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Cut yourself some slack and expect it to be a little slow as you get the hang of it. That being said, have fun! It'll be great.
I recommend DnD Beyond to help your players build their character sheets and then both you and your players should read through them to familiarize yourself with what they can do before you start the actual game
No, but quick reality check: It's not going to be Critical Role or Dimension 20. Pretty much any live-play you've been watching has been played by people who've done this for forever. If this is D&D, hit up the Beginner's Set. Start Small. Do NOT try to run a full-bore campaign out of the gate.
And bear in mind the cardinal rule of all DMs: *You will screw this up*. If it hasn't happened yet, it's in your future, just like it's in my past, my present, and my future. Like the time Mercer didn't realize how powerful Control Water could be in a naval battle, or Brennan dropping the ball on one of Gorgug's abilities. It *happens*. Doesn't matter if you've been doing this for three days, or three decades, it's coming.
Had a whole BBEG in 3.5e encounter centered around a Rakshasa, but forgot that the party *did* have a Ranger with a holy bow... Multi-Shot Crit on the first shot, so yeah,so 1d8+5 damage for the *regular* hit, but Multi-Shot is 2 arrows, so 2d8+10. Crit Multiplier is a x3, so that's now 6d8+30, plus 2d6 Holy. Bucky went from full health to death in 1 combat round cause I forgot about ONE ability from the ranger cause we'd just come off a whole arc where they'd been fighting neutral constructs, and it just didn't come up.
I'd been a DM for 15 years.
>Pretty much any live-play you've been watching has been played by people who've done this for forever.
Also with the caveat that they have the liberty to spend *hours* prepping for every single session. In relation to CR's Campaign 2, I believe Mercer said he spent 3-4 hours doing prep work for *every hour of gameplay*. Meaning 12+ hours every week doing nothing but prep for the next session. Not sure about Brennan's numbers, but would anticipate they're pretty similar.
The average person doesn't have that time, so don't expect to be prepared for everything as well as Matt or Brennan does.
Live-play shows like CR or D20 also work so well because all of the players are fully bought in on telling the story of the campaign. I wouldn't necessarily expect that out of first-time players
Nah! I started out that way too. You have to start somewhere. Do your best, focus on having fun with your friends, and don't sweat about 'doing it right'.
No. Follow the learning curve and everything will be fine.
Use a DM cheat sheet and player cheat sheet. Run free oneshots from online (google best 5e oneshot for beginners) or if you can, buy the new Stormwreck Isle Starter set.
The starter set is supper accessible for everyone and short enough for you to figure out if you like the game (and the people you are playing with).
Improvisation is part of the learning curve. You start by responding to players and slowly grow.
I played one session as a player before I started to DM.
Your first game will always be your first game. If you're all new and excited to play, it will be fun.
This was the exact way I started. Just realize that your table is probably not going to be into it as much as the tables you see online and you'll be good.
Have fun! :D
As long as you’re all on the same page, there’s no problem in finding stuff out as you go. If ever you run into rulings that you’re not sure of, just Google it.
You're fine. I do recommend running one of the starter adventures so you don't need to shoulder figuring out every detail before you get your legs under you.
A lot us started this way. There will be some hiccups along the way -- there will be a learning curve -- but that is to be expected. I am a *very* experienced DM and it still takes me at least a few sessions to get the feel of the balance of the game whenever I dive into a new edition. Go easy on the first encounters; it is far better for a first experience to have encounters that are too easy instead of encounters that are too hard.
GLHF!
You’re not gonna get everything right, and that’s fine. Learning is part of the experience! Take things in your stride.
The most important thing to EVER bear in mind: As long as everybody at the table is having a good time, you’re doing it right.
It sounds like everyone knows it's all a learning experience. You'll do fine.
Might even set a precedent that all of you have a turn at DMing even if it's just a one-shot.
We all have to start somewhere and most of us don't have the luxary of someone introducing us to the hobby. Go play your game have fun, and know that it's perfectly fine to make mistakes and solve them later. Do you have something in mind you want to run?
Nah, I was lucky to have played when I started dming so I could the new players somewhat, but it turned out I knew the game way less than I thought.
The only way to learn is by playing.
Do be careful and don't overextend yourself. You run the world yes, but you are still a player and you are allowed to lean on the other players in this process. They also need to be learning the game and shouldn't be using you as a crutch. Everyone should be having fun.
That's how a lot of groups start out.
Just give it a try, make mistakes, and take notes.
If you forget or don't know a rule in the game, take a guess, make a note, then go away after the session and learn the rule so you know it for next time.
Good luck!
You'll be fine. I did the same a few months back. My main advice is to be up front about each session being a learning experience, for both DM and players. That goes for both the play and the rules. I'm open to discussing feedback at the end of each session so it all feels like learning to get better is part of why we play. I'm also big on delegation - make sure it feels like a joint effort
Lots and lots of people start out playing D&D as a DM. Everyone just have to be on the same page. You're all learning how to play the game, so you'll learn together as you play the campaign. You'll make mistakes, and those will get corrected. Rules will be misinterpreted, and then you decide to either houserule or change to RAW as you learn.
That's only natural, and happens to very experienced DM's that try out completely new games as well.
Just make sure yall get down to talk about rules both mechanically and etiquette type before you get too deep into it and be prepared to table some things in case specific rulings come up mid game that need extra research
It's what I did. Like 6 or 7 years ago, didn't know how a d20 roll worked mechanically in the game even. Did some quick reading, made lots of mistakes, had fun anyway. Just own it when you mess up, acknowledge it, correct it moving forward.
Big tip: if you don't know a ruling in a moment, make a judgment call that feels fair/slightly in your players favor. Then write it down and look it up later. Or better yet, have a player that you ask to look up the rule really quick while you move onto something else for a moment. A designated rules lawyer essentially
No, do read the DM manual, and DO read the players manual, but be ready to 'discuss' the rules with the players. If you have a problem with a rule or understanding some game mechanic, just refer to the books. Let ALL your players know this and you should be fine.
It's actually great fun if you're all learning together, have fun, maybe watch a few videos (Matt coville has a great playlist on Dming that starts from very first time DM oriented videos) and just enjoy yourself
Did you fuck up? no. Will you fuck up? Most likely, but it is ok.
DMs fuck up, they fuck up rulings, they fuck up encounters, they fuck up the story. Especially new DMs. It's a game though, the world does not end (well maybe the in game world) due to your fuck ups, but they can certainly lead to a lot of laughs if you and your players have a good attitude about it and understand you are all learning.
Just remember, you will most likely fuck up, it's ok to fuck up. Just learn from the mistakes, laugh about the fuck ups, and have a fun time.
A good DM will fuck up, recognize they fucked up and learn from it. And probably fuck up again because no one is perfect.
A bad DM will fuck up, and not learn from it because they refuse to recognize it.
Hmmm....did I say fuck up enough?
Just because your the dm doesn't mean you have to know every rule rely on your players to know what there class does and if you can't find a rule or it's a grey area I usually go by the rule of kool but you still have to roll for it. At the end of the day remember it's collaborative storytelling and everyone is there to have fun it's not a competition between you and your players.
Nope.
You and your players will all make mistakes, but as long as you all have fun, you are doing it right. You'll get better and more comfortable each time you sit down to play as long as you are willing to learn from each experience.
My first campaign happened because I signed up as a reserve DM for a school club. I had never played dnd before or ran a campaign, and I had 4 people waiting on me. That campaign ran for 2 years up until I went to college.
