I had this problem too, so I became an HR manager at a software dev company and made D&D a team building activity. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
Got some tips for starting DMs: (Spoiler warning) Note that players might try to continue to Phandalin. I had a two-player-party try to pass along the side of the two dead horses, and they rolled crits on the respective checks. Don't make youe PCs frustrated by obstructing them in such a case - instead, let them simply reach Elmar Barthen at Phandalin. He will tell them that Gundren never arrived, one way or another. If the party heads for the goblin hideout, prepare for some rather unbalanced events. In one case I had two brand new players first run up the goblin trail, the leading dwarf cleric triggering both traps (for he simply did not know the rules and game yet). Consequently he randomly cast thaumaturgy to raise the volume of his voice, leading to the goblin outpost hearing their not so stealth type of approach. They managed to kill both, yet got into trouble after having the wolves attack them and being flushed out twice. It took them up to finding Yeemik and Sildar Hallwinter to realise thst they should consider being quiet and act with care - which is fine as they are beginners, but for the overall experience this can be really bad. To play the entire cave, this party took three sessions with barely any role playing and mostly combat after combat after combat. The constant dice-rolling became so frustrating to the other PC that he wanted to quit. So try to spice that up by using a lot of "HOW do you wanna do this?" rather than just asking them what they wanna do. Also try guiding newbies a little. I know that DMs should not metagame too much, but your players want a great time and experience some fun, so I suggest to take newbies by the hand. Drop clues - maybe they hear the goblin outpost talk? After all they just triggered two traps, so give them a chance to turn the ambuah around. I guess you catch the drift: Make it pleasurable rather than going fully strict on the campaign rules - until they got lvl2 the campaign is totally unbalanced imho. Like this comment if that helps you - and feel free to pass by my channel, too. No D&D channel but instead real life adventuring:-)
you could also have the goblins ambush the players cart and killing the oxen as a consequence to them not checking the ambush sight and blinding driving into an immenant threat, this would cause them to go into a fight surprised and have to walk to Phandalin without the cart and it's contents if they do go to the cave after the ambush
Appreciate your advice here. I’m A newbie still trying to get my head around D&D. I like how you seem to have developed a relaxed approach with loose control while still helping your players understand the type of things they should be looking out for/thinking about.
Thanks for the intro for showing me how to DM for my wife! Loose and fancy free. Right up my alley. Just a suggestion, maybe use the black space on the bottom right of the video, there can be a camera over the DM so we can see what he is doing and flipping through etc. =) Just seems like a colossal waste of video space.
Hi Guys, Just want to say that I have always wanted to DM a session and finally worked up the courage to start. Watching you guys running this campaign has really given me the confidence to run it. I spent hours watching videos of people running sessions and you guys have by far been the best. My first campaign is next wekeend wish me luck. I will also be starting with the Starter set and rather than being nervous I am now excited to run this campaign. Thanks again you guys! I know this video is pretty old but I really do hope you guys do more together.
I've been out of D&D for 30 years (Played Advanced D&D/1st/2nd addition) and have been asked to DM a game for some friends who have never played. I will be running this module as it seems it is pretty straight forward and easy for new or long gone players. I am really excited.
This has been really helpful! I just bought the starter set, essentials set, and the 3 books. This will be my first time playing dnd and more so being a DM. At first, I found the information within the rule books very overwhelming, but after viewing the first 45 minutes of this video, I now feel a bit more comfortable playing DM. Being that I'm the person introducing the game to my friends who also never played, I do hope I do a good job! Thanks for the video, you guys!
@@teuluPaul I gotta admit, it's a very rewarding experience! You have to be patient with yourself if this is new to you. The starter set gives you some insight on what to do as a DM. Where I struggled most was being creative with my surroundings and situations that allow for the experience to be ever so immersive. I was fortunate enough to be playing with my friends and brothers who were also new to DND. They understood the responsibility that I had as DM since they all wanted to be the badass characters they made! My advice if you're new is to take the time to study the material to go into the session as prepared as possible! As you study the story, combat situations and potentially any NPCs you may encounter, write down what you believe will offer a challenge, but also fun and entertaining (don't share until you approach said scenario. It feels authentic and original when you flow your ideas into the story)! You'll soon see how everyone really gets into character despite being new. I hope this helps!
Thank you for posting this, I am DMing for the first time and have only played a handful of sessions so this is super helpful. I am actually watching this after I ran my group to this same point so it is fun contrasting how I did and ideas and things to remember
Dude the passive aggressiveness between the leftmost guy and the new girl is so entertaining! "I don't believe the gods recognize your hierarchy, but that's ok." "Well civilized society does." OH SNAP
BaSH PROMPT It's a crying shame that you see fit to take it upon yourself to criticize people's sense of humor... You must be a ton of fun to sit down and tabletop with. It's also a shame that you are so anti-social that you have to listen to these with earbuds or earphones; since this is not an issue over any halfway decent speakers with any form of noise dampeners. Come to think of it, my first statement probably doesn't apply since no one probably tabletops with you anyway...
drum, if the games not fun leave, everyone plays different, were not all dead serious rules lawyers, and emotionally dead burn outs. leave or quit bitchin. either way no one will miss you adios.go find your own game or run one your self.
Pro Tip: Give the job of the Initiative arrangement to one of the players. It involves the other players and makes the DMing more manageable, as you have stat blocks to review already at the start of encounters.
That you so much! I am playing DND for the first time and I had to be the dm. Since you are playing with beginners and explain a lot of things it gives me a rough guide to go along with
Thank you for this video. Loved watching the interaction and hearing the laughs. Disregard all the comments about the boardroom feeling. and the wasted space. This was exactly what I was hoping to see.
10 років тому+103
Ok to whoever is producing these videos: PLEASE ZOOM IN ON THE DM! He is the narrator and should always be in focus!
