I'm definitely one of those 'veteran players who tries to drag new people into this hobby because I like sharing things that make me happy' types. One simple thing that I do for new players at my table is get them what I call a newbie dice set. They are generally plain, but all of them are different colors. So I can say something like, "Now roll a d8. That's the purple one." It streamlines the game a bit for my veterans, and gives the rookies the opportunity to learn the dice shapes at their own pace.
I think many 'starter boxes' for tabletop games do that. At least, a long time ago I bought a D&D 3.0 starter set and it had a set of dice each in a different color. I think the instruction booklet and included premade character sheets might have also used the color coding (e.g. on weapon damage dice and spells) to make it more newbie friendly.
@@Tennouseijin the starter set for 5e had all the dice in the same color (red), but still comes with like 4 or 5 premade character sheets. I picked one up fairly recently
I've made a little paper "dice mat" for my newbie players with the outline of each one in number order, so they can line them all up at the start of the game & put them back as they use them. It's what helped me learn which one was which.
@@Tennouseijin all the starter boxes I've bought (at least three so far) for various RPGs have dice of the exact same colors. Luckily, my husband and I are dice hoarders, and we could make one of these sets easily with our "non-favorites" (which stay in our own personal dice boxes/bags 24/7/365).
I know a lot of experienced DMs/Players discourage new players from making spellcasters, but I think it really depends on the newbie's learning style and their investment in said character. My first 5e DM was able to intuit that I'm the kind of learner that needs to be yeeted into the deep end of the pool, so he suggested I play a wizard. I had an absolute blast. Played a little old human lady that's been twice divorced and treated the rest of the party like her children/grandchildren, even if they were 300 year old elves.
@@tiph3802 Yes, Grave Domain is fun! For a short time I played a grave cleric named Ada Posera, which is a pun on the term adipocere, which (iirc) is where a body saponifies and forms a waxy substance where the body fat used to be. Her whole deal was that she was from a small bog village whose funeral rites involve causing this on purpose. Not so good for the environment IRL, but this is fantasy so let us have our bog mummies.
At last! It's really hard to properly convey what a first time player needs before starting their first game. Or... how to start their first game for that matter. I think top level primers (like this video) are so important, as they act as an introduction without being overwhelming. D&D can be... a lot, but starting with a little is the best way to introduce someone brand new.
Wonder if there’s room for more system-specific follow-ons to this? Like one for Traveller that points out the more complicated bits of the system are stuff you’ll only be using once a session at the most (and most of those complicated subsystems being once every half-dozen or more sessions or even once a campaign in the case of character creation) and not to agonise over party balance like you get in other games as that’s not Traveller’s style.
I just got invited to my first game about two weeks ago - it starts in August. The above video eases many of my concerns and has confirmed that I'm on the right track so far. The next step, which I've already taken, is to figure out the basics of your character's background... stuff such as where did they grow up, what did they do/learn there, why are they no longer living there...etc. After that... you get to the point where I am now... She recommended here that we're supposed to know the basic rules, at least... and that they're so important to know that some DMs even restrict available classes due to lack of knowledge... but as she stated: it really is a textbook. What rules should I look into and become familiar with so as to not slow down play unreasonably?
I’ve always wanted to play and we even had a group in jr high/high school ready to get together and play. But I was expected to be DM and felt overwhelmed by all the little details I’d have to remember and thought I would fail to give everyone a happy and fun game time. As a result, 20 years later, I’ve still never played. But I did sign up for an online game just a couple days ago. Have you had any experience with them?
@@chetranqui find out from your DM if there will be combat early on or if there will be more plot build up. Learning the combat rules is the thing that will speed up play the most but it's also the most complicated part so it can be intimidating to start there. Watching crit role or dimension 20 combat can help give you a feel for the rhythm of turn taking, but can also set up unrealistic expectations for the first few times you play, especially if your whole group is new to it... So watch it for the gist, not the details?
I still remember my first adventure... September 1988. It was a lot of fun, I played a cleric because nobody else wanted to and the group needed a healer; they essentially tricked me into it because everyone else was a fighter or a wizard. I still had fun, and ended up playing and becoming a DM for the next 35 years.
Same thing happened to me - (1984) I was the only cleric in the party… clearly we were manipulated by other more experienced players who couldn’t be bothered to heal and only hit things with maces. Trouble is that started a long term love affair with clerics, I swear at least half of my characters to date have been clerics of one sort or another.
i’m about to DM for the first time for a couple of friends who are also total beginners. this could not have come at a more perfect time. thank you so much, ginny. 🧡
Some good tips! I have run games for 36+ years, and have found a great way to introduce new players is to have a rotation of guests when regulars can't make a session. If a seat opens up, I often use the chance to reach out to someone I know who's expressed interest in D&D so they can sit in on a game to see what it's like. It's a non-commital situation so they can see the game, as well as keeping the game going in the face of the absence of a regular.
For anyone totally new to playing, Ginny's channel really is the best place to start! I wish I'd had something like this when I began playing. She has a whole playlist of videos for players. Don't get overwhelmed (none of it is essential), but if watching some UA-cam videos would help you feel prepared, I really don't think there's a better place to go. Of course, nothing replaces just having good communication with the people you'll be playing with (which I *think* is the advice Ginny would give you too).
Ginny wasn't alive when I started playing and neither was the internet.... I learned at the local library that had a Friday "game night" in their conference room.
I’ve been playing D&D for over 40 years now but only just started DMing when our forever DM couldn’t do it anymore. Watching and reading a ton of sites on DM tips but what I appreciate most about this channel is it reminds me that D&D is just plain damn fun! 4 hours a week of shared storytelling and conversation with good friends? Heck yeah!
The section on ADHDers playing DND hit some BIG sore spots for me; I think this is definitely a reason that I struggle with playing, even though I do love it. I always feel exhausted in a not-pleasant way after playing for several hours, and a huge part of that is just having tried so desperately to sit in one place without feeling like I can move around. I'm thinking right now that maybe what we need to do is normalize setting more frequent breaks for the full group, so that it's NOT just sitting in one place for 5 hours, or even putting the onus on the player to ask for a time out. As an access issue, it bears asking during a session 0, I think, about players physical needs during playing: ratio of breaks for the length of play expected, normalizing the ability to fidget or move around the table for people who struggle with just sitting in place, that kind of thing. Thank you so much for putting this section into the video. It's really got me thinking about the things that lead to me not playing as often as I would like, and I'm hoping this will lead to me creating some new DND environments that will be easier on me.
Tomorrow, I'm going to start my very first DnD campaign with some school friends. I'm pretty sure none of us have played DnD before, but our DM's dad is quite experienced and could probably help us if we get confused about the rules. We all know each other, the DM is a close friend of mine, our ranger is also in my friend group and our rogue was my childhood best friend, so I think we'll be in for a blast!
Ginny: Just remember to tack on the "5e" at the end - Me: So you don't get an older version of DnD. Ginny: So you don't end up on a government watchlist! Oops! Me: 👀
I'm a veteran, therefore I'm already on government watch lists, and I miss the 3.5ed D&D games in the Marine barracks in Okinawa. I don't think anyone in charge minded, we weren't breaking any rules, or out on the town breaking any laws. It reduced their workload and stress levels, and we cleaned up after ourselves, and everyone had fun, though I imagine the games were a little more cutthroat at times. It was never a good idea to assume any particular creature "wasn't a threat" ... the DM though "Tucker's Kobolds" and "The Dreaded Gazebo" were funny as hell, and we all played with seeing how broken some of the stuff we could come up with would be, on occasion.
