.
Thank you. Yes, that all makes sense. I think I'll skip the introductory stuff. So I take that you can continue with the same characters later on in another campaign, is that correct? Just making sure because, for all we know, we might continue in another campaign with the same characters afterwards...
Sure, but you may need to do a lot of work to adjust things. If y'all finish one adventure at level 13, and the one you want to do next starts back at level 1, it's either going to be a very boring experience, or you'll need to do the work yourself to replace the encounters with more appropriate challenges for your group.
Sure, but you may need to do a lot of work to adjust things. If y'all finish one adventure at level 13, and the one you want to do next starts back at level 1, it's either going to be a very boring experience, or you'll need to do the work yourself to replace the encounters with more appropriate challenges for your group.
Do people often do this? Start over again or continue with their previous characters and play at a higher level?
Sure, but you may need to do a lot of work to adjust things. If y'all finish one adventure at level 13, and the one you want to do next starts back at level 1, it's either going to be a very boring experience, or you'll need to do the work yourself to replace the encounters with more appropriate challenges for your group.
Do people often do this? Start over again or continue with their previous characters and play at a higher level?
Personally, I just write my own campaign. But anecdotally, every now and again someone asks on these forums for advice on how to start some of the published adventures at higher levels. Usually they want to go from Lost Mine of Phandelver (which ends around level 3-5) to something like Storm King's Thunder, so the burden isn't quite as large as going from the end of Out of the Abyss at level 15 to the beginning of Tomb of Annihilation back at level 1.
I feel like for most people, it's just not worth the effort of adapting an entire adventure to be run at a much higher level, and by the end of one adventure, most players are wanting to try different characters. It's certainly possible to do, it'd just be so much work that most DMs would probably prefer to just come up with their own material for that final push to 20th level.
Sure, but you may need to do a lot of work to adjust things. If y'all finish one adventure at level 13, and the one you want to do next starts back at level 1, it's either going to be a very boring experience, or you'll need to do the work yourself to replace the encounters with more appropriate challenges for your group.
Do people often do this? Start over again or continue with their previous characters and play at a higher level?
Personally, I just write my own campaign. But anecdotally, every now and again someone asks on these forums for advice on how to start some of the published adventures at higher levels. Usually they want to go from Lost Mine of Phandelver (which ends around level 3-5) to something like Storm King's Thunder, so the burden isn't quite as large as going from the end of Out of the Abyss at level 15 to the beginning of Tomb of Annihilation back at level 1.
I feel like for most people, it's just not worth the effort of adapting an entire adventure to be run at a much higher level, and by the end of one adventure, most players are wanting to try different characters. It's certainly possible to do, it'd just be so much work that most DMs would probably prefer to just come up with their own material for that final push to 20th level.
Okay, that took me by surprise: you can make your own campaign? I guess we're going into "homebrew" territory, yes? If so, that's pretty interesting. I suppose that I never really considered that, given how new I am to all this. Thanks.
Nah, homebrew is about creating new rules. Writing your own adventures is just part of playing the game normally. It's absolutely not something any DM has to do; there are a lot of DMs, epecially newer ones, who aren't comfortable with all that it requires, and that's totally fine, it doesn't make them worse DMs. That's why published adventures exist, and it's great that they do. But most of the non-adventure sourcebooks exist to help DMs design their own content. For example, the Monster Manual, one of the core rulebooks, is chock full of creatures that don't appear in any published adventure, because the idea is that the DM is going to come up with their own encounters and stories.
Can you clarify, why are you looking for "THE" first campaign? Especially chronologically? That isn't a thing most people care about, so perhaps you've got some reason, but it's a strange request.
Typically, for new players or DMs, Lost Mines of Phandelver or Dragons of Icespire Peak are great starting places, but the chronology of the adventures relative to each other tends not to matter at all...
Can you clarify, why are you looking for "THE" first campaign? Especially chronologically? That isn't a thing most people care about, so perhaps you've got some reason, but it's a strange request.
Typically, for new players or DMs, Lost Mines of Phandelver or Dragons of Icespire Peak are great starting places, but the chronology of the adventures relative to each other tends not to matter at all...
I believe they were looking for the first campaign because they assumed you went from one to the other with the same characters and wanted things to be level appropriate.
Ah, fair enough. And that makes me actually want to try being a DM even more. But aside from that, I think that you allayed a lot of my fears in this case. So thanks. Though I suppose it's just a matter of create new content after we're all done.
Can you clarify, why are you looking for "THE" first campaign? Especially chronologically? That isn't a thing most people care about, so perhaps you've got some reason, but it's a strange request.
Typically, for new players or DMs, Lost Mines of Phandelver or Dragons of Icespire Peak are great starting places, but the chronology of the adventures relative to each other tends not to matter at all...
I believe they were looking for the first campaign because they assumed you went from one to the other with the same characters and wanted things to be level appropriate.
That, and we thought that they were all connected and so that you had to play one to understand the others.
At least, that was the case for me...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
So, I'm playing D&D 5e for the first time. And I only ever played Pathfinder before. And that was only for a few times. So... Yeah, I have a lot of catching up to do. That said, got myself a group of players and a Dungeon Master on Discord and we're going to use Roll20. That being said, we're trying to figure out which campaign is the "first" one (chronologically the first). So with all that said, is Tyranny of Dragons the first?
Thanks in advance, y'all, and please get back to me.
