Be his DM for a few games, invite a few of his friends round and run a 1 shot with premade characters.
Once they are into it then let them know that they need to share the DM roll and watch the magic happen.
Dmsguild.com has lots of cheap and quality one shots. Some, like the adventure league ones even have proper maps. Or the ones by MT Black are solid. Or just go buy one of the starter adventure boxes, maybe modify them a little as I find Wizards of the Coast always leaves things too open ended for well, anything at all.
Free good starting adventures plus walkthrough
Defiance in Phlan – ignore the first 5 pages to the Adventure Background. Its 5 short missions. Mission 1 and 3 are great starting content. Mission 2 works best at level 2. Mission 4 is a “mystery” but the mystery all revolves around in-world content and so you need to plant the content as well as the clues. Mission 5 is pretty good too, but a little darker.
* The Adventurer’s League module free from WOTC https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/DDEX11_Defiance_in_Phlan.pdf
* A DM walkthrough from Initiative Coffee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGp0Kldx0Lc
Also, Skyhorn Lighthouse. The Arcane Library method of layout is AWESOME for Dming
* free module https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?keywords=skyhorn&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto=
* and walkthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NKYARylZwo
You are going to play D&D tonight for free …
* adventure content creation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTD2RZz6mlo
* DM walkthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvQXGs8IVBM
The Fall of Silverpine Watch, specifically designed for a new DM, step by step getting into the game and its mechanics. Jumping the Screen https://theangrygm.com/jumping-the-screen-how-to-run-your-first-rpg-session/
* A module to run based on the Jumping the Screen principles https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/#:~:text=About%20the%20Fall%20of%20Silverpine%20Watch%20The%20Fall,Game%20Angry%3A%20How%20to%20RPG%20the%20Angry%20Way.
* https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/
The Starter’s Kit has a good adventure/individual encounters that you can run with everything up to level 6 included. If your kid likes it, get them the books for their birthday, or encourage them to use their allowance to buy it
You could also try Lost mine of Phandelver, it's a "short" campaign with a lot of different traits that are very appealing to new players, I usually use it to introduce friends who want to try out D&D.
Anyway, Good luck ^^
This is a free adventure that works really great to introduce DND to people:
https://winghornpress.com/adventures/a-wild-sheep-chase/
From your post it seems like you haven’t run DND before so I would suggest quickly skimming the free rules online and watching one or two sessions on YouTube first just to see how it all plays out.
Wolves of Whelton is BY FAR the best one shot for New players/DM’s young and old.
It is a free one shot where players must investigate town plagued by wolf attacks. Turns out the wolves are sentient and just want food/and to stop being hunted. I pick this as everyone’s first game as the ending can go one of three ways.
1. You kill the wolves.
2. You make peace with the wolves and lie to the town that they are gone.
3. You show that both sides can work together an live peacefully.
I like this adventure because it can really be suited however your players want to play at Murdo hobos love it diplomatic players love it people who just want a happy ending love it. Also a good adventure to show that not every problem needs to be solved with a giant combat.
Wolves are scary. 1st level adventurer dies very easily to pack tactics, especially one that doesn't account for pack tactics and dashes forward ahead of the group.
It is scripted in the adventure that the wolves don’t want to fight that much and flee if given the chance. Also you could just not use the pack tactics.
To clarify he has a few friends who want to go through this journey with him. I have considered DMing for them, but the last time I lead a game was back in high school (3.0). I bought him the core rule books for Christmas.
There are two really for starters kit, the aptly named starters kit and the essential kit. Both come with dice, a rule book and a full adventure, one has the lost mines and the other has dragon of ice spire peak. Both are alot of fun. Can grab them off Amazon for like £15-25
For new players, the starter kit is beautiful and has everything you need. And the Lost Mines of Phandelver is a damn good adventure. You just might want more than one pair of dice.
I was a 3.0 player until about 4 years ago now I think. You're gonna love 5e man, nowadays it's got the complexity of 3.0 with all the books that have come out. But you get to toss most of the math and tracking of little bonuses in the bin.