I am running the campaign with my wife and son who have never played before and it is going well. My son is playing both the Rogue and Cleric and wife is playing the Wizard and Fighter. In move I could not forsee, the cleric casts Light on bush right in front of a hidden goblin to try and illuminate in order to see any hidden baddies. The result was goblin failed saving throw and is temporarily blinded for the next minute, thus giving away its position and now has disadvantage...a completely random series of events that led up to a moment I could in no way have anticipated...gotta love it!
This video is currently helping me as a beginner DM of a group of dnd novice friends. We have done the first section of the hideout and our next session is walking around Phadalin to meet people and get quests.
Just did this with my group of hobos... They were so responsible they decided to pass that trail right up and go straight to town to deliver the cart to their friend.... Only their friend wasn't in town. which made for some interesting interactions. DMs, do your homework. those hobos are crazy.
I guess if you're wishing, you might as well wish big. Mine though will come true in a month. As impossibly far away as that is right now. With D&D though you gotta watch out for those wishes. You'd probably get her phone number but from twenty years ago.
thanks for making this, im starting to try and be a dm for my group of friends and this helps me get an idea of what it will be like and what I need to do.
rd708 Greg is a pretty good DM. I would also recommend watching a couple of videos with Chris Perkins Dming a very different style but he is what I aspire to as a DM myself. FYI he runs the Aquisitions Inc group and also ran a beginner session which you can find by searching chris perkins uk adventure.
My favorite monster manual was for 2nd Ed. I just hope the new one also involves habitat and ecology stuff. I love the how they live stuff. Hope to see this and more when the new book is released.
That guy in the red shirt to the very right and the guy to the very left are probably my favorite at the table, very well role played. I enjoyed it. :)
I literally scrolled through the comments for this because I thought I missed something when he asked where Cragmaw Castle was. That's some serious meta-gaming from a supposed experienced player.
From the wizards handout; 'Personal Goal: Reconsecrate the Defiled Altar. Through visions delivered in your trances, your god has called you to a new mission. A goblin tribe has made its lair in an ancient ruin now called Cragmaw Castle, where they have defiled a shrine once sacred to Oghma' So yes, the wizard is provided information that Cragmaw castle exists prior to the adventure.
The whole point to this game is role playing... Which is why it's called a role playing game. It should never have been relegated to merely a combat simulator as in 4e. That took all of the fun out of it as role playing took a back seat. I stopped playing years ago because every game group I played in only focused on hack and slash playing. You can take on opponents in ANY board game (such as Risk or Axis and Allies) and go back and forth trying to defeat each other. The beauty and fun of role playing games like D&D is that you can walk hand-in-hand with your imagination and become your character by acting out the accents and reactions to situations in the game. I started playing in '85 when I was 13 and quickly became engrossed amd immersed in the world Gygax created. Some of the most memorable times from my childhood were spent with friends role playing outside of combat such as visiting a local tavern and hanging out with a few dwarves or traveling across an ocean while interacting with the nasty pirate crew along the way. It helped me flesh out and build my character and made combat even more exciting because I was so invested in him. Very often, I would go home after a weekend of playing with my friends and write stories from all of the adventures. I'm now a filmmaker and published author and I credit all of my storytelling skill to being a DM and playing D&D. One of the most important parts of a good story or movie is strong character development and that's what you get when you role play your characters outside of combat. I am happy to say that 5e brought me back to the table. Thanks guys.
1 hour and into this, and it seems REALLY similar to 3.5 so far (which is BY FAR my favorite system up to today), with the exception of the Inspiration bonuses the DM can give for good role-playing. Haven't really seen much game-mechanics wise in this video to tell the differences.
Craig Haasis I’m a 3.5 vet, been playing since it was just called D&D. I haven’t played since 3.5 but recently picked up this starter set now that my kids are old enough to play and yup, the rules are really similar. It didn’t take me much time to pick up the new rules.
Just a note, when Roxy asked about casting more than one spell per turn the DM told her incorrectly that she could cast another with her action that turn. Unfortunately, you can only ever cast a single spell and a cantrip in the same turn. Even though she had the action to spend her other spell slot she could only cast another spell if it was a cantrip.
Thank you for this video! Two small suggestions - (1) it can be hard to hear people when they swallow their words or mutter, so enunciating more than usual because of video recording would help, and (2) calling out die rolls and doing the math would help noobs like me (eg “15+3 for sword bonus is 18” instead of “18” - or more puzzlingly rolling a 23 on a d20 - whu?). Thank you for a very entertaining video!
I would love one of my "Job Requirements" to be to sit in a meeting room and play D&D. Sure would beat my regular gig of databases, spreadsheets, and bundle-notes for updates and fixes. "Eric, one of the job requirements is to go to a meeting with xyz and play D&D all morning". Shiiiiiiii.... let me cover for everyone else too."
+Vundutta The nice thing about RPG games is that you can play them however your group wants to. The rules are a guideline. You just want to be as consistent as possible so people know what to expect. The main goal IMO, is for people to enjoy the experience
No matter how well you plan our scheme are, all the papers that you write it's impossible to know what your party will do that's the beauty of D&D it's also what makes it really hard. hopefully those three hours were a lot of fun
When I want to describe D&D to someone who doesn't know what it's about, I say that it's a story which you tell by being one of the protaganists. The DM provides the basic structure and the challenges, but how you handle them is up to you. That's why each game can be quite different even with the same setting and the same challenges.
I already preordered the starter set after seeing the unboxing video. I am hoping my group that I play with will like this Edition. I liked what I saw during the playtests.
Running this adventure now for a group and we found that the Phandalin townsfolk and quests are distracting and complex as presented. Better to break that up and make it a little less open, a bit more linear.. Sometimes linear is okay. after all this is the starter adventure so the DM and/or players may need more hand holding at this early stage. Also, in the Redguard base, 3 bugbears in one room! That almost caused a TK.
I ran a software design team (5 people) in a conference room (as a paid team building exercise for a company), but I brought a small speaker for light background/battle music; brought maps and small paper props to put on the table cause I didn’t have the right figures (printed pics of npcs, enemies, PCs, wagon, locations, etc), dimmed the lights a little, and animated the attacks with more detail (e.g. the arrow struck the goblin in the thigh, the goblin yelled in pain, striking the arrow and breaking the end off.”), not to mention voice acting the npcs. The location doesn’t matter as much as the effort put in by the DM. This one is okay, but could be a lot more immersive than he is.