I think this is right: (Quoted: Paladin of Torm)
Out of the Abyss (1485 DR or later)
Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat (1489 DR)
Storm King’s Thunder (1490 DR)
Lost Mine of Phandelver (Starter Set) (1491 DR)
Princes of the Apocalypse (1491 DR)
Curse of Strahd (1491 DR)
Tomb of Annihilation (1490 or 1491 DR)
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (1492 DR)
Dragons of Icespire Peak (Essentials Kit) (1492 DR)
Descent Into Avernus (1494 DR)
Acquisitions Incorporated (1496 DR)
(Here is the thread link: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/story-lore/2155-d-d-adventures-5e-chronology )
But the great thing about DnD, is you don't have to play them in order, play however you want, in whatever order.
Good luck with your campaign!
Aragorn
Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.
An intelligent man believes only half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half. (Even Esar)
Don't wait for the perfect moment to strike, strike in the current moment and make it perfect. (William Yeats)
STATUS: Personal Problems, will not be active for a few days.
Extended Signature
Which one was released by year (in real time)?
Anyway, thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
I THINK, The Lost Mine Of Phandelver is first, but I'm not %100 percent sure.
Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.
An intelligent man believes only half of what he hears, a wise man knows which half. (Even Esar)
Don't wait for the perfect moment to strike, strike in the current moment and make it perfect. (William Yeats)
STATUS: Personal Problems, will not be active for a few days.
Extended Signature
Tyranny of Dragons was the first hardback campaign that was published for 5e, but since it was made before the Monster Manuel was finalized there's some *really* odd encounters the party can have (sweats nervously at the final chapter of HotDQ), and it's pretty railroady. Something like Lost Mine of Phandelver or some of the adventures out of Tales from the Yawning Portal would be a better start, probably.
Hombrew: Way of Wresting, Circle of Sacrifice
Yeah, Lost Mine of Phandelver was included with the first Starter Set, which actually game out before the core rulebooks. Wikipedia has a publishing history here. You can sort 5e's "adventure modules" by publishing date to get everything you want to know :)
Since I'm pretty much new to D&D 5e (and tabletop games in general)... Does it matter which campaign you start with?
Most published adventures start at level 1. They're not meant to be played in sequence with the same characters (with the exception of the two-part Tyranny of Dragons, and to a much lesser degree, the Waterdeep adventures).
Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragons of Icespire Peak (introductory adventures included with the Starter Set and the Essentials Kit, respectively) are really great introductions, and most people would recommend playing through one of those first. But once you've got that experience under your belt, really any of the bigger published adventures would work equally well. Just pick one whose story interests you the most.
Thank you. Yes, that all makes sense. I think I'll skip the introductory stuff. So I take that you can continue with the same characters later on in another campaign, is that correct? Just making sure because, for all we know, we might continue in another campaign with the same characters afterwards...
Sure, but you may need to do a lot of work to adjust things. If y'all finish one adventure at level 13, and the one you want to do next starts back at level 1, it's either going to be a very boring experience, or you'll need to do the work yourself to replace the encounters with more appropriate challenges for your group.
Do people often do this? Start over again or continue with their previous characters and play at a higher level?
Personally, I just write my own campaign. But anecdotally, every now and again someone asks on these forums for advice on how to start some of the published adventures at higher levels. Usually they want to go from Lost Mine of Phandelver (which ends around level 3-5) to something like Storm King's Thunder, so the burden isn't quite as large as going from the end of Out of the Abyss at level 15 to the beginning of Tomb of Annihilation back at level 1.
I feel like for most people, it's just not worth the effort of adapting an entire adventure to be run at a much higher level, and by the end of one adventure, most players are wanting to try different characters. It's certainly possible to do, it'd just be so much work that most DMs would probably prefer to just come up with their own material for that final push to 20th level.
Okay, that took me by surprise: you can make your own campaign? I guess we're going into "homebrew" territory, yes? If so, that's pretty interesting. I suppose that I never really considered that, given how new I am to all this. Thanks.
Nah, homebrew is about creating new rules. Writing your own adventures is just part of playing the game normally. It's absolutely not something any DM has to do; there are a lot of DMs, epecially newer ones, who aren't comfortable with all that it requires, and that's totally fine, it doesn't make them worse DMs. That's why published adventures exist, and it's great that they do. But most of the non-adventure sourcebooks exist to help DMs design their own content. For example, the Monster Manual, one of the core rulebooks, is chock full of creatures that don't appear in any published adventure, because the idea is that the DM is going to come up with their own encounters and stories.
Can you clarify, why are you looking for "THE" first campaign? Especially chronologically? That isn't a thing most people care about, so perhaps you've got some reason, but it's a strange request.
Typically, for new players or DMs, Lost Mines of Phandelver or Dragons of Icespire Peak are great starting places, but the chronology of the adventures relative to each other tends not to matter at all...
LMoP is a great one to start with because you can alter minor things in it to set up a larger adventure into the larger books.
I believe they were looking for the first campaign because they assumed you went from one to the other with the same characters and wanted things to be level appropriate.
Ah, fair enough. And that makes me actually want to try being a DM even more. But aside from that, I think that you allayed a lot of my fears in this case. So thanks. Though I suppose it's just a matter of create new content after we're all done.
Anything else I should know? Anything at all?
That, and we thought that they were all connected and so that you had to play one to understand the others.
At least, that was the case for me...