D&D General How to DM, best resource

[Emerikol]

I think it would vary based on the type of game desired, the intelligence of the kid, and the availability of players with similar interests.

 

[AlViking]

What better resource could there be besides Enworld?!? Does this site have an age minumun???

Do you want to scar the kid for life?

 

[Faxfire683]

One book for an 11-year-old wanting to GM?

For me there's no question the best book is Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master by Sly Flourish, aka Mike Shea. The book takes a minimalist approach of only prepping what you need, understanding that you'll have to improvise so prepping to improvise, and modular prep so there's a minimum of wasted effort. It's easily the most practical and immediately useful how-to guide out there right now. Mike supports the book with regular YouTube videos and explainers if something doesn't make sense. He also does regular videos with GM advice. It's written in a very straightforward, matter of fact style that doesn't waste time or words.

For monsters, I'd suggest Sly Flourish's Forge of Foes. It's also a how-to guide that helps you design your own monsters and create encounters for your D&D games. There's a chart of quick stats in the back that you can just print out and use as your Monster Manual.

I’d have to agree with these too. Not sure if an eleven year old will get everything they have in them, but they give you what you need to create your own adventures and material at least for 5e. I’ve been exclusively using the eight steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master for my games this year, and it definitely focuses the prep time and makes sure you only do what you need to run—it does place a lot of emphasis on improvisation though.

 

[zottel]

Matt Coville first, say, 8 YouTube videos.

Absolutely! Those are awesome and a solid way to get someone to start dming. I recommended the first 5 videos to two people, and both had their first session shortly after.
So You Want to Be a Game Master is the single best book that includes everything you need, imho. I wish I had it when I started out.

 

[Enrahim]

I cannot understand why noone is mentioning any starter set? Have they become so bad at teaching the game? I started at DMing at about that age mightily helped by the 1991 D&D black box. That went trough gming step by step while playing with the players, one double sided sheet at a time. After going trough that I felt fully (over)confident at running the game.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

I cannot understand why noone is mentioning any starter set? Have they become so bad at teaching the game? I started at DMing at about that age mightily helped by the 1991 D&D black box. That went trough gming step by step while playing with the players, one double sided sheet at a time. After going trough that I felt fully (over)confident at running the game.

For 5e, the first question would be which one of the TWO available starter sets would be best...
(Starter vs. Essentials)
Edit: and if I understand correctly, those two box sets are the 2014 rules...

 

[J-H]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like Justin Alexander's book is going to be the way to go.

 

[overgeeked]

Thanks everyone. It sounds like Justin Alexander's book is going to be the way to go.

Just be aware that it's a 544-page door stopper. I would absolutely not recommend it for an 11-year-old.

 

[J-H]

Just be aware that it's a 544-page door stopper. I would absolutely not recommend it for an 11-year-old.

Is that due to adult content (language/concepts), or just length?

 

[overgeeked]

Is that due to adult content (language/concepts), or just length?

Both the length and the content. Nothing adult, but it's not light reading. Dropping that door stopper in an 11-year-old's lap and expecting them to maintain interest seems like setting them up to fail. I bought a copy for my brother and my adult child. Neither got more than ~60-70 pages in before dropping it like a rock. If you want a sampler of his writing style, check out his blog.

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