LOL that part was hilarious. That does remind me of a funny anecdote. So two employees have a conversation about video games in a grocery store. Then a customer overhears them. They hear about the employees killing the boss. This customer gets really alarmed. They think the grocery store manager is in real danger. The manager is the literal boss of the employees. So the customer goes to the manager and reports the threat. So the manager gets the employees. Then the employees explain that this was all a big misunderstanding. They were really talking about defeating a special opponent in a video game. This character has a lot of power and authority, so they pose a challenge. This is called a boss.. If the player defeats the enemy, they kill them. So this is killing the boss in the context of a video game. It is a very normal thing to say, in this context. The manager would have let the employees off the hook with no punishment at all. It is funny that the customer misunderstood the conversation and overreacted.
I started playing D&D in 1977, being DM for a small 5 person group.. it later grew to a huge 300 person roleplaying club that and I have 46 year anniversary this year I stepped down as president for the club during 10 years I served in the french foreign legion, and after I came back I branched off being referee for a small hardcore group of Traveller players, we still run the same campaign in Traveller 23 years later, meeting bi-weekly.
The social contract between players and dms is very important as well. Respecting others is so important. Make note if an action you are taking may affect someone else. Try hard not to hurt each other, physically, emotionally, or mentally. The "this is what my character would do" argument needs to be tempered by respecting others.
@@RomanII1997if you risk alienating the group, you're not a good DM. punishing the party because they did something you did not foresaw... Well don't be surprised when we stop showing up.
@@RomanII1997 happened just last month to my party. DM put a lot of effort into the historical side of it (we were doing a vampire masquerade in Ancient Rome) and did not expect a group of misfits to feed on an ancient sleeping vampire... Ended up killing two characters, removing assets and giving the party of newbie vampires to clean up a werewolves hole.. and feeding on the Old One didn't even give us a perk. Asshole. His whole style is basically Rome simulation where we are not allowed to act like vampires...
Basically everyone, except for the dungeon master, in our new campaign is a beginner, and we’re slowly learning (with a lot of confused questions thrown at the DM and eachother) and this helps a lot, thanks! We started D&D because we wanted to revive our old group chat, so thankfully we all know each other (the biggest hurdle that kept me from D&D. I have a lot of anxiety so it helps to know the person for a year or two before)
"DnD is not like a video game"... THANK YOU for saying that. I was DMing a game where I had one player (who was new to the game, so it's not necessarily her fault) who was playing it like that. I was trying my best to steer her back away from that mindset so the game wouldn't barrel down towards metagaming, and that was a challenge all on its own.
This is phenomenal, practical, and actually applicable advice for new D&D players. Amazingly well done on this video Ginny. It's going on my D&D must watch list.
"Don't forgot to tag that '5e' onto the end to make sure you don't end up on a government watch list for searching 'can you instantly kill someone while they're asleep.' That's oddly specific Ginny, anything you wanna share with the class?
I first played in collage after being invited by a neighbor. I loved it and still do. My intro was a little confusing, it wasn't till I played a session, with a lot of help, that I understood things in the rule book and was able to refine my character. The group I was with was super helpful during session, but character creation could have gone better. I was handed the player's handbook and told to read it. It worked out for me in the end, but there were so many things and terms that I didn't understand at all as someone who had never played or watched people play before.
I felt that. The same thing happened to me when I first started playing. I didn't have the patience nor energy to read through the whole book, especially since I wasn't sure about how committed I'd be to playing the game. Whenever I asked for a description of the possible classes, the explanations were really surface level without detailing what made each class unique and powerful.
Between your and Kobold's videos, the newcomers I've received at my table of late have all come quite a bit more prepared than I was used to. The time I had scheduled for a slow session 0 explaining game mechanics and group expectations go by incredibly fast, allowing us to jump into the game right then and there. Thank you in the name of the many DMs you've helped out!
@@Sheamu5 Kobold is the host of a channel called Pack Tactics, goes over mechanical choices for combat, abilities, spells and magic items, but most of all tactics, rules and fun/useful interactions
@@JimFaindel i would definitely describe him as an optimizer channel, which is useful to know but not everyone will have fun doing. (Although all DMs should know how so they can balance for any party) But overall if you want to improve your combat a channel lile his will be invaluable in knowing how to make more optimal decisions. (Honestly the biggest thing is just coordinating with your party to minimize how much you mess eachother up.)
me and some friends are beginning a campaign soon and none of us have ever played d&d before. I am the DM for the sole reason that i am creative. Its great to hear reassurance, as I, and the other players are kinda terrified of going into the unknown. Cant wait tho, and this video provides some reassurance that everything will be all okay
Oh that is awesome. Just remember you just have to DM in your own style, don't worry about trying to be a Matt Mercer or Brennan Lee Mulligan type of DM.
@@davidparkes7741 yeah trying to replicate that quality would just add stress. I'll definitely take inspiration from their styles and I think over the first few hours I'll learn what I like doing and what I don't, and quickly develop my own style
@@leventekis7664 That's awesome, good luck. I'm sure you'll nail it. Though if it does get too stressful you can always TPK your players. Just kidding on that last part, lol.
As a person with dyslexia, it took me 12 sessions to finally grasp the basics. I know this was exhausting for my fellow players, but I really appreciate my DM and other players for teaching me and being patient. The party I am in have a total of 3 TPKs. We still love and grow with each other, there are no losses and no wins.
9:00 Man, I really wish I had this when I started. My first campaign was Curse of Strahd and I had no clue what it was really about or what I was doing. I played a lonely, bullied, sensitive orphan who just wanted to find the only person who cared about her. RIP my beloved, at least you can finally rest in heaven 😭
Thanks for this!! D&D really isn't accessible to new players unless they've got a friend to guide them, and I really appreciate you being that friend. I also try to be that friend! I've written a whole series about understanding the basics of the game lol.
Another tip for starting up a game and finding players; start a group through your local library! Depending on the situation, they may even give you resources to do so. I'm in the process of starting a club for teens at my local library so I can finally get some experience DMing to eventually run games as a therapeutic DM, and by working with the library the work of having to find players has completely been taken care of for me. Granted, this sort of thing might not be helpful if you absolutely don't want to DM, but I strongly encourage it if you just wanna get out and play.
I was really excited for d&d, I am a new player but unfortunately the 2 dm's I had for some reason treated me really bad, they would excluding me from events happening in game and then when it all didnt work out they blamed me for the d&d group dying/failing. The first dm I ignored it because I just thought thats how it worked and that my time will come later so I just sat quiet, till one day out of no where the dm banned me from the server and said it was my fault he had mental problems, the 2nd dm I messaged them in DM's and said that I was thinking about leaving the campaign because I wasn't really feeling comfortable with the situation, to which the dm blew up and started to twist words/events that happened in game to make it sound like I was being a bad player, and started to say that it was my plan to "ruin" his campaign." Two other players in this campaign were friends and they were trying to correct the DM saying that ya know, the stuff he was accusing me of isnt how it went down and then the Dm just canceled future games after that. I didnt really understand but I really think it was because one of the players were the dm's brother who we all noticed was getting extra treatment and this guy ended up villainizing my character because my character was slightly chaotic. SO idk if it was because the dm's brother didnt like my character after only having one "bad" interaction and thats why shit fell apart but me and my friends seem to be leaning towards that idea. :/ so TBH I was pretty turned off from d&d after those 2 experiences and it kinda sucks bc those 2 dm's were actually close friends with my boyfriend and he even stated how weird, off and unreasonable they were being. he hasnt spoken to them since. But now I am in another group with all my friends and we have our first campaign on the 21st and im really excited, they all seem so into it and the DM is my boyfriend so now im hoping everything works out :D
This feels super practical, thanks! I've been introducing a lot of people in my life to DnD lately since it's become part of my work, and this video is definitely on my "send to all new people" list.
