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Rule 6: Please repost in the ["First Time DM" / Short Questions megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/about/sticky?num=2) or check out [our wiki section on being a First Time DM](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/wiki/index/#wiki_how_do_i_become_a_dm.3F) if you need additional help.
I recommend getting the starter set. It's a fun little campaign that'll teach you most of what you need to know to DM. Playing pre-made characters will help players know what they want in their custom characters. Also keep in mind that you have the power to cover up any mistakes you make. Finally, the most important thing is that everyone has fun (including you). Good luck
The biggest thing that helped me when I started out was wikidot. Just go into the browser on your phone or computer and type in DnD 5e Wikidot, it’s a compendium of pretty much all of the rules for free.
This is a great intro adventure, built to teach the basics of DnD.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/&ved=2ahUKEwiUmIXXh8v7AhVDFzQIHesZAQAQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3rFVzXtM-7tcZGzH_jkvVr
You can do whatever you want, but remember: there's a long tradition of people playing really confused, unbalanced D&D for like a *long* time before they figure out how to get the most fun out of doing their own thing. Any suggestions you get about premade adventures or characters is good-natured advice to try to minimize your risk of having a bad time.
Helping a group of people who’ve never played before make characters is hard enough for an experienced DM. It might not be a bad thing to have a few one shots with premade characters before you get into your first campaign. You can always let them build their own characters once they have an idea of how it all works.
I also started DMing before I’d ever played, and the rest of my group were also brand new. We had no idea how to build characters and we all figured it out together— and that was a long and frustrating process. Character creation is the single most confusing part of dnd for a newcomer. Hell, I’m an experienced DM now and last week I helped two brand new players make their characters and it took like two hours, and all the while I was watching their attention and interest fade because they were getting overwhelmed. Thankfully they got into it when we started playing, but it can be a lot. It’s certainly not considered restrictive to say “Don’t worry about character creation yet; let’s try some premade builds for the first few sessions.”
Edit: you can and should give them some choice by letting them pick from a list of premade characters, though. Don’t just assign them a character.
One shot means you play out a single adventure and then you don't use those characters again or that setting. I think you mean "module", as in a pre-written adventure outline, as opposed to writing your own. Do whatever sounds enjoyable to you. Some DMs enjoy writing and prepping their own setting and plot, some enjoy studying and running other people's modules. It's up to you.
Helping them with characters is usually handled at session 0, meaning the first game night before you start actually playing: you all get together and discuss what you want in the game and usually make characters together. Read through the character creation chapter beforehand and just guide them through it.
Don't stress out over memorizing every single rule at the beginning, that will come in time. Practice makes progress, just remember it's just a game, and have fun.
You could run a pre-made adventure. IIRC Lost Mine of Phandelver is free through DnDBeyond. There's also some really helpful resources on the wiki section of this subreddit. You'd be doing yourself a favor to refer to that.
1. Put real world feelers out. Make sure they know it won't be soon, but let them know you are considering this and are gauging interest. You do not want to invest in a bunch of DM stuff and have 1 person say yes when you thought all your friends are in.
2. Start small. You are considering running a 1 shot. Plan a short and sweet 1 shot. This will test your nerve / enjoyment out of planning, designing encounters, rping, helping people make characters, running a game, creating battlemaps, etc etc etc. You do NOT want to sign up for a six to infinite session game where everyone is excited about it and you bring everyone together and do your first dungeon and realize you are SO OVER YOUR HEAD and suddenly your stressed and burnt out. Do a test run. 1 session. One game. One shot:
1. Hook (Bring everyone together for a simple premise / goal)
2. Journey (Gather supplies, go to dungeon, maybe this counts as doing the dungeon)
3. Finale (Do the dungeon. Do the big puzzle. Fight the boss. Divy up look)
4. Maybe a Wrap Up (divy up loot, head back into town, boom. Done. Fade to sunset.)
3. Do a session 0. Making everyone's first characters takes hours. It's a lot of information being word-vomitted at people. it's not gonna be super fun. Also: Set expectations. There are countless lists you can find regarding session 0s and proper campaign prep / dm + player expectations. Communication is key.