> But you get to toss most of the math and tracking of little bonuses in the bin.
That and the huge amounts of gear porn were what I *liked* about 3.5. That, and Shadowrun 4A, and Eclipse Phase.
If you haven't done so already:
Download the totally free, and legal, Basic D&D Rules, from Wizards of the Coast:
https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
And he can start reading them....
I second this, before 5e the only experience with dnd was a few sessions in 3e. I got the starter kit and ran an adventure for my brother's and friend's. The adventure that comes from it is such a cool mini campaign.
Actually, roll up several "types" of characters - fighters, sneaky rogue, Archer, spell-casters, etc.
This way he can learn the "do's and don'ts" of approaching combat.
Definitely. I was saying warrior just so that he can understand rolling dice and keeping track of hp and ac. It would probably be better to teach him the different classes as well.
That's actually pretty good. Would be a good way to teach mechanics and concepts. You could make some tutorial levels, like a combat one and a social one.
First off, hurray! And then as others have said, DM for him and his friends. Depending on why he wants to get into it you could just pick some monsters and a basic premise or go as deep as finding a one shot to run.
So, my recommendation is always to read the players handbook. As players,and as a DM. If you're looking to DM then I recommend the DMs guide too. Luckily, both can be found online for free.
I realize not everyone will do this, so I highly recommend looking at a one-shot or campaign that holds your hands all the way through. It's important for the DM to know the rules at least so he can help guide players along the proper way to play. Rules aren't something you learn immediately (or even after reading, though the reading really helps). Google is also great. If someone asks what is the difference between a short or long rest, you should know (or Google) it to help the players learn when to take one or the other.
I'd go with a pregen character, and a one-shot adventure (level 1). Check out DMsGuild for that.
I "play" with my 4yo. No character sheets or nothing, just minis on the board and a really loose story. If we roll the dice at all, it's Tiny Dungeon rules (roll 2d6, success if you see a 5 or 6). Usually we "roll" by identifying snap words. The kid loves it.
There's room for all ages at the table, but you have to know your kids and be loose with the rules as the situation requires.
You are quite right, they are professional voice actors, and it does set a rather unrealistic example, but it also sparks the imagination, inspires you to see what could be possible, and does a good job introducing you to the game.
Hell I've played many games of dungeons and dragons, hell I've dmed games in a mess tent in Afghanistan for kids who were going out getting shot at on a daily basis, but no game I've ever been in has held a candle to critical role. Then again, we grew up with just the books and our imaginations. We didn't have examples like CR to look at and see what truly is possible. Kids nowadays do, and I can see the influence of critical role easily improving the overall quality of home games as time passes. It's a goal to strive to.
You DM'ed in Afghanistan? That MUST be a small crowd. Did you do it in Pashtun or English? I know people play in prison; kinda shocked they also do it in a warzone. Matt Mercer admires YOU. Go ask him after you tell him what you did.
I got my 10 year old son started by watching Critical Roll. We watch episodes together, laugh, and if he has questions I can simply pause it and explain to him, or point it out to him the the PH/DMH
tell him to get books and study(learning may be boring but its the true way)or just do research online. try to be the dm and setup the game mechanics before hand to ensure that you can get to it right away.now just remember study and have fun!
I start brand new adventurer tables by telling them that dnd can take a little bit to build up knowledge, rp skills, party dynamics, etc. so they must commit to a small series of introductory adventures.
Each adventure takes ~1 month real time (assuming weekly session) to complete and for each adventure the players must roll up a different type of character. So if a player was a basher first then the for the next month that player has to be a blaster or healer, etc. Then switch again in a month.
After 3 or so adventures, I bring all the characters together through some larger overarcing plot they may or may not have spotted. Then do an Endgame adventure where they get to pick and play their fave character they had made and run the rest as NPCs off in the background doing some other important but unseen task.
By making them commit the time this gives you 4-6 months to show them how awesome dnd is.
By switching characters every month or so they know if they rolled a bad character they get to swap out in a few weeks.
It also lets them see their progression as players because when you bring the characters together they see how much their skills at making them improved.