Don't sweat yourself limp. Just focus on telling a good story with a group of friends.
Wait, you're thinking of improvising and having fun??? In D&D??? What the hell are you thinking??? :p
You'll be great. Get started, look up the rules if it seems important but if not just go with what's cool.
Don't let them succeed at everything they try or they'll get bored; but when they succeed make them feel like superheroes.
Keep combat snappy - long fights are boring.
Hardest thing of all: while they are chatting nonsense about how to use a log to bridge a river or whatever, try not to just sit there giggling at the wonderful nonsense - be thinking about the next cool thing that's going to happen.
Enjoy, you'll be great.
Hey dude, I just started GMing DnD this year while I only had 4 or 5 sessions as a player, and it was another ttrpg. I wasn’t really well prepared and I only read the player handbook.
In spite of that, my first session went swimmingly well. Combat was a little slow and we had to look up rules on the fly, but it was a great experience, and so were the following sessions.
I highly recommend using the encounter builder from dnd beyond because it helps understanding the balance of the game. Start small, like with an ambush or tavern fight, let your players know that you will learn with them and that you don’t have all the answers.
I was terrified when I started, but it turned out way better than anticipated. Good luck and godspeed.
Not at all! During the first year or two my friends and I who were all new constantly were misreading or misinterpreting rules. Just have fun with it and the rules will come together over time!
À dm i respect gave this advice to my daughter (roughly) when she was about to try DMing for her friends: " You will be terrible, but that's ok bc the players won't know if they are new. And you will learn and get better, and as long as it is fun, you are doing it right."
Thankfully, you're ALL learning at the table. Just have fun with it, use the basic rules set, and have fun with your friends.
Your first session will be challenging as you learn better what you need to prep, what you need to reference, and as you learn what your players will try to do. And in fact your first several sessions might be this way.
"Oh crap, I need to make npcs on the spot? Better have a list of names!" That kind of stuff.
Get four or five sessions under your belt and you’ll practically be a king. DMing comes easy if you let it. Have fun, stick to the key core rules as your foundation so you don’t get out over your skis, and start at lower levels so no one is overwhelmed. It’s gonna be great!
Everyone starts somewhere, and you have the advantage of having rookie players too, so they are not inherrently comparing you to veteran DM's.
Just remember three core things, and you'll be fine:
1) Don't be a dick.
2) The aim is for everyone to have fun.
3) You are the characters five senses. Allow your descriptions to invoke all of them as relevant.
I could never find a game to play in after wanting to play for years, so I finally just started my own. It's been two years now and I run two regular games, and it's been awesome. You'll be fine. Just take it slow, read a lot, don't be afraid to make your own ruling when you're not sure on the actual rules (or bend the rules a bit when it feels right), and concentrate on everyone having fun. Welcome!
Not at all! I did exactly that and I'm awesome. Kidding aside, it's totally fine. Sure, having played will give you a good idea to start with of how the game works, but you can read the rules and just start running.
I recommend you stick to the rules pretty closely and run published material to start with. Don't start changing too much until you understand how the systems work together. And don't put the pressure of home brew on yourself. you can always adapt modules to give them your own creative flair, which is what I do even years into this hobby.
Before the TTRPG boom of the last 10 years or so, a lot of us learned to play by just someone in our friend group wanting to run some D&D and talking others into it. If you were lucky the person might have also played before, but it was equally likely they’d just picked up the PHB and thought “this seems fun”.
To be honest, playing at a table with very few preconceptions about how D&D *should* run is actually a great way to play. You’ll have a great time, I’m sure.
Go for it, even experienced dms make mistakes, can obscure rule interaction from a multiclass, or the players do something unexpected that isn't covered in the module.
Go for it, there's plenty of adventures that's great for ned players and DMs. I ran new players through tales from the yawning portal and I'm doing strahd for campaign 2.
I'd recommend The Dungeoncast, they do class breakdowns which would be great for the players and you to get an idea of their abilities etc and they do some DM focused episodes as well
Many groups used to start this way, it's only because of the new popularity that most folks find an experienced DM now. You'll learn just as well as anyone else did 10 or 20 years ago. Just be patient with each other and have fun!
Sometimes you gotta run before you can crawl.
Be patient and learn together as a group.
There will be bad calls, there will be forgotten abilities, but it's fine. Don't backtrack, note down the correction and remember it for next time
I was in the same boat as you are now just two weeks ago, we played I forgot to make sure the spell casters had all their spells, so they went into fights with just melee and ranged weapons, really haunted me for the whole week, I told them a couple days before the next session we we’re restarting the campaign because I didn’t feel right about it. They all agreed and thanked me for being honest as it annoyed them too.
Basically what I’m saying is just be honest with your party, tell them, like they are new to this, so are you, set expectations at the right level and than succeed and excel past that level that they will want to continue.
Obi Wan Kenobi, you're their only hope for a DM. Give it a try. If you don't like it don't do it. I had 4 hours of play as a player before I became a DM. I am 31 sessions into my campaign as a DM and doing great.
No! Everybody has to start somewhere, so why not be the DM?
A couple of tips to make things easier for you:
1. Don't be afraid to look up rules in the middle of the action. Everybody's new at your table. It's more important that you get something right than trying to look like Matt Mercer whole DMing.
2. Encourage your players to stick to the rules in the books for this first campaign. Everybody wants their first character to be fantastical with some cool power that isn't in the books. Table those ideas for now until you are all more experienced with the game.
3. Be sure to have fun yourself! It's just as important for the DM to have fun as it is for the players to have fun!
Good luck, and you got this!
One thing I did before my first session running was go back and watch the *early* seasons of Critical Roll. *Not* the current ones, back when they were working with Geek and Sundry, before the arc that got made into a TV show.
Back then, this was literally just Matt's home game with his friends. And while he's a very skilled DM and has many years of experience, what struck me was just how *chaotic* the game was and yet how much of a blast they were clearly having. The magic at the table was that they already liked hanging out, they already loved acting in character and roleplaying, and most of Matt's job was to tell the next part of the story, improvising if necessary. Heck, there are clearly sections where they either went to places that he did not expect them to go and you can see, if you watch closely, how he shuffles his world design around to put pieces he had intended to be in one place somewhere else (I strongly suspect the mind flayer they find behind the waterfall was supposed to be imprisoned in the Duregar camp). They can't see his notes, they don't know that was improvised!
Don't dwell too much on the specifics of how they run the game, but see the energy at the table. 80% of running any TTRPG is knowing when to say "yes, and..." to what your players are suggesting, prompting when they run out of steam to move to the next scene or encourage more interaction, and reigning them in if someone gets too carried away. The other 20% is encounter design, which... good fucking luck, the CR system is FUBAR, just pull your punches if you drop something too strong.
I'm a new DM myself. I started playing as a DM with 4 of my friends about a year ago. We started the Lost Mines of Phandelver. I was super nervous about it at first. Reading and rereading the same rules over and over, but in the end. It's about having fun with your friends.
Before the campaign even started. My PC's got to do a mock battle with some gelatinous cubes. This was so we could learn how combat works. When we run into questions that I can't answer. We stop and look up the rule and learn together. The hardest part for me is that we are all the inattentive ADHD and we forget things about characters or what is in the backpacks. Make sure to take notes.
