D&D 5E Just started
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bedir than
Full Moon Storyteller
Are you running a designed adventure? Which one?
Harzel
Adventurer
We'll try to help you out as best we can. As bedir mentioned, it would be helpful to know if you are trying to start by running a published adventure.
If you have time, one thing you could do is to watch some of the many videos of sessions available on YouTube. Another possible route you could try is to find a group at a local game store where you could both be players. That might be a gentler introduction if it suits your fancy.
If you have time, one thing you could do is to watch some of the many videos of sessions available on YouTube. Another possible route you could try is to find a group at a local game store where you could both be players. That might be a gentler introduction if it suits your fancy.
robus
Lowcountry Low Roller
Check out this post for good advice on starting out as a DM: http://theangrygm.com/jumping-the-screen-how-to-run-your-first-rpg-session/
when you've had a bit more time in the saddle read the rest of his stuff on how to run a game. Yes his style is abrasive to some but there is a ton of good stuff in there if you remember the swearing is a gimmick.
Finally (or perhaps primarily) check out iserith's guide to adjudicating actions: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...djudicate-Actions-in-D-amp-D-5e#ixzz44mScJ82F it's an entertaining read as well as being super helpful. Your son might enjoy it too as it's presented as an adventure and might provide some inspiration as to the kinds of things he might want to try as a player.
Also finally have fun, DMing for your son is going to be a lot less stressful than DMing for strangers. You can learn the game together, in fact that will be your shared adventure
when you've had a bit more time in the saddle read the rest of his stuff on how to run a game. Yes his style is abrasive to some but there is a ton of good stuff in there if you remember the swearing is a gimmick.
Finally (or perhaps primarily) check out iserith's guide to adjudicating actions: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...djudicate-Actions-in-D-amp-D-5e#ixzz44mScJ82F it's an entertaining read as well as being super helpful. Your son might enjoy it too as it's presented as an adventure and might provide some inspiration as to the kinds of things he might want to try as a player.
Also finally have fun, DMing for your son is going to be a lot less stressful than DMing for strangers. You can learn the game together, in fact that will be your shared adventure
Jester David
Hero
Being a Dungeon Master is basically being a storyteller. You create the plot, paint the scenes, describe the action, and reveal the secrets.
There's also an element of being a referee, as you adjudicate rules and partially determine the success of actions.
There's also an element to improv. The group is creating a story themselves. The players are the protagonists of the story, each making their own tale.
The Basic Rules of the game can be purchased in book form. There is also a downloadable rules document online that contains the full rules of play and basic player options:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
If you have not already purchased anything, I recommend the D&D Starter Set:
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset
It also contains the basic rules of play as well as an adventure, a set of dice, and pregens rated characters. You can start with that and get a feel for the game. You can buy that, skim the rules document, and be playing within the hour.
The included adventure covers hours of play, and from there you can move to another published adventure or create your own.
If you're just getting into the game and have no clue what to do or how D&D even works there are a number of videos of play. One example is the semi-official series Force Grey: Giant Hunter
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/force-grey-giant-hunters
(It's a little on the mature side. I don't know how old your son is, so be warned. D&D can be as kid friendly or grown up as you want. You can run a game that is wholesome and rated G, or one that makes Game of Thrones look like children's programming. Up to you.)
Compared to other games, D&D can be complex. There's a lot of rules. But don't worry about trying to learn them all at once. You don't need to.
Get the basics down and just play.
Don't slow things down to look up rules during the game, just make a call and look up the actual rule afterwards. Keep things moving.
There's also an element of being a referee, as you adjudicate rules and partially determine the success of actions.
There's also an element to improv. The group is creating a story themselves. The players are the protagonists of the story, each making their own tale.
The Basic Rules of the game can be purchased in book form. There is also a downloadable rules document online that contains the full rules of play and basic player options:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
If you have not already purchased anything, I recommend the D&D Starter Set:
http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset
It also contains the basic rules of play as well as an adventure, a set of dice, and pregens rated characters. You can start with that and get a feel for the game. You can buy that, skim the rules document, and be playing within the hour.
The included adventure covers hours of play, and from there you can move to another published adventure or create your own.
If you're just getting into the game and have no clue what to do or how D&D even works there are a number of videos of play. One example is the semi-official series Force Grey: Giant Hunter
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/force-grey-giant-hunters
(It's a little on the mature side. I don't know how old your son is, so be warned. D&D can be as kid friendly or grown up as you want. You can run a game that is wholesome and rated G, or one that makes Game of Thrones look like children's programming. Up to you.)
Compared to other games, D&D can be complex. There's a lot of rules. But don't worry about trying to learn them all at once. You don't need to.
Get the basics down and just play.
Don't slow things down to look up rules during the game, just make a call and look up the actual rule afterwards. Keep things moving.
Rabbitbait
Grog-nerd
How old is your son? That makes a big difference in how you approach the game.
aco175
Legend
I would also recommend the starter set, also known as Lost Mines of Phandelver (LMoP) for short that you will see posted. It was made for new DMs to run the new edition in easy to handle blocks. I also think that it is one of the better adventures that is out for 5th edition of D&D.
There is also https://www.dmsguild.com which regular people write and post adventures, many of which are free or pay what you want.
There is also https://www.dmsguild.com which regular people write and post adventures, many of which are free or pay what you want.
robus
Lowcountry Low Roller
I wish I could recommend the starter set as an introduction, but apart from getting pregens the adventure basically assumes you know how to play. There is very little handholding. Many people have experienced a TPK in the first combat encounter for goodness sake. I think rather than a starter adventure it's better thought of as an "intro to 5e" adventure. (And given the praise here from experienced DMs) As a story it's a bit weak IMHO and some of the side-quests are quite random. A starter set should be a solid point A to point B with all the basic mechanics amply illustrated within a gripping narrative and a grand finale (the finale in LMoP being quite an anticlimax without major DM tweaks - which shouldn't be required in a starter set.)
Writing this I'm once again tempted to write "The New DM's Guide to Running LMoP"
Writing this I'm once again tempted to write "The New DM's Guide to Running LMoP"
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