So we talked about some of the bridges to cross when starting to play Dungeons and Dragons. But I have recently come across a lot of new players having the same problems when starting or joining a game with seasoned dungeon masters. We’ll talk about some DnD tips for new players.
One of the problems I have been facing lately is impatience from experienced Dungeon Masters towards new players. So I was thinking it is important to address this and try to find some solutions.
The hardest part is figuring out the rules. No matter how you start roleplaying, whether it’s with a group of friends or strangers.
It is a Dungeon Masters’s job to guide the players through their journey. Sometimes that involves helping them understand what they can and can’t do. But sometimes that means that the game lags and becomes boring for the DM as well if the majority of the time they are explaining the rules and not playing the actual game. Therefore, they expect players to know the rules and will not want to stop the game to explain or teach them. And even if the DM gives them a hook to explore, the players may not realize that they’re being guided to go somewhere or do something. And then the game lags again.
New players end up hating the game. And the DM goes to play with his friends who are already familiar with the game and know the rules by heart.
A question comes up. How can we change the outcome?
Here are some DnD tips we can offer:
It is important to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and understand their perspective. Isn’t it already what we’re trying to do by playing this game?
Understanding New Players
Many new players are put off by the sheer volume of information they feel they must digest before they can even play the game. Let alone like it. Think about it. When did you ever invest hours and hours of your time to learn something that you are not even sure you would like?
Secondly, Dungeons and Dragons is not an easy-to-learn game. Even if you have the will to sit for hours and study the rulebook before you even try the game you will not learn it immediately. So what happens is that the players rely on the Dungeon Master to teach them the rules during the game.
But is it a Dungeon Masters’s responsibility to teach new players how to play the game?
Understanding Dungeon Masters
It can be really stressful for the Dungeon Master. If you’re a DM, you have the unenviable task of having to prepare the adventure, all the NPCs, and think about all of the possibilities that can happen during the game. Not only that, you have to think about how your party will react. What they’ll do with their new-found knowledge (or lack thereof), and still manage to keep things interesting and fun. So yes, it is not surprising that they expect at least some kind of preparation from their players, in terms of knowledge of their character’s mechanics.
Now that we got that out of the way. We should remember what is important. The goal is to enjoy the game! And the goal of this site is to introduce new players to the game and help them fall in love with it as I did. With our dnd tips, we want to encourage you to continue playing and sharing knowledge.
DnD tips for new players and DMs
DnD tips for DMs
So in this sharing of knowledge, I would like to invite all the Dungeon Masters out there who are already giving us their interesting and amazing adventures to also remember to have patience with us newbies. Sometimes you have to repeat the same rule twice or explain the possibilities a bit more blunt for some of us to understand it. And just know that we appreciate it, even if we don’t always say it.
But also remember what draw you into D&D and how was it for you in the beginning. There are a lot of ways to DM but it is good to occasionally introduce something new to your DMing and improve your skills in it. As it helps new players to learn by watching other players play it can surely help you improve your skills by watching other DMs run their game. And it is not wrong to pick up something they do. Even just to try it out.
DnD tips for new players
And for all the new players out there who are struggling to keep up with this new world, here’s a dnd tip. Remember that it is also your responsibility to give something to the game. At least you can do is know how to control your character so the DM doesn’t have to. And even if you don’t understand how or why something is possible if you stay respectable to the players around you. You can try anything. Remember! You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Things to keep in mind when playing DnD:
- The Dungeon Master is also a player of the game and should enjoy it the same as other players!
- The Dungeon Master is responsible for preparing the adventures and for guiding you through them. They are not responsible for your character’s mechanics and your choices in the game!
- A player is responsible for his own character and should know at least his character stats and mechanics!
- A player is not alone in the game and should respect other players’ choices and work as a team/party!
- The goal is for everybody to enjoy the game! Have respect, love, and desire to create a fantasy world together!