More like watching people preparing their tax forms... Can’t help it though. Nature of a DND game viewing. It’s the same while watching someone playing a video game. This whole split screen method also adds a strange dynamic in the playback.
I haven't played actively since 1991, but this certainly feels like a legit and fun D&D game. Great DM, especially with doing the goblin voice. Look forward to seeing all the parts. I look forward to learning more about 5E, as I only have experience with AD&D (2E)..... A few questions, though... I know all of this is all in the Basic Rules pdf and the basic DM pdf, but... is there some sort of "shortcut" list, that are the most commonly-used dice rolls/checks... for DM and players alike? There's so much to absorb, especially since I haven't played 5E at all... just wondering if there are helpful shortcut lists (PDF format), for DMs and players. I'm so out of the loop, I feel like Liz's "Roxy"... like "do I roll a d20 here?" haha. Thanks!
It would be awesome to run a contest to have like 5 youtube or website or twitter or...etc followers have a chance to come play a webcast of the new adventures. I would totally throw my hat into that!
Havent played any version of dnd yet but been watxhing the twitch live sessions for a while now waiting for 5e to be released. see how the starter set appeals to me
Haha, goblin Doppler effect! Can you please make sure character name and class is listed under the players in future, for those of us who haven't seen the pre-gens? Thanks. :-)
If you want to start up a group of D&Ders, go for it, reach out on Facebook and other social apps and let everyone know your starting a group and interviewing folks for a group. Just like starting a band.
Thank you for posting this, it is a huge help to those of us trying to learn the game for the first time. Quick noob question: what happens/what options are available when a character is knocked unconscious during battle, and then the battle ends before the character is revived/healed?
If the character was knocked unconscious, he or she will revive after a few minutes or so... give or take. If the character was stabilized (dropped to zero HP and made it through the death saves), if he gets healed or regains 1HP he becomes conscious again. Otherwise, he may have to wait much longer (under the Healing rules) before he revives. For the first encounter, if the goblins wiped the entire party, they are said to have knocked all the players unconscious (versus killing them). After some time, the characters wake up, looted of their money and some gear, and are all quite grumpy for getting mugged.
I really wish the modules would contain better / more in-depth textual description boxes of areas. Some sections are better than others. Much like a good character sheet the room/area descriptions should have a structure where the important information is highly visible with the details/mechanics down in the detail section. For example, the intro to Phandalin could have several "triggered" sections where (at least) key building exteriors are described in more detail as players travel past them. The inn could have a couple of key NPC descriptions. and maybe a list of how much time that NPC spends in the tavern and during which times. Sure I can make all that up on the fly but my idea of the purpose of these modules is to help new DMs learn how to write better modules. By putting that in new DMs would see how useful that is. Cragmaw Hideout area 1 should have a couple of "triggered" sections with details based on "players sneak up" or "players are overhead". The DM can STILL override it and give whatever description they want so "leaving it to the DM" isn't a good excuse - even less so in an intro module. I didn't have a particularly difficult time, but I first played D&D in the 80's - but I think these things would help newer DMs. I had this issue with the whole of 5e really -- The rules are written far too much as "story-telling" and not enough like a reference. Should have both. I really shouldn't have to re-read almost the entire cleric section every time the cleric levels up. Each specialization section should have a reference table like Cleric does over all that lists ALL the features you need to include to level-up. We've already missed a couple of things here and there because of this. Just some thoughts.
Man I want to learn how to play this. I attempted to play with some friends but all of us had nooooo idea wtf to do. It looks so great when you're with people who know what they're doing
+Ross Snook These days you have everything going. UA-cam videos, web pages devoted to D&D. Back when we first played you figured out yourself. And the rules are much better than they were. So there's nothing stopping you IMO. And if all else fails, and if you have one, find a local game store, and see if anyone is playing and you could sit in on a game to learn
Michael Bauers I actually went to a local store, and they had no idea how to play haha. They only played Warhammer... I know there a lot of sources, but there's a hell of a lot to take in. It's so easy to forget things that you can do. But non the less we try and just have fun with it haha. Still would be great to play with atleast one person who knows wtf to do
So I DM'd for the first time in 28 years to a 40 something group of about 7, and it took us 5 hours to get through Cragmaw....LOL! And yes, they interrogated a goblin for an hour...LOL! I allowed them to beat the goblin with his own severed arm to speed things up a bit :P
That's exactly what it happened to my session, they also took long enough to decide if they should let the carriage or not at the side road to get into the cragmaw hideout
Haley, I saw your other post that you're a new player. Welcome to the wonderful world of DnD! Most new players if they are all playing as newbies really don't know what to do. I'm sure you've read a bit and have a basic understanding of the game by now, but nothing, I repeat NOTHING is a good as actually getting your feet wet and playing! If you are your groups DM, I would suggest when you have an encounter with some monsters ask the players, "What do you want to do? or if the monsters have the surprise on them, "What are going to do?" Instead of telling the fighter 'you duck and roll to try and get out of the way', let the player tell you what he wants to do. This will give the players the incentive to take the lead of the game and then in future sessions this will take precedence and you will be nothing more than a moderator and take the roles of the NPC's they encounter and the adversaries. Remember, each DM/GM has their own style and you will find yours after a while. Just remember, the main goal of the game is to have fun first and foremost. The joys of DM'ing is a wonderful experience, especially when you start to create your own adventures and see the fruits of your labors pay off and played out in front of you. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck and have fun!
Long term fan,, but never found a group until last year... first real game 5thE out of the abyss.... playing over a year now.. Level 19 wood elf Life cleric (true good).. I am hoping to DM my first Time! hoping Lost Mine of Phandelver would make out a Great Game for me to DM
If I remember the rules correctly, it hits if the roll is equal to or higher than the armour class, so a roll of 15 would be a hit against an armour class of 15.