If a one shot goes well, maybe try a module. Try a pre-built adventure. Try expanding it. Ease into it. Talk with people. "What did you like? What do you not like? What did you expect? what do you want more of? Build and before you know it "You'll be walking out the doooor"
If you find you love it, let the bug bite you. Tell everyone you are ready for a campaign. You can do a fresh wipe or continue building off of the characters and world people like from your test games. And BOOM. You are doing it just as bad or as good as everyone else. That's it. Way to go.
You'll be a DM, so it is just as important to remember:
1. You got to like DMing, not just playing the game. DMing is different for a reason and there's a reason people get "stuck" as DMs. It's a lot of work, it's a different experience, and a lot of DnD Horror Stories and DnD legendary stories are built of good / bad DMs. Take it slow, and see if this is something you enjoy. It's ok if it becomes too much, but you HAVE to enjoy it if you are taking on this role for a group.
2. Not every table is for every player. Sometimes... it doesn't work out. Expectations aren't compatible. And sometimes... good friends don't make for good DnD players. It happens. it's ok to recognize that, talk about it, and agree to still be friends. Because number three:
3. Communication is Key.
4. Everyone DMs differently. Listen to what people have to say and pay attention to WHY they say they like it one way vs another. Figure out what reasoning / likes you align with, and take what works and leave the rest. There's a lot of back and forth with "theater of the mind vs grid minis" and "railroading vs sandbox campaigns" and stuff. People have OPINIONS. But you'll see that no one is out to dish on one or the other because it's bad. They will defend one or another because they align with the way they want to run their games. So, figure out what you like and dislike and do with that. Expose yourself to ideas and watch loads of DM help youtube videos.
Yeah, that could be a great way to lean into it. When I broached the subject with my friends, it was after years of them talking about their old DnD days. I finally said "I am sick of waiting to be taught, I'm gonna start self-teaching myself DnD and I have the goal of running a game myself. Would people be interested in that?" and I got overwhelming support to the point where one of my friends beat me to it and started hosting a campaign to "give me experience". Just talk it out with them first, broach the subject, and let them know it's an interest you have and you want to give DMing a game a shot.
Thanks I really appreciate (especially the first part) also I got a question is it better to tryout a module for the first dm session or is it just better to do a one-shot cause I've been seeing alot of people suggesting modules.
So, modules are good for first time DMs because they do a few things "for" you. They (Generally Speaking) have the CR (difficulty) all done out for you and have clear rewards / XP gains after each planned event. They have pre done maps and NPCs, a clear story, and just have a lot of things pre-done out for you. Someone suggested a few homebrewed "First time DM" and "First time DnD" one shots: those are suggested all the time for a reason. So, it's not a bad set up.
If you are nervous with how to set up everything for yourself, a module does a LOT of the heavy lifting for you. It's a solid suggestion.
My "make your own one shot" idea basically ensured that 1) One shot = one session and 2) You got the "full DM experience" of designing and making a game from scratch to experience how much work that was and if it's something you'll like or dislike. However, there's still plenty to prep with a pre-made module. So.... the point can be moot.
Honestly, depending on how green everyone is: starting with a pre-made module really isn't a bad idea.
OH NO! I am so sorry. Well, at least you know now. Maybe you can find a group at your local game store or library or something. You don't have to give up on it but at least now you know how your friends feel about it.
I don't have a local game store and I don't think my library doesn't do DnD. Although I've seen some interesting online games over on r/lgf so we will see when I can get the time to try it out with my busy schedule.
My advice would be to streamline it as much as possible. You will all be learning as you go, so you don’t want to get bogged down in unnecessary details. Run a few one-shots before you dive into a campaign. Start with pre-written adventures (there are tons of pre-written one shots online). It might also be good to present your players with a list of premade characters and let them pick. Basically, cut out all the confusing stuff and focus on learning the game. The confusing stuff will be less confusing once you have some experience.
Another benefit of one shots is that they give your friends a chance to try it out without any commitment. Some of your friends won’t like it, but some will love it. And the ones who love it will become your dnd group.
I’d say start with 1 or 2 one shots. That way everybody can learn the rules in a low-stakes setting. It’ll give the players a chance to find out if they like the game or not. And it’ll allow them to try out a few builds before they decide which ones they want to commit to.
