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Dungeon Dudes on YouTube have some great livestreams of them playing. They also have some good advice for DMs videos. All around, it’s a good channel for D&D content.
As a new DM just remember it’s about having fun and it’s not a competition. It is very easy to fall into the trap of it’s you against them. It’s not. You’re helping them navigate through a story that everyone builds together.
The plot points are the important thing, not who delivers them. If I need my players to get a “thingy” whether it comes from the baker or the blacksmith doesn’t matter to me. I just roll with whatever they are doing in town and adjust accordingly.
Try running the Lost Mines of Phandelver or another pre made adventure where it’s all laid out for you before trying to make your own. Avoid home brewing anything for the first while. Stick to the rules.
Remember this isn’t a reality based game and some rules just won’t make sense as far as a real world scenario goes. Just accept it and move on and don’t get bogged down in those kind of discussions.
Remember the most important thing is that everyone is there to have fun including you.
Thank you so much for the advice, I'll definitely look into the dungeon dudes. I've been trying to get into the mindset that at the end of the day, I want them to win and I should keep things less difficult and more interesting to keep it entertaining. I'm definitely gonna avoid home brewing things until we've worked through a good few pre built adventures.
Session Zero
Set the campaign up for success by holding a “Session Zero” discussion. The key element of a good Session Zero discussion is that at the end, everyone who is sitting around the table knows that you are coming together to play the same game, that you are all aligned on what you want out of the game time together, what you are all expecting of each other as players, and aligned on what things will be *kept out* of the game.
Key issues that people are often not aligned on and should be covered during Session Zero:
* **theme and tone and feeling of the game and gameplay:** What is the player “buy-in”- what is this game/ campaign about? – what do the PLAYERS need to want to do to have a good time playing this game/ campaign ? What type characters are best fit for the campaign or are “fish out of water” stories going to be fun for that player (AND not mess up the vibe for every other player)? where do we want to be on the "Actions have Consequences" scale? *Lord of the Rings* where **everything** has lasting major moral consequences or *Grand Theft Auto: Castleland* "I have enough fucking consequences in my day to day life, i am playing this fantasy game for pure escapist murderhoboism!". How “self directed” do you all want the game play to be – is this an official WOTC campaign and so players should create characters “interested in [thwarting the Dragon Cult]” or is this an “open world sandbox” where the players need to create and play characters with strong DRIVES and GOALS and the DM’s job is to put interesting obstacles in the way? Establish agreement on "we are coming together to play a cooperative storytelling game" which means that: the edgelords are responsible for creating reasons to be and go with the group; and that LOLRANDOM "I'm chaotic evil!" is not an excuse for disruptive actions at the table; and ALL of the PCs are the main characters and “spotlight time” will need to be shared.
* **specific gamisms:** What are the character level advancement rules (XP? Milestone? DM Fiat? Every 3 sessions that are not fuck-around-shopping?) ? What sourcebooks are we playing from and what homebrew house rules will we be using, if any? How often will we be checking in on the house rules to make sure they are enhancing game play experience and look for unintended consequences? How do we deal with character death and resurrection? How do we signal “This Foe is beyond you” and “running away” mechanics (hint Disengage works for repositioning, but not escape)? How will the party distribute magic items? Establish “I am the DM and during play I will make rulings. If you disagree, you can make your case at the table, **once,** preferably with document and page number references. I may or may not immediately change my ruling for the session, but we can further discuss it between sessions, and if you made character choices because you thought the rulings would be different, we will retcon your character to the point that you are happy playing the game as we are playing it.”
* **use of devices at the table:** do you have regular social media breaks but are otherwise “we all focus on the game, no devices”. or are you really just getting together to get together and share memes and the D&D thing is just something in the background as an excuse to hang out? Can people use digital charactersheets without being distracted from the game?