I think the rules say the goblins behind the thickets actually have a three-quarters cover which adds +5 to their AC of 15 which means it would have needed a 20 to hit.
For those asking, we're aiming to do the next live game at 4 PM (Pacific) on July 14. We'll be livestreaming at twitch.tv/wotc_dnd. However, like any group, we're subject to people's schedules, so there's always the possibility of cancellation. We'll tweet out on Monday to confirm.
You can play using Google+. People join the event, it manages bandwith by using it when people talk. It allows us to join and listen and watch if you got webcams. And as DM you can put maps or pictures (of monster encountered !) on screen,
I have that but my characters name are 1.Stephen (Folk Hero (trying to be king at the ending) And The leader of the group, a fighter, and defeated the dragon) 2.Corvic (Stephen's Best Friend And A Cleric) 3.Risk (The Stealthy guy and a criminal) 4.Jave (a fighter too and appeared when fighting a bugbear (also known as the kill stealer [I call him that] ) 5. Fangs (Wolf) (Stephen calmed the wolf down) And that's my Group
DMed my first session today. Also my first game ever. There were only three of us and this campaign called for 4-5 I decided to play a PC as well as DMing. I see many reasons that isnt great. But did my best to keep the two things entirely separate in my mind so that I wasnt biased about my PCs decisions. But it did allow me to use my PC to better steer the adventure as both of my friends are brand new too, and I have a slightly better idea of how the game works due to video like this. (Witch are awesome and greatly appreciated by the way) It took a second to get the ball rolling and I had to stop read and get my bearings for certiant parts. But my friends didnt mind it as they would take thier time to think about thier character and what not. As we only had three PCs I allowed for some bending of the rules here and there an example would be giving an extra spell slot even though we are on level one or not giving the boss the massive advantage that would likley result in the one hit death of a first time player/s. All and all we each had a wonderfull time getting to know the characters in our party and had an eventfull creative adventur till 4 am. And we look forward to doing it agian tomorrow. I urge you if you are even kinda thinking about playing this game do it, if you cant find a DM become one. If you dont have enough people play anyway. Thanks for reading love to my NERDS.
The struggle of wanting to play D&D as much as possible and not really having anyone to play with.
Zachary Simpson 😢
yap
I had this problem too, so I became an HR manager at a software dev company and made D&D a team building activity. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
Sometimes you just gotta start up your own group. I wish you success and many adventures!
Try Fantasy Grounds
Got some tips for starting DMs:
(Spoiler warning)
Note that players might try to continue to Phandalin. I had a two-player-party try to pass along the side of the two dead horses, and they rolled crits on the respective checks. Don't make youe PCs frustrated by obstructing them in such a case - instead, let them simply reach Elmar Barthen at Phandalin. He will tell them that Gundren never arrived, one way or another.
If the party heads for the goblin hideout, prepare for some rather unbalanced events. In one case I had two brand new players first run up the goblin trail, the leading dwarf cleric triggering both traps (for he simply did not know the rules and game yet). Consequently he randomly cast thaumaturgy to raise the volume of his voice, leading to the goblin outpost hearing their not so stealth type of approach. They managed to kill both, yet got into trouble after having the wolves attack them and being flushed out twice. It took them up to finding Yeemik and Sildar Hallwinter to realise thst they should consider being quiet and act with care - which is fine as they are beginners, but for the overall experience this can be really bad. To play the entire cave, this party took three sessions with barely any role playing and mostly combat after combat after combat. The constant dice-rolling became so frustrating to the other PC that he wanted to quit. So try to spice that up by using a lot of "HOW do you wanna do this?" rather than just asking them what they wanna do. Also try guiding newbies a little. I know that DMs should not metagame too much, but your players want a great time and experience some fun, so I suggest to take newbies by the hand. Drop clues - maybe they hear the goblin outpost talk? After all they just triggered two traps, so give them a chance to turn the ambuah around.
I guess you catch the drift: Make it pleasurable rather than going fully strict on the campaign rules - until they got lvl2 the campaign is totally unbalanced imho.
Like this comment if that helps you - and feel free to pass by my channel, too. No D&D channel but instead real life adventuring:-)
you could also have the goblins ambush the players cart and killing the oxen as a consequence to them not checking the ambush sight and blinding driving into an immenant threat, this would cause them to go into a fight surprised and have to walk to Phandalin without the cart and it's contents if they do go to the cave after the ambush
Appreciate your advice here. I’m A newbie still trying to get my head around D&D. I like how you seem to have developed a relaxed approach with loose control while still helping your players understand the type of things they should be looking out for/thinking about.
thanks for the advice
I'm a newbie introducing my teenage son and (relatively uninterested wife) to Phandelver this weekend, thanks for the advice
@@nicholasmccarthy1981 I know I'm 3 months late, but I hope it went well. I loved this campaign as my first DM experience.
Thanks for the intro for showing me how to DM for my wife! Loose and fancy free. Right up my alley.
Just a suggestion, maybe use the black space on the bottom right of the video, there can be a camera over the DM so we can see what he is doing and flipping through etc. =) Just seems like a colossal waste of video space.
Hi Guys,
Just want to say that I have always wanted to DM a session and finally worked up the courage to start. Watching you guys running this campaign has really given me the confidence to run it. I spent hours watching videos of people running sessions and you guys have by far been the best. My first campaign is next wekeend wish me luck. I will also be starting with the Starter set and rather than being nervous I am now excited to run this campaign.
Thanks again you guys! I know this video is pretty old but I really do hope you guys do more together.
How did it go?
@@TheJozabi I too am interested
Sooooo did it go well?
what happened?
I really like Liz being involved...fun to watch her learn and ask questions.
I've been out of D&D for 30 years (Played Advanced D&D/1st/2nd addition) and have been asked to DM a game for some friends who have never played. I will be running this module as it seems it is pretty straight forward and easy for new or long gone players. I am really excited.