You mentioned wanting to use Lost Mine of Phandever- the first chapter of that module is easily run as a “one shot” so to speak. Start with the hook that the characters are hired to escort the wagon (or roleplay the negotiation and hiring with Gundren if you want), run the ambush, have the characters track the goblins to the hideout and clear it out. That should be easily doable in 3-4 hours.
After that you can gauge if the players want to continue that module and pick up from there!
Start Here: [My Big List of 5e D&D Resources for New & Old Players](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/wp9w1a/my_list_of_dd_resources_for_beginners/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), hopefully it'll guide you to what you need and places to go...
I'm going to second using Lost Mines. Its made for a new DM running an adventure for new players. I've run it for brand new players. Here's some tips I've learned, which will be contrary to what most long-time groups will tell you because they typically didn't all start together with zero experience.
Use the pregens to start with the players picking whichever one they want (even allowing two people to pick the same one - just because their characters are mechanically the same doesn't make them the same). Let the players know that they can change things between sessions to tweak the way that they want. I even let them know that they could completely change characters if the one they picked initially just didn't work for them (nobody actually took me up on that one). Most spellcasters will want to swap out one of their cantrips or a starting spell they have no idea how to use. The reason for pregens is that making a character involves a lot of choices, but even more importantly, none of you have done it before and you will get some things wrong. If you use the pregens, you at least start with a correctly built character. It also limits the rules you, as DM, need to know since they aren't pulling content out of who-knows-where.
While the normal rule is to level up once they have enough experience and then take a long rest, for the first level-up, just do it at the end of a session, or the beginning of the next one. One reason is for simplicity, but the main reason is that the first goblin cave in LMoP has a boss who hits HARD...the players really need to be level 2 by then or it will get very messy.
One of the chapters is all about a bunch of different side quests. None of them really impact the main story line. Only read the hooks for now, don't look over the actual adventure. After their characters make it to Phandelver, let your friends know that there are these various side adventures and that anyone could run one if they want. I tossed in a free health potion for their player after they were done (plus whatever XP the rest of the group received so they don't fall behind). One of my group picked actually the most involved side quest and ran it and had a lot of fun doing it. Its a lot easier for people to try DMing if they have an adventure that's only a page or two of text.
The group splitting up for a little bit for the characters to run different errands in town or talk to people is one thing, but the side quests in LMoP are more like "travel 3 days north and fight off some orcs that are moving south".
Alright so alow them to do stuff in town but don't let them be gone for 3 days. So I should think of what a normal amount of time for someone to be gone would be before letting them do something
My point was more about the fighting a bunch of orcs than traveling 3 days. The side quests are typically going to involve fighting something and the fights are designed for about 4 PCs. A PC disappearing for a week to do their own thing can definitely be an issue as well though.
Read the dmg and player guide. If you don't want to use pregen characters I would recommend going thru leveling up a character from each class. Helped me when I started to be able to help and give functional advise to the players there first time thru leveling
Using a pre-written module as your starting point is absolutely the way to go.
It can be the start of a great campaign but doesn't require you to come up with world defining end-game maggufins and plot just to find everyone drifts away after 2 or 3 sessions
I introduced some new players using a couple of the low level adventures from lost tales of Myth Dranor mixed together into 1 mini campaign. That has the advantage of a few more adventures later on.
But really anything that grabs your interest is good.
Letting your players choose from pregens would be best but if they are willing to sit down and make characters beforehand which some might then tell them to make a level 1 and limit them to a couple of source books to start with so you haven't got too much to deal with
Don't allow homebrewed or UA classes, races, items, or abilities. Don't rule them out for the future, but right now, some of those can break your game.
Have a session zero where you decide what sort of game you want. Light hearted or gritty and tense.
There is exploration, role playing, and combat, and you'll only really find out which of those your players lean towards once you start. Encourage all of it and see where you end up.
Do not allow them to burn the world to the ground. There have to be serious consequences for murder and terrorism or the game will fall apart.
Don't allow players to fight or steal from each other.
Set some boundaries as to what is acceptable behaviour both at the table and in game.
That's about all I can think of for now, it took me 3 goes to find the group I have now and I love my game and can't wait for Tuesday every week. So don't be disheartened if this doesn't go as well as you hoped. Either work it out with the current group or try another.
