Hi,
My friends and I intend (5 of us) on playing DnD for the first time, we have very little knowledge of the game and I intend on being the DM so I and currently researching the game. I would not like to make a big investment in the game yet buy buying lots of the big manuals. However I do intend on purchasing the Starting kit, I've heard but without justification that I should get the monster manual along with it and I don't know if it's necessary , as we may only end up playing once if we don't find it's for us. The questions for you I have are:
- Should I just buy the starter kit on it's own and that's enough to play a fun but simple round of DnD for our first time
- How many sets of dice are required for 5 people? Would I be fine with 2 sets, one for the DM and another for the other players?
- Any general advice?
- And some good tips to being a good DM
Thankyou!
The Starter Kit alone is enough to start playing. There are also some free Basic Rules here.
One set of dice per player (at least) is ideal, but one set for you and one for the players is at enough. You can also use dice rolling apps and programs if you want to have people just roll using their phones or tablets.
General advice is to read the module before you run it and post here or in other subforums like DM Help and ask questions. Conduct a Session Zero before play (though the people in your group may be new enough to the hobby to not have strong preferences one way or another that need hashing out. My signature contains a lot of useful links for both DMs and players, but the single most important bit of advice I can give you is to remember the goals of play: (1) Have a good time together and (2) Create an exciting, memorable story as a result of play. The rules can help you with that, but following the rules alone isn't enough.
Welcome to the hobby, good luck, and have fun!
1: The starter set is a good place to start. You can also find rules for free here. Though they lack many options, and you have to build your own adventure.
2: Minimum 1 of each type of dice, or a computer with a dice app. 2 set's will be fine to start with.
3: Fun wins over rules. Though what's fun varies from group to group.
4: Don't try and win. Your setting up monsters for them to knock down.
Give them options.
Be flexible. Don't be afraid of moveing your bear cave from the west of town to the east of town. Just don't do it after they find it.
Welcome to the hobby!
The starter set alone is more than enough to get a good taste of D&D - if you choose to stay after your first session, there are about 20-40 hours of content packed in. You will be fine with two packs of dice - but believe me, if your players choose to stay, all of them will want to get their own dice very fast. It's well know that your own dice roll better ;). The key to being a good DM is simple: Let your players have fun. This is more a social game than a boardgame, so if someone does something that spoils the other players' fun, just talk to them. If one of your friends owns a boardgame like Descent you could bring it and use it visualize combats - it's not necessary but you should try miniature or grid combat somewhere down the road to see if your group prefers this approach or pure theatre of mind combat.
Have fun and let us know how it worked out. Back in the days when we had our first AD&D session with this era's starter set, we were fixed immediately.
Best regards,
Proletheus
iserith wrote:
mellored wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
Proletheus wrote:
OoftaMeg wrote:
Yes, it comes with a quite nice adventure. You don't need any props, I wouldn't worry about that at first. A piece of paper to sketch on should be fine.
So firstly thank you for helping. So by scetch you mean? I asume to take notes? Or something?
Let them ask for themselves... your job is to say "there's a monster," then let them decide what to do. If they think of a clever way to handle it, try to say yes. (But don't make the monsters stupider or weaker than you think they ought to be... you want the players to win by their cleverness and/or resourcefulness, not by just handing them victory.)
I was under the intitial impression that I was as DM required to have a set story line with multipul options for certain situations and they had to figure them out, is it the case that is they come up with a good response/out come, one I was yet to think of do I freestyle it, allow that turn of events and make sure it leads them to the same destination I had planened but perhaps in different conditions, perhaps through there choice they found some new loot, or got injured ect.
Thanks again 
When they say what it is they want to do, you tell them what happens as a result. Sometimes you'll ask them to roll dice to help determine a result. That's all they really need to know for now.
So what I asume your saying is that I can set the sence, say whats going down and something that puts them on a path, they can go as far from the path as they like?
Also say they want to do something that I didnt have planned, do I free style and make that like and extra to the story or that it leads them a different way to get there. I had asumed that before hand I spend time to plan out a big story line and have them follow the story line. But I now asume they follow the story line but in what ever fashion they choose, I just have to make adjustments along the way.