There's a great actual play podcast called Girls Who Don't DnD where the three players are absolute beginners and the dm has a lot of experience. It's great for learning the basics without having to buy a bunch of books and reading hours and hours of rules.
So I have.... 1. My first character created. 2. My first set of dice. 3. The Players Handbook. Now all I'm missing is a group to play with & possibly other stuff I'm forgetting, lol. Great video Ginny.
This was all super great advice. Also if you are a DM with a lot of dice my sugestion is when your players first start bring your dice along and let them pick out a set that they like for the game for some it is just becuase they need dice but for others it is really exciteing to have a dice set they picked. Also if you are feeling extra kind letting them keep that set at the end of the campain as a reward can mean so much to new players.
I began playing over the summer with a group of friends. Our schedules finally aligned earlier in the week and we had an incredible campaign. One of the guys who was also new, who hadn't been that into it over the summer, got totally immersed. Our DM made it such a fun experience. I'm glad to have found your channel, because now I can't get enough of D&D content!
Huge shoutout to Dimension 20 Fantasy High for introducing me to the whole idea! They start fully from scratch at 1st level, use mostly PHB classes/races, and map fantasy archetypes onto 80s/90s teen high school movie stereotypes! I really found that extra bit of implied context helped me gel quicker, e.g. elven wizard is preppy nerdy girl, dex fighter is the spoiled charismatic rich kid, human cleric is a tie-dye church camp kid. Strongly recommend!!
Thanks so much Ginny! This is just what I needed, I’m a new DM and I needed something to encourage my friends to take that leap of faith and give DnD a try. They have been wanting to play but don’t feel like it (normally they blame the rules or not understanding how DnD works) but I believe this will help them. Thanks you’re the best!
A uni friend and I are trying to start our own group. We both have brothers who play, but we've never played, and they're gatekeeping. Sooo we're starting our own. I'm watching a LOT of videos over holiday break on tips.
I've been in the hobby for years, got my kids into it and now I run dnd at the local library on Friday nights... we started getting soo many people in 2019 that I had to start looking for more DMs
Thank you so much for this! I found a group that just ended a campaign and are starting a new party next week. I was so scared and nervous to apply bc I'm completely new but your video helped me so much. Also I've met The DM and has super nice and now I'm not as nervous tysm!!
I love your idea that , the best experiences happen when things don't go to plan, great advice for life as well as D&D. My last game was in the 90s, so i am a "little" out of practice. But seeing all the new interest in D&D has reminded me of how much fun it was shearing in creating a adventure and living in a world of high adventure. I might just have to dust my dice off and see if anyone locally is playing. Thank you for the inspiration
I’m due to play again soon and this will be my second time, I got really discouraged from playing as my first experience wasn’t great. I went into it headfirst without really knowing what I was doing and I just didn’t enjoy it. Hopefully with a little more insight and learning I’ll be able to grasp it a bit more!
Paladin is also good for new players because at first level they don't get spells so players can see how to play, and then another session when they level up they can get a few spells and learn the rules of spellcasting.
Hey Ginny! Could you do a video on how to make a battle encounter? I'm having a hard time with CRs, my party's level and finding good monsters when theres so many to choose from.
I'm just getting ready to get into my first campaign, the hardest thing for us was definitely getting a decent group together! Not because we were running into bad players, but because we were running into NO players. I live in the middle of nowhere so we don't even have a game store, we ended up putting posters at the library 😂
Ginny Di you really knocked it out of the park with this video, I'm a seasoned player and you really hit the nail on the head, thank you for this video!!
Thrilled that you covered this, it'll help a lot for trying to help with new players... had a disaster as a DM years back trying to handle 6 people who never played before once with only two experienced players ... In Galantri, Mystara it was probably the worst DM experience I've had ever.
TL;DR: My first experience involved a DM from hell, from thinking I'm incompetent to trying to SA my character. So yeah, a 'bad' group can really sour your desire to play, but I'm glad I finally found a group I vibe with. The first time I ever played D&D was in college. I was invited to join a group (5 people including DM) by my good friend who had played in several groups before, we met every Saturday around 5 pm, give or take a half hour. I knew everyone in the group, except the DM, who was a guy living in my friends dorm that he had become acquainted with. However, unbeknownst to me or the other players, the DM was extremely against women playing because he thought women weren't 'smart or capable' enough to understand the game. I had no idea how to play so I just tried to go along with the flow of the group the best I could. I tried asking questions and being more interactive, but I felt like I was being outcast by the DM; I wasn't even allowed to create my own character sheet because the DM thought I would 'mess it up' and wouldn't understand it, instead of trying to teach me. I brushed it off because I really just enjoyed hanging out with the group, but he would undermine every decision I made or idea I came up with, yet praised the others. Not to mention, there was one other who was completely new and he would constantly answer his questions and even helped him create his character. During one session, I was showed up about 10 minutes late and texted my friend to let him know, which he replied they would just wait for me because someone else was also running late. In that time, he tried to convince the other members that I should be knocked down to an NPC and only be invited to give dialogue to everyone else at his convenience, all because I was a few minutes late; the other person was told 'hey, it's no problem, I'm cool with waiting on you'. He also tried to get my character SA'd, stating he had been working on that specific part since the last session and, when he was called out for it, he rolled his eyes and said 'I wanted to make it into a side quest to show that the group really wanted her here'. This rude behavior lasted for about 4.5 sessions and after the whole SA conversation, I backed out and the group decided to stop playing because he was out of line, inappropriate, and genuinely worried for my safety, especially after what detail he went into. My friend let him know that it would be our last session, and he was pissed, but he told the DM that this wasn't what D&D was about. I could go on about the snide remarks and backhanded comments, but it's water under the bridge and I've wasted too much time dictating about that asshole. Needless to say, I did not play again after that until I met my now husband who is honestly one of the best DM's (not even being biased) for our friend group and I enjoy it so much more. I still don't understand a lot, it's just fun to be around friends and lose yourself in a fantasy world for a couple hours a week.
I kept hoping that SA stood for something else, but I’ve seen it the 80’s. I hoped that the years and the mainstreaming of the game would help; perhaps it has. My personal experience with female players is that they have been more likely to focus on narrative than rules and stats. I prefer to work with groups who respect both. I’m glad you found a better DM (I mean, the husband thing is okay, but a good gaming group is really special). Here’s to efficient crunch and satisfying fluff!
@@steelmongoose4956 I’m a pretty shy person, so I was more interested in learning the rules and such than the replaying aspect 😅 I’m very fortunate to finally find a group that respects each member and is cohesive.
My personal explanation for what DnD is for new players. It is telling stories around a camp fire but the listeners interact with the story being told. The storyteller just keeps rules for said story and creates the world itself.
Most of party is new except the dm who has been playing for a while. Our first meet up is this Saturday and were all excited! This video is so helpful for making me less stressed and more exited to play! Can't wait to start this new section of my life and friend group! Seems like a great bond for all of us
Ginny: Make sure you type in 5e during your search Me: So you don't get a result from a different system right. Ginny: 11:02 ... Me: For the system right!
I teach a beginner D&D class and one great, stress-reduction technique I use is a concept Ginny mentioned...a good, beginner-friendly DM will help new players throughout the game with rules, mechanics, and bringing forth the character and the player's enjoyment with various aspects of the game. New players will (hopefully) have a guide. And as a DM and engaged player, I love the "Stay focused & engaged" section! Thanks Ginny
I'm thinking about starting to play D&D, but 1 i don't have anyone to play with 2 roleplaying my character in front of people i barely know would be really embarassing for me, i don't know if i could do that 3 that game is complicated as heck
It doesn't solve all of the problems, but you can find games on roll20. Any dm with a game tagged for new players should be more than happy to explain anything to you. Also, so long as you're doing what your character would do, that's enough role-playing for many games
All of those are good points. The one counterpoint I would have is: even if it's scary or hard, there might be something extremely worthwhile waiting on the other side of those hurdles for you. And you can go pretty easy on the roleplaying when you're starting out (and with the right group with matching interests, possibly forever). Rather than acting it out, you can just describe the action.