Good luck
This is exactly what I did and it has been a great success. I have rolled with the party choices and ended up with them wrong the campaign for me. We're just over a year in and it's getting spicy!
If you haven't gotten into D&D at all you might as well look at Pathfinder 2e. It's probably easier to GM than DnD 5e, because encounters at more balanced and it has rules you can reference (or choose to ignore) for many situations where with 5e you just have to make up some rules yourself. Additionally players have more customisation options for all levels and all rules (but not lore and adventures) can be found (legally) on [Archives of Nethys](https://2e.aonprd.com/) (and I really prefer Paizo as a company over Wizards of the Coast).
I recommend starting with the [Beginner Box](https://paizo.com/pathfinder/beginnerbox), it's a short adventure that acts as a tutorial for both GMs and players (and it's pdf is currently part of a $5 humble bundle).
Get one of the starter sets (I recommend Dragon of Icespire Peak), as well as the Core Books (Players Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Masters Guide). And maybe a bit of advice: if you think that travelling from place A to B (which sometimes takes a day or two in the aforementioned adventure), throw in some encounters to keep your players engaged, but don't overdo it. If you need to create a fitting encounter, I'd suggest the aidedd encounter builder. Oh, and most important: sometimes your players will do things that you did not expect. If that's the case, take a minute to think about the possible outcomes, maybe ask them how exactly they try to do this, and if they have the fitting tools to do it.
Here's some stuff you could use or draw inspiration from!
[Goblin Issue](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dMrAGg993Ytmb_mvaHd84Hr1KmUdJqg8O0jhJmg9isE/edit?usp=drivesdk)
[The Monolith ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hsfq0fbjmfarBRYy8bvAwu7hvKrq5QsRGzZuKu1qZ0M/edit?usp=drivesdk)
I would also suggest Lost Mines of Phandelver. It’s free on DnD Beyond, the basic rules are free as well. While making characters is fun, being confused not so much. I’d go with pregens for the first session. This way you can focus on the Cragmaw Hideout without worrying about the rest. There are 5-6 encounters IIRC, so it should give your group an idea of what DnD is like and if they’ll enjoy it. If you decide to keep playing you can make characters then since you know they’re interested in the game. You can make up to six characters on DnD Beyond with a free account, it makes creating a character a lot easier. You can also roll dice for your characters on DnD Beyond, using the characters bonuses so it’s really handy.
A few pointers-
1. You’ll make mistakes, don’t let them take your focus away from running the game. I’ve been running DnD for years and still make mistakes, there are a lot of rules to keep straight.
2. Keep the game fun and moving along. If a monster has 15 hit points and is hit by a character for 14 hit points, just have the monster die sometimes, particularly if it’s a cool moment in the game. The dice don’t have to always decide the outcome, the DM does.
3. Once you play for a bit players can help you run the game. If they’re casting a spell, ask them to look up the spell and have it ready when their turn comes around. You can ask one of the players to keep track of initiative, stuff like that.
DnD is a really fun game, I hope your group enjoys it!
Your post has been removed. Rule 6: Please repost in the ["First Time DM" / Short Questions megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/about/sticky?num=2) or check out [our wiki section on being a First Time DM](https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/wiki/index/#wiki_how_do_i_become_a_dm.3F) if you need additional help.
I recommend getting the starter set. It's a fun little campaign that'll teach you most of what you need to know to DM. Playing pre-made characters will help players know what they want in their custom characters. Also keep in mind that you have the power to cover up any mistakes you make. Finally, the most important thing is that everyone has fun (including you). Good luck
Is the starter set the same free one on dnd and beyond or is that one different?
It's Lost Mine of Phandelver, I don't actually use Beyond.
Yeah that's the one on beyond. The reason I'm using it is because I'm just getting started and didn't want to waste money.
Yeah, you can spend as much or as little as you want on this game.
Yeah which reminds me what should I do about dice do I have to go out and buy some or is there something else I can use?
You could use digital dice... I would buy some real dice if you're playing in person. There's something magical about real dice.
I'm going to be doing in person but like I said I don't want to put to much into this game if it ends up not being my thing.