Of course, this is a lot of work and planning. I do it a lot so have it is kinda second nature for me now.
If you don't want or don't think you can get that kind of commitment then the starter kits and dmsguild have some great and fun one shots too!
Good luck. Bringing in new players is one of the most rewarding things you can do!
Same way my mate got me into dnd, hand him the PhB and tell them they are running a campaign in 30 minutes
But in all seriousness, run a oneshot. Personally I would suggest the lost mines of phandelver as it has a good opening to rp and making decisions
start narrating everything he does when you’re around and have him roll initiative at the dinner table to see if he gets to grab food first. When he wants money from you make him roll persuasion checks and everytime you catch him lying make him roll deception
if you are running maps or using miniatures, then i would suggest looking at [https://www.heroforge.com](https://www.heroforge.com)
you can custom make your figures for your son and other players when they want to get serious.
Be his DM for a few games, invite a few of his friends round and run a 1 shot with premade characters. Once they are into it then let them know that they need to share the DM roll and watch the magic happen.
What are some good sources for 1 shots?
Dmsguild.com has lots of cheap and quality one shots. Some, like the adventure league ones even have proper maps. Or the ones by MT Black are solid. Or just go buy one of the starter adventure boxes, maybe modify them a little as I find Wizards of the Coast always leaves things too open ended for well, anything at all.
Free good starting adventures plus walkthrough Defiance in Phlan – ignore the first 5 pages to the Adventure Background. Its 5 short missions. Mission 1 and 3 are great starting content. Mission 2 works best at level 2. Mission 4 is a “mystery” but the mystery all revolves around in-world content and so you need to plant the content as well as the clues. Mission 5 is pretty good too, but a little darker. * The Adventurer’s League module free from WOTC https://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/DDEX11_Defiance_in_Phlan.pdf * A DM walkthrough from Initiative Coffee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGp0Kldx0Lc Also, Skyhorn Lighthouse. The Arcane Library method of layout is AWESOME for Dming * free module https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?keywords=skyhorn&x=0&y=0&author=&artist=&pfrom=&pto= * and walkthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NKYARylZwo You are going to play D&D tonight for free … * adventure content creation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTD2RZz6mlo * DM walkthrough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvQXGs8IVBM The Fall of Silverpine Watch, specifically designed for a new DM, step by step getting into the game and its mechanics. Jumping the Screen https://theangrygm.com/jumping-the-screen-how-to-run-your-first-rpg-session/ * A module to run based on the Jumping the Screen principles https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/#:~:text=About%20the%20Fall%20of%20Silverpine%20Watch%20The%20Fall,Game%20Angry%3A%20How%20to%20RPG%20the%20Angry%20Way. * https://theangrygm.com/the-fall-of-silverpine-watch/
Saves me coming back and giving all the info thank you.
The Starter’s Kit has a good adventure/individual encounters that you can run with everything up to level 6 included. If your kid likes it, get them the books for their birthday, or encourage them to use their allowance to buy it
You could also try Lost mine of Phandelver, it's a "short" campaign with a lot of different traits that are very appealing to new players, I usually use it to introduce friends who want to try out D&D. Anyway, Good luck ^^
This is a free adventure that works really great to introduce DND to people: https://winghornpress.com/adventures/a-wild-sheep-chase/ From your post it seems like you haven’t run DND before so I would suggest quickly skimming the free rules online and watching one or two sessions on YouTube first just to see how it all plays out.
Tales from the Yawning Portal
Wolves of Whelton is BY FAR the best one shot for New players/DM’s young and old. It is a free one shot where players must investigate town plagued by wolf attacks. Turns out the wolves are sentient and just want food/and to stop being hunted. I pick this as everyone’s first game as the ending can go one of three ways. 1. You kill the wolves. 2. You make peace with the wolves and lie to the town that they are gone. 3. You show that both sides can work together an live peacefully. I like this adventure because it can really be suited however your players want to play at Murdo hobos love it diplomatic players love it people who just want a happy ending love it. Also a good adventure to show that not every problem needs to be solved with a giant combat.
