Warmup from Tanner to Justin:

If you could make a character for an uninterested player, what would it be?

Intro:

Welcome back, adventurer! We’re excited for another episode of How to Be a Better DM!

Together, you and I will learn how to craft better stories for yourself and your players as you DM sessions of Dungeons and Dragons 5e, no matter your level of experience. Today I’m your host Tanner Weyland, with my compatriot, Justin Lewis. 

With the references to D&D in popular shows like Stranger Things and even a Dungeons and Dragons movie coming out, the hobby has seen a large growth in new players and will likely see even more newbies join the game. This means that there will be both new DM’s and new players who need help and need to be shepherded into the world of D&D. It’s our job to make sure that happens in a way that encourages them to stay and today we’re going to talk about just that!

Before we get into today’s main topic though, let’s go through some housekeeping items! 

We’ve finally finalized the date of the next one-shot. It will be held online on Saturday, September 17th around 2 PM Mountain Time. So far we have all 5 players signed up. For those four players, we’ll be sending out a calendar invite to make sure they have the date settled. Next, just another shoutout to our show listener Robric Vanhelm. If you want to get his professionally made encounter in The League of Libraries: The Lorecroft Collection then go to betterdungeonmaster.com/robric and purchase it. All proceeds go to Robric who’s made some amazing stuff.

Well, I think that is enough jibber jabber so let’s get to the meat of today’s conversation. D&D tips for beginners.

Main Topic: D&D Tips for Beginners

Justin

1. Talk with your players/DM

This tip goes both ways for new DM’s and new players. For the new DM: You need to ask your players lots of questions about what they would add to your game or what hasn’t really worked for them as well as tell them that they can freely talk to you and ask you questions. If you need info about a player’s backstory, ask them without delay. If you want your players offering you info about their backstory, tell them nothing would make you happier. Ironically, for such a “nerdy” game this game teaches a lot about relationships. In order to have a successful campaign, you absolutely need constant and consistent communication from all parties involved. If nothing else, you need that just to keep the game consistently scheduled.

1. Encourage players to unlimit themselves

Sometimes new players might look to the DM and think, “What is it they want me to do here?” If that is how you play as a DM, I suggest you rethink your style. I know my wife has said that to me in the recent past during our game and I took that as a personal failure. You want your players to think outside the box and treat the scenarios as real world scenarios where there are infinite options. The mechanics of the game are there to be just that, mechanics, processes that explain how consequences come about. If they want to try something, they can. It’s my job as the DM to think about how logically difficult (or perhaps impossible) that thing is and then let them try anyway. 

So tell your players to let themselves imagine grand things and then try them out.

1. You get out what you put in

Tanner

1. Take ownership of the lore and content.

As a new player, it may be easy to just arrive at the sessions and “tag along.” Instead, take ownership. Get some materials, whether you download or buy them. Also, know your own character’s backstory in a deep way. Study a little bit of your class’ mechanics every week. You might even want to study some of the deeper lore–that is when you can feel like a contributor, not a sidekick.

1. Embrace Collaboration with both the players and DM

This is in a similar vein to my other tip, but it is a practical tip for creativity: your best ideas will come when you try to create them in collaboration with the DM or other players.

Break (From Tanner to Justin)

Main Topic Continued:

Tanner

1. Try DMing.

Justin

1. It’s ok to stop

This is a tip to relay to your new players. You need to let them know that this is a new thing they are trying. If they don’t like it they don’t have to keep playing just to make you happy. In fact, you should go one step further and tell them how exactly you want them to pull you aside when no one else is around and simply explain that you had some fun but D&D just isn’t their vibe, or their kids need more attention, or they have different priorities or anything else. What’s not ok is for players to constantly lead everyone on or force everyone to change their schedule because they don’t have the spine to say, “No thanks.” D&D is not for everyone. We welcome everyone and invite everyone, however who stays is entirely up to them. I’ll tell you this though, we will make some amazing memories with whoever stays.

1. Describe Your Own Combat

Mentioned in this episode:

Listen to Our New Podcast

As a listener of this show, you obviously love story. Now that you’ve learned how to craft your own story on this show, wouldn’t it be nice to have some inspiration? Or maybe just a moment of immersion and escape? Then come join us in our new Actual Play D&D 5e show, Pact and Boon. Enter the World of Calignos where our characters, Jolly, Wolfgang and Alon will meet each other in Hell. Enjoy our troublemaking and near-death experiences wherever great podcasts are heard. Just go to session0studios.com/pactnboon and start listening today.

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