We Were All New D&D Players Once

As a dungeon master and co-owner of a tabletop game and comic book shop, I meet brand-new players virtually every time I'm behind the counter or the DM screen. D&D’s recent popularity explosion has brought in countless new players. They usually are feeling both excited and intimidated, and it's my job to maintain that excitement and add confidence too.

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I certainly understand the intimidation factor. Compared to a lot of other players, I'm relatively new myself. Until a year ago, I mostly stuck to the comics side of our shop because I never learned how to play D&D. My handful of attempts to play prior to that were frustrating and bewildering. I always had to play with groups of veteran players. I didn’t know what was going on or what I was supposed to do because nothing was explained to me. None of the other players seemed to comprehend that there was a learning curve, so I had a terrible time. I thought the game just wasn't for me.

Thanks to binge-watching Critical Role, I eventually got some context for how the game worked and how it could be fun. What a revelation! I’ve made up for lost time over the past year, and started to DM last fall. Now I run a table at D&D Adventurer’s League every week, as well as a weekly game for kids ages 8-14. I've had a lot of opportunities to observe games with new players who were welcomed with varying degrees of success, and I’ve learned a few things.

If you are a DM, a veteran player, or anyone else who deals with newbies -- particularly when you play with strangers at a game shop or convention -- here are some simple things to consider if you want them to have a good time. (If you don't want them to have a good time, go away, your fun is wrong.)

Remember: You Were a Newbie Once Too
Nothing kills a person’s excitement about a group activity like having others in the group treat them like they already should be an expert. When you’ve been playing for a long time, it becomes second nature to you, but it’s easy to forget how complicated it is for someone who is unfamiliar with the game. There are so many rules, and a lot of strange terminology the average person isn’t likely to know. None of us were born knowing which die was which, what initiative is, or how proficency works. And it’s hard to look things up in the Player’s Handbook if you don’t yet know what you’re searching for.

Make an Insight Check
We’re not all proficient in Insight, but you can always try. Ideally, the DM will make the newbie feel comfortable before the game starts, and encourage them to ask questions as they arise. If you’re playing, be a friendly neighbor. Give them space to figure things out for themselves, but be willing to offer encouragement or assistance to your neighbor in a gentle and lighthearted way. My kid players can do it without making the new player feel bad, so I believe in you!

Don’t Split the Party
When I finally started playing D&D on a regular basis, I was lucky enough to land with a group who made an effort to make me feel like I was part of the gang right away. I had a general sense of how the game worked from watching streaming games, but when I was actually at the table, I was still a little confused during the first few sessions.

I always will be grateful to the DM because he was kind and helpful, and always encouraged other players to help each other as well. The people sitting next to me could point to things on my character sheet so I learned how to figure out what I was rolling, calculate damage, and so forth. They were supportive, let me feel included, and never made me feel like I was slowing the game down or being a bother. In fact, when I was finally able to find creative and effective ways to help the party, they were almost as excited as I was.

Share the Loot
Maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “This is common sense! Who isn’t already doing this?” Good for you! But sadly, common sense is rarer than it should be. I have watched many people sigh and roll their eyes and make new players feel awkward, or just leave a new player flailing. Don’t be that person. Give the newbie a chance to share the love of the hobby. With a kind attitude, you can set a good precedent and help build a positive D&D community around you.

contributed by Annie Bulloch

 

[schneeland]

All this discussion has me wondering if D&D shouldn't be kept simpler. A cross between Basic D&D and the 5e starter set would do the trick.

Personally, I would welcome that. The player's handbook is also not written in a way that makes it easy for new players to digest the content IMO. However, I am not quite sure if a further reduction in complexity wouldn't alienate a significant portion of the existing player base - my impression is that some people were already upset with the more streamlined approach 5e took compared to 3/3.5e.

 

[Annie Bulloch]

5e has done phenomenally well, so I think it works fine as it is. But introducing new players presents a challenge because there are so many options and moving parts, and because people learn and respond to the game in different ways. I'm designing a learn-to-play program for my shop right now help jumpstart new players, trying to address those challenges.

 

[schneeland]

I guess saleswise you cannot argue with the success 5e has (at least in the US). I also think it is the best version of D&D, yet (I haven’t played 4e, though). I still see room for improvement, but it probably would stop to feel like D&D at some point, so I can understand why they didn’t change the game more heavily.

Anyway, good luck with your efforts to help new players! It’s certainly welcome to see the hobby grow again.

 

[R_Chance]

I was lucky, we were all new in 1974 And excited. Over the years what I've noticed is that new players are happier playing a class they are interested in. If you tell a new player to play a Fighter, because it's easier and they want to use magic, you've just killed the game for them. Explain the classes, let them know what the problem areas can be with different ones and let them choose. Help them as needed without taking over their character (during character generation and play). This goes for DMs and more experienced players alike. If they are playing the role they want and getting help when, and if, needed they will enjoy the game.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

And most important ... start with 3d6 in order for stats. Teach some roleplaying against type and with unusual stats. Optimized stat-class-race combos can come later.

 

[Eirikrautha]

Well, I certainly agree that making players feel welcome is an important part of the game. But this particular topic is not as cut and dried as some posters here would like to make it.

As someone who frequently has new players at my table (including one now who has only a few sessions in), I think it is important to remember that the job of the DM is to make sure ALL of the players have a good time. I've noticed in many discussions I've seen/read lately that there is a fetishization of new players nowadays, often at the expense of the old. I notice this a lot with folks who are themselves transitioning from newer players into veteran ones.