Its really cool that there are videos out there like this - especially now that D&D is becoming more mainstream. I struggled with whether/not to play for way too long b/c I'm very bad with math and always assumed it had a bunch of equations and formulas that would frustrate me. Since starting 3 years ago I've learned a lot and am now fairly comfortable DMing for my friends. I forget things from time to time but I've also gotten better at compromising and improvising on the spot, rather than being beholden to the rules. The game really rewards you for your passion - the more invested you are in it the more you get out of it. I enjoy both playing as a player and DMing in equal measure; although it is definitely nice not to have to prep (much) as a player.
@Vickiraytive Games When I started, I had never seen D&D gameplay in my life. I didn't know how spells and stuff worked, and I wasn't necessarily playing an outspoken character to begin with as I saw a ranger as a quiet hunter type, so I didn't do much. Whenever I did try to do something, however, I was incredibly confused. So, it was a bit of an odd learning curve.
@@duskstorm3560 Pretty much the same for me, as a bard first. A charisma full caster wasn't my best shot for a really quiet first timer. I still play and love him, but made my entrance to the game unnecessary tough
Generally spell classes are very confusing for the first time, in my opinion. As I started playing PnP I choose a Rogue because I think... uhm... no I doesn't want me to involve in this confusing spell system that much. In the meantime I played Druid and Sorcerer and it was a lot of fun, but its easier when you have experience with the PnP System that you play :)
I was invited to my first D&D campaign last week, and my DM helped me with the character sheet last night, and I'm pretty excited to start. Thank you so much for this!!
I'm going to have to disagree with your recommendation number 6 of only having a few things, like a few sets of dice. That is completely wrong an unrealistic. If you don't immediately go out and buy all the shiny click-clack counting stones then you are totally doing it wrong! -Knobby the Dice Goblin
ive been really interested in dnd recently and ive wanted to have a campaign with my friends which i finally put together, its most of our first time playing, including mine, and im also going to be the DM for this campaign. im making sure i do a lot of research to put together a good story for my players. i think your content is gonna help out a lot :))
Ginny, I've followed your channel for some time now and I just wanted to say THANK YOU! :) I've been playing for about (sigh) 40 years now lol but I find your fresh, articulate and informative style incredibly helpful, especially to share with those newer to gaming.😋 I'm going to be using this video as an intro to send to three brand new players that will be joining me soon for a new campaign. You've a wonderful gift for presentation and really fun and effective communication.
This is the video I have been searching for! I've wanted to get into D&D for ages but I've never known exactly how to get into something with such an in-depth lore. Not to mention every D&D gamer I've tried to play with has given me the oddball stare to the point of driving me away. Thanks so much!!!
I just did my first campaign using a bunch of your tips and they all worked. I learned from lots of other videos but I chose this one since it’s the first on the “New to DND” playlist and feel like that makes sense for the point I’m in right now. Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you and keep helping us nerds out!
Thank you for this video I'm trying to get into D&D with my friends, and I'm super excited to learn as much as I can. I just bought like 5 textbooks on the game lol 😋
In my group I have the unenviable task of simultaneous being new to the game and being the most experienced because non of my friends have played before either so it was a bit of a learning curve. So in the unlikely event someone else is in this situation I would recommend getting a DM screen which has a lot of basic info for quick reference and (assuming you're not using anything digital) a page or two of crib notes for anything not on the DM screen or that you have trouble remembering. Or if there's something oddly specific you'll need to know like a specific spell's effects you can annotate it with pg. w/e PHB so you can reference it easier.
Thank you I been a lil nervous since I'll be trying my first d&d game with new people in 2 weeks so I'll try my best learning & not overwhelming myself
Taking notes is always great. You'll never know when you'll forget some seemingly side detail or unimportant NPC that will become key to the story later; those random notes will jog your memory.
Thank you for the channel 🙂 ( Just a little comment from " Love your character " ) This is the first time I play DnD. My character is Elf - Wizard. Love it. It is very easy to begin with spellcasting with a good DM. 3 time playing and I am already copying spells from a cursed spellbook to my own spellbook to avoid the curse to affect me when using the spells. And I often use spell in battle. The most important is to begin with a character that fits you even if it involves spellcasting. 😊 🧙♀
I’m recruiting my family to play a dnd session (just a one shot) but my aunt has never played. This is really helpful to help her and remind myself of how DnD feels to beginners.
I'm definitely one of those 'veteran players who tries to drag new people into this hobby because I like sharing things that make me happy' types. One simple thing that I do for new players at my table is get them what I call a newbie dice set. They are generally plain, but all of them are different colors. So I can say something like, "Now roll a d8. That's the purple one." It streamlines the game a bit for my veterans, and gives the rookies the opportunity to learn the dice shapes at their own pace.
Oh, that's such a great idea!
I think many 'starter boxes' for tabletop games do that. At least, a long time ago I bought a D&D 3.0 starter set and it had a set of dice each in a different color. I think the instruction booklet and included premade character sheets might have also used the color coding (e.g. on weapon damage dice and spells) to make it more newbie friendly.
@@Tennouseijin the starter set for 5e had all the dice in the same color (red), but still comes with like 4 or 5 premade character sheets. I picked one up fairly recently
I've made a little paper "dice mat" for my newbie players with the outline of each one in number order, so they can line them all up at the start of the game & put them back as they use them. It's what helped me learn which one was which.
@@Tennouseijin all the starter boxes I've bought (at least three so far) for various RPGs have dice of the exact same colors. Luckily, my husband and I are dice hoarders, and we could make one of these sets easily with our "non-favorites" (which stay in our own personal dice boxes/bags 24/7/365).
I know a lot of experienced DMs/Players discourage new players from making spellcasters, but I think it really depends on the newbie's learning style and their investment in said character. My first 5e DM was able to intuit that I'm the kind of learner that needs to be yeeted into the deep end of the pool, so he suggested I play a wizard. I had an absolute blast. Played a little old human lady that's been twice divorced and treated the rest of the party like her children/grandchildren, even if they were 300 year old elves.
My first character was a cleric. I honestly took to the spellcasting stuff pretty well. It was the character sheet I bungled hard 😂
I agree! My first character was a warlock and it was absolutely the right choice for me and for that game.
That's adorable! I'm a natural healer. My first character was a Life Cleric. Then I got Xanathar's and my inner goth saw Grave Domain. . .
@@tiph3802 Yes, Grave Domain is fun! For a short time I played a grave cleric named Ada Posera, which is a pun on the term adipocere, which (iirc) is where a body saponifies and forms a waxy substance where the body fat used to be. Her whole deal was that she was from a small bog village whose funeral rites involve causing this on purpose. Not so good for the environment IRL, but this is fantasy so let us have our bog mummies.
For me, playing spell casters is like playing MTG: it's super fun but I'm not as clever as I'd like to think and I die a lot! Lol
At last! It's really hard to properly convey what a first time player needs before starting their first game. Or... how to start their first game for that matter. I think top level primers (like this video) are so important, as they act as an introduction without being overwhelming. D&D can be... a lot, but starting with a little is the best way to introduce someone brand new.
Wonder if there’s room for more system-specific follow-ons to this? Like one for Traveller that points out the more complicated bits of the system are stuff you’ll only be using once a session at the most (and most of those complicated subsystems being once every half-dozen or more sessions or even once a campaign in the case of character creation) and not to agonise over party balance like you get in other games as that’s not Traveller’s style.
I just got invited to my first game about two weeks ago - it starts in August. The above video eases many of my concerns and has confirmed that I'm on the right track so far.
The next step, which I've already taken, is to figure out the basics of your character's background... stuff such as where did they grow up, what did they do/learn there, why are they no longer living there...etc.
After that... you get to the point where I am now... She recommended here that we're supposed to know the basic rules, at least... and that they're so important to know that some DMs even restrict available classes due to lack of knowledge... but as she stated: it really is a textbook. What rules should I look into and become familiar with so as to not slow down play unreasonably?
I’ve always wanted to play and we even had a group in jr high/high school ready to get together and play. But I was expected to be DM and felt overwhelmed by all the little details I’d have to remember and thought I would fail to give everyone a happy and fun game time. As a result, 20 years later, I’ve still never played. But I did sign up for an online game just a couple days ago. Have you had any experience with them?
You need 1 person that knows what its doing and pen/paper.
@@chetranqui find out from your DM if there will be combat early on or if there will be more plot build up. Learning the combat rules is the thing that will speed up play the most but it's also the most complicated part so it can be intimidating to start there. Watching crit role or dimension 20 combat can help give you a feel for the rhythm of turn taking, but can also set up unrealistic expectations for the first few times you play, especially if your whole group is new to it... So watch it for the gist, not the details?
I still remember my first adventure... September 1988. It was a lot of fun, I played a cleric because nobody else wanted to and the group needed a healer; they essentially tricked me into it because everyone else was a fighter or a wizard. I still had fun, and ended up playing and becoming a DM for the next 35 years.
Same thing happened to me - (1984) I was the only cleric in the party… clearly we were manipulated by other more experienced players who couldn’t be bothered to heal and only hit things with maces.
Trouble is that started a long term love affair with clerics, I swear at least half of my characters to date have been clerics of one sort or another.
@@NekonataVirino Haha, I can totally relate to that. That's awesome!
I played my first game today as a Cleric and I loved it. I can’t wait to play again, my character is a badass!
😅 kinda same for me, but im going to be playing a knowledge cleric in my first campaign coming up! Im excited!
i’m about to DM for the first time for a couple of friends who are also total beginners. this could not have come at a more perfect time. thank you so much, ginny. 🧡
I hope you all have lots of fun!
Don't be discouraged if it's slow and messy at first. As long as everyone is having fun!
Keep everyone fed! Very important to keep the mood up during a game.
I'm currently planning a campaign but also still learning how to play d&d. My siblings said they're interested and wants to play
What does DM mean? I've never played it my whole life, and it isn't really famous around my area
Some good tips! I have run games for 36+ years, and have found a great way to introduce new players is to have a rotation of guests when regulars can't make a session. If a seat opens up, I often use the chance to reach out to someone I know who's expressed interest in D&D so they can sit in on a game to see what it's like. It's a non-commital situation so they can see the game, as well as keeping the game going in the face of the absence of a regular.
In the 90s, we called that jamming. Also helps to have some pregens ready for any quick joins or one-shots.
Neat. Is that for online, or do just run locally only, if you don't mind me asking?
Do you have "guests" play the absent player's character, or do they have their own "drop in" characters?
@@Tiyev Sorry, just saw this! Live games.
@@studogable No, anyone coming in will run their own.
For anyone totally new to playing, Ginny's channel really is the best place to start! I wish I'd had something like this when I began playing. She has a whole playlist of videos for players. Don't get overwhelmed (none of it is essential), but if watching some UA-cam videos would help you feel prepared, I really don't think there's a better place to go. Of course, nothing replaces just having good communication with the people you'll be playing with (which I *think* is the advice Ginny would give you too).
Most definitely, I've created my own Ginny Playlist for that very reason.
And once you are ready for deeper videos I just found Dungeon Dudes and they have great videos about classes and other tips
Ginny wasn't alive when I started playing and neither was the internet.... I learned at the local library that had a Friday "game night" in their conference room.
I’ve been playing D&D for over 40 years now but only just started DMing when our forever DM couldn’t do it anymore. Watching and reading a ton of sites on DM tips but what I appreciate most about this channel is it reminds me that D&D is just plain damn fun! 4 hours a week of shared storytelling and conversation with good friends? Heck yeah!
Same here. I am an old man that started DM'n in 2019
The section on ADHDers playing DND hit some BIG sore spots for me; I think this is definitely a reason that I struggle with playing, even though I do love it. I always feel exhausted in a not-pleasant way after playing for several hours, and a huge part of that is just having tried so desperately to sit in one place without feeling like I can move around.
I'm thinking right now that maybe what we need to do is normalize setting more frequent breaks for the full group, so that it's NOT just sitting in one place for 5 hours, or even putting the onus on the player to ask for a time out. As an access issue, it bears asking during a session 0, I think, about players physical needs during playing: ratio of breaks for the length of play expected, normalizing the ability to fidget or move around the table for people who struggle with just sitting in place, that kind of thing.
Thank you so much for putting this section into the video. It's really got me thinking about the things that lead to me not playing as often as I would like, and I'm hoping this will lead to me creating some new DND environments that will be easier on me.
Tomorrow, I'm going to start my very first DnD campaign with some school friends. I'm pretty sure none of us have played DnD before, but our DM's dad is quite experienced and could probably help us if we get confused about the rules. We all know each other, the DM is a close friend of mine, our ranger is also in my friend group and our rogue was my childhood best friend, so I think we'll be in for a blast!
How did it go? Hope you had fun!
@@stevebloxham3832 My cold suddenly got so bad I could barely talk and was exhausted but it was still fun XD, thankfully the second session was better
Ginny: Just remember to tack on the "5e" at the end -
Me: So you don't get an older version of DnD.
Ginny: So you don't end up on a government watchlist! Oops!
Me: 👀
As a new DM who wanted a list of the deadliest poisons and ways to torture without hurting PCs..... yeah the 5e tag really works lol
That right there is probably the most original and useful tip I've heard from any of these content creators!
I'm a veteran, therefore I'm already on government watch lists, and I miss the 3.5ed D&D games in the Marine barracks in Okinawa. I don't think anyone in charge minded, we weren't breaking any rules, or out on the town breaking any laws. It reduced their workload and stress levels, and we cleaned up after ourselves, and everyone had fun, though I imagine the games were a little more cutthroat at times. It was never a good idea to assume any particular creature "wasn't a threat" ... the DM though "Tucker's Kobolds" and "The Dreaded Gazebo" were funny as hell, and we all played with seeing how broken some of the stuff we could come up with would be, on occasion.
"Lungs" "human lungs" "real human lungs" "lung removal" "human lung removal"
Wish I'd gotten this advice during that rabbit hole.
LOL that part was hilarious. That does remind me of a funny anecdote. So two employees have a conversation about video games in a grocery store. Then a customer overhears them. They hear about the employees killing the boss. This customer gets really alarmed. They think the grocery store manager is in real danger. The manager is the literal boss of the employees. So the customer goes to the manager and reports the threat. So the manager gets the employees. Then the employees explain that this was all a big misunderstanding. They were really talking about defeating a special opponent in a video game. This character has a lot of power and authority, so they pose a challenge. This is called a boss.. If the player defeats the enemy, they kill them. So this is killing the boss in the context of a video game. It is a very normal thing to say, in this context. The manager would have let the employees off the hook with no punishment at all. It is funny that the customer misunderstood the conversation and overreacted.
I started playing D&D in 1977, being DM for a small 5 person group.. it later grew to a huge 300 person roleplaying club that and I have 46 year anniversary this year I stepped down as president for the club during 10 years I served in the french foreign legion, and after I came back I branched off being referee for a small hardcore group of Traveller players, we still run the same campaign in Traveller 23 years later, meeting bi-weekly.
The social contract between players and dms is very important as well. Respecting others is so important. Make note if an action you are taking may affect someone else. Try hard not to hurt each other, physically, emotionally, or mentally. The "this is what my character would do" argument needs to be tempered by respecting others.
for me it's: good roleplay isn't worth much, if you risk the vibe at the table for it
@@RomanII1997if you risk alienating the group, you're not a good DM. punishing the party because they did something you did not foresaw... Well don't be surprised when we stop showing up.
@@kc5997 bruh
@@RomanII1997 happened just last month to my party. DM put a lot of effort into the historical side of it (we were doing a vampire masquerade in Ancient Rome) and did not expect a group of misfits to feed on an ancient sleeping vampire... Ended up killing two characters, removing assets and giving the party of newbie vampires to clean up a werewolves hole.. and feeding on the Old One didn't even give us a perk. Asshole. His whole style is basically Rome simulation where we are not allowed to act like vampires...
@@kc5997 ok
Basically everyone, except for the dungeon master, in our new campaign is a beginner, and we’re slowly learning (with a lot of confused questions thrown at the DM and eachother) and this helps a lot, thanks!
We started D&D because we wanted to revive our old group chat, so thankfully we all know each other
(the biggest hurdle that kept me from D&D. I have a lot of anxiety so it helps to know the person for a year or two before)
"DnD is not like a video game"... THANK YOU for saying that. I was DMing a game where I had one player (who was new to the game, so it's not necessarily her fault) who was playing it like that. I was trying my best to steer her back away from that mindset so the game wouldn't barrel down towards metagaming, and that was a challenge all on its own.
This is phenomenal, practical, and actually applicable advice for new D&D players. Amazingly well done on this video Ginny. It's going on my D&D must watch list.
"Don't forgot to tag that '5e' onto the end to make sure you don't end up on a government watch list for searching 'can you instantly kill someone while they're asleep.'
That's oddly specific Ginny, anything you wanna share with the class?
Some great tips here. So nice finding a D&D advice creator that doesn't constantly get lost in the weeds of crunch and optimization.
I first played in collage after being invited by a neighbor. I loved it and still do. My intro was a little confusing, it wasn't till I played a session, with a lot of help, that I understood things in the rule book and was able to refine my character.
The group I was with was super helpful during session, but character creation could have gone better. I was handed the player's handbook and told to read it. It worked out for me in the end, but there were so many things and terms that I didn't understand at all as someone who had never played or watched people play before.
I felt that. The same thing happened to me when I first started playing. I didn't have the patience nor energy to read through the whole book, especially since I wasn't sure about how committed I'd be to playing the game. Whenever I asked for a description of the possible classes, the explanations were really surface level without detailing what made each class unique and powerful.
Between your and Kobold's videos, the newcomers I've received at my table of late have all come quite a bit more prepared than I was used to. The time I had scheduled for a slow session 0 explaining game mechanics and group expectations go by incredibly fast, allowing us to jump into the game right then and there. Thank you in the name of the many DMs you've helped out!
@@Sheamu5 Kobold is the host of a channel called Pack Tactics, goes over mechanical choices for combat, abilities, spells and magic items, but most of all tactics, rules and fun/useful interactions
@@JimFaindel i would definitely describe him as an optimizer channel, which is useful to know but not everyone will have fun doing. (Although all DMs should know how so they can balance for any party)
But overall if you want to improve your combat a channel lile his will be invaluable in knowing how to make more optimal decisions. (Honestly the biggest thing is just coordinating with your party to minimize how much you mess eachother up.)
me and some friends are beginning a campaign soon and none of us have ever played d&d before. I am the DM for the sole reason that i am creative. Its great to hear reassurance, as I, and the other players are kinda terrified of going into the unknown. Cant wait tho, and this video provides some reassurance that everything will be all okay
Oh that is awesome. Just remember you just have to DM in your own style, don't worry about trying to be a Matt Mercer or Brennan Lee Mulligan type of DM.
@@davidparkes7741 yeah trying to replicate that quality would just add stress. I'll definitely take inspiration from their styles and I think over the first few hours I'll learn what I like doing and what I don't, and quickly develop my own style
@@leventekis7664 That's awesome, good luck. I'm sure you'll nail it. Though if it does get too stressful you can always TPK your players.
Just kidding on that last part, lol.
okay, so if you managed to have a table with no experienced player, I can pull of DMing with one and a half players who might know what they do
Hey, it's also my first time, do you have any advice you could give me after your campaign ?
As a person with dyslexia, it took me 12 sessions to finally grasp the basics. I know this was exhausting for my fellow players, but I really appreciate my DM and other players for teaching me and being patient. The party I am in have a total of 3 TPKs. We still love and grow with each other, there are no losses and no wins.
9:00 Man, I really wish I had this when I started. My first campaign was Curse of Strahd and I had no clue what it was really about or what I was doing. I played a lonely, bullied, sensitive orphan who just wanted to find the only person who cared about her.
RIP my beloved, at least you can finally rest in heaven 😭
DUDE IVE LITERALLY BEEN LOOKING FOR SMT LIKE THIS FROM U FOR FOREVERRRR TYSMMMMM
Thanks for this!! D&D really isn't accessible to new players unless they've got a friend to guide them, and I really appreciate you being that friend. I also try to be that friend! I've written a whole series about understanding the basics of the game lol.
Another tip for starting up a game and finding players; start a group through your local library! Depending on the situation, they may even give you resources to do so. I'm in the process of starting a club for teens at my local library so I can finally get some experience DMing to eventually run games as a therapeutic DM, and by working with the library the work of having to find players has completely been taken care of for me. Granted, this sort of thing might not be helpful if you absolutely don't want to DM, but I strongly encourage it if you just wanna get out and play.
Therapeutic DM? That’s a new one. Can I have some details?
I was really excited for d&d, I am a new player but unfortunately the 2 dm's I had for some reason treated me really bad, they would excluding me from events happening in game and then when it all didnt work out they blamed me for the d&d group dying/failing. The first dm I ignored it because I just thought thats how it worked and that my time will come later so I just sat quiet, till one day out of no where the dm banned me from the server and said it was my fault he had mental problems, the 2nd dm I messaged them in DM's and said that I was thinking about leaving the campaign because I wasn't really feeling comfortable with the situation, to which the dm blew up and started to twist words/events that happened in game to make it sound like I was being a bad player, and started to say that it was my plan to "ruin" his campaign." Two other players in this campaign were friends and they were trying to correct the DM saying that ya know, the stuff he was accusing me of isnt how it went down and then the Dm just canceled future games after that. I didnt really understand but I really think it was because one of the players were the dm's brother who we all noticed was getting extra treatment and this guy ended up villainizing my character because my character was slightly chaotic. SO idk if it was because the dm's brother didnt like my character after only having one "bad" interaction and thats why shit fell apart but me and my friends seem to be leaning towards that idea. :/ so TBH I was pretty turned off from d&d after those 2 experiences and it kinda sucks bc those 2 dm's were actually close friends with my boyfriend and he even stated how weird, off and unreasonable they were being. he hasnt spoken to them since. But now I am in another group with all my friends and we have our first campaign on the 21st and im really excited, they all seem so into it and the DM is my boyfriend so now im hoping everything works out :D
This feels super practical, thanks! I've been introducing a lot of people in my life to DnD lately since it's become part of my work, and this video is definitely on my "send to all new people" list.
There's a great actual play podcast called Girls Who Don't DnD where the three players are absolute beginners and the dm has a lot of experience. It's great for learning the basics without having to buy a bunch of books and reading hours and hours of rules.
So I have....
1. My first character created.
2. My first set of dice.
3. The Players Handbook.
Now all I'm missing is a group to play with & possibly other stuff I'm forgetting, lol. Great video Ginny.
This was all super great advice. Also if you are a DM with a lot of dice my sugestion is when your players first start bring your dice along and let them pick out a set that they like for the game for some it is just becuase they need dice but for others it is really exciteing to have a dice set they picked. Also if you are feeling extra kind letting them keep that set at the end of the campain as a reward can mean so much to new players.
Perfect timing!! :DD I just had my first session zero and you're videos helped me be less nervous going into it so Tysm^-^ awesome video as always
I began playing over the summer with a group of friends. Our schedules finally aligned earlier in the week and we had an incredible campaign. One of the guys who was also new, who hadn't been that into it over the summer, got totally immersed. Our DM made it such a fun experience. I'm glad to have found your channel, because now I can't get enough of D&D content!
Huge shoutout to Dimension 20 Fantasy High for introducing me to the whole idea! They start fully from scratch at 1st level, use mostly PHB classes/races, and map fantasy archetypes onto 80s/90s teen high school movie stereotypes! I really found that extra bit of implied context helped me gel quicker, e.g. elven wizard is preppy nerdy girl, dex fighter is the spoiled charismatic rich kid, human cleric is a tie-dye church camp kid. Strongly recommend!!
Love your videos! I'm just getting into DnD and your videos are so informative and fun!
Great video! I'll definitely be showing this to some new players in my next campaign.
I just wanted to really praise you for making such a video... I've been asked before to help first time players and I didn't know where to begin...
Helpful and informative and fun! A lot of this advice I wish I'd had when I started. Thank you, Ginny!
Thanks so much Ginny! This is just what I needed, I’m a new DM and I needed something to encourage my friends to take that leap of faith and give DnD a try.
They have been wanting to play but don’t feel like it (normally they blame the rules or not understanding how DnD works) but I believe this will help them. Thanks you’re the best!
A uni friend and I are trying to start our own group. We both have brothers who play, but we've never played, and they're gatekeeping. Sooo we're starting our own. I'm watching a LOT of videos over holiday break on tips.
I've been in the hobby for years, got my kids into it and now I run dnd at the local library on Friday nights... we started getting soo many people in 2019 that I had to start looking for more DMs
Thank you so much for this! I found a group that just ended a campaign and are starting a new party next week. I was so scared and nervous to apply bc I'm completely new but your video helped me so much. Also I've met The DM and has super nice and now I'm not as nervous tysm!!
Definitely shared this with a friend new to the game. Very helpful. Thanks for the tips especially from a player who has played since 3.5 days
As a reseller of D&D books/modules/game accessories on eBay I just wanted to take the time to thank you for promoting D&D so much.....Thanks :)
Opening skit taught me that Ginny is hella supportive of her fictional friends.
To be fair, they have a lot in common.
I've just started DMing for my family. They really enjoy it being first time players too. Great tips! Also great video and articulation.
I love your idea that , the best experiences happen when things don't go to plan, great advice for life as well as D&D.
My last game was in the 90s, so i am a "little" out of practice. But seeing all the new interest in D&D has reminded me of how much fun it was shearing in creating a adventure and living in a world of high adventure.
I might just have to dust my dice off and see if anyone locally is playing.
Thank you for the inspiration
I’m due to play again soon and this will be my second time, I got really discouraged from playing as my first experience wasn’t great. I went into it headfirst without really knowing what I was doing and I just didn’t enjoy it. Hopefully with a little more insight and learning I’ll be able to grasp it a bit more!
If you want to still play a spellcaster I recommend sorcerer. It's the simplest in my opinion. It was my 1st class :)
Paladin is also good for new players because at first level they don't get spells so players can see how to play, and then another session when they level up they can get a few spells and learn the rules of spellcasting.
Love your videos! Informative and entertaining!
Hey Ginny! Could you do a video on how to make a battle encounter? I'm having a hard time with CRs, my party's level and finding good monsters when theres so many to choose from.
I'm just getting ready to get into my first campaign, the hardest thing for us was definitely getting a decent group together! Not because we were running into bad players, but because we were running into NO players. I live in the middle of nowhere so we don't even have a game store, we ended up putting posters at the library 😂
Ginny Di you really knocked it out of the park with this video, I'm a seasoned player and you really hit the nail on the head, thank you for this video!!
Thrilled that you covered this, it'll help a lot for trying to help with new players... had a disaster as a DM years back trying to handle 6 people who never played before once with only two experienced players ... In Galantri, Mystara it was probably the worst DM experience I've had ever.
TL;DR: My first experience involved a DM from hell, from thinking I'm incompetent to trying to SA my character. So yeah, a 'bad' group can really sour your desire to play, but I'm glad I finally found a group I vibe with.
The first time I ever played D&D was in college. I was invited to join a group (5 people including DM) by my good friend who had played in several groups before, we met every Saturday around 5 pm, give or take a half hour. I knew everyone in the group, except the DM, who was a guy living in my friends dorm that he had become acquainted with. However, unbeknownst to me or the other players, the DM was extremely against women playing because he thought women weren't 'smart or capable' enough to understand the game. I had no idea how to play so I just tried to go along with the flow of the group the best I could. I tried asking questions and being more interactive, but I felt like I was being outcast by the DM; I wasn't even allowed to create my own character sheet because the DM thought I would 'mess it up' and wouldn't understand it, instead of trying to teach me. I brushed it off because I really just enjoyed hanging out with the group, but he would undermine every decision I made or idea I came up with, yet praised the others. Not to mention, there was one other who was completely new and he would constantly answer his questions and even helped him create his character. During one session, I was showed up about 10 minutes late and texted my friend to let him know, which he replied they would just wait for me because someone else was also running late. In that time, he tried to convince the other members that I should be knocked down to an NPC and only be invited to give dialogue to everyone else at his convenience, all because I was a few minutes late; the other person was told 'hey, it's no problem, I'm cool with waiting on you'. He also tried to get my character SA'd, stating he had been working on that specific part since the last session and, when he was called out for it, he rolled his eyes and said 'I wanted to make it into a side quest to show that the group really wanted her here'. This rude behavior lasted for about 4.5 sessions and after the whole SA conversation, I backed out and the group decided to stop playing because he was out of line, inappropriate, and genuinely worried for my safety, especially after what detail he went into. My friend let him know that it would be our last session, and he was pissed, but he told the DM that this wasn't what D&D was about. I could go on about the snide remarks and backhanded comments, but it's water under the bridge and I've wasted too much time dictating about that asshole. Needless to say, I did not play again after that until I met my now husband who is honestly one of the best DM's (not even being biased) for our friend group and I enjoy it so much more. I still don't understand a lot, it's just fun to be around friends and lose yourself in a fantasy world for a couple hours a week.
I kept hoping that SA stood for something else, but I’ve seen it the 80’s. I hoped that the years and the mainstreaming of the game would help; perhaps it has.
My personal experience with female players is that they have been more likely to focus on narrative than rules and stats. I prefer to work with groups who respect both. I’m glad you found a better DM (I mean, the husband thing is okay, but a good gaming group is really special).
Here’s to efficient crunch and satisfying fluff!
@@steelmongoose4956 I’m a pretty shy person, so I was more interested in learning the rules and such than the replaying aspect 😅 I’m very fortunate to finally find a group that respects each member and is cohesive.
My personal explanation for what DnD is for new players.
It is telling stories around a camp fire but the listeners interact with the story being told. The storyteller just keeps rules for said story and creates the world itself.
Most of party is new except the dm who has been playing for a while. Our first meet up is this Saturday and were all excited! This video is so helpful for making me less stressed and more exited to play! Can't wait to start this new section of my life and friend group! Seems like a great bond for all of us
I have started a dnd group for teens with autism or adhd etc, it is running for a year know. And I am loving it.
Thank you so much for mentioning learning style... visual vs. auditory vs. kinesthetic is so important for inclusiveness.
Ginny: Make sure you type in 5e during your search
Me: So you don't get a result from a different system right.
Ginny: 11:02 ...
Me: For the system right!
I teach a beginner D&D class and one great, stress-reduction technique I use is a concept Ginny mentioned...a good, beginner-friendly DM will help new players throughout the game with rules, mechanics, and bringing forth the character and the player's enjoyment with various aspects of the game. New players will (hopefully) have a guide. And as a DM and engaged player, I love the "Stay focused & engaged" section! Thanks Ginny
Another very useful video that I can forward on to the people I help get into our great hobby. Thanks Ginny!
Oh no, I'm playing a Geomancer (wizard sub-class) and no one told me it was gonna be difficult- Well, here I go anyway, lol!
I'm thinking about starting to play D&D, but
1 i don't have anyone to play with
2 roleplaying my character in front of people i barely know would be really embarassing for me, i don't know if i could do that
3 that game is complicated as heck
I lucked out with a great DM and a rotating cast of beginners.
That's cool
It doesn't solve all of the problems, but you can find games on roll20. Any dm with a game tagged for new players should be more than happy to explain anything to you. Also, so long as you're doing what your character would do, that's enough role-playing for many games
All of those are good points. The one counterpoint I would have is: even if it's scary or hard, there might be something extremely worthwhile waiting on the other side of those hurdles for you.
And you can go pretty easy on the roleplaying when you're starting out (and with the right group with matching interests, possibly forever). Rather than acting it out, you can just describe the action.
Thank you for the advice
This video is a fantastic starting point for new players, and I plan to send it to any newbies I talk to!
Its really cool that there are videos out there like this - especially now that D&D is becoming more mainstream. I struggled with whether/not to play for way too long b/c I'm very bad with math and always assumed it had a bunch of equations and formulas that would frustrate me. Since starting 3 years ago I've learned a lot and am now fairly comfortable DMing for my friends. I forget things from time to time but I've also gotten better at compromising and improvising on the spot, rather than being beholden to the rules. The game really rewards you for your passion - the more invested you are in it the more you get out of it. I enjoy both playing as a player and DMing in equal measure; although it is definitely nice not to have to prep (much) as a player.
I wish I had this when I first started. A ranger was NOT a good introduction to game mechanics... or roleplay
@Vickiraytive Games When I started, I had never seen D&D gameplay in my life. I didn't know how spells and stuff worked, and I wasn't necessarily playing an outspoken character to begin with as I saw a ranger as a quiet hunter type, so I didn't do much. Whenever I did try to do something, however, I was incredibly confused. So, it was a bit of an odd learning curve.
@@duskstorm3560 Pretty much the same for me, as a bard first. A charisma full caster wasn't my best shot for a really quiet first timer. I still play and love him, but made my entrance to the game unnecessary tough
Generally spell classes are very confusing for the first time, in my opinion.
As I started playing PnP I choose a Rogue because I think... uhm... no I doesn't want me to involve in this confusing spell system that much.
In the meantime I played Druid and Sorcerer and it was a lot of fun, but its easier when you have experience with the PnP System that you play :)
I laughed so hard at the beginning
Oh my it was funny :)
Thankyou for explaining, you make me feel so safe and not judged! Saturday is my first dnd session! Im excited ☺️
Exciting!! Have an amazing time 🥰🙌
I was invited to my first D&D campaign last week, and my DM helped me with the character sheet last night, and I'm pretty excited to start. Thank you so much for this!!
I'm going to have to disagree with your recommendation number 6 of only having a few things, like a few sets of dice. That is completely wrong an unrealistic. If you don't immediately go out and buy all the shiny click-clack counting stones then you are totally doing it wrong!
-Knobby the Dice Goblin
you do not have ADHD. It is called AH, Ohh Shiney
Awesome and Thanks! just the video i was looking for!
LOVE all your videos!! THANK YOU!!!
First. Thanks for the content Ginny.
ive been really interested in dnd recently and ive wanted to have a campaign with my friends which i finally put together, its most of our first time playing, including mine, and im also going to be the DM for this campaign. im making sure i do a lot of research to put together a good story for my players. i think your content is gonna help out a lot :))
Great stuff as always!
Ginny, great tips and I loved the ad in the middle.
Very helpful, as always!
Thank you Ginny I’ve been looking for a vid like this for so long, I hope you receive all of the Bardic Inspiration and every last Healing Word
Ginny, I've followed your channel for some time now and I just wanted to say THANK YOU! :) I've been playing for about (sigh) 40 years now lol but I find your fresh, articulate and informative style incredibly helpful, especially to share with those newer to gaming.😋 I'm going to be using this video as an intro to send to three brand new players that will be joining me soon for a new campaign. You've a wonderful gift for presentation and really fun and effective communication.
This is the video I have been searching for! I've wanted to get into D&D for ages but I've never known exactly how to get into something with such an in-depth lore. Not to mention every D&D gamer I've tried to play with has given me the oddball stare to the point of driving me away. Thanks so much!!!
Great list! Very insightful.
Excellent video and information - thanks for this!
I just did my first campaign using a bunch of your tips and they all worked. I learned from lots of other videos but I chose this one since it’s the first on the “New to DND” playlist and feel like that makes sense for the point I’m in right now.
Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you and keep helping us nerds out!
Thank you so much! This really helps
Thank you for this video I'm trying to get into D&D with my friends, and I'm super excited to learn as much as I can. I just bought like 5 textbooks on the game lol 😋
I'm joining my first game next week and this came just in time!
In my group I have the unenviable task of simultaneous being new to the game and being the most experienced because non of my friends have played before either so it was a bit of a learning curve. So in the unlikely event someone else is in this situation I would recommend getting a DM screen which has a lot of basic info for quick reference and (assuming you're not using anything digital) a page or two of crib notes for anything not on the DM screen or that you have trouble remembering. Or if there's something oddly specific you'll need to know like a specific spell's effects you can annotate it with pg. w/e PHB so you can reference it easier.
Oh geez. I am a new player that decided to build a bard by myself while I’m sick. I’m excited to play and this really helped, thanks so much
Thank you I been a lil nervous since I'll be trying my first d&d game with new people in 2 weeks so I'll try my best learning & not overwhelming myself
Very well stated. Love your content!
Taking notes is always great. You'll never know when you'll forget some seemingly side detail or unimportant NPC that will become key to the story later; those random notes will jog your memory.
THANK YOU! I’ve been wanting to play dnd for YEARS!!! I’m getting a starter book & set on thurs and this is a great vid!!!! :)
Thanks for the video!
Excellent video! Keep up the great content!
Thank you for the channel 🙂 ( Just a little comment from " Love your character " ) This is the first time I play DnD. My character is Elf - Wizard. Love it. It is very easy to begin with spellcasting with a good DM. 3 time playing and I am already copying spells from a cursed spellbook to my own spellbook to avoid the curse to affect me when using the spells. And I often use spell in battle. The most important is to begin with a character that fits you even if it involves spellcasting. 😊 🧙♀
I’m recruiting my family to play a dnd session (just a one shot) but my aunt has never played. This is really helpful to help her and remind myself of how DnD feels to beginners.
I'm playing my first campaign starting next week. I'm so nervous, but your video is helping me learn more.
Helpful and concise! Thanks