D&D General New Dnd master
- Thread starter Eroziat
- Start date
Are you new to D&D in general, or just to being the DM?
Have any of your friends played before? Having at least one experienced player in your group can make DMing a lot easier. If none of your friends have played before, do you know anybody else who has that you could invite along (and maybe make a new friend)?
Otherwise, I think the best way to learn how to DM is to jump in and do it, and not worry if you make mistakes. There's no "correct" way to DM. Develop your own style, find what works for you and your players, and leave out what doesn't.
Have any of your friends played before? Having at least one experienced player in your group can make DMing a lot easier. If none of your friends have played before, do you know anybody else who has that you could invite along (and maybe make a new friend)?
Otherwise, I think the best way to learn how to DM is to jump in and do it, and not worry if you make mistakes. There's no "correct" way to DM. Develop your own style, find what works for you and your players, and leave out what doesn't.
Like a lot of people I started out with no experience, no real idea of what I was doing. We just accepted that we didn't really know what we were doing and forged ahead anyway. Nowadays there's a lot of "How to DM" advice out there, you can watch some videos and so on, but really the only way to learn and get into the game is to do it. If you have character sheets, something to write on and others willing to play, you have what you need.
I'd probably recommend one of he starter sets or search for blogs/streams that talk about running your first game. I ran Lost Mines of Phandalver back when it came out, we had fun. Best news is that you can get it for free on DndBeyond (more on that below). Of course there are a ton of live streams as well just don't expect anything like what you see online because no one expects professional voice acting, at least not for long and it's not why we play anyway.
For physical? I personally prefer minis, but that's because I enjoy painting and they work better for me than theater of the mind since I'm a visual person. You can start with scraps of paper with numbers on them or anything else you have handy. If you have access to a printer you can find all sort of images out there, I still occasionally just print out monster icons because either they're something weird or I don't have a mini big enough. I just had a game where I had a couple different kinds of oozes that I printed out. Game stores also sell minis and you can buy plastic minis online. One thing I did was bought a bag of plastic zombies - you just need a way to keep track of which is which. For that I just slap a little paint on them so one is red, one is blue, another is red and blue and so on. They don't have to be pretty, they just have to be distinct.
DndBeyond.com is an online tool, the core basic rules are supported for free and it has a character builder for your players. In order to get all the rules from the PHB and MM you need to subscribe and buy the books but it's fully functional without that. As I said they have LMoP online and you don't even have to sign in to get it. It's a good start to understanding how to build a character and is a handy reference, even if it isn't worth paying for a thing.
Other than that it's just jump in and learn as you go. If you need more help just let us know!
I'd probably recommend one of he starter sets or search for blogs/streams that talk about running your first game. I ran Lost Mines of Phandalver back when it came out, we had fun. Best news is that you can get it for free on DndBeyond (more on that below). Of course there are a ton of live streams as well just don't expect anything like what you see online because no one expects professional voice acting, at least not for long and it's not why we play anyway.
For physical? I personally prefer minis, but that's because I enjoy painting and they work better for me than theater of the mind since I'm a visual person. You can start with scraps of paper with numbers on them or anything else you have handy. If you have access to a printer you can find all sort of images out there, I still occasionally just print out monster icons because either they're something weird or I don't have a mini big enough. I just had a game where I had a couple different kinds of oozes that I printed out. Game stores also sell minis and you can buy plastic minis online. One thing I did was bought a bag of plastic zombies - you just need a way to keep track of which is which. For that I just slap a little paint on them so one is red, one is blue, another is red and blue and so on. They don't have to be pretty, they just have to be distinct.
DndBeyond.com is an online tool, the core basic rules are supported for free and it has a character builder for your players. In order to get all the rules from the PHB and MM you need to subscribe and buy the books but it's fully functional without that. As I said they have LMoP online and you don't even have to sign in to get it. It's a good start to understanding how to build a character and is a handy reference, even if it isn't worth paying for a thing.
Other than that it's just jump in and learn as you go. If you need more help just let us know!
For your first attempt, you want to do a 1st level basic adventure. Not a campaign, just the most basic start. A very simple start is "you all start in a bar, a person puts out a bounty to kill X monster, and the members of the party sign up".
Your goal with your first several attempts is not to weave in some big story, its to get the basics down. Start small, and if the party actually enjoys teh adventure and there characters and wants to keep going (and you do as well), than go for. Or feel free to do another short adventure after the first completely disconnected.
Like anything, practice makes perfect.
Another tip, a lot of new DMs spend way too much time trying to craft the world. Again for your first time, don't worry about any of that. Start with a bar, and add as you need to. Where is the party heading?....um, north, into the forest.
Are there any cities nearby? Um....Kirkland, a small farm village. Or if you think that might be too distracting "no civilization in that area"
Just provide the basic info for the adventure, and if players start asking questions, feel free to make up stuff then and there to add to the scene or the world, but don't spend time on elements that you might never use. As a new DM you already have plenty to do so no sense in bogging yourself down with tasks that have no payoff.
Your goal with your first several attempts is not to weave in some big story, its to get the basics down. Start small, and if the party actually enjoys teh adventure and there characters and wants to keep going (and you do as well), than go for. Or feel free to do another short adventure after the first completely disconnected.
Like anything, practice makes perfect.
Another tip, a lot of new DMs spend way too much time trying to craft the world. Again for your first time, don't worry about any of that. Start with a bar, and add as you need to. Where is the party heading?....um, north, into the forest.