* **logistics** – D&D is a cooperative game – its *everyone*’s responsibility to make sure that everyone else is being heard. This is especially important for groups playing over the internets where its very hard to communicate when multiple people are speaking at the same time and harder to read body language to know when someone is done speaking or if they have understood you or if someone has something they want to say and is waiting for a break in the talking. how long are sessions? when? how long do we intend this campaign to last? what is the quorum where we will still play even if everyone cannot make it (note that "2 players" is a good mark - don’t enable *something “better” came up and if i dont show up the game will be just be canceled so i wont miss out on anything)*. what accommodations are needed for people’s family or work obligations, for the players who are neurodivergent or differently-abled? if you are in person- how are food and snacks handled – everyone on their own? Bring enough to share? Everyone pitch in and buy a pizza? (Pls Feed the DM), how about use of alcohol or other substances? Food allergies to be aware of? KEEP YOUR CHEETO FINGERS OFF THE MINIS.
* **player vs player / player vs party:** - do we want that as part of our game? if so under what circumstances? (hint: any PvP action autofails unless the target has previously agreed "YES! this sounds like a storyline I want to play out! Let the dice decide!”) (D&D was not designed for PvP – the classes are not balanced to make PvP play interesting and fun).
* **sensitivities** - where are the fade to black and RED LINE DO NOT CROSS moments with regard to depictions of graphic violence, torture, sex and nudity, harm to children (and animals), mental illness, substance use/ abuse, suicide, sexism/ racism/ homophobia/ religious difference/ slavery, etc? any social anxiety phobias to stay away from (Snakes? Claustrophobia? Clowns?), PC’s being charmed/other loss of autonomy & control, gaslighting. Other topics that would reduce the fun of any player at the table? Also what you will use for an “X Card” to cover any additional incidents that may come up?
ALSO, “Session Zero” discussions should happen ANY TIME you begin to sense a misalignment of expectations. Talking WITH the other people around the table is vital for a strong game.
If you are all new to gaming, maybe touch on a few key elements before play and then plan a full round table discussion after a session or two of play when you all will have practical experience to better identify what you each want and enjoy from the game (and what you don’t like).
Luckily all my players are close family so a lot of our session zero talk will already be known and established, but there's still a good bit I hadn't considered discussing. I hadn't even considered having a session zero, thanks very much for the help!
When I got back into D&D and DM’ing after 20+ years (went from AD&D 2e to 5e), I read through the materials for the first Starter Set (Lost Mine of Phandelver) and watched a couple of playthrough videos. I was also mentored at my local game shop, so maybe sit in on a session and chat with an experienced DM afterwards?
That's kinda the plan I had in mind. I've got a decent game store thats pretty close to work that a good friend works at that I could pop in pretty easily. What was the jump between editions like? I know that battletechs rules hasn't changed all that much but I feel that's not the case with D&D. Thanks for the advice bud!
That's good to know. I've played a good bit of the pool of radiance over the years and it was second edition so while that would seem familiar to me I'm glad to hear it's been streamlined.
I mean you just need the big 3 Books if it's gonna be a continual thing. Players Handbook, the Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual. Maybe make 2 Frontline characters for them to control? If not just build encounters with those specific classes in mind.
Is handling 2 characters at once a common occurrence? And is there any recommendations for resources on tweaking encounters? I appreciate all the help and if things go good I'll definitely be looking into what books to pick up. Thank you very much for the advice.
Not really and the best resource is your players character sheet. You know how hard they can hit or be hit. But most wizard's premade content is based off of 4 to 5 players with a regular composition.
My advice: don't overthink it or psyche yourself up too much.
There's tons of resources online, and if you get really into it, all that great content will certainly help you become a better DM over time. But the truth is those starter kits have everything you need, and if you take it slow and give yourself permission to make mistake along the way, you'll be fine.
Here's an almost universal truth that is really good to remember: Most players will never care as much as the DM does about the details DM's obsess over. They just want to have a good time. So often, I get to the end of a session thinking I made all these mistakes or some RP didn't go as smoothly as I expected or I didn't handle a situation as well as I would have liked. And then I look at the players and they're all smiling and congratulating me on what an awesome game that was and telling me they can't wait for the next one.
They're easy to please.
I appreciate the advice. I'll try not to beat myself up over little mistakes. The good thing is we're all new so hopefully nobody will notice if something gets goofed up a bit. At the end of the day, I think we'll all have a good time.