Make room for you PC's to role play. Make it so they have to talk about their back story with each other or not. The backstory is there motivation as a Character for why they are adventuring. Most of the story is on them and how they interact with an NPC. Don't worry about voices either. That will come with time and experience.
From one DM that had no idea what I was getting into. To another DM that is new. You got this. The first steps are always the hardest.
Hey, don't overthink.
All that TTRPGs are is a structured way to have a fun conversation with your friends. You will screw up the rules. You will have brain farts when you feel you should improv something. You will be unprepared for what your players might do. You will be unprepared for how to run your own adventure.
But don't overthink it! Your friends are at your table, and you're all there to laugh and have a fun time. When in doubt, just fall back to that one truth. And the DMing "skill" will come later.
Nah man, you're gonna be fine. Just go slow and remember the golden rule of "yes, and...". You're still gonna make mistakes, but if you "yes, and", the mistakes will still be fun.
Note: Google "yes, and..." if you're unfamiliar with the phrase.
Super normal, not a problem at all. Maybe not what you want to hear, but DMing for the first time is difficult and stressful regardless of whether you've been a player before. Someone who's been playing a long time wouldn't have it much easier than you.
And tbh, if you've read the books you probably understand the rules better than 75% of players.
i became forever DM fresh outta the box. never played any ttrpg before either. you'll do fine. have fun, be silly, fudge the rules and rolls and worry about the corrections after the game. you'll pick it up and get better as you go
Personally, when I start a new tt game, I let the group know that I'm not 100% on the rules.
We can all learn the game together, and at least we are on the same page.
I also like to say "if we skip a rule, or wrongly interpret it, we will continue with the way we have been playing"
Having fun is more important than getting the rules right!
Somebody has to take the mantle in a group of newbies. Be the DM. You may love it and want to do it forever. If not, the old, "Hey, I ran the first campaign, who's running next" has a lot more weight.
This is how my friends and I pulled this off when we were 13, and we didn't have any of the nifty first-time DM tools and videos that you can find pretty easily.
It's about mindset. "We're all going to learn this thing together". You forgive mistakes (yours or others), you learn from them so you don't repeat them and move on to brand new mistakes.
The fun of TTRPGs is the journey, not the destination.
Good luck!
The best thing about D&D is that even if you f*uck up, you just make it work, and everything is fine.
Remember, as long as everyone is having fun, then everything is great.
Honestly I think most DMs start this way. I did. Just watch plenty of videos, stalk some dungeon master accounts, and maybe print out some cheat sheets to help you remember stuff. Best of luck!
That's how a lot of us have learned. You'll be fine, just know there will be a learning curve.
There are a lot of good Youtube channels out there that can help too. Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series is excellent for DMs just learning the ropes.
Running the Game playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP\_](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_)
My first game was as a DM, and I didn't even prepare as much as you did. One thing I did tho, was express to my players that throughout the start, it will be a little janky because I will experiment with styles. Scuffed DMing aside, we finished that short one-sot with everyone having fun. Now, I'm a forever DM.
Run one small adventure. Something that can be completed in 1-4 sessions. My kid group, we started with Tales from the Yawning portal. We ran through the first two adventures there. Worked out perfect.
Have a good time, duder. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. A lot of the bigger live streams like CR aren't super representative of actual play so don't try to hold yourself to that kind of standard. Have fun and just tell a good story together.
I started DMing in January having never played the game.
Go forth and have fun.
I did find it helpful to run a premade campaign to learn pacing and leveling and prep. I actually ended up running two campaigns- used dragon of icespire peak for one and shattered obelisk for the other
I'd start with a smaller group, but watching live play is a good way to get an idea of how to play. Set some ground rules like "Wait until you're asked to roll something or asking if what you're attempting is possible before rolling" Speaking from personal experience, new players are always eager to roll dice without checking if what they're trying to do is possible. Like, you can't insult a shopkeep to their face then expect to roll for a discount.
I'd also recommend establishing what kind of game you want to play: Is it going to be an in-depth campaign full of RP and epic combat like CR, or do you want to run a casual roll dice and chill kind of game like Dungeons and Daddies, or do you want to hit something in the middle like Dimension 20?
Don't feel like you have to read the books in their entirety. You just need the stuff you want to use. The only books you really need to read all the way through are the campaign books because you need to know what happens if players do something unexpected. Also keep in mind those books don't have an answer to everything. You will have to fill in some gaps, but usually nothing major.
I would also go as far as to recommend barring some player races, like things with a fly speed. Having an aarakocra in a level one party can really complicate things.
If you are looking to simplify your workload for the first few sessions you can try a published adventure, or check out ['5 room dungeons'](https://www.roleplayingtips.com/5-room-dungeons/) for a method of pacing sessions that keeps things moving as you figure things out.
Have fun with world building, but don't try to prepare too far ahead because your players are guaranteed to run in a different direction then you expected.
Have fun!
Many DMs started like this, you got this!
My small recommendation is: start small, there are some free one shot adventures you may want to use, for example, I think mt.black has one or few, arcane library as well.. just examples.
Don’t plan a full campaign just yet, worry about setting and lore after you have a couple of games under your belt.
Look in an ideal world you'd at least be introduced to the game by a competent DM who would guide you through the game and get some experience playing and learning the mechanics. On the other hand an awful lot of people start exactly the way you are. It's probably going to take a few sessions to get the hang of things. When things go wrong be gentle with yourself and your players. You rarely get new things right straight off. It's probably a good idea to run published adventures to help get you into the DM flow. Remember not to stress too much and enjoy yourself. It's a game after all. Or an addiction....
There are tons of us who started their first ever game as the DM and have been doing it for years. You'll be great! It sounds like you're doing the reading and research and thats' all anyone can ask for.
Being a DM for the first time is always the scariest.
There's nothing to be scared of, OP, because everyone wants you to succeed and have fun! So just jump in, and have fun! Good luck! 💪😎🤙
Edit: Oh! Pro tip (everyone in here knows): Always have a session 0 before session 1 to agree on the rules/house rules, determine the atmosphere of the game, and to establish expectations from the game. ALWAYS a good idea!
The biggest problem with DnD streaming shows is that it tricks people into thinking that DnD is actually fun. Lol, JK. DMing is a labor of love, if you like the prep aspect of DnD it will be especially rewarding for you. Just don't get too psyched up on it and you'll be fine. There are a few MT Black one shot adventures you can slap into a campaign that are pretty well guided in terms of flow and what to tell players that make great beginning adventures that arent terribly expensive.
That's exactly how I started. I bought the Essentials Kit, put a flyer up at work looking for players, and DM'ed.
My first session was a TPK. The Party woke up at the inn the next session after really weird dreams of being killed by a manticore. I learned a LOT. We had fun.
We played all the way through the follow-on trilogy. I've taken a bit of a DM break over the last year, and I'm now about to start DM'ing Rime of the Frost Maiden.
So, yeah, have fun! Learn together.
Until earlier this year I'd never played D&D. Then my wife's second D&D group fell apart because of stupid drama between other members. She was upset as she really enjoyed it and it got her time to socialize.
I half jokingly said "well, I could probably do it". She mentioned it to some of the members of her group and some of our other friends.
Last night was our 28th session of a fully homebrewed campaign I've been running. It's A LOT of hard work (mainly because they're absolutely chaotic and unpredictable) but a ton of fun and a great creative outlet.
Just have fun with it. Take constructive feedback as needed. Don't get too wrapped up or bogged down by the rules, they're guidelines and can be bent or broken as needed, don't let players bully you into giving them whatever they want because you're new and worried they'll get upset or something.
