D&D General DM Authority

[generic]

But to a brand new player they are.

I'd argue that board games generally have pieces that are larger than the rulebook.

 

[Blandco]

Is it really a DM overriding player choice, or a player choosing to play something the DM has already said is not welcome at their table?

Neither. It's me looking for a vanilla D&D game that welcomed new players and finding almost none out there.

 

[generic]

Neither. It's me looking for a vanilla D&D game that welcomed new players and finding almost none out there.

You're not entitled to a vanilla D&D game that welcomes new players. If you can't find one, run your own. I've found, subjectively, of course, that being introduced to the hobby through purely RAW games is the exception, not the rule.

 

[Charlaquin]

Neither. It's me looking for a vanilla D&D game that welcomed new players and finding almost none out there.

That doesn’t surprise me. We’re pretty far into the edition’s lifecycle to be expecting to find vanilla games offered online any more.

 

[FrogReaver]

Neither. It's me looking for a vanilla D&D game that welcomed new players and finding almost none out there.

5e has been out quite a while. Maybe it's just that "vanilla" D&D is boring to the DM's that have already ran countless games of "vanilla" D&D.

 

[Charlaquin]

You're not entitled to a vanilla D&D game that welcomes new players. If you can't find one, run your own. I've found, subjectively, of course, that being introduced to the hobby through purely RAW games is the exception, not the rule.

I do think it’s the best way to be introduced to the game. More specifically, a vanilla game of only new players, with a variety of pregenerated characters to choose from. For a brand new player, choosing a race and a class and getting to decide their name and descriptive details is generally character creation enough.

 

[Campbell]

Here's my personal perspective : If a player is responding to a pitch that includes the GM's restrictions it's kind of rude to bring up a concept that goes against the pitch. However if they show up for a first session and ask to play an elven ranger and the GM than lets them know about the restrictions it's only entitled behavior if they adamantly insist you change your restrictions. If they say the like elves and they are going to go find a game they can play an elf that's not entitlement. They are not socially obligated to play in your game either.

From my perspective character creation is just a part of the matchmaking process. No ones being entitled on either side of the screen.

 

[Don Durito]

On Roll20 you can click "Welcomes New Players" and filter by that. When I filter through that I get a whole lot of results.
These are a few of the ads from the first page.

A mysterious town with a tragic history. Your toughest challenge yet. Many enter but none return, only the brave can survive Grimcrest Village.

A beginner friendly one-shot adventure with homebrew elements. 1-3 sessions played weekly. Pre-gens are available at request. Discord for chat. level 10 characters.

So. Seems pretty vanilla except for that level 10 characters at the end (which is probably not really all that friendly to true beginners).

“Tide of Retribution” is an adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level. It introduces them to the Menagerie Coast—a tropical region filled with monstrous abominations, mysterious curses, and ancient temples. This setting is ideal for nautical and jungle-exploring adventures.

This is an introductory adventure into the Wildemount setting. Its perfect if you're just getting into D&D and want to learn the game or if you're a seasoned adventure and want to explore Wildemount! This game will run in two separate 3-4 hours sessions.

The one above is pay to play.

While traveling through the frigid north, your party stays the night in the village of Gilyot on the shores of Lake Lazar. The village has been beset by orc raiders and the party agrees to travel to their lair (a cave set into the cliffs at the northern end of the lake) and put an end to the menace!

PHB (only) for races and classes. No dragonborn or sorcerers. L3. Players are expected to play heroes. I run a game that is a little more gritty and mid-level fantasy. Role-playing is first person with limited/no out of character.

I'm looking to start a weekly campaign and will be using these one-shots as a sort of meet-and-greet to see if things are a good match.

Beginners welcomed!

Restriced class race choice (but not that severe).

Infinite worlds bob on a sea of ethereal phlogiston. Brave, adventurous souls sail between them aboard wooden ships powered by magic. This is the classic D&D setting known as Spelljammer.

This should be a short campaign updating the original source material to 5e rules. I'd like to get this up and running in the first two weeks of the new year, pending player approval. The listed time and dates are placeholders and we'll set up a regular day based on everyone's availability.

I'm looking for players willing to see the roleplay opportunities inherent in a limitless universe full of worlds populated by fantasy races. All D&D races from the original setting, as well as 5e, have a presence in wildspace, so PC crews can be from pretty much anywhere.

If you're interested, post character concept below. No need to "balance the party" - this is fantasy, play the character you want to play. Feel free to post questions or suggestions too.

Wide open but Spelljammer - may not be what you'd expect, but I think many new players would roll with it.

The Isles are a forbidding place; a domain of stone and salt spray, of blood and iron. Here druids chant sacrifices before ancient henges, giants lurk amidst twisted woods, black metal pylons loom from broken cliff-faces, and islands themselves are birthed from - and consumed by - the ravenous sea. Here is your home.

You are a Witan of the Atreii Clan, one of a handful of warriors and wisemen respected enough to lead your people. Will it be to glory, wealth and victory? To mere survival? Or to death, dissolution and infamy? Only the strength of your sinew - and the keenness of your mind - will tell.

---

Welcome to "Blood from Stone", a 5e game of exploration, adventure, intrigue and clan management. Before you make a character, make sure to read the "House Rules" topic below - which sets out the minor changes to 5e rules that apply to the "Blood from Stone" campaign. You should also read the "Setting Guide" topic below - which summarises all necessary background information.

If you've read those and are interested, please see the "Character Application" thread and make your application there

The house rules show that this one does have heavily restricted race options.

Sunless Citadel is an adventure for first to third level characters, ideal for beginners. It was republished for 5th edition in the anthology Tales from the Yawning Portal. It is a traditional dungeon exploration adventure with ample opportunities for roleplay, exploration, and combat.

I am currently running this adventure for new players looking to get into D&D. Please note that it will be a text only game, meaning no video or voice. Some people find text only games preferable for various reasons, but if you are looking for voice communication this game will not be a good fit for you.

Right now we are in the middle of the module and one player has had to drop out due to new commitments in the new year, so we are looking for one person to round out our group. We are currently at level 2 and it shouldn't be too hard to catch you up on what has happened so far.

We have put together a cooperative group that works to be considerate and respectful of each other and encourages a fun experience for everyone involved. To make sure we're all on the same page I'd like to have a discussion about group expectations before we begin playing, preferably over discord.

I would like to stick to official rules and content and avoid homebrew. Other than that I have no particular restrictions on characters, though I will say I have not yet read the latest content from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

If you are interested please fill out an application using the form posted below.

Wide open and vanilla - but text only.

So it does seem that there are quite a few games that either place limits or use settings that may be unexpected ie Spelljammer. However, it doesn't seem to hard too find vanilla options - even free ones.

With the exception noted above I left out the Pay to Play options - those, seem to be generally more on the vanilla permissive side.

Of course part of what's going here is there is no standard understanding of what a "beginner friendly" game should actually be.

 

[Maxperson]

Neither. It's me looking for a vanilla D&D game that welcomed new players and finding almost none out there.

A lot of people prefer flavors and not vanilla. If you can't find one, run one and hopefully one of the players will run vanilla for you in return.

 

[Umbran]

That's the player's job. If they're not doing it, or at least trying, they're failing to fulfill part of their role.

It's the DM's job to resist this.

This is from way back in the thread but... no. This is not the "player's job", in general. Maybe that's how you play at your table, but it isn't a given for games in general. Not all players have to be in "make the maximum out of the rules" mode.