This has been really helpful! I just bought the starter set, essentials set, and the 3 books. This will be my first time playing dnd and more so being a DM. At first, I found the information within the rule books very overwhelming, but after viewing the first 45 minutes of this video, I now feel a bit more comfortable playing DM. Being that I'm the person introducing the game to my friends who also never played, I do hope I do a good job! Thanks for the video, you guys!
How did you get on? I am hoping to do the same soon...!
@@teuluPaul I gotta admit, it's a very rewarding experience! You have to be patient with yourself if this is new to you. The starter set gives you some insight on what to do as a DM. Where I struggled most was being creative with my surroundings and situations that allow for the experience to be ever so immersive. I was fortunate enough to be playing with my friends and brothers who were also new to DND. They understood the responsibility that I had as DM since they all wanted to be the badass characters they made! My advice if you're new is to take the time to study the material to go into the session as prepared as possible! As you study the story, combat situations and potentially any NPCs you may encounter, write down what you believe will offer a challenge, but also fun and entertaining (don't share until you approach said scenario. It feels authentic and original when you flow your ideas into the story)! You'll soon see how everyone really gets into character despite being new. I hope this helps!
@@tengufitness2507 Thanks for the comments - much appreciated!
Thank you for posting this, I am DMing for the first time and have only played a handful of sessions so this is super helpful. I am actually watching this after I ran my group to this same point so it is fun contrasting how I did and ideas and things to remember
This is great, but if you guys do this again you may want to try micing each person up because the volumes levels can make it difficult to hear
Addetrkiid
Dude the passive aggressiveness between the leftmost guy and the new girl is so entertaining!
"I don't believe the gods recognize your hierarchy, but that's ok."
"Well civilized society does."
OH SNAP
***** If you call THAT exchange passive/aggressive, what do you call using "Dude" or "OH SNAP" in a comment?
BaSH PROMPT It's a crying shame that you see fit to take it upon yourself to criticize people's sense of humor... You must be a ton of fun to sit down and tabletop with. It's also a shame that you are so anti-social that you have to listen to these with earbuds or earphones; since this is not an issue over any halfway decent speakers with any form of noise dampeners. Come to think of it, my first statement probably doesn't apply since no one probably tabletops with you anyway...
drum, if the games not fun leave, everyone plays different, were not all dead serious rules lawyers, and emotionally dead burn outs. leave or quit bitchin. either way no one will miss you adios.go find your own game or run one your self.
J
@@JadeWolf88 h
Pro Tip: Give the job of the Initiative arrangement to one of the players. It involves the other players and makes the DMing more manageable, as you have stat blocks to review already at the start of encounters.
Have never played D&D before but it looks so fun! Watching this before my first game to gain some understanding
Mika Sanchez me too
That you so much! I am playing DND for the first time and I had to be the dm. Since you are playing with beginners and explain a lot of things it gives me a rough guide to go along with
The wife found this starter kit on sale for $1. So now we are getting into d&d now. Pretty cool.
Thank you for this video. Loved watching the interaction and hearing the laughs. Disregard all the comments about the boardroom feeling. and the wasted space. This was exactly what I was hoping to see.
Ok to whoever is producing these videos: PLEASE ZOOM IN ON THE DM! He is the narrator and should always be in focus!
Wotc congrats, unlike 4e this actually feels like D&D. I'll buy this game.
"That's some lovely healing you have, Cleric!" Good job dude. Way to be.
I am running the campaign with my wife and son who have never played before and it is going well. My son is playing both the Rogue and Cleric and wife is playing the Wizard and Fighter. In move I could not forsee, the cleric casts Light on bush right in front of a hidden goblin to try and illuminate in order to see any hidden baddies. The result was goblin failed saving throw and is temporarily blinded for the next minute, thus giving away its position and now has disadvantage...a completely random series of events that led up to a moment I could in no way have anticipated...gotta love it!
This campaign is gonna be my first time playing D&D as well as first time gming. Wish me luck
That's a great goblin voice.
Am I going to die on turn two?
No! This is turn one!!
Luckily my friends and their mom play D&D, so they can teach me. I have always wanted to play this game
This edition is looking great. They went all the ways I hoped they would go!
Chris cracked me up so much during that entire video. Very entertaining. Can't wait to play 5e.
I think hearing Greg making the sound of a Doppler-shifting choking goblin might have been the funniest thing I've heard today.
I've always wondered what an actual session looked like. This was awesome🙂
This video is currently helping me as a beginner DM of a group of dnd novice friends. We have done the first section of the hideout and our next session is walking around Phadalin to meet people and get quests.
Just did this with my group of hobos... They were so responsible they decided to pass that trail right up and go straight to town to deliver the cart to their friend.... Only their friend wasn't in town. which made for some interesting interactions. DMs, do your homework. those hobos are crazy.
I NEED the Players Handbook already! Gah! I'm rolling all ones on my Will checks to be patient.
I guess if you're wishing, you might as well wish big. Mine though will come true in a month. As impossibly far away as that is right now.
With D&D though you gotta watch out for those wishes. You'd probably get her phone number but from twenty years ago.
You mean wisdom saves! There are 6 saves now apparently.
All those 1s have affected my skull meat.
Since I have never played D&D and will be hosting the lost mine quest with 3 other D&D virgins, in a couple of weeks, this was very useful.
I only clicked the link to find out how D&D rules worked; now I've got another LETS PLAY I have to binge watch! haha
This group is so positive! I love it!
This was so great 👍 just personally got into D&D and am loving ❤️ it!!
Best joke:
- Where is my Passuve Agression Skill? (looking in charsheet)
Like a Passive Perception :)
its now its gone.now you get a initutive bonus 2 plus your dex bonus so about 3 to 4 average,
can't wait to run this game as a new DM, for my friend who are all new, thanks for sharing
This will be my first time being DM and I’m using this campaign to help me learn how everything works.
thanks for making this, im starting to try and be a dm for my group of friends and this helps me get an idea of what it will be like and what I need to do.
rd708 Greg is a pretty good DM. I would also recommend watching a couple of videos with Chris Perkins Dming a very different style but he is what I aspire to as a DM myself. FYI he runs the Aquisitions Inc group and also ran a beginner session which you can find by searching chris perkins uk adventure.
The pace of this game would make me insane.
Watch 1:19:40-1:19:50.
Slight of hand trick from the DM!
Very funny game. Loved the sound effects of a flying through the air at the end of a rope goblin.
My favorite monster manual was for 2nd Ed. I just hope the new one also involves habitat and ecology stuff. I love the how they live stuff. Hope to see this and more when the new book is released.
That guy in the red shirt to the very right and the guy to the very left are probably my favorite at the table, very well role played. I enjoyed it. :)
I'm watched this like 3 times just for the goblin sounds
This looks so much fun. Damn. I just bought the starter pack I'm trying it out tonight with some friends!
Just did my first all of us new. Hope you have as good a time as we did! Dont be afraid to DM! ✌
Me and my group were in that cave for THIRTEEN HOURS!
Real time???
Nice to see a video of the play through. Love your videos!
What a goblin that DM plays!
49:42 The players shouldn't know anything about Cragmaw Castle during the goblin ambush.
I think they saw the DM map with all the POI on it versus the player map.
I literally scrolled through the comments for this because I thought I missed something when he asked where Cragmaw Castle was. That's some serious meta-gaming from a supposed experienced player.
From the wizards handout; 'Personal Goal: Reconsecrate the Defiled Altar. Through visions
delivered in your trances, your god has called you to a new mission. A goblin tribe has made its lair in an ancient ruin now called Cragmaw Castle, where they have defiled a shrine once sacred to Oghma'
So yes, the wizard is provided information that Cragmaw castle exists prior to the adventure.
34:34
Grapple... the doom of all 3.5 gamers reappears...
The whole point to this game is role playing... Which is why it's called a role playing game.
It should never have been relegated to merely a combat simulator as in 4e. That took all of the fun out of it as role playing took a back seat. I stopped playing years ago because every game group I played in only focused on hack and slash playing. You can take on opponents in ANY board game (such as Risk or Axis and Allies) and go back and forth trying to defeat each other. The beauty and fun of role playing games like D&D is that you can walk hand-in-hand with your imagination and become your character by acting out the accents and reactions to situations in the game.
I started playing in '85 when I was 13 and quickly became engrossed amd immersed in the world Gygax created. Some of the most memorable times from my childhood were spent with friends role playing outside of combat such as visiting a local tavern and hanging out with a few dwarves or traveling across an ocean while interacting with the nasty pirate crew along the way. It helped me flesh out and build my character and made combat even more exciting because I was so invested in him.
Very often, I would go home after a weekend of playing with my friends and write stories from all of the adventures.
I'm now a filmmaker and published author and I credit all of my storytelling skill to being a DM and playing D&D. One of the most important parts of a good story or movie is strong character development and that's what you get when you role play your characters outside of combat.
I am happy to say that 5e brought me back to the table. Thanks guys.
This was very useful for learning. Thanks!
I can't believe that no one got the Roxy Hart reference. No one else at that table is aware of/has seen Chicago?
Elijah Kaine I just began this adventure with a table full of musical theater actors. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.
@@josephreynolds1220 HAHA
1 hour and into this, and it seems REALLY similar to 3.5 so far (which is BY FAR my favorite system up to today), with the exception of the Inspiration bonuses the DM can give for good role-playing. Haven't really seen much game-mechanics wise in this video to tell the differences.
Craig Haasis I’m a 3.5 vet, been playing since it was just called D&D. I haven’t played since 3.5 but recently picked up this starter set now that my kids are old enough to play and yup, the rules are really similar. It didn’t take me much time to pick up the new rules.
Just a note, when Roxy asked about casting more than one spell per turn the DM told her incorrectly that she could cast another with her action that turn. Unfortunately, you can only ever cast a single spell and a cantrip in the same turn. Even though she had the action to spend her other spell slot she could only cast another spell if it was a cantrip.
I was scrolling down looking for this comment.
Thank you for this video! Two small suggestions - (1) it can be hard to hear people when they swallow their words or mutter, so enunciating more than usual because of video recording would help, and (2) calling out die rolls and doing the math would help noobs like me (eg “15+3 for sword bonus is 18” instead of “18” - or more puzzlingly rolling a 23 on a d20 - whu?). Thank you for a very entertaining video!
I would love one of my "Job Requirements" to be to sit in a meeting room and play D&D. Sure would beat my regular gig of databases, spreadsheets, and bundle-notes for updates and fixes. "Eric, one of the job requirements is to go to a meeting with xyz and play D&D all morning". Shiiiiiiii.... let me cover for everyone else too."
i bought this yesterday and we spent like 3 hours on the first fight -_- and still we did it completely different from what you are doing.
+Vundutta The nice thing about RPG games is that you can play them however your group wants to. The rules are a guideline. You just want to be as consistent as possible so people know what to expect. The main goal IMO, is for people to enjoy the experience
No matter how well you plan our scheme are, all the papers that you write it's impossible to know what your party will do that's the beauty of D&D it's also what makes it really hard. hopefully those three hours were a lot of fun
When I want to describe D&D to someone who doesn't know what it's about, I say that it's a story which you tell by being one of the protaganists. The DM provides the basic structure and the challenges, but how you handle them is up to you.
That's why each game can be quite different even with the same setting and the same challenges.
Vundutta did you get any futher along yet?
I already preordered the starter set after seeing the unboxing video. I am hoping my group that I play with will like this Edition. I liked what I saw during the playtests.
LOL I think Greg Bilsland has been hired just to play goblins, he's hilarious
Running this adventure now for a group and we found that the Phandalin townsfolk and quests are distracting and complex as presented. Better to break that up and make it a little less open, a bit more linear.. Sometimes linear is okay. after all this is the starter adventure so the DM and/or players may need more hand holding at this early stage. Also, in the Redguard base, 3 bugbears in one room! That almost caused a TK.
really good dungeon master!
I love that he pointed out the sharpened teeth in the goblins. I thought of that as soon as the player asked the question.
@52:20"Now, let's not get too hasty people... so let's move with haste!" lol
I lost it when Josh yells out "Slurpee!".
10 years later, Emi Tanji is the Art director for the new 2024 books.
Thanks for sharing this, looking forwards to getting the starter set
Having just bought the Starter Set I'm still so confused! So much to take in...
I am going to read the book a few times before attempting to play
This adventure is awesome I really enjoy Lost Mines. Always get a kick out of when a party first sees goblins and auto attacks.lol
This has all the atmosphere of a board meeting. Not the ideal way to introduce new players.
Easiest way to film it while being informative... but I totally hear what you saying. I'm a noob and it did enter my mind.
@@Svergara1 watch Matt Mercer dm has the mcrae voice actor he shows how fun dnd can be
Most interesting meeting I've ever been to :D But yeah, Matt Mercer is the DM God, the highest level of DM'ing you can hope to achieve.
I ran a software design team (5 people) in a conference room (as a paid team building exercise for a company), but I brought a small speaker for light background/battle music; brought maps and small paper props to put on the table cause I didn’t have the right figures (printed pics of npcs, enemies, PCs, wagon, locations, etc), dimmed the lights a little, and animated the attacks with more detail (e.g. the arrow struck the goblin in the thigh, the goblin yelled in pain, striking the arrow and breaking the end off.”), not to mention voice acting the npcs. The location doesn’t matter as much as the effort put in by the DM. This one is okay, but could be a lot more immersive than he is.
More like watching people preparing their tax forms... Can’t help it though. Nature of a DND game viewing. It’s the same while watching someone playing a video game. This whole split screen method also adds a strange dynamic in the playback.
I haven't played actively since 1991, but this certainly feels like a legit and fun D&D game. Great DM, especially with doing the goblin voice. Look forward to seeing all the parts. I look forward to learning more about 5E, as I only have experience with AD&D (2E)..... A few questions, though... I know all of this is all in the Basic Rules pdf and the basic DM pdf, but... is there some sort of "shortcut" list, that are the most commonly-used dice rolls/checks... for DM and players alike? There's so much to absorb, especially since I haven't played 5E at all... just wondering if there are helpful shortcut lists (PDF format), for DMs and players. I'm so out of the loop, I feel like Liz's "Roxy"... like "do I roll a d20 here?" haha. Thanks!
Yeah man, most of the DnD resources are free online. Head over to their website and theres plenty of information and things to get you back into it :)
I love D&D I play 5th edition.
Laughed myself to death when the cleric decided to lead =) great group seemed to have a lot of fun.
*****
Most of the clerics I have played with were cloth wearers, and didn't know to let the Rogue or Rangers clear the way.
It would be awesome to run a contest to have like 5 youtube or website or twitter or...etc followers have a chance to come play a webcast of the new adventures. I would totally throw my hat into that!
Havent played any version of dnd yet but been watxhing the twitch live sessions for a while now waiting for 5e to be released. see how the starter set appeals to me
Haha, goblin Doppler effect! Can you please make sure character name and class is listed under the players in future, for those of us who haven't seen the pre-gens? Thanks. :-)
Totally. Only 1 player gives race and class in the intro and none describe what they look like.
I mean, tall elven dressed in dark robes with blond hair pulled back in cornrows....
So helpful in learning D and D. Fun group.
If you want to start up a group of D&Ders, go for it, reach out on Facebook and other social apps and let everyone know your starting a group and interviewing folks for a group. Just like starting a band.
"Gundran Rock-Seeker". Oh, the names in Forgotten Realms.
Just preordered my handbook so it will be here on Tuesday!
Thank you for posting this, it is a huge help to those of us trying to learn the game for the first time. Quick noob question: what happens/what options are available when a character is knocked unconscious during battle, and then the battle ends before the character is revived/healed?
If the character was knocked unconscious, he or she will revive after a few minutes or so... give or take. If the character was stabilized (dropped to zero HP and made it through the death saves), if he gets healed or regains 1HP he becomes conscious again. Otherwise, he may have to wait much longer (under the Healing rules) before he revives.
For the first encounter, if the goblins wiped the entire party, they are said to have knocked all the players unconscious (versus killing them). After some time, the characters wake up, looted of their money and some gear, and are all quite grumpy for getting mugged.
Thanks!
Big shout out to Emi Tanji for the great character sheet!!!!
Astair, the god of light and justice? What a nice coincidence ^^
Thanks for playing and streaming, guys!
I really wish the modules would contain better / more in-depth textual description boxes of areas. Some sections are better than others.
Much like a good character sheet the room/area descriptions should have a structure where the important information is highly visible with the details/mechanics down in the detail section.
For example, the intro to Phandalin could have several "triggered" sections where (at least) key building exteriors are described in more detail as players travel past them.
The inn could have a couple of key NPC descriptions. and maybe a list of how much time that NPC spends in the tavern and during which times. Sure I can make all that up on the fly but my idea of the purpose of these modules is to help new DMs learn how to write better modules. By putting that in new DMs would see how useful that is.
Cragmaw Hideout area 1 should have a couple of "triggered" sections with details based on "players sneak up" or "players are overhead".
The DM can STILL override it and give whatever description they want so "leaving it to the DM" isn't a good excuse - even less so in an intro module.
I didn't have a particularly difficult time, but I first played D&D in the 80's - but I think these things would help newer DMs.
I had this issue with the whole of 5e really -- The rules are written far too much as "story-telling" and not enough like a reference. Should have both.
I really shouldn't have to re-read almost the entire cleric section every time the cleric levels up. Each specialization section should have a reference table like Cleric does over all that lists ALL the features you need to include to level-up. We've already missed a couple of things here and there because of this.
Just some thoughts.
Man I want to learn how to play this.
I attempted to play with some friends but all of us had nooooo idea wtf to do.
It looks so great when you're with people who know what they're doing
+Ross Snook These days you have everything going. UA-cam videos, web pages devoted to D&D. Back when we first played you figured out yourself. And the rules are much better than they were. So there's nothing stopping you IMO. And if all else fails, and if you have one, find a local game store, and see if anyone is playing and you could sit in on a game to learn
Michael Bauers
I actually went to a local store, and they had no idea how to play haha.
They only played Warhammer...
I know there a lot of sources, but there's a hell of a lot to take in.
It's so easy to forget things that you can do.
But non the less we try and just have fun with it haha.
Still would be great to play with atleast one person who knows wtf to do
put an ad out, offer fun, chips and mntn dew, for thier troubles, post it at your post office, laundrymat etc someone will come and help,
So I DM'd for the first time in 28 years to a 40 something group of about 7, and it took us 5 hours to get through Cragmaw....LOL! And yes, they interrogated a goblin for an hour...LOL! I allowed them to beat the goblin with his own severed arm to speed things up a bit :P
That's exactly what it happened to my session, they also took long enough to decide if they should let the carriage or not at the side road to get into the cragmaw hideout
" that's a pretty baller goblin". Said foxy heart ironfist 😂😂
just a note to new DM's don't lead the players as much as this DM is doing....
What do you mean lead?
Haley Grace telling them what to do or guiding them on what to do next.
Haley, I saw your other post that you're a new player. Welcome to the wonderful world of DnD! Most new players if they are all playing as newbies really don't know what to do. I'm sure you've read a bit and have a basic understanding of the game by now, but nothing, I repeat NOTHING is a good as actually getting your feet wet and playing! If you are your groups DM, I would suggest when you have an encounter with some monsters ask the players, "What do you want to do? or if the monsters have the surprise on them, "What are going to do?" Instead of telling the fighter 'you duck and roll to try and get out of the way', let the player tell you what he wants to do. This will give the players the incentive to take the lead of the game and then in future sessions this will take precedence and you will be nothing more than a moderator and take the roles of the NPC's they encounter and the adversaries. Remember, each DM/GM has their own style and you will find yours after a while. Just remember, the main goal of the game is to have fun first and foremost. The joys of DM'ing is a wonderful experience, especially when you start to create your own adventures and see the fruits of your labors pay off and played out in front of you. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask! Good luck and have fun!
+John Prescott ok and I have played before just not much as a dm. Thank you.
Haley Grace You're welcome!
So excited to finally get into being a DM. Although I do enjoy playing a halfling monk
Long term fan,, but never found a group until last year... first real game 5thE out of the abyss.... playing over a year now.. Level 19 wood elf Life cleric (true good).. I am hoping to DM my first Time! hoping Lost Mine of Phandelver would make out a Great Game for me to DM
1:11:28 I think the goblin behind the thicket has a half cover so it adds +2 to its AC which is 15+2, so 15 wouldn't hit him?
Maybe he was without a shield. So it's 13+2=15. BUT I did not watch the whole video so i just guess it was like this
If I remember the rules correctly, it hits if the roll is equal to or higher than the armour class, so a roll of 15 would be a hit against an armour class of 15.
I'm pretty sure the AC includes the thicket so that would be 15 in that case.
I think the rules say the goblins behind the thickets actually have a three-quarters cover which adds +5 to their AC of 15 which means it would have needed a 20 to hit.
It's a three quarters cover. But by now you likely know that.
"The goblin puts away its bow and draws its 'shortsword'." I thought you remembered the goblin stat block.
He corrected himself later
For those asking, we're aiming to do the next live game at 4 PM (Pacific) on July 14. We'll be livestreaming at twitch.tv/wotc_dnd. However, like any group, we're subject to people's schedules, so there's always the possibility of cancellation. We'll tweet out on Monday to confirm.
You can play using Google+. People join the event, it manages bandwith by using it when people talk. It allows us to join and listen and watch if you got webcams. And as DM you can put maps or pictures (of monster encountered !) on screen,
I have that but my characters name are
1.Stephen (Folk Hero (trying to be king at the ending) And The leader of the group, a fighter, and defeated the dragon)
2.Corvic (Stephen's Best Friend And A Cleric)
3.Risk (The Stealthy guy and a criminal)
4.Jave (a fighter too and appeared when fighting a bugbear (also known as the kill stealer [I call him that] )
5. Fangs (Wolf) (Stephen calmed the wolf down)
And that's my Group
And I am a Dungeon Master, who has been playing D&D/AD&D and Chainmail for 40 years! (I'm also a published game creator).
Nothing beats original DND. Old school rules
Agreed!
Georgejmh we need to enlightened the next generation to return to the roots.all my players are old school
me too.played every verson of dnd, and thier clones,and many non dnd rpgs like lord of the rings, and battle tech,im 55yrs old
dat goblin voice!
DMed my first session today. Also my first game ever. There were only three of us and this campaign called for 4-5 I decided to play a PC as well as DMing. I see many reasons that isnt great. But did my best to keep the two things entirely separate in my mind so that I wasnt biased about my PCs decisions. But it did allow me to use my PC to better steer the adventure as both of my friends are brand new too, and I have a slightly better idea of how the game works due to video like this. (Witch are awesome and greatly appreciated by the way) It took a second to get the ball rolling and I had to stop read and get my bearings for certiant parts. But my friends didnt mind it as they would take thier time to think about thier character and what not. As we only had three PCs I allowed for some bending of the rules here and there an example would be giving an extra spell slot even though we are on level one or not giving the boss the massive advantage that would likley result in the one hit death of a first time player/s. All and all we each had a wonderfull time getting to know the characters in our party and had an eventfull creative adventur till 4 am. And we look forward to doing it agian tomorrow. I urge you if you are even kinda thinking about playing this game do it, if you cant find a DM become one. If you dont have enough people play anyway. Thanks for reading love to my NERDS.
I did this map and he was a guy stocking me
This is awesome
@1:19:00 when you used Slurpee as a flail, the goblin was tied up by the neck. haha
Their first encounter everyone scatters "scouting" allowing an organized foe to assign targets.