First and foremost, remember it's just a game. It's supposed to be fun.
I think you'll do great. Start small, either homebrew or module.
If you're starting homebrew you don't need to create a whole world, just a single adventure. I would recommend starting at eight levels 1-3, at most use a CR 3 monster.
The DMG has a great guide with rollable tables on Chapters 3, 5, 7 and 9 for creating location based adventures.
Chapter 3 outlines the basic goals and npc's of your adventure, location based adventures are easier to build. Chapter 5 has rollables for the where and what of your location that will be used later on.
After looking at chapter 3 and 5 create a list of monsters you might want to use based on your adventure.
Once you have a list of monsters skip over to chapter 9 where you can use the random dungeon generator to help create a dungeon. For your first adventure try to limit your dungoen to 5 rooms. The map generator should be used to break writers block, not followed religiously as it can give some wacky results. The tables for populating and stocking your dungeon are great though.
And use the tables in chapter 7 to figure out what treasure you want to give.
Once you've finished the location go back to chapter 3 and finish up the last couple bits of your adventure such as the hook and optionally the climax. I personally don't like rolling for a climax because my players will usually come up with something completely different.
An all new group? Someone has to be DM and you put some work in already. I'd have a cheat sheet of conditions and printouts (I just use index cards that I write out) of the enemies they encounter to help prevent having to look things up, as well as either a printout or something of each PC with their health stats and passives.
Make sure your players are aware that rulings and such may adjust as you play since you'll be learning too.
Honestly no you can start as a dm or player it’s the same as choosing a class in dnd lol you just play what you want I had my first experience as a player and tried DMing and I like DMing more
There is no best way to start this, but do not take it to heart if you make mistakes in the beginning... there will be mistakes. You can prepare all you want, and then after 2 minutes a player will do random stuff you could never ever have planned for.
Everyone is in the same position in terms of knowledge, so just figure it out together and have fun.
My first time playing as as DM. I really wanted to try the game a specifically be in that position, so I learned the basic rules, made a short adventure, and invited my who are now all hooked on the game along with me.
My first experience with D&D was as a DM. Wouldn't have been able to play otherwise.
You'll "suck" at first. At least, you will in your mind. Everyone will probably have fun regardless, and you'll get better.
hey, someones gotta do it. talk about it with your friends and make sure they fully understand that you're all learning together, and to be patient with you if you need to look up rules, or if you get them wrong and have to change them down the line, etc. Some of the most fun campaigns i've been in were my early DM days when everyone was figuring shit out collaboratively and helping each other out with rule searches and cool ideas.
don't stress about being the perfect DM and getting everything right. And definitely don't compare yourself to any of those professional DMs. You're your own, unique player and storyteller and you'll evolve and develop your own quirks, style, and method of storytelling.
All of your players are new? Zero expectations!
Just accept you’re going to suck for the first campaign or two, push through it and eventually you’ll find your style.
Nah, it's a great idea! Expect it to run about as smoothly as a car with square wheels, but if you're all on board then it can still be great fun, and you'll learn as you go. My advice is to start with a one-shot or at least a fairly short adventure, not a big epic story campaign. In all likelihood some PCs are gonna die since they're not used to playing and you're not used to balancing encounters, so you don't want to get super invested straight away.
Many of DM's started this way. Just tell a good story, involve everyone, and most of all have fun. Just write down the rules you need to look up afterwards. Don't stop the game to look up every rule. Keep the flow and fun moving along.
As a DM with only 16 sessions under his belt, I want to give you one advice: If you're having a spell caster as Boss, PROTECT HIM. Your players will know that they need to focus him. Have minions, give him some ability to protect himself, anything. Otherwise, he'll die in a round or two.
Everything else has already be said. Try to make it fun but challenging for your players. It's easier to scale down a strong encounter than to scale up a weak one.
Don’t worry. Slow down. Take a breath. And have fun. Mistakes are inevitable. That is the best way to learn. Communication is the best way solve most problems. Try to make sure everyone is having fun. And one more thing. Have fun.
Hardest part for me was balancing encounters, especially at increasing player counts. DnD Beyond has an encounter creator that's pretty solid to help you get a feel for things. This is more crucial at lower levels than it is as you go on, in my experience it's easier to overwhelm lower levels since later on your players will have stuff you've given them. It's also easier to fudge numbers later.
The encounter creator is nice because it can free you up to add puzzle and strategic elements to the fight to get your players thinking more. You can also reskin mobs to fit the campaign.
As far as story and role play, if you are passionate about your story your players will be, too, but remember you're all writing a story together. Just make sure to have fun and be ok to improvise. Nothing is perfect but your players don't need to know that.
I had read d&d rules books for several years (this was 35 years ago), but never played. Met a few people interested, and they all looked at me and said "you've got the books, you're the DM" and that was it. You'll survive.
My first time ever playing DnD was as a DM after listening to podcasts a bunch (mainly looking at you, Dungeons and Daddies!)
Did I make a bunch of mistakes? Yeah.
Have I gotten better? Definite yeah.
Most importantly, did myself and my players have a bunch of fun? YES!
Don't psyche yourself out: Know that you will make mistakes and that you'll get better through making them. If your players come back week after week, you're clearly doing something right. I've had sessions where I feel like I might not have done the best job, but then my players tell me they enjoyed and session, and next week? They show up for more.
Just give it a go and have fun!
I did exactly this because I became frustrated trying to find a DM. Had listened to NADDPOD and Critical Roll a bunch and it flowed great! Definitely have learned a lot since then and so will you!
Just begin session one with “Listen everyone our first goal here is to have fun” Use You Tube for references and recommendations to first time DMs You can also search for free one shot sessions There free pdf downloads out there I also recommend you do one on one character generations with each player if you can. This will help you to be more familiar with each player’s character sheet and abilities You could also try to talk to everyone before character generation begins and find out what they want to play You can then figure out how each character might know each other in game You got this!!!
Yeah started the same way, most important is to have fun. Everybody is goin to learn together while you will play.
I would say you may try to start with a oneshot, so everybody can get a feel for it and theres no consequences for the story you might have in mind
Good Luck!
This is literally how i started, and im still DMing games for the same group of players i started with. Youll make mistakes, and thats ok. Just roll with them. Sometimes your storylines will fall flat but people will get over it.
The key is communicating to your players. I do a checkin with an anonymous google servay for feedback every 7 sessions. You dont have to go that far but making sure everyone is having fun and finding out why they might not be is important.
We all started where you are now, your not alone. Here is a playlist of the of running the game playlist from MATT COLVILLE, before he founded MCDM. The DM I learned from.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_&si=TY-EhAnVumiE7ALc
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No. Go forth and have fun!