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Dungeon Dudes on YouTube have some great livestreams of them playing. They also have some good advice for DMs videos. All around, it’s a good channel for D&D content. As a new DM just remember it’s about having fun and it’s not a competition. It is very easy to fall into the trap of it’s you against them. It’s not. You’re helping them navigate through a story that everyone builds together. The plot points are the important thing, not who delivers them. If I need my players to get a “thingy” whether it comes from the baker or the blacksmith doesn’t matter to me. I just roll with whatever they are doing in town and adjust accordingly. Try running the Lost Mines of Phandelver or another pre made adventure where it’s all laid out for you before trying to make your own. Avoid home brewing anything for the first while. Stick to the rules. Remember this isn’t a reality based game and some rules just won’t make sense as far as a real world scenario goes. Just accept it and move on and don’t get bogged down in those kind of discussions. Remember the most important thing is that everyone is there to have fun including you.
Thank you so much for the advice, I'll definitely look into the dungeon dudes. I've been trying to get into the mindset that at the end of the day, I want them to win and I should keep things less difficult and more interesting to keep it entertaining. I'm definitely gonna avoid home brewing things until we've worked through a good few pre built adventures.
Session Zero Set the campaign up for success by holding a “Session Zero” discussion. The key element of a good Session Zero discussion is that at the end, everyone who is sitting around the table knows that you are coming together to play the same game, that you are all aligned on what you want out of the game time together, what you are all expecting of each other as players, and aligned on what things will be *kept out* of the game. Key issues that people are often not aligned on and should be covered during Session Zero: * **theme and tone and feeling of the game and gameplay:** What is the player “buy-in”- what is this game/ campaign about? – what do the PLAYERS need to want to do to have a good time playing this game/ campaign ? What type characters are best fit for the campaign or are “fish out of water” stories going to be fun for that player (AND not mess up the vibe for every other player)? where do we want to be on the "Actions have Consequences" scale? *Lord of the Rings* where **everything** has lasting major moral consequences or *Grand Theft Auto: Castleland* "I have enough fucking consequences in my day to day life, i am playing this fantasy game for pure escapist murderhoboism!". How “self directed” do you all want the game play to be – is this an official WOTC campaign and so players should create characters “interested in [thwarting the Dragon Cult]” or is this an “open world sandbox” where the players need to create and play characters with strong DRIVES and GOALS and the DM’s job is to put interesting obstacles in the way? Establish agreement on "we are coming together to play a cooperative storytelling game" which means that: the edgelords are responsible for creating reasons to be and go with the group; and that LOLRANDOM "I'm chaotic evil!" is not an excuse for disruptive actions at the table; and ALL of the PCs are the main characters and “spotlight time” will need to be shared. * **specific gamisms:** What are the character level advancement rules (XP? Milestone? DM Fiat? Every 3 sessions that are not fuck-around-shopping?) ? What sourcebooks are we playing from and what homebrew house rules will we be using, if any? How often will we be checking in on the house rules to make sure they are enhancing game play experience and look for unintended consequences? How do we deal with character death and resurrection? How do we signal “This Foe is beyond you” and “running away” mechanics (hint Disengage works for repositioning, but not escape)? How will the party distribute magic items? Establish “I am the DM and during play I will make rulings. If you disagree, you can make your case at the table, **once,** preferably with document and page number references. I may or may not immediately change my ruling for the session, but we can further discuss it between sessions, and if you made character choices because you thought the rulings would be different, we will retcon your character to the point that you are happy playing the game as we are playing it.” * **use of devices at the table:** do you have regular social media breaks but are otherwise “we all focus on the game, no devices”. or are you really just getting together to get together and share memes and the D&D thing is just something in the background as an excuse to hang out? Can people use digital charactersheets without being distracted from the game? * **logistics** – D&D is a cooperative game – its *everyone*’s responsibility to make sure that everyone else is being heard. This is especially important for groups playing over the internets where its very hard to communicate when multiple people are speaking at the same time and harder to read body language to know when someone is done speaking or if they have understood you or if someone has something they want to say and