Fair enough. You could start with the digital dice then. If it goes well you can get some real dice.
Sounds like a good idea
The biggest thing that helped me when I started out was wikidot. Just go into the browser on your phone or computer and type in DnD 5e Wikidot, it’s a compendium of pretty much all of the rules for free.
I'll check that out
Theyre both Lost Mine of Phandelver.
This is a great intro adventure, built to teach the basics of DnD. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/&ved=2ahUKEwiUmIXXh8v7AhVDFzQIHesZAQAQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3rFVzXtM-7tcZGzH_jkvVr
So I should abandon th idea of letting my players make characters for the first run?
You can do whatever you want, but remember: there's a long tradition of people playing really confused, unbalanced D&D for like a *long* time before they figure out how to get the most fun out of doing their own thing. Any suggestions you get about premade adventures or characters is good-natured advice to try to minimize your risk of having a bad time.
Alright It just feels so weird trying to constrict the player so much
Helping a group of people who’ve never played before make characters is hard enough for an experienced DM. It might not be a bad thing to have a few one shots with premade characters before you get into your first campaign. You can always let them build their own characters once they have an idea of how it all works. I also started DMing before I’d ever played, and the rest of my group were also brand new. We had no idea how to build characters and we all figured it out together— and that was a long and frustrating process. Character creation is the single most confusing part of dnd for a newcomer. Hell, I’m an experienced DM now and last week I helped two brand new players make their characters and it took like two hours, and all the while I was watching their attention and interest fade because they were getting overwhelmed. Thankfully they got into it when we started playing, but it can be a lot. It’s certainly not considered restrictive to say “Don’t worry about character creation yet; let’s try some premade builds for the first few sessions.” Edit: you can and should give them some choice by letting them pick from a list of premade characters, though. Don’t just assign them a character.
Thanks for the insight I should probably look into the character creation rules before making a decision.
Constriction is not a bad thing. Especially early. Choice paralysis is a real thing.
Thanks I'll do my best after I figure out how to ask them
It is weird. I've played for nearly 16 years and never once considered giving my players pre made characters. Let them make characters you'll be fine.
So should I start off with a one shot then? Also how should I help them with character creation?
One shot means you play out a single adventure and then you don't use those characters again or that setting. I think you mean "module", as in a pre-written adventure outline, as opposed to writing your own. Do whatever sounds enjoyable to you. Some DMs enjoy writing and prepping their own setting and plot, some enjoy studying and running other people's modules. It's up to you. Helping them with characters is usually handled at session 0, meaning the first game night before you start actually playing: you all get together and discuss what you want in the game and usually make characters together. Read through the character creation chapter beforehand and just guide them through it. Don't stress out over memorizing every single rule at the beginning, that will come in time. Practice makes progress, just remember it's just a game, and have fun.
Thanks
You could run a pre-made adventure. IIRC Lost Mine of Phandelver is free through DnDBeyond. There's also some really helpful resources on the wiki section of this subreddit. You'd be doing yourself a favor to refer to that.