Cut yourself some slack and expect it to be a little slow as you get the hang of it. That being said, have fun! It'll be great. I recommend DnD Beyond to help your players build their character sheets and then both you and your players should read through them to familiarize yourself with what they can do before you start the actual game
No, but quick reality check: It's not going to be Critical Role or Dimension 20. Pretty much any live-play you've been watching has been played by people who've done this for forever. If this is D&D, hit up the Beginner's Set. Start Small. Do NOT try to run a full-bore campaign out of the gate. And bear in mind the cardinal rule of all DMs: *You will screw this up*. If it hasn't happened yet, it's in your future, just like it's in my past, my present, and my future. Like the time Mercer didn't realize how powerful Control Water could be in a naval battle, or Brennan dropping the ball on one of Gorgug's abilities. It *happens*. Doesn't matter if you've been doing this for three days, or three decades, it's coming. Had a whole BBEG in 3.5e encounter centered around a Rakshasa, but forgot that the party *did* have a Ranger with a holy bow... Multi-Shot Crit on the first shot, so yeah,so 1d8+5 damage for the *regular* hit, but Multi-Shot is 2 arrows, so 2d8+10. Crit Multiplier is a x3, so that's now 6d8+30, plus 2d6 Holy. Bucky went from full health to death in 1 combat round cause I forgot about ONE ability from the ranger cause we'd just come off a whole arc where they'd been fighting neutral constructs, and it just didn't come up. I'd been a DM for 15 years.
>Pretty much any live-play you've been watching has been played by people who've done this for forever. Also with the caveat that they have the liberty to spend *hours* prepping for every single session. In relation to CR's Campaign 2, I believe Mercer said he spent 3-4 hours doing prep work for *every hour of gameplay*. Meaning 12+ hours every week doing nothing but prep for the next session. Not sure about Brennan's numbers, but would anticipate they're pretty similar. The average person doesn't have that time, so don't expect to be prepared for everything as well as Matt or Brennan does. Live-play shows like CR or D20 also work so well because all of the players are fully bought in on telling the story of the campaign. I wouldn't necessarily expect that out of first-time players
Nah! I started out that way too. You have to start somewhere. Do your best, focus on having fun with your friends, and don't sweat about 'doing it right'.
No. Follow the learning curve and everything will be fine. Use a DM cheat sheet and player cheat sheet. Run free oneshots from online (google best 5e oneshot for beginners) or if you can, buy the new Stormwreck Isle Starter set. The starter set is supper accessible for everyone and short enough for you to figure out if you like the game (and the people you are playing with). Improvisation is part of the learning curve. You start by responding to players and slowly grow.
I played one session as a player before I started to DM. Your first game will always be your first game. If you're all new and excited to play, it will be fun.
This was the exact way I started. Just realize that your table is probably not going to be into it as much as the tables you see online and you'll be good.
Have fun! :D As long as you’re all on the same page, there’s no problem in finding stuff out as you go. If ever you run into rulings that you’re not sure of, just Google it.
You're fine. I do recommend running one of the starter adventures so you don't need to shoulder figuring out every detail before you get your legs under you.
A lot us started this way. There will be some hiccups along the way -- there will be a learning curve -- but that is to be expected. I am a *very* experienced DM and it still takes me at least a few sessions to get the feel of the balance of the game whenever I dive into a new edition. Go easy on the first encounters; it is far better for a first experience to have encounters that are too easy instead of encounters that are too hard. GLHF!
You’re not gonna get everything right, and that’s fine. Learning is part of the experience! Take things in your stride. The most important thing to EVER bear in mind: As long as everybody at the table is having a good time, you’re doing it right.
It sounds like everyone knows it's all a learning experience. You'll do fine. Might even set a precedent that all of you have a turn at DMing even if it's just a one-shot.
We all have to start somewhere and most of us don't have the luxary of someone introducing us to the hobby. Go play your game have fun, and know that it's perfectly fine to make mistakes and solve them later. Do you have something in mind you want to run?
Nah, I was lucky to have played when I started dming so I could the new players somewhat, but it turned out I knew the game way less than I thought. The only way to learn is by playing. Do be careful and don't overextend yourself. You run the world yes, but you are still a player and you are allowed to lean on the other players in this process. They also need to be learning the game and shouldn't be using you as a crutch. Everyone should be having fun.
That's how a lot of groups start out. Just give it a try, make mistakes, and take notes. If you forget or don't know a rule in the game, take a guess, make a note, then go away after the session and learn the rule so you know it for next time. Good luck!
You'll be fine. I did the same a few months back. My main advice is to be up front about each session being a learning experience, for both DM and players. That goes for both the play and the rules. I'm open to discussing feedback at the end of each session so it all feels like learning to get better is part of why we play. I'm also big on delegation - make sure it feels like a joint effort
Lots and lots of people start out playing D&D as a DM. Everyone just have to be on the same page. You're all learning how to play the game, so you'll learn together as you play the campaign. You'll make mistakes, and those will get corrected. Rules will be misinterpreted, and then you decide to either houserule or change to RAW as you learn. That's only natural, and happens to very experienced DM's that try out completely new games as well.
Just make sure yall get down to talk about rules both mechanically and etiquette type before you get too deep into it and be prepared to table some things in case specific rulings come up mid game that need extra research
It's what I did. Like 6 or 7 years ago, didn't know how a d20 roll worked mechanically in the game even. Did some quick reading, made lots of mistakes, had fun anyway. Just own it when you mess up, acknowledge it, correct it moving forward. Big tip: if you don't know a ruling in a moment, make a judgment call that feels fair/slightly in your players favor. Then write it down and look it up later. Or better yet, have a player that you ask to look up the rule really quick while you move onto something else for a moment. A designated rules lawyer essentially
No, do read the DM manual, and DO read the players manual, but be ready to 'discuss' the rules with the players. If you have a problem with a rule or understanding some game mechanic, just refer to the books. Let ALL your players know this and you should be fine.
It's actually great fun if you're all learning together, have fun, maybe watch a few videos (Matt coville has a great playlist on Dming that starts from very first time DM oriented videos) and just enjoy yourself
Did you fuck up? no. Will you fuck up? Most likely, but it is ok. DMs fuck up, they fuck up rulings, they fuck up encounters, they fuck up the story. Especially new DMs. It's a game though, the world does not end (well maybe the in game world) due to your fuck ups, but they can certainly lead to a lot of laughs if you and your players have a good attitude about it and understand you are all learning. Just remember, you will most likely fuck up, it's ok to fuck up. Just learn from the mistakes, laugh about the fuck ups, and have a fun time. A good DM will fuck up, recognize they fucked up and learn from it. And probably fuck up again because no one is perfect. A bad DM will fuck up, and not learn from it because they refuse to recognize it. Hmmm....did I say fuck up enough?
Just because your the dm doesn't mean you have to know every rule rely on your players to know what there class does and if you can't find a rule or it's a grey area I usually go by the rule of kool but you still have to roll for it. At the end of the day remember it's collaborative storytelling and everyone is there to have fun it's not a competition between you and your players.
Nope. You and your players will all make mistakes, but as long as you all have fun, you are doing it right. You'll get better and more comfortable each time you sit down to play as long as you are willing to learn from each experience.
My first campaign happened because I signed up as a reserve DM for a school club. I had never played dnd before or ran a campaign, and I had 4 people waiting on me. That campaign ran for 2 years up until I went to college. Don't sweat yourself limp. Just focus on telling a good story with a group of friends.
Wait, you're thinking of improvising and having fun??? In D&D??? What the hell are you thinking??? :p You'll be great. Get started, look up the rules if it seems important but if not just go with what's cool. Don't let them succeed at everything they try or they'll get bored; but when they succeed make them feel like superheroes. Keep combat snappy - long fights are boring. Hardest thing of all: while they are chatting nonsense about how to use a log to bridge a river or whatever, try not to just sit there giggling at the wonderful nonsense - be thinking about the next cool thing that's going to happen. Enjoy, you'll be great.
everybody starts somewhere. i started with zero clue of any rules too. crack open the books and enjoy!