~~
Shmiitty wrote:
After reading about "Session Zero" I'm a strong believer of it. Even if it's nothing more than "Hey, guys, let's try D&D. I've got the Starter Set and the adventure is apparently pretty good (it is). It comes with pre-made characters so we can start right away. Wanna play?"
Shmiitty wrote:
Welcome to the insanity!! Rememeber, this game is for fun. The best tip I can give you. It isn't DM vs the Players, you are telling the players stories. This game can give your a lifetime of fun. Enjoy!!
My advice for DM's is this:
1) Know the rules. Not because you can "rule-lawyer" players and not becuase the rules are the the only way to do things. Know the rules so that there is a basic CONSISTENCY for the players and the world you create. Nothing will kill the fun more than "but last time Bob did X it worked" or "how come that NPC could do X but I can't do X with the same conditons".
2) Once you have the offical rules down pat you're free, if you wish, to "House Rule". That means deviating from the books rules in order to change the game to make it more fun/interesting for your players. But always, ALWAYS be consistant. Your bard wants to jump up onto the chandelier do a triple sommersault onto the the orcs back, knock him prone and land an automatic critical hit all in one action? Awesome, you can allow that for the pure awesomeness! But then if you're being consistent enemies can also do such things to your players. And you're players need to acknowledge this.
3) Make it fun for your players. Get a feel for what they enjoy. Get a feel for what kills the fun for them. For example, if you have a rogue in you party who likes sneaking around don't deprive him/her of opportunities to shine. e.g always having battles in barren rooms with no furniiture or crates or always having open field battles with no trees or boulders etc...
4) Reward them for being creative and encourage them to think outside the box. Sometimes players need a nudge. For example, if the players start to get into the habbit of killing anything that moves in order to solve EVERY problem it will become what we call "ROLL playing" instead of "ROLE playing". It might mean putting the occaisional "unbeatable" foe in their path so that alternate tactics/ideas can come into play.
There are many more things but FUN and CONSISTENCY, I think, are key. Enjoy :-)
The best advice I can give you is to avoid the mistake that many new DM do:
DM are NOT playing against the player. You are playing WITH`the player. But do not make it too easy neither, since they you remove the challenge and the sense of accomplishement.
DM is a balancing act between allowing your player to be creative, but without allowing them to just destroy the dungeon.
The best trick I can give you as a beginning DM, since you might have difficulty evaluating the odds and predict the future, roll behind some sort of screen, and do not be afraid to forge your rolls. If your monster for some reason never roll higher then 5, the game is too easy and you might want to forge a littl ebit higher. If your monster constantly roll 19+ then you might want to tone there roll down. Rolling behind a screen make that dice forging easier, but do nto abuse it, do not forge every roll, let luck guide your hand, but if luck is killing your party or if luck if making it too easy, you can force luck hand a little bit.
DMing is a balancing act, where you need to give a decent challenge to the party without making it too difficult. and the easiest way is to talk with your player, try to get feedback and adjust. Do not be afraid to adjust your tactic to fit the player tactics capability.
For example in the beginning of the starter kit, there is an ambush of goblins, who can be VERY deadly for an unprepare group of level 1 adventurer. For experience players it's easy to deal with and we can usually get the advantage in the fight, but a group of new player coul deasyly get killed. So if you see that the fight goes badly, do not hesitate, to make the goblin run away (even if they were winning) or to forge a roll so the crit that would kill the rogue scout during the first round, become a warning shot landing in front of the rogue for example.
AS teh party advance they will level up and even at level 2 the encounter become a lot more balance and easier to manage as a DM. But player level 1 are EXTREMLY weak, and monster (even the weakest Goblin) can easily TPK a unprepared party of level 1 players.
iserith wrote:
RicknMO wrote:
p3ck wrote:
QwertyAzerty wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
mellored wrote:
iserith wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
p3ck wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
iserith wrote:
p3ck wrote:
[quote="iserith"
A shield normally confers a +2 bonus to Armor Class. The Basic Rules will show this in the Equipment section.