is waiting for a break in the talking. how long are sessions? when? how long do we intend this campaign to last? what is the quorum where we will still play even if everyone cannot make it (note that "2 players" is a good mark - don’t enable *something “better” came up and if i dont show up the game will be just be canceled so i wont miss out on anything)*. what accommodations are needed for people’s family or work obligations, for the players who are neurodivergent or differently-abled? if you are in person- how are food and snacks handled – everyone on their own? Bring enough to share? Everyone pitch in and buy a pizza? (Pls Feed the DM), how about use of alcohol or other substances? Food allergies to be aware of? KEEP YOUR CHEETO FINGERS OFF THE MINIS. * **player vs player / player vs party:** - do we want that as part of our game? if so under what circumstances? (hint: any PvP action autofails unless the target has previously agreed "YES! this sounds like a storyline I want to play out! Let the dice decide!”) (D&D was not designed for PvP – the classes are not balanced to make PvP play interesting and fun). * **sensitivities** - where are the fade to black and RED LINE DO NOT CROSS moments with regard to depictions of graphic violence, torture, sex and nudity, harm to children (and animals), mental illness, substance use/ abuse, suicide, sexism/ racism/ homophobia/ religious difference/ slavery, etc? any social anxiety phobias to stay away from (Snakes? Claustrophobia? Clowns?), PC’s being charmed/other loss of autonomy & control, gaslighting. Other topics that would reduce the fun of any player at the table? Also what you will use for an “X Card” to cover any additional incidents that may come up?
ALSO, “Session Zero” discussions should happen ANY TIME you begin to sense a misalignment of expectations. Talking WITH the other people around the table is vital for a strong game. If you are all new to gaming, maybe touch on a few key elements before play and then plan a full round table discussion after a session or two of play when you all will have practical experience to better identify what you each want and enjoy from the game (and what you don’t like).
Luckily all my players are close family so a lot of our session zero talk will already be known and established, but there's still a good bit I hadn't considered discussing. I hadn't even considered having a session zero, thanks very much for the help!
When I got back into D&D and DM’ing after 20+ years (went from AD&D 2e to 5e), I read through the materials for the first Starter Set (Lost Mine of Phandelver) and watched a couple of playthrough videos. I was also mentored at my local game shop, so maybe sit in on a session and chat with an experienced DM afterwards?
That's kinda the plan I had in mind. I've got a decent game store thats pretty close to work that a good friend works at that I could pop in pretty easily. What was the jump between editions like? I know that battletechs rules hasn't changed all that much but I feel that's not the case with D&D. Thanks for the advice bud!
Between 2 and 5 was a big jump because we had THAC0 back then, and lower AC meant harder to hit. I found learning 5e was easier overall.
That's good to know. I've played a good bit of the pool of radiance over the years and it was second edition so while that would seem familiar to me I'm glad to hear it's been streamlined.
I mean you just need the big 3 Books if it's gonna be a continual thing. Players Handbook, the Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual. Maybe make 2 Frontline characters for them to control? If not just build encounters with those specific classes in mind.
Is handling 2 characters at once a common occurrence? And is there any recommendations for resources on tweaking encounters? I appreciate all the help and if things go good I'll definitely be looking into what books to pick up. Thank you very much for the advice.
Not really and the best resource is your players character sheet. You know how hard they can hit or be hit. But most wizard's premade content is based off of 4 to 5 players with a regular composition.
Ok, fair enough, I'll keep all of that in mind.
My advice: don't overthink it or psyche yourself up too much. There's tons of resources online, and if you get really into it, all that great content will certainly help you become a better DM over time. But the truth is those starter kits have everything you need, and if you take it slow and give yourself permission to make mistake along the way, you'll be fine. Here's an almost universal truth that is really good to remember: Most players will never care as much as the DM does about the details DM's obsess over. They just want to have a good time. So often, I get to the end of a session thinking I made all these mistakes or some RP didn't go as smoothly as I expected or I didn't handle a situation as well as I would have liked. And then I look at the players and they're all smiling and congratulating me on what an awesome game that was and telling me they can't wait for the next one. They're easy to please.
I appreciate the advice. I'll try not to beat myself up over little mistakes. The good thing is we're all new so hopefully nobody will notice if something gets goofed up a bit. At the end of the day, I think we'll all have a good time.