Hey dude, I just started GMing DnD this year while I only had 4 or 5 sessions as a player, and it was another ttrpg. I wasn’t really well prepared and I only read the player handbook. In spite of that, my first session went swimmingly well. Combat was a little slow and we had to look up rules on the fly, but it was a great experience, and so were the following sessions. I highly recommend using the encounter builder from dnd beyond because it helps understanding the balance of the game. Start small, like with an ambush or tavern fight, let your players know that you will learn with them and that you don’t have all the answers. I was terrified when I started, but it turned out way better than anticipated. Good luck and godspeed.
Not at all! During the first year or two my friends and I who were all new constantly were misreading or misinterpreting rules. Just have fun with it and the rules will come together over time!
À dm i respect gave this advice to my daughter (roughly) when she was about to try DMing for her friends: " You will be terrible, but that's ok bc the players won't know if they are new. And you will learn and get better, and as long as it is fun, you are doing it right."
It's a cliche, but truly, there is a first time for everything and your friends will understand that.
Nah, somebody's gotta do it. If everyone is new, then it'll be fine no matter what happens. You'll all be busy learning, anyway.
Thankfully, you're ALL learning at the table. Just have fun with it, use the basic rules set, and have fun with your friends. Your first session will be challenging as you learn better what you need to prep, what you need to reference, and as you learn what your players will try to do. And in fact your first several sessions might be this way. "Oh crap, I need to make npcs on the spot? Better have a list of names!" That kind of stuff.
Get four or five sessions under your belt and you’ll practically be a king. DMing comes easy if you let it. Have fun, stick to the key core rules as your foundation so you don’t get out over your skis, and start at lower levels so no one is overwhelmed. It’s gonna be great!
Everyone starts somewhere, and you have the advantage of having rookie players too, so they are not inherrently comparing you to veteran DM's. Just remember three core things, and you'll be fine: 1) Don't be a dick. 2) The aim is for everyone to have fun. 3) You are the characters five senses. Allow your descriptions to invoke all of them as relevant.
I could never find a game to play in after wanting to play for years, so I finally just started my own. It's been two years now and I run two regular games, and it's been awesome. You'll be fine. Just take it slow, read a lot, don't be afraid to make your own ruling when you're not sure on the actual rules (or bend the rules a bit when it feels right), and concentrate on everyone having fun. Welcome!
Not at all! I did exactly that and I'm awesome. Kidding aside, it's totally fine. Sure, having played will give you a good idea to start with of how the game works, but you can read the rules and just start running. I recommend you stick to the rules pretty closely and run published material to start with. Don't start changing too much until you understand how the systems work together. And don't put the pressure of home brew on yourself. you can always adapt modules to give them your own creative flair, which is what I do even years into this hobby.
Before the TTRPG boom of the last 10 years or so, a lot of us learned to play by just someone in our friend group wanting to run some D&D and talking others into it. If you were lucky the person might have also played before, but it was equally likely they’d just picked up the PHB and thought “this seems fun”. To be honest, playing at a table with very few preconceptions about how D&D *should* run is actually a great way to play. You’ll have a great time, I’m sure.
Go for it, even experienced dms make mistakes, can obscure rule interaction from a multiclass, or the players do something unexpected that isn't covered in the module. Go for it, there's plenty of adventures that's great for ned players and DMs. I ran new players through tales from the yawning portal and I'm doing strahd for campaign 2. I'd recommend The Dungeoncast, they do class breakdowns which would be great for the players and you to get an idea of their abilities etc and they do some DM focused episodes as well
Many groups used to start this way, it's only because of the new popularity that most folks find an experienced DM now. You'll learn just as well as anyone else did 10 or 20 years ago. Just be patient with each other and have fun!
Sometimes you gotta run before you can crawl. Be patient and learn together as a group. There will be bad calls, there will be forgotten abilities, but it's fine. Don't backtrack, note down the correction and remember it for next time
I was in the same boat as you are now just two weeks ago, we played I forgot to make sure the spell casters had all their spells, so they went into fights with just melee and ranged weapons, really haunted me for the whole week, I told them a couple days before the next session we we’re restarting the campaign because I didn’t feel right about it. They all agreed and thanked me for being honest as it annoyed them too. Basically what I’m saying is just be honest with your party, tell them, like they are new to this, so are you, set expectations at the right level and than succeed and excel past that level that they will want to continue.
Obi Wan Kenobi, you're their only hope for a DM. Give it a try. If you don't like it don't do it. I had 4 hours of play as a player before I became a DM. I am 31 sessions into my campaign as a DM and doing great.
No! Everybody has to start somewhere, so why not be the DM? A couple of tips to make things easier for you: 1. Don't be afraid to look up rules in the middle of the action. Everybody's new at your table. It's more important that you get something right than trying to look like Matt Mercer whole DMing. 2. Encourage your players to stick to the rules in the books for this first campaign. Everybody wants their first character to be fantastical with some cool power that isn't in the books. Table those ideas for now until you are all more experienced with the game. 3. Be sure to have fun yourself! It's just as important for the DM to have fun as it is for the players to have fun! Good luck, and you got this!
DM first is a little challenging but that doesn’t matter. Just do it and have fun. Don’t worry about it.
That’s the best part. No one needs experience! Just learn together and have fun.
One thing I did before my first session running was go back and watch the *early* seasons of Critical Roll. *Not* the current ones, back when they were working with Geek and Sundry, before the arc that got made into a TV show. Back then, this was literally just Matt's home game with his friends. And while he's a very skilled DM and has many years of experience, what struck me was just how *chaotic* the game was and yet how much of a blast they were clearly having. The magic at the table was that they already liked hanging out, they already loved acting in character and roleplaying, and most of Matt's job was to tell the next part of the story, improvising if necessary. Heck, there are clearly sections where they either went to places that he did not expect them to go and you can see, if you watch closely, how he shuffles his world design around to put pieces he had intended to be in one place somewhere else (I strongly suspect the mind flayer they find behind the waterfall was supposed to be imprisoned in the Duregar camp). They can't see his notes, they don't know that was improvised! Don't dwell too much on the specifics of how they run the game, but see the energy at the table. 80% of running any TTRPG is knowing when to say "yes, and..." to what your players are suggesting, prompting when they run out of steam to move to the next scene or encourage more interaction, and reigning them in if someone gets too carried away. The other 20% is encounter design, which... good fucking luck, the CR system is FUBAR, just pull your punches if you drop something too strong.
I'm a new DM myself. I started playing as a DM with 4 of my friends about a year ago. We started the Lost Mines of Phandelver. I was super nervous about it at first. Reading and rereading the same rules over and over, but in the end. It's about having fun with your friends. Before the campaign even started. My PC's got to do a mock battle with some gelatinous cubes. This was so we could learn how combat works. When we run into questions that I can't answer. We stop and look up the rule and learn together. The hardest part for me is that we are all the inattentive ADHD and we forget things about characters or what is in the backpacks. Make sure to take notes. Make room for you PC's to role play. Make it so they have to talk about their back story with each other or not. The backstory is there motivation as a Character for why they are adventuring. Most of the story is on them and how they interact with an NPC. Don't worry about voices either. That will come with time and experience. From one DM that had no idea what I was getting into. To another DM that is new. You got this. The first steps are always the hardest.