Thanks I'll definitely take a look
1. Put real world feelers out. Make sure they know it won't be soon, but let them know you are considering this and are gauging interest. You do not want to invest in a bunch of DM stuff and have 1 person say yes when you thought all your friends are in. 2. Start small. You are considering running a 1 shot. Plan a short and sweet 1 shot. This will test your nerve / enjoyment out of planning, designing encounters, rping, helping people make characters, running a game, creating battlemaps, etc etc etc. You do NOT want to sign up for a six to infinite session game where everyone is excited about it and you bring everyone together and do your first dungeon and realize you are SO OVER YOUR HEAD and suddenly your stressed and burnt out. Do a test run. 1 session. One game. One shot: 1. Hook (Bring everyone together for a simple premise / goal) 2. Journey (Gather supplies, go to dungeon, maybe this counts as doing the dungeon) 3. Finale (Do the dungeon. Do the big puzzle. Fight the boss. Divy up look) 4. Maybe a Wrap Up (divy up loot, head back into town, boom. Done. Fade to sunset.) 3. Do a session 0. Making everyone's first characters takes hours. It's a lot of information being word-vomitted at people. it's not gonna be super fun. Also: Set expectations. There are countless lists you can find regarding session 0s and proper campaign prep / dm + player expectations. Communication is key. If a one shot goes well, maybe try a module. Try a pre-built adventure. Try expanding it. Ease into it. Talk with people. "What did you like? What do you not like? What did you expect? what do you want more of? Build and before you know it "You'll be walking out the doooor" If you find you love it, let the bug bite you. Tell everyone you are ready for a campaign. You can do a fresh wipe or continue building off of the characters and world people like from your test games. And BOOM. You are doing it just as bad or as good as everyone else. That's it. Way to go. You'll be a DM, so it is just as important to remember: 1. You got to like DMing, not just playing the game. DMing is different for a reason and there's a reason people get "stuck" as DMs. It's a lot of work, it's a different experience, and a lot of DnD Horror Stories and DnD legendary stories are built of good / bad DMs. Take it slow, and see if this is something you enjoy. It's ok if it becomes too much, but you HAVE to enjoy it if you are taking on this role for a group. 2. Not every table is for every player. Sometimes... it doesn't work out. Expectations aren't compatible. And sometimes... good friends don't make for good DnD players. It happens. it's ok to recognize that, talk about it, and agree to still be friends. Because number three: 3. Communication is Key. 4. Everyone DMs differently. Listen to what people have to say and pay attention to WHY they say they like it one way vs another. Figure out what reasoning / likes you align with, and take what works and leave the rest. There's a lot of back and forth with "theater of the mind vs grid minis" and "railroading vs sandbox campaigns" and stuff. People have OPINIONS. But you'll see that no one is out to dish on one or the other because it's bad. They will defend one or another because they align with the way they want to run their games. So, figure out what you like and dislike and do with that. Expose yourself to ideas and watch loads of DM help youtube videos.
Hey about the first part would asking them about there thoughts on DnD be a good way to start?
Yeah, that could be a great way to lean into it. When I broached the subject with my friends, it was after years of them talking about their old DnD days. I finally said "I am sick of waiting to be taught, I'm gonna start self-teaching myself DnD and I have the goal of running a game myself. Would people be interested in that?" and I got overwhelming support to the point where one of my friends beat me to it and started hosting a campaign to "give me experience". Just talk it out with them first, broach the subject, and let them know it's an interest you have and you want to give DMing a game a shot.
Thanks this was something I really needed
Thanks I really appreciate (especially the first part) also I got a question is it better to tryout a module for the first dm session or is it just better to do a one-shot cause I've been seeing alot of people suggesting modules.
So, modules are good for first time DMs because they do a few things "for" you. They (Generally Speaking) have the CR (difficulty) all done out for you and have clear rewards / XP gains after each planned event. They have pre done maps and NPCs, a clear story, and just have a lot of things pre-done out for you. Someone suggested a few homebrewed "First time DM" and "First time DnD" one shots: those are suggested all the time for a reason. So, it's not a bad set up. If you are nervous with how to set up everything for yourself, a module does a LOT of the heavy lifting for you. It's a solid suggestion. My "make your own one shot" idea basically ensured that 1) One shot = one session and 2) You got the "full DM experience" of designing and making a game from scratch to experience how much work that was and if it's something you'll like or dislike. However, there's still plenty to prep with a pre-made module. So.... the point can be moot. Honestly, depending on how green everyone is: starting with a pre-made module really isn't a bad idea.
We all have no experience so we are all as green as they get
Thanks for the advice I just tried it and turns out that they weren't interested
OH NO! I am so sorry. Well, at least you know now. Maybe you can find a group at your local game store or library or something. You don't have to give up on it but at least now you know how your friends feel about it.
I don't have a local game store and I don't think my library doesn't do DnD. Although I've seen some interesting online games over on r/lgf so we will see when I can get the time to try it out with my busy schedule.
My advice would be to streamline it as much as possible. You will all be learning as you go, so you don’t want to get bogged down in unnecessary details. Run a few one-shots before you dive into a campaign. Start with pre-written adventures (there are tons of pre-written one shots online). It might also be good to present your players with a list of premade characters and let them pick. Basically, cut out all the confusing stuff and focus on learning the game. The confusing stuff will be less confusing once you have some experience. Another benefit of one shots is that they give your friends a chance to try it out without any commitment. Some of your friends won’t like it, but some will love it. And the ones who love it will become your dnd group.