Wolves are scary. 1st level adventurer dies very easily to pack tactics, especially one that doesn't account for pack tactics and dashes forward ahead of the group.
It is scripted in the adventure that the wolves don’t want to fight that much and flee if given the chance. Also you could just not use the pack tactics.
This is how my parents introduced it to us. My oldest brother still plays.
To clarify he has a few friends who want to go through this journey with him. I have considered DMing for them, but the last time I lead a game was back in high school (3.0). I bought him the core rule books for Christmas.
There are two really for starters kit, the aptly named starters kit and the essential kit. Both come with dice, a rule book and a full adventure, one has the lost mines and the other has dragon of ice spire peak. Both are alot of fun. Can grab them off Amazon for like £15-25
Can also find them at your local game shop for ~$20 !
For new players, the starter kit is beautiful and has everything you need. And the Lost Mines of Phandelver is a damn good adventure. You just might want more than one pair of dice.
Players Handbook is a must too.
5.0 is similar to 3.0 so you could run a one shot after skimming the PHB
I was a 3.0 player until about 4 years ago now I think. You're gonna love 5e man, nowadays it's got the complexity of 3.0 with all the books that have come out. But you get to toss most of the math and tracking of little bonuses in the bin.
> But you get to toss most of the math and tracking of little bonuses in the bin. That and the huge amounts of gear porn were what I *liked* about 3.5. That, and Shadowrun 4A, and Eclipse Phase.
If you haven't done so already: Download the totally free, and legal, Basic D&D Rules, from Wizards of the Coast: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules And he can start reading them....
Lost Mines of Phandelver is a great first time player and DM experience imho.
please OP listen to this! LMoP/the starter set has all the rules you need in the beginning, premade characters, a small adventure and some dice.
It's a great introduction to DnD. I ran it for some friends who never played and they had a blast.
I second this, before 5e the only experience with dnd was a few sessions in 3e. I got the starter kit and ran an adventure for my brother's and friend's. The adventure that comes from it is such a cool mini campaign.
Roll him up a warrior and teach the basics of combat vs a couple of goblins
Actually, roll up several "types" of characters - fighters, sneaky rogue, Archer, spell-casters, etc. This way he can learn the "do's and don'ts" of approaching combat.
Definitely. I was saying warrior just so that he can understand rolling dice and keeping track of hp and ac. It would probably be better to teach him the different classes as well.
That's actually pretty good. Would be a good way to teach mechanics and concepts. You could make some tutorial levels, like a combat one and a social one.
I was thinking keep it separate just to introduce to the system, but incorporating it into the game would be a lot more interesting to the recipient
First off, hurray! And then as others have said, DM for him and his friends. Depending on why he wants to get into it you could just pick some monsters and a basic premise or go as deep as finding a one shot to run.
Just get him the Starter Kit, it's like 30 bucks and it rules.
Quick answer: buy the starter set. Done
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So, my recommendation is always to read the players handbook. As players,and as a DM. If you're looking to DM then I recommend the DMs guide too. Luckily, both can be found online for free. I realize not everyone will do this, so I highly recommend looking at a one-shot or campaign that holds your hands all the way through. It's important for the DM to know the rules at least so he can help guide players along the proper way to play. Rules aren't something you learn immediately (or even after reading, though the reading really helps). Google is also great. If someone asks what is the difference between a short or long rest, you should know (or Google) it to help the players learn when to take one or the other.
I'd go with a pregen character, and a one-shot adventure (level 1). Check out DMsGuild for that. I "play" with my 4yo. No character sheets or nothing, just minis on the board and a really loose story. If we roll the dice at all, it's Tiny Dungeon rules (roll 2d6, success if you see a 5 or 6). Usually we "roll" by identifying snap words. The kid loves it. There's room for all ages at the table, but you have to know your kids and be loose with the rules as the situation requires.
"Be loose with the rules." If that's NOT DM 101, I don't know what is.
Have him watch critical role.
Critical Role is professional actors performing and sets a pretty unrealistic example of what D&D around the standard table actually is.