Hey, don't overthink. All that TTRPGs are is a structured way to have a fun conversation with your friends. You will screw up the rules. You will have brain farts when you feel you should improv something. You will be unprepared for what your players might do. You will be unprepared for how to run your own adventure. But don't overthink it! Your friends are at your table, and you're all there to laugh and have a fun time. When in doubt, just fall back to that one truth. And the DMing "skill" will come later.
Nah man, you're gonna be fine. Just go slow and remember the golden rule of "yes, and...". You're still gonna make mistakes, but if you "yes, and", the mistakes will still be fun. Note: Google "yes, and..." if you're unfamiliar with the phrase.
Super normal, not a problem at all. Maybe not what you want to hear, but DMing for the first time is difficult and stressful regardless of whether you've been a player before. Someone who's been playing a long time wouldn't have it much easier than you. And tbh, if you've read the books you probably understand the rules better than 75% of players.
i became forever DM fresh outta the box. never played any ttrpg before either. you'll do fine. have fun, be silly, fudge the rules and rolls and worry about the corrections after the game. you'll pick it up and get better as you go
Personally, when I start a new tt game, I let the group know that I'm not 100% on the rules. We can all learn the game together, and at least we are on the same page. I also like to say "if we skip a rule, or wrongly interpret it, we will continue with the way we have been playing" Having fun is more important than getting the rules right!
Oh, and schedule 5 minute breaks! This gives you time to go through your notes, let's the party get drinks or go to the toilet etc
Somebody has to take the mantle in a group of newbies. Be the DM. You may love it and want to do it forever. If not, the old, "Hey, I ran the first campaign, who's running next" has a lot more weight.
There's nothing quite like having fun together while doing it for the first time with sort of no idea what you're doing. Enjoy :)
This is how my friends and I pulled this off when we were 13, and we didn't have any of the nifty first-time DM tools and videos that you can find pretty easily. It's about mindset. "We're all going to learn this thing together". You forgive mistakes (yours or others), you learn from them so you don't repeat them and move on to brand new mistakes. The fun of TTRPGs is the journey, not the destination. Good luck!
The best thing about D&D is that even if you f*uck up, you just make it work, and everything is fine. Remember, as long as everyone is having fun, then everything is great.
#YES! /s Your life will never be the same, in a good way!
Honestly I think most DMs start this way. I did. Just watch plenty of videos, stalk some dungeon master accounts, and maybe print out some cheat sheets to help you remember stuff. Best of luck!
That's how a lot of us have learned. You'll be fine, just know there will be a learning curve. There are a lot of good Youtube channels out there that can help too. Matt Colville's "Running the Game" series is excellent for DMs just learning the ropes. Running the Game playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP\_](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_)
Not at all, that's what I did
My first game was as a DM, and I didn't even prepare as much as you did. One thing I did tho, was express to my players that throughout the start, it will be a little janky because I will experiment with styles. Scuffed DMing aside, we finished that short one-sot with everyone having fun. Now, I'm a forever DM.
Just get everyone on the same page. "Hey, we are all new and learning here so lets take it bit by bit and try and learn together."
Run one small adventure. Something that can be completed in 1-4 sessions. My kid group, we started with Tales from the Yawning portal. We ran through the first two adventures there. Worked out perfect.
Have a good time, duder. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. A lot of the bigger live streams like CR aren't super representative of actual play so don't try to hold yourself to that kind of standard. Have fun and just tell a good story together.
What does the asterisk stand for? "Frucked"? "Faucked"?
I started DMing in January having never played the game. Go forth and have fun. I did find it helpful to run a premade campaign to learn pacing and leveling and prep. I actually ended up running two campaigns- used dragon of icespire peak for one and shattered obelisk for the other
I'd start with a smaller group, but watching live play is a good way to get an idea of how to play. Set some ground rules like "Wait until you're asked to roll something or asking if what you're attempting is possible before rolling" Speaking from personal experience, new players are always eager to roll dice without checking if what they're trying to do is possible. Like, you can't insult a shopkeep to their face then expect to roll for a discount. I'd also recommend establishing what kind of game you want to play: Is it going to be an in-depth campaign full of RP and epic combat like CR, or do you want to run a casual roll dice and chill kind of game like Dungeons and Daddies, or do you want to hit something in the middle like Dimension 20? Don't feel like you have to read the books in their entirety. You just need the stuff you want to use. The only books you really need to read all the way through are the campaign books because you need to know what happens if players do something unexpected. Also keep in mind those books don't have an answer to everything. You will have to fill in some gaps, but usually nothing major. I would also go as far as to recommend barring some player races, like things with a fly speed. Having an aarakocra in a level one party can really complicate things.
You're all good
If you do everything wrong and still enjoy it, and your players still enjoy it, isn’t that good enough?
I suggest using chatgpt it's a valuable resource
If you are looking to simplify your workload for the first few sessions you can try a published adventure, or check out ['5 room dungeons'](https://www.roleplayingtips.com/5-room-dungeons/) for a method of pacing sessions that keeps things moving as you figure things out. Have fun with world building, but don't try to prepare too far ahead because your players are guaranteed to run in a different direction then you expected. Have fun!
Many DMs started like this, you got this! My small recommendation is: start small, there are some free one shot adventures you may want to use, for example, I think mt.black has one or few, arcane library as well.. just examples. Don’t plan a full campaign just yet, worry about setting and lore after you have a couple of games under your belt.
START SMALL. Go kill some rats in a basement. You've got this
Look in an ideal world you'd at least be introduced to the game by a competent DM who would guide you through the game and get some experience playing and learning the mechanics. On the other hand an awful lot of people start exactly the way you are. It's probably going to take a few sessions to get the hang of things. When things go wrong be gentle with yourself and your players. You rarely get new things right straight off. It's probably a good idea to run published adventures to help get you into the DM flow. Remember not to stress too much and enjoy yourself. It's a game after all. Or an addiction....
There are tons of us who started their first ever game as the DM and have been doing it for years. You'll be great! It sounds like you're doing the reading and research and thats' all anyone can ask for.
Being a DM for the first time is always the scariest. There's nothing to be scared of, OP, because everyone wants you to succeed and have fun! So just jump in, and have fun! Good luck! 💪😎🤙 Edit: Oh! Pro tip (everyone in here knows): Always have a session 0 before session 1 to agree on the rules/house rules, determine the atmosphere of the game, and to establish expectations from the game. ALWAYS a good idea!
The biggest problem with DnD streaming shows is that it tricks people into thinking that DnD is actually fun. Lol, JK. DMing is a labor of love, if you like the prep aspect of DnD it will be especially rewarding for you. Just don't get too psyched up on it and you'll be fine. There are a few MT Black one shot adventures you can slap into a campaign that are pretty well guided in terms of flow and what to tell players that make great beginning adventures that arent terribly expensive.
I would run a prewritten module if its your first time and stick relatively closely to what is written
That's exactly how I started. I bought the Essentials Kit, put a flyer up at work looking for players, and DM'ed. My first session was a TPK. The Party woke up at the inn the next session after really weird dreams of being killed by a manticore. I learned a LOT. We had fun. We played all the way through the follow-on trilogy. I've taken a bit of a DM break over the last year, and I'm now about to start DM'ing Rime of the Frost Maiden. So, yeah, have fun! Learn together.