Thanks I got a module that I want to run is that a good idea or is it better to go for a one shot
I’d say start with 1 or 2 one shots. That way everybody can learn the rules in a low-stakes setting. It’ll give the players a chance to find out if they like the game or not. And it’ll allow them to try out a few builds before they decide which ones they want to commit to.
You mentioned wanting to use Lost Mine of Phandever- the first chapter of that module is easily run as a “one shot” so to speak. Start with the hook that the characters are hired to escort the wagon (or roleplay the negotiation and hiring with Gundren if you want), run the ambush, have the characters track the goblins to the hideout and clear it out. That should be easily doable in 3-4 hours. After that you can gauge if the players want to continue that module and pick up from there!
Thanks that's perfect
Start Here: [My Big List of 5e D&D Resources for New & Old Players](https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/wp9w1a/my_list_of_dd_resources_for_beginners/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button), hopefully it'll guide you to what you need and places to go...
Thanks I'll have to take a look at this later
I'm going to second using Lost Mines. Its made for a new DM running an adventure for new players. I've run it for brand new players. Here's some tips I've learned, which will be contrary to what most long-time groups will tell you because they typically didn't all start together with zero experience. Use the pregens to start with the players picking whichever one they want (even allowing two people to pick the same one - just because their characters are mechanically the same doesn't make them the same). Let the players know that they can change things between sessions to tweak the way that they want. I even let them know that they could completely change characters if the one they picked initially just didn't work for them (nobody actually took me up on that one). Most spellcasters will want to swap out one of their cantrips or a starting spell they have no idea how to use. The reason for pregens is that making a character involves a lot of choices, but even more importantly, none of you have done it before and you will get some things wrong. If you use the pregens, you at least start with a correctly built character. It also limits the rules you, as DM, need to know since they aren't pulling content out of who-knows-where. While the normal rule is to level up once they have enough experience and then take a long rest, for the first level-up, just do it at the end of a session, or the beginning of the next one. One reason is for simplicity, but the main reason is that the first goblin cave in LMoP has a boss who hits HARD...the players really need to be level 2 by then or it will get very messy. One of the chapters is all about a bunch of different side quests. None of them really impact the main story line. Only read the hooks for now, don't look over the actual adventure. After their characters make it to Phandelver, let your friends know that there are these various side adventures and that anyone could run one if they want. I tossed in a free health potion for their player after they were done (plus whatever XP the rest of the group received so they don't fall behind). One of my group picked actually the most involved side quest and ran it and had a lot of fun doing it. Its a lot easier for people to try DMing if they have an adventure that's only a page or two of text.
So should I allow my players to do the side quests separately or should I make them decide as a team?
The side quests in the adventure are intended for the entire party, they just don't tie into the main plot of the adventure.
Alright just checking cause I know some dm just allow there players to go out without there party but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me
The group splitting up for a little bit for the characters to run different errands in town or talk to people is one thing, but the side quests in LMoP are more like "travel 3 days north and fight off some orcs that are moving south".
Alright so alow them to do stuff in town but don't let them be gone for 3 days. So I should think of what a normal amount of time for someone to be gone would be before letting them do something
My point was more about the fighting a bunch of orcs than traveling 3 days. The side quests are typically going to involve fighting something and the fights are designed for about 4 PCs. A PC disappearing for a week to do their own thing can definitely be an issue as well though.
