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Message: <blockquote data-quote="TaranTheWanderer" data-source="post: 7524970" data-attributes="member: 15882">Here's some advice from both sides of the table:1.  I've played with a few groups of younger players learning the game.  I explain things for a while and slowly give them the reigns.  Talking to them and letting them know that the game moves faster if they get to know their own characters is the best approach.  The faster you can get the mechanics out of the way, the more you can accomplish in a single session.First:  I find new players just yell out the  number they rolled on the dice - before adding any modifiers.  I start by asking them if that's the result INCLUDING modifiers.  Eventually, I tell them that, for the sake of keeping the game moving, that I will take whatever number they announce as the result of their roll.  So, if the first thing they yell out is "15!" and they didn't add any modifiers, then that's is their result - even if a miss would have been a hit with the modifier.  It doesn't take long before they start doing their math in their heads before they announce the results.Second:  spells are hard to memorize but at low levels you, literally, only need 2.  I recommend that new players doesn't read up every spell right away.  Take a couple, learn how they work in game and then try a couple different ones.Third:  Math.  I don't hide DCs with new players.  I let them know AC and skill difficulties.  I do this because, while they are waiting for their turn, they can do math in their head to figure out what number on the dice they need to hit the target number.  "AC 15?  ok, I'm +6 so I only need a 9 or higher to hit."  It helps to tell them this strategy in advance.2.  I've played with a very serious DM who liked to keep the game moving and he didn't coddle us. He was an amazing DM, so we were able to tolerate his foibles.  The point is, We learned fast: - If you wanted to cast a spell but didn't know what the spell does (area or effect) by the time your turn comes around, you aren't allowed to cast it.- On your turn, He would wait for a bit but if you started to waffle or take to long, he'd count down from 5.  If you didn't make a decision, your character went full defense and play moved to the next person.- Dice towers were not allowed at the table.  He'd hit the table to knock them over.  (this has nothing to do with your problem.  I just found it odd...)-  If your math was bad, he didn't linger on it much or care.  But it went both ways.  If you didn't add all your bonuses and missed, that was your own fault.  Count better next time.  If you math was bad but always went in your favour too often, he'd correct you - but if figuring it out took too long, you lost your turn and went full defense.</blockquote>

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