Now, I haven't directly seen anyone say "Screw the six people you've been playing with for three decades, make the new guy feel happy!" but some of the responses so far definitely have an element of privileging the new over the old. In fact, I would say that, were the question put directly to the respondents on this thread, "Who bears the greatest responsibility to compromise in order to please the rest of the table?" many of you would respond with the veterans as opposed to the newbie.

From WotC's perspective, this makes perfect sense... they already have my money, so each new player is more for them. From the perspective of my gaming group, however, I don't think that answer is anywhere near fair. I'll try to give two specific examples that might illustrate my point.

One of the biggest issues my new players have is differentiating between flavor text and rules text. If a description say that a spell "harnesses mystical energy to pierce the surrounding darkness, giving the character advantage on Perception checks in total darkness," my newer players frequently focus in on the concept of piercing the darkness, rather than on the mechanics of the spell as stated. For tables with a high level of fluency in the game, this can often lead to frustration by both the new and old players. If the older players have a high degree of system mastery and enjoy encounters (both combat and non-combat) with a thin margin for error and a high degree of difficulty, they can become frustrated with a character that does not have a single skill/spell/ability chosen to help in these circumstances (this happened recently with my newest player, who chose most of her high level spells based on flavor and as a result did not cast a single one in two straight sessions, as none would mechanically accomplish what she desired in those circumstances). The new player feels weak or useless, and the experienced players begin to resent them. This also creates problems for the DM, who must either dial back the expectations at the table (which is insulting in its own way when you prepare a challenging encounter for five players, when there are six at the table, because everyone knows the newbie won't really contribute), or bend long established conventions to make the newbie's misreads more viable.

The second example directly addresses a point in the OP's article: the influence of web series like Critical Role. Several of my veteran players have been in this group since the mid-eighties, and have never played at a table like what you might see on Critical Role. In fact, most of us would not come back after the first session. The style, focus, and tenor of those games are not anything like what we enjoy. To a new player, who knows only what they have seen on the Internet, our table would feel very different from what they might expect based on Critical Role. Should we change our table for them? Should the expectations of the new player outweight the table culture of the old?

 

[ad_hoc]

Now, I haven't directly seen anyone say "Screw the six people you've been playing with for three decades, make the new guy feel happy!" but some of the responses so far definitely have an element of privileging the new over the old. In fact, I would say that, were the question put directly to the respondents on this thread, "Who bears the greatest responsibility to compromise in order to please the rest of the table?" many of you would respond with the veterans as opposed to the newbie.

The way I look at it is that if we have to change in order to accommodate a player who is new to the game then we are already doing it wrong.

The second example directly addresses a point in the OP's article: the influence of web series like Critical Role. Several of my veteran players have been in this group since the mid-eighties, and have never played at a table like what you might see on Critical Role. In fact, most of us would not come back after the first session. The style, focus, and tenor of those games are not anything like what we enjoy. To a new player, who knows only what they have seen on the Internet, our table would feel very different from what the night expect based on Critical Role. Should we change our table for them?

I don't see this as a new vs old player situation. It's just a matter of playstyle. Old players can clash on playstyles just as much as new players.

New to the table is not the same as new to the game. New to the table always relies on meshing with the table regardless of how long the player has been playing D&D.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

I think it would be helpful for new players if you can spend 10-15 minutes just having them fight waves of monsters by themselves in a mock encounter. Having them roll to attack and damage, but having the monster just die after a hit. Having them take damage but not actually track it.

You can have pairs of goblins provoking opportunity attacks, grappling, tripping, use the help action, hide, and take cover. So the player can see how those mechanics interact and impact combat.

You can put them in different scenarios one right after the other;
One wave is ranged goblins, the next flying kobold, then a swarm of rats, now wolves ect.

In 15 minutes they can take as many turns as they would have in 2 sessions, and it gives them an idea of what to expect in a variety of situations, how dangerous they can be, what to look for and avoid, and a general strategy. Also try things out and make bad choices without dozens of strangers eyes on top of you.

And the quick repetition of looking up and saying what your AC, Spell DC, To-Hit, ect. might help them internalize them faster.

A Bonus is that you can expose them to exotic creatures that they might not actually get to fight, and show off rad minis, to hype them up.

 

[Eirikrautha]

The way I look at it is that if we have to change in order to accommodate a player who is new to the game then we are already doing it wrong.

Pithy, but ultimately meaningless.

I don't see this as a new vs old player situation. It's just a matter of playstyle. Old players can clash on playstyles just as much as new players.

New to the table is not the same as new to the game. New to the table always relies on meshing with the table regardless of how long the player has been playing D&D.

Agreed. But I don't see lots of articles on various websites belaboring this. The general attitude is one of sorry, hope you find a table that fits your style, go in peace. But with new players, the attitude seems to be change your table culture as much as it takes to retain that one new player...

 

[Sunseeker]

Agreed. But I don't see lots of articles on various websites belaboring this. The general attitude is one of sorry, hope you find a table that fits your style, go in peace. But with new players, the attitude seems to be change your table culture as much as it takes to retain that one new player...

I think that's because if Old Joe doesn't fit at your table, there's a good chance he understands why, and can peacefully move on to another table, somewhere. Or create his own game to get the kind of experience he wants.

With New June there's a risk that if the table doesn't make something of a wide berth for their newness, they'll leave the hobby entirely.