Are there any cities nearby? Um....Kirkland, a small farm village. Or if you think that might be too distracting "no civilization in that area"
Just provide the basic info for the adventure, and if players start asking questions, feel free to make up stuff then and there to add to the scene or the world, but don't spend time on elements that you might never use. As a new DM you already have plenty to do so no sense in bogging yourself down with tasks that have no payoff.
Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
The dungeon master’s guide (the 2024 one) is a really great guide on how to run the game as a dungeon master, so the first thing I would recommend is just reading it, front to back. Which I know is a lot to read, but it’ll do a very comprehensive job of telling you what to expect, and introducing you to helpful techniques. If you do that, and you have the starter set, you should be able to run the game according to the instructions in the starter set. All the tools you need are already at your disposal, you just need to dive in and get some experience using them. If you have specific questions, this is a good place to ask them (though expect to get slightly different answers from everyone), but there’s no substitute for actual gameplay experience.
Regarding combat on a grid, if the idea is overwhelming or confusing for you right now, just don’t worry about it. The grid is entirely optional, you can run combat just fine by keeping it purely narrative, or by using small objects on the table as an approximate visual aid rather than precise measurements, or whatever you’re comfortable with. You can always try using a grid later, when you’ve gotten some experience and feel more confident in your skills as a DM.
Regarding combat on a grid, if the idea is overwhelming or confusing for you right now, just don’t worry about it. The grid is entirely optional, you can run combat just fine by keeping it purely narrative, or by using small objects on the table as an approximate visual aid rather than precise measurements, or whatever you’re comfortable with. You can always try using a grid later, when you’ve gotten some experience and feel more confident in your skills as a DM.
MGibster
Legend
Have no mercy. And work on your evil laugh. Mwa ha ha ha ha!
My advice is to have fun and don't stress out about it too much. You won't get every rule right and you'll make mistakes. That's okay. I've been running games for decades now and I still mess up on occasion.
Managing a battle grid is fairly easy. You know, if you have a nice little map with little squares on it. You can handle it narratively of course, but for D&D I really like having that grid available and using miniatures because it makes it easier to keep track of everything. And when I say miniatures, I mean you can use gummi bears, loose change, a bottle of nail polish, or whatever else you have around the house as a D&D miniature. With the grid, each square represents 5 feet and D&D breaks down all it's instances in that increment. So a spell with a 60 foot range is 12 squares.
My advice is to have fun and don't stress out about it too much. You won't get every rule right and you'll make mistakes. That's okay. I've been running games for decades now and I still mess up on occasion.
Managing a battle grid is fairly easy. You know, if you have a nice little map with little squares on it. You can handle it narratively of course, but for D&D I really like having that grid available and using miniatures because it makes it easier to keep track of everything. And when I say miniatures, I mean you can use gummi bears, loose change, a bottle of nail polish, or whatever else you have around the house as a D&D miniature. With the grid, each square represents 5 feet and D&D breaks down all it's instances in that increment. So a spell with a 60 foot range is 12 squares.
Misanthrope Prime
Hero
Something that would be extremely helpful is knowing what other media you like that is kind of like D&D. Do you watch fantasy movies or anime, read fantasy novels, or play RPG video games?
As someone who played RPG video games first, one of the things that helped me understand being a DM is understanding how many things like "hit points" or "player statistics" originated FIRST in D&D; by analyzing those concepts' descendants I could get a better understanding for how these mechanics and concepts worked within D&D.
If you've played Baldur's Gate 3, that is a reasonably (though not 100%) accurate translation of the current D&D edition ("Fifth Edition" or "5e") to video game form. If you feel you have a mastery of that game's mechanics, being a DM may come easily to you. If not, and you own the game, maybe play it a few times with a critical eye and see if you can figure out how the mechanics work. As a DM, you're a human version of the computer that is running the game and adjudicating all the rules; because as a DM you're kind of going "back in time" to the 70s when they didn't have video games and computer hardware to create fantasy.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Which starter set do you have? There have been several of that name, all of them good starting points.
In any case, I would start with that and don't worry about the books until the group has finished that. You will have established characters that can be leveled up with the PHB and you, as DM, will likely see see stuff in the Monster Manual that will make you interested in including them in an adventure, which is how it starts for homebrewing. The latest DMG has a lot of adventure starters, with maps and simple outlines that you can make your own, which is a good next step after the starter sets.
aco175
Legend
First @Eroziat welcome to the site, people give all sorts of advice here and most is really good.
Second like what others said, have fun means you are doing it right. Do not go buying all sort of things until you know you like to play. You have the starter box. Follow along with it and figure out the things and rules as you play. Be ok with making mistakes and making decisions that are are good and not needing to be perfect.
I have been in the habit lately of printing grid paper and using a Sharpie to make maps to play on, like the example below. You can take the maps from the box set and do the same if they are not provided or it you want to make something of your own when you feel ready.
Second like what others said, have fun means you are doing it right. Do not go buying all sort of things until you know you like to play. You have the starter box. Follow along with it and figure out the things and rules as you play. Be ok with making mistakes and making decisions that are are good and not needing to be perfect.
I have been in the habit lately of printing grid paper and using a Sharpie to make maps to play on, like the example below. You can take the maps from the box set and do the same if they are not provided or it you want to make something of your own when you feel ready.
Totally agree, Matt Colvile has a good series on running the game. I include a link. You could also watch some actual play, just remember that many of those are very experienced and popular liveplays tend to be a type of game that is entertaining to watch but that there are other styles that can be a lot of fun to play but not necessarily to watch.
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