You say the Basic Rules, is that in the guides provided by the starter kit?
What you'll want to do is introduce the backup characters in the story somehow and, like the original characters, establish reasons why they know each other and the original characters and how it is they are "in the area." That way when someone's character buys the farm, you can bring the backup character into play as quickly as possible.
Thanks for the tips there, but i feel it would to hard to impliment there other characters with valid reasons, also "When someone's character buys the farm" What do you mean ?
thanks as always
Shmiitty wrote:
iserith wrote:
p3ck wrote:
iserith wrote:
p3ck wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
iserith wrote:
p3ck wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Since you appear to be a fan of the rules based on posts I've seen of yours, you're free to go look up the definition of roleplaying in the Basic Rules. You will find that, based on the definition provided therein, a player who chooses to engage in combat more often than not is, in fact, roleplaying. Not "roll playing."
So, you are wrong. And, inconceivably, you continue to double down on your position despite this. You gain nothing by trying to defend the indefensible. Except scorn, I guess.
iserith wrote:
Welcome to the hobby.
Lots of advice, with a side of nerd-rage.
Dont take the nerd-rage seriously; it is irrelevant. DMs are like peacocks and these arguments are just displays of our glorious plumage.
Download the 2 PDFs of basic rules for free. They have all the rules, spells, and monsters you'll need to sample the game. If you want the starter set - it is an excellent purchase. Good adventure, dice, magazine of rules to reference.
For your first time I strongly recommend running it with pregenerated characters and running it as it's written. That means with relatively little deviation. Because you have a lot of stuff to learn how to do - and to familiarize yourself with how things work. Spells armor class hit points, etc. It's a bit much. And to also worry about the plot and winging it - it's maybe too much.
For your second session, if you get that far, and you should, because this is worth doing at least 6 times to fully get the experience, have your players make their own characters and feel free to step "off the path" a bit more. Try new stuff.
If you want a sense of the flow of the game, Find Iserith's "Actual Play Transcripts" thread and read a session or two. It'll illuminate you on the DM-Player back-and-forth nature of the game.
p3ck wrote:
Come on guys, don't scare off the new guy with your argument.
bawylie wrote:
Proletheus wrote:
iserith wrote:
iserith wrote:
mellored wrote:
bawylie wrote:
[quote="Proletheus"]
Come on guys, don't scare off the new guy with your argument.
Haha this community is great! So many helpful people, and dispite the arguement, it happened orginaly becuase these guys wanted to embrace noobs and show them the way
I have 1400 on DotA this is nothing compared to a game with just one flamer!
Shmiitty wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
iserith wrote:
My suggestions:
1. Go read the starter set, both books, and then come back and ask more specific questions.
2. There are a lot of play-throughs of the starter set on youtube. Have a look and see how other DMs handle the adventure.
3. Nothing can replace your own experience. Be bold, and enjoy the journey.
****EDIT****
Regarding books, having 2 Player's Handbooks for the table should be okay. You'll find your spellcasters needing them the most to look up spells. If you can swing it, you might get them by with spellcards during the game instead for much cheaper than the book. But the book will still be needed between sessions and for leveling up so they can create their spell lists and know their number of spell slots. The DM can get by most of the game without the Player's Handbook except when it comes to spellcasting as well.
If you have the starter set, the DMG can wait. Also, if you have the free basic rules, the MM can wait as well.
There are many DM reference sheets available online for 5E that give a condensed version of important rules. If you find a good set, I would make copies and make them available for the players.
Qzoo wrote:
Shmiitty wrote:
Yeah, just get the starter set at first and play with that. You get everything you need to play. Don't worry about PHB and stuff, it will just overcomplicate things. If you start out only with the basic rules, it's much easier to get into D&D 5e.
And no there are no spellcards in the starter set. The rules that come with the starter set only contain the first 3 levels of spells for cleric and wizard (you won't level higher than level 5), so it's very fast to browse them.
I recomend reading Iserith's game transcripts or the first few any way so you can see how he runs a game. I may not agree with everything he does but its the best example of how to play I have seen. The links are in his signature.
muppet1 wrote: