Running a game for noobs

[Couatl]

So I finally received my collector's edition 5e books about a week ago. I haven't bought anything from 5e series yet, so I decided it will be a good time to start running games now. I have plenty of experience, but mainly with 3.5 and a bunch of other games. Thing is that I have an ongoing grand campaign on 3.5 so I will surely not switch in the middle of the game to 5e. So I need another audience for my shiny new books.

At the same time some friends of mine who had never played table-top rpgs asked me to show them and run a session for them. I thought that 5e will be very good for this because I have noticed it is very noob friendly and second - my books are very shiny, maybe the shiniest book in my collection :D

The problem is that I am not sure how to approach this session. These people are two couples who very much enjoy playing board games, half of them enjoy playing computer rpgs on PS, but that's all. Their impressions for D&D is what they know from Big Bang Theory and Stranger Things. So I wondered what should I include in this session to make it feel good.

On one side - I wanted to make it a bit classical by throwing a dungeon crawl inside. On the other hand I want to make it as modern as possible - no tedious dungeons, interesting NPCs with agendas and most importantly - deepness of the scenario, not just the casual "bring me that McGuffin".

So, what do you think are the elements of a session (lets say up to 5 hours in length) that should be present for them to enjoy it?

A boss fight for sure. Mooks fight before the boss fight also - so they can learn their abilities. I guess depending on the circumstances this will take around 1 hour of game time.

What else? I don't usually put puzzles in my games, but maybe a clever one here will be good? Some exploration? NPC interaction? Maybe a murder mystery to solve? A random encounter table? For sure I will add a plot twist. As many ideas as you can come with are welcome :)

Also - what do you think should the quest be for? They will be 1st level, so I need to stick to simple low level challenges which limits me a little. As I mentioned - a murder mystery where they need to find the suspect? A search for a person lost somewhere in the wilderness/town that can have overland exploration and nice plot twists? Should I include horror elements maybe?

All advice will be much appreciated/

[JAL_1138]

One thing I advise anybody new to 5e who has experience with prior editions—in this case you, the DM—is to look at it as an entirely new game and do not assume anything from prior editions carries over, even if it uses the same name or looks similar at first. It might even turn out to be identical, but don’t assume that. There are a lot of things that tend to trip up 3.PF players/DMs, like moving between attacks, no 5ft step, Surprise working differently, attacks of opportunity working differently, etc., etc., so on and so forth. It’s just helpful to consider 5e as its own entirely new beast.

As for starting new players, you might want to start by having a Session 0 or a few hours before the adventure starts for making characters, or by offering them a selection of pre-gens and explaining a general idea of the role(s) each class plays.

But what you should make the quest about depends on your players. Not everyone will like the same things, and it might be impossible to cram all the things you want into a single 5-hour session, particularly having both NPCs/investigation/social elements to a major degree and a dungeon crawl of much length. You might even consider offering a selection of different quests and see which they think is more interesting.

Random encounters are probably not a great idea, as low levels in 5e can be fairly dangerous.

[Geddy2112]

+1 to what JAL said.

I like the idea of classic trope encounter for one of your mook warm up encounters. Some marauding orcs, a pack of wolves, goblin ambush, spike pit trap. If they are totally new, cliches that might make a veteran gamer groan are often fun and help newbies relate. Done well, a cliche trope filled mcguffin dungeon crawl can be a phenomenal adventure. Adding other things is great, but going too far in that direction might turn them off more than an out of the box adventure.

Of course, you can ask them what they want during session zero/character creation and make adjustments then.

[DMThac0]

I'll echo the two major sentiments of the previous post: 5e is very much a different design than any previous edition of D&D. You can't go into it with much more pre-existing knowledge than the basic concepts. The numbers, action economy, classes, and much more have changed in ways that, if you use a 3.5 or 4e mindset, will completely confuse you. One big thing to start with is that 5e is truly geared toward the story side of the game. The large numbers of 3.X and the plethora of abilities granted from 4e are all stripped down to try to make the game more about interpretation and ease of getting into the game.

As to what to give your new players, I'd offer both a session 0, like mentioned, and I'll give you my opening scene to 5e.

I had 6 players, 1 was a self-proclaimed veteran dating back to AD&D games, 2 had a novice level experience with D&D, two had no experience with D&D, and the last had just come off of a table top simulator version of D&D as their DM. None of them had any experience with 5e, so I knew I had to put together something to help acclimate them to the new rules. I have over 30 years of DMing under my belt and I helped beta the D&D Next initiative, so I knew what changes had been made to the system. The idea was to run them through the basics of what the game offered: Combat, Exploration, usage of class specific skills, and getting comfortable with my DM style. That last bit is just as important since DM styles vary almost as much as Player styles.

Session 0 was nothing more than character generation, an explanation of what to expect from me as a DM, what the players wanted from a game, and some of the house rules that I always put in to my games. This information, the collaborative character generation, and the time to help understand the sheets and initial questions are very useful for a quick transition into a game.

First session of the game I had them interacting between their characters. I had them meet up in a common grounds at a school where they were just graduating. They got time to introduce their characters and explain the bonds that they had between each other. They then met an NPC who spoke with them, gave them some information and then sent them on their first quest. I believe getting players into an action scene quickly is important in the first session. From there I had built a dungeon that had 3 very specific rooms into it, the rest of the rooms and corridors were there to make it feel fleshed out.

-Room 1: A simple puzzle, nothing that requires deep thought. I used a pressure plate trap and statues that spit fire. They had to figure out how to cross the room.
-Room 2: A social encounter, something that requires them to use their social skills. This one required them to use persuasion, deception, insight, or their own creativity to make their way through.
-Room 3: A combat, the way out being blocked by a monster. A simple fight that they had to work together to defeat, just strong enough to possibly knock 1 or 2 out, but allow them to win with simple tactics.

The rest of the dungeon had traps, minor monsters, some hidden objects, some locked or stuck doors, and some dangerous terrain to cross. I also had odd objects littered about, this way things like History, Religion, and Arcana could see some use. This way I could incorporate other skills and abilities by giving them challenges to accomplish using imagination and skills. In all I ran a 4 hour session and they got the chance to explore their character sheets and work their way through a quick dungeon crawl.

Then there was the second session, from there I introduced them to the city that would be their starting point. They got to work on social interactions, purchases, and exploration from there. I also started to get them familiar with gathering information rather than just running head long into the next quest. Sometimes you can't complete a quest because the quest giver only knows what they want, not the how. Using both of those sessions I gave them a crash course in what D&D was. I gave them some examples of what they can do, what they can't do, and what happens if they deviate from their character sheets and try to do something crazy. I generally, in those first sessions, don't adhere directly to the PHB/DMG giving a little grace and using the line "This time it works, but usually it won't because of (insert appropriate ruling)".

Good luck with your new game, and have fun!

[Jophiel]

There is an official "free rules" starter PDF (http://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf) for 5e. I would ask them to at least skim the first couple chapters (races, classes, backgrounds) to come into Session 0 with some clue of what they're interested in. They don't have to make characters on their own but they should at least know what a Cleric and a Charisma score are so it's not immediately bogged down in "This is a d4..."

The PDF is a skinnied down version of the races/classes to steer new players into the major archetypes (healer cleric, blaster wizard, tanky fighter, sneaky rogue) but that's not a bad thing for getting your feet wet.

[JAL_1138]

Also, I realize you may not be looking to buy additional content, having recently purchased the Collectors’ rulebook printings, but for around $20 or frequently less, the Starter Set has a pretty good introductory module, Lost Mine of Phandelver. It’s longer than 5 hours, certainly, and isn’t something you can complete in one sitting reasonably (time varies, you can spend quite a long time in it exploring the surrounding area and interacting with NPCs, or plow straight through in a handful of sessions), but it’s a quite solid adventure module, one that still gets run fairly often and popularly in League after all this time. It’s a good intro to the system for both players and DMs, with about all you’re looking for except for longer run time—a town that serves as a base of operations, some interesting NPCs, dungeoneering, potentially some wilderness exploration, a bit of a mystery to solve, and even a few horror elements (although not much horror) in places here and there. If the players don’t use the pregens that come with the module, it requires a couple of tweaks to some NPCs and how they relate to the PCs, but other than that it’s really quite good.

[PhoenixPhyre]

I'll second (third? Nth?) what people have said and tell my basic introduction (since I run after-school club games at a high school, usually with complete noobs).

I start with a session 0, focused on archetypes, not mechanics. Trying to get them to focus on their character as an actual person embedded in an actual world.

Then I run a "last practical exam" scenario--they're graduating from Adventurer's Academy the next day (as a team) and the head instructor calls them into the practice arena for a last exam. They've hired an illusionist who can (at great expense) make things feel real. Failure is not death, but it's failure.

I then run three mini scenarios--

First a non-combat "skill" scenario: the party must help a heavily-pregnant (and thus not so nimble) noblewoman cross over a very thin rock bridge. There's a sheer drop on either side, but plenty of places to tie ropes, etc. It's easily jumpable by any normal-strength character. I'm focusing here on creativity--I want them to figure out how to pass this obstacle. None of them have buttons to press, but they need to think through the issue.

Second a combat scenario. Bandits in the woods, with a stream (difficult terrain), trees (cover), and a clear objective. Kill them before they kill you.

Third, a heist. A dungeon filled with traps (but no monsters unless they trigger an alarm) and an objective to get a gold chalice from the other end of the dungeon and bring it back. Only one player (the one with the cup) has to make it back to "win".

If anyone ever "dies", they're removed from play for that scenario and the "grade" is decreased. Great success means extra rewards (some extra gold) for the "real" campaign, failure just means getting yelled at and mocked.

This lets the players experiment with the mechanics and the process without actual permanent risk. It also gets them thinking like a team.

[Couatl]

Thank you for the advice, everyone. I was thinking to supply them with premade heroes by me, but I start to like the idea for session 0 very much.

I will also give a glance to the starter free rules, thank you for the link :)

[Umbral]

I have done what you're about to do about 5 times. I just used the box set Lost Mines of Phandelver. It's a very good starter adventure, actually quite enjoying and deserves a mention as one of the better ones yet.

I used the pre made characters, just hand them out and let them choose one. Have lots of snacks and stuff on hand. I just run through it really quickly, "here's all your skills, you'll need to roll THIS die everytime I ask to roll 'skill'. Here's your hit points, here's your armor, here's your weapons and heres your spells, etc."

I tell them that I run through it quickly so they can start playing, I tell them that the character sheet is just like a stat card that has what their powers are. They don't what melee weapons are anyway! "One of your powers is you can attack with your Longsword, up close, or your Longbow, from some distance away."

I also tell them I will address them by their character name and whatever they say is in character, unless they tell me "Out of Character" or when I have it available, an OOC paddle. (it's just a depressor stick with a laminated cut out that says OOC on it. They hold it up when they want to talk out of character - cheesy but it works!)


I explain things like low light vision and such just a little, then we get into the story.

Once we get going, I just have them get their feet wet in a short combat or maybe a non-combat confrontation and then take a quick break, once back from break I go over the sheet once more just to clarify things - repetition is the mother of memorization. I do this once more near the end of the session. I give them breaks so they can think through things, I listen for feedback, make sure EVERYONE is having fun so they come back the next time to finish the adventure or perhaps they decide that everyone has time to plow through to the end.

I also make sure to reward them with silver or gems. I keep a tight hold on magic items and utilize first aid. I give them opportunities for short rests as well.

Final Note: D&D 5E is a different animal. It is not 3.5 or anything else, it has it's own quirks and personality. Given that, be sure to understand where to find everything, some things aren't on the DM screen. If I have time, I print out all special rules and spells that they will be using. When I'm feeling really generous or the new players are younger, I print things out on cards. Weapons are RED, and Spells are GREEN. I know that doesn't make sense but if you got only 2 choices it's less confusing.

That's my experience, hope it helps. Good luck! Be confident, be the DM!

[Quertus]

So, shock and surprise, I'm going to buck the trend. You've got players accustomed to playing board games, right? In most of those, your pieces are pre-made. Having a session 0, and the act of creating characters, may actually turn them off RPGs.