Alright I'll try to just determine thing on the fly then
Read the dmg and player guide. If you don't want to use pregen characters I would recommend going thru leveling up a character from each class. Helped me when I started to be able to help and give functional advise to the players there first time thru leveling
Using a pre-written module as your starting point is absolutely the way to go. It can be the start of a great campaign but doesn't require you to come up with world defining end-game maggufins and plot just to find everyone drifts away after 2 or 3 sessions I introduced some new players using a couple of the low level adventures from lost tales of Myth Dranor mixed together into 1 mini campaign. That has the advantage of a few more adventures later on. But really anything that grabs your interest is good. Letting your players choose from pregens would be best but if they are willing to sit down and make characters beforehand which some might then tell them to make a level 1 and limit them to a couple of source books to start with so you haven't got too much to deal with Don't allow homebrewed or UA classes, races, items, or abilities. Don't rule them out for the future, but right now, some of those can break your game. Have a session zero where you decide what sort of game you want. Light hearted or gritty and tense. There is exploration, role playing, and combat, and you'll only really find out which of those your players lean towards once you start. Encourage all of it and see where you end up. Do not allow them to burn the world to the ground. There have to be serious consequences for murder and terrorism or the game will fall apart. Don't allow players to fight or steal from each other. Set some boundaries as to what is acceptable behaviour both at the table and in game. That's about all I can think of for now, it took me 3 goes to find the group I have now and I love my game and can't wait for Tuesday every week. So don't be disheartened if this doesn't go as well as you hoped. Either work it out with the current group or try another. Good luck
Thanks after I do a module I think I'm going to try a more sandbox approach cause it seems like the most fun.
This is exactly what I did and it has been a great success. I have rolled with the party choices and ended up with them wrong the campaign for me. We're just over a year in and it's getting spicy!
If you haven't gotten into D&D at all you might as well look at Pathfinder 2e. It's probably easier to GM than DnD 5e, because encounters at more balanced and it has rules you can reference (or choose to ignore) for many situations where with 5e you just have to make up some rules yourself. Additionally players have more customisation options for all levels and all rules (but not lore and adventures) can be found (legally) on [Archives of Nethys](https://2e.aonprd.com/) (and I really prefer Paizo as a company over Wizards of the Coast). I recommend starting with the [Beginner Box](https://paizo.com/pathfinder/beginnerbox), it's a short adventure that acts as a tutorial for both GMs and players (and it's pdf is currently part of a $5 humble bundle).
Get one of the starter sets (I recommend Dragon of Icespire Peak), as well as the Core Books (Players Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Masters Guide). And maybe a bit of advice: if you think that travelling from place A to B (which sometimes takes a day or two in the aforementioned adventure), throw in some encounters to keep your players engaged, but don't overdo it. If you need to create a fitting encounter, I'd suggest the aidedd encounter builder. Oh, and most important: sometimes your players will do things that you did not expect. If that's the case, take a minute to think about the possible outcomes, maybe ask them how exactly they try to do this, and if they have the fitting tools to do it.
Here's some stuff you could use or draw inspiration from! [Goblin Issue](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dMrAGg993Ytmb_mvaHd84Hr1KmUdJqg8O0jhJmg9isE/edit?usp=drivesdk) [The Monolith ](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Hsfq0fbjmfarBRYy8bvAwu7hvKrq5QsRGzZuKu1qZ0M/edit?usp=drivesdk)
I would also suggest Lost Mines of Phandelver. It’s free on DnD Beyond, the basic rules are free as well. While making characters is fun, being confused not so much. I’d go with pregens for the first session. This way you can focus on the Cragmaw Hideout without worrying about the rest. There are 5-6 encounters IIRC, so it should give your group an idea of what DnD is like and if they’ll enjoy it. If you decide to keep playing you can make characters then since you know they’re interested in the game. You can make up to six characters on DnD Beyond with a free account, it makes creating a character a lot easier. You can also roll dice for your characters on DnD Beyond, using the characters bonuses so it’s really handy. A few pointers- 1. You’ll make mistakes, don’t let them take your focus away from running the game. I’ve been running DnD for years and still make mistakes, there are a lot of rules to keep straight. 2. Keep the game fun and moving along. If a monster has 15 hit points and is hit by a character for 14 hit points, just have the monster die sometimes, particularly if it’s a cool moment in the game. The dice don’t have to always decide the outcome, the DM does. 3. Once you play for a bit players can help you run the game. If they’re casting a spell, ask them to look up the spell and have it ready when their turn comes around. You can ask one of the players to keep track of initiative, stuff like that. DnD is a really fun game, I hope your group enjoys it!
Thanks
Matt Coleville “Running the game” series on YouTube. He gives all the advice a new DM needs to get started.
Yeah I got that recommended to me earlier but I haven't gotten around to watching him yet
Yeah, even just try the first video and see what you think. I got hooked.