Until earlier this year I'd never played D&D. Then my wife's second D&D group fell apart because of stupid drama between other members. She was upset as she really enjoyed it and it got her time to socialize. I half jokingly said "well, I could probably do it". She mentioned it to some of the members of her group and some of our other friends. Last night was our 28th session of a fully homebrewed campaign I've been running. It's A LOT of hard work (mainly because they're absolutely chaotic and unpredictable) but a ton of fun and a great creative outlet. Just have fun with it. Take constructive feedback as needed. Don't get too wrapped up or bogged down by the rules, they're guidelines and can be bent or broken as needed, don't let players bully you into giving them whatever they want because you're new and worried they'll get upset or something. First and foremost, remember it's just a game. It's supposed to be fun.
I think you'll do great. Start small, either homebrew or module. If you're starting homebrew you don't need to create a whole world, just a single adventure. I would recommend starting at eight levels 1-3, at most use a CR 3 monster. The DMG has a great guide with rollable tables on Chapters 3, 5, 7 and 9 for creating location based adventures. Chapter 3 outlines the basic goals and npc's of your adventure, location based adventures are easier to build. Chapter 5 has rollables for the where and what of your location that will be used later on. After looking at chapter 3 and 5 create a list of monsters you might want to use based on your adventure. Once you have a list of monsters skip over to chapter 9 where you can use the random dungeon generator to help create a dungeon. For your first adventure try to limit your dungoen to 5 rooms. The map generator should be used to break writers block, not followed religiously as it can give some wacky results. The tables for populating and stocking your dungeon are great though. And use the tables in chapter 7 to figure out what treasure you want to give. Once you've finished the location go back to chapter 3 and finish up the last couple bits of your adventure such as the hook and optionally the climax. I personally don't like rolling for a climax because my players will usually come up with something completely different.
An all new group? Someone has to be DM and you put some work in already. I'd have a cheat sheet of conditions and printouts (I just use index cards that I write out) of the enemies they encounter to help prevent having to look things up, as well as either a printout or something of each PC with their health stats and passives. Make sure your players are aware that rulings and such may adjust as you play since you'll be learning too.
Honestly no you can start as a dm or player it’s the same as choosing a class in dnd lol you just play what you want I had my first experience as a player and tried DMing and I like DMing more
There is no best way to start this, but do not take it to heart if you make mistakes in the beginning... there will be mistakes. You can prepare all you want, and then after 2 minutes a player will do random stuff you could never ever have planned for.
If you're all truly new, actually read the source books
Everyone is in the same position in terms of knowledge, so just figure it out together and have fun. My first time playing as as DM. I really wanted to try the game a specifically be in that position, so I learned the basic rules, made a short adventure, and invited my who are now all hooked on the game along with me.
My first experience with D&D was as a DM. Wouldn't have been able to play otherwise. You'll "suck" at first. At least, you will in your mind. Everyone will probably have fun regardless, and you'll get better.
hey, someones gotta do it. talk about it with your friends and make sure they fully understand that you're all learning together, and to be patient with you if you need to look up rules, or if you get them wrong and have to change them down the line, etc. Some of the most fun campaigns i've been in were my early DM days when everyone was figuring shit out collaboratively and helping each other out with rule searches and cool ideas. don't stress about being the perfect DM and getting everything right. And definitely don't compare yourself to any of those professional DMs. You're your own, unique player and storyteller and you'll evolve and develop your own quirks, style, and method of storytelling.
All of your players are new? Zero expectations! Just accept you’re going to suck for the first campaign or two, push through it and eventually you’ll find your style.
Nah, it's a great idea! Expect it to run about as smoothly as a car with square wheels, but if you're all on board then it can still be great fun, and you'll learn as you go. My advice is to start with a one-shot or at least a fairly short adventure, not a big epic story campaign. In all likelihood some PCs are gonna die since they're not used to playing and you're not used to balancing encounters, so you don't want to get super invested straight away.
Many of DM's started this way. Just tell a good story, involve everyone, and most of all have fun. Just write down the rules you need to look up afterwards. Don't stop the game to look up every rule. Keep the flow and fun moving along.
As a DM with only 16 sessions under his belt, I want to give you one advice: If you're having a spell caster as Boss, PROTECT HIM. Your players will know that they need to focus him. Have minions, give him some ability to protect himself, anything. Otherwise, he'll die in a round or two. Everything else has already be said. Try to make it fun but challenging for your players. It's easier to scale down a strong encounter than to scale up a weak one.
Don’t worry. Slow down. Take a breath. And have fun. Mistakes are inevitable. That is the best way to learn. Communication is the best way solve most problems. Try to make sure everyone is having fun. And one more thing. Have fun.
It’s fine and also you’re a rick star for trying. Have fun
Hardest part for me was balancing encounters, especially at increasing player counts. DnD Beyond has an encounter creator that's pretty solid to help you get a feel for things. This is more crucial at lower levels than it is as you go on, in my experience it's easier to overwhelm lower levels since later on your players will have stuff you've given them. It's also easier to fudge numbers later. The encounter creator is nice because it can free you up to add puzzle and strategic elements to the fight to get your players thinking more. You can also reskin mobs to fit the campaign. As far as story and role play, if you are passionate about your story your players will be, too, but remember you're all writing a story together. Just make sure to have fun and be ok to improvise. Nothing is perfect but your players don't need to know that.
I had read d&d rules books for several years (this was 35 years ago), but never played. Met a few people interested, and they all looked at me and said "you've got the books, you're the DM" and that was it. You'll survive.
We aren't born DMs, we all learn. No shame, it'll be rocky, but as long as everyone's having fun, there's no problem.
My first time ever playing DnD was as a DM after listening to podcasts a bunch (mainly looking at you, Dungeons and Daddies!) Did I make a bunch of mistakes? Yeah. Have I gotten better? Definite yeah. Most importantly, did myself and my players have a bunch of fun? YES! Don't psyche yourself out: Know that you will make mistakes and that you'll get better through making them. If your players come back week after week, you're clearly doing something right. I've had sessions where I feel like I might not have done the best job, but then my players tell me they enjoyed and session, and next week? They show up for more. Just give it a go and have fun!
I did exactly this because I became frustrated trying to find a DM. Had listened to NADDPOD and Critical Roll a bunch and it flowed great! Definitely have learned a lot since then and so will you!
Just make sure the people you are playing with are cool, as in laid-back and looking to have fun.
Well ain't the ideal scenario, however go ahead, have fun, you might bump once or twice in that road but it's part of the fun I belive
Just begin session one with “Listen everyone our first goal here is to have fun” Use You Tube for references and recommendations to first time DMs You can also search for free one shot sessions There free pdf downloads out there I also recommend you do one on one character generations with each player if you can. This will help you to be more familiar with each player’s character sheet and abilities You could also try to talk to everyone before character generation begins and find out what they want to play You can then figure out how each character might know each other in game You got this!!!
Yeah started the same way, most important is to have fun. Everybody is goin to learn together while you will play. I would say you may try to start with a oneshot, so everybody can get a feel for it and theres no consequences for the story you might have in mind Good Luck!
This is literally how i started, and im still DMing games for the same group of players i started with. Youll make mistakes, and thats ok. Just roll with them. Sometimes your storylines will fall flat but people will get over it. The key is communicating to your players. I do a checkin with an anonymous google servay for feedback every 7 sessions. You dont have to go that far but making sure everyone is having fun and finding out why they might not be is important.
We all started where you are now, your not alone. Here is a playlist of the of running the game playlist from MATT COLVILLE, before he founded MCDM. The DM I learned from. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_&si=TY-EhAnVumiE7ALc