I might actually suggest a "session -1", with pregenerated characters, to throw them straight into the game, before letting them "customize" to create their own character. That way, they can say, "ooh, I liked the nice AC I had, but I liked Tom's bow, and Harry's wands - can I get something like that, all in one character?" I find that's often better than having a noob create a character blind, and find that they don't like that character, or have someone get bored / hate wasting the effort creating a character when character creation is not the part of the game that they enjoy.

Now, me? I love creating characters, and I hate pregenerated characters. So, obviously, I'd jump at a "session 0" to build my own. But, sadly, not everyone is me.

Know your players. Tailor the game to what they will find fun.

[JAL_1138]

So, shock and surprise, I'm going to buck the trend. You've got players accustomed to playing board games, right? In most of those, your pieces are pre-made. Having a session 0, and the act of creating characters, may actually turn them off RPGs.

I might actually suggest a "session -1", with pregenerated characters, to throw them straight into the game, before letting them "customize" to create their own character. That way, they can say, "ooh, I liked the nice AC I had, but I liked Tom's bow, and Harry's wands - can I get something like that, all in one character?" I find that's often better than having a noob create a character blind, and find that they don't like that character, or have someone get bored / hate wasting the effort creating a character when character creation is not the part of the game that they enjoy.

Now, me? I love creating characters, and I hate pregenerated characters. So, obviously, I'd jump at a "session 0" to build my own. But, sadly, not everyone is me.

Know your players. Tailor the game to what they will find fun.

“Know your players” is good advice. You might poll them as to whether they’d like to build characters or choose from pregens. Or some might want to choose from pregens and others might want to build their own—in which case you probably want to go with point-buy (which I strongly recommend for 5e anyway instead of rolling. Rolling for stats is liable to produce unbalanced characters and then the person who rolled 10-12 for everything has a bad time. Go with point-buy even if they all do a Session 0.)

Even if they all want to go with pregens, allow them a reasonable amount of time before the session to pick, and then take some time to explain the character sheet, where things are on it and what they mean, etc., and probably show them which dice are which. “Which one is a d[X]” is one of the most frequent questions completely new players ask, if my League experience is anything to go by.

Best of luck, hope the game goes well!

[Knaight]

Starting with a one shot with premade characters is often a pretty good idea - the trick is finding something that works within those parameters. You need a fairly compact game with an interesting hook, and that means being picky about what gets in. Lots of complex NPCs is often a no-go, simply because that's not well suited to the format; think about how short stories tend to have far fewer characters than novels and how incredibly applicable that is to one shots as opposed to campaigns.

As for specifics, I have one you could steal. It's scattered notes from a different system that don't necessarily transfer, but: The PCs play a band of amnesiacs, all remembering just one memory from mere seconds ago - being violently thrown through a portal by an official looking person in a courtroom, hit with a memory wipe spell, and watching it close and leave them stranded. They soon find out that there is a pool that will restore their memories somewhere, and that they're on a colony of exiles full of largely terrible people. Some might be recognized as well, though there's real uncertainty there.

The bulk of the session is then a combination of them uncovering snippets of who they are as they approach the pool, ending with a short dungeon crawl at which point they can have their memories back - if they even want them still, given the risk that that compromises the new person they've become. Also if they do drink the water most will find that at least one of their new allies was a hated enemy in their pre mindwipe life.

My pregens were a bandit queen, necromancer, peasant revolutionary, enemy general, bastard prince/failed usurper, and shady cult leader. D&D keeps some of this pretty well too, including the part where the necromancer gets to discover their super dubious spells available that really kickstarted the whole "were we monsters, do we want to come back?" side of the one shot. The class distribution is potentially a bit weird (originally they would basically have been a fighter, wizard, fighter, fighter, N/A, N/A), but the concepts can be massaged into Ranger, Necromancy Wizard, Rogue, Fighter, Fighter, Cleric, which is at least reasonably functional.

Basically, this is the session -1 Quertus was talking about. If it goes well and people have fun, you then build characters to run a campaign for.