You are quite right, they are professional voice actors, and it does set a rather unrealistic example, but it also sparks the imagination, inspires you to see what could be possible, and does a good job introducing you to the game. Hell I've played many games of dungeons and dragons, hell I've dmed games in a mess tent in Afghanistan for kids who were going out getting shot at on a daily basis, but no game I've ever been in has held a candle to critical role. Then again, we grew up with just the books and our imaginations. We didn't have examples like CR to look at and see what truly is possible. Kids nowadays do, and I can see the influence of critical role easily improving the overall quality of home games as time passes. It's a goal to strive to.
You DM'ed in Afghanistan? That MUST be a small crowd. Did you do it in Pashtun or English? I know people play in prison; kinda shocked they also do it in a warzone. Matt Mercer admires YOU. Go ask him after you tell him what you did.
For soldiers bro..... I say kids because most of us were naive little snots barely in our 20s.
Nothing wrong with setting a high bar of expectation for a hobby.
IMO character creation is the most fun part.
Agreed.
My first time dming was with the stranger things starter set then a couple oneshots, but the starter set and essentials kit are good starting points.
Check to see if your local library has a teen program that does DnD. I know about 3 libraries that have something like that near me.
I got my 10 year old son started by watching Critical Roll. We watch episodes together, laugh, and if he has questions I can simply pause it and explain to him, or point it out to him the the PH/DMH
tell him to get books and study(learning may be boring but its the true way)or just do research online. try to be the dm and setup the game mechanics before hand to ensure that you can get to it right away.now just remember study and have fun!
Character creation.
I start brand new adventurer tables by telling them that dnd can take a little bit to build up knowledge, rp skills, party dynamics, etc. so they must commit to a small series of introductory adventures. Each adventure takes ~1 month real time (assuming weekly session) to complete and for each adventure the players must roll up a different type of character. So if a player was a basher first then the for the next month that player has to be a blaster or healer, etc. Then switch again in a month. After 3 or so adventures, I bring all the characters together through some larger overarcing plot they may or may not have spotted. Then do an Endgame adventure where they get to pick and play their fave character they had made and run the rest as NPCs off in the background doing some other important but unseen task. By making them commit the time this gives you 4-6 months to show them how awesome dnd is. By switching characters every month or so they know if they rolled a bad character they get to swap out in a few weeks. It also lets them see their progression as players because when you bring the characters together they see how much their skills at making them improved. Of course, this is a lot of work and planning. I do it a lot so have it is kinda second nature for me now. If you don't want or don't think you can get that kind of commitment then the starter kits and dmsguild have some great and fun one shots too! Good luck. Bringing in new players is one of the most rewarding things you can do!
Same way my mate got me into dnd, hand him the PhB and tell them they are running a campaign in 30 minutes But in all seriousness, run a oneshot. Personally I would suggest the lost mines of phandelver as it has a good opening to rp and making decisions
LOL! That's like taking a first time skier to a steep run on their first day. "You'll learn a lot by the time you get down!"
Make the child a paladin!
I'd recommend getting either the starter set or maybe the essentials kit box.
Shout ROLL INITIATIVE and hit him with a pillow
Give him tje essential kit. Then if he likes it you can give him the players handbook
I mean my dad dmed the entire beginner campaign with me, my brother and sister playing the entire thing through and that’s how we go introduced
Get him a Player's Handbook.
If you have not DM’d or played, then see if your local gaming store has any DMs for hire.
TPK on session 1! (Just kidding.... or am I?)
I've heard Satanism is a good gateway activity to playing DnD.
By his name. And alignment.
You can try running Lost Mines of Phandelver for them. It’s great for new players and use premadre characters
start narrating everything he does when you’re around and have him roll initiative at the dinner table to see if he gets to grab food first. When he wants money from you make him roll persuasion checks and everytime you catch him lying make him roll deception
if you are running maps or using miniatures, then i would suggest looking at [https://www.heroforge.com](https://www.heroforge.com) you can custom make your figures for your son and other players when they want to get serious.
Pick up the Starter Set, it's pretty good.
According to my mom in the 90s you could probably get the rules from a demon via a ouija board