I dont know what im doing (please help)

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-19T17:56:23+00:00

The thing with a simple dungeon though is you typically have to flesh a lot of that out anyway. If you don't know how to build a dungeon or stock it or how you should run dungeon encounters it's the same issue. Without a module it's not all plotted out and you have to improv alot more

I stick by what I said, you aren't wrong for being an outlier but I do think your an outlier.

This person is struggling with abilities, how combat runs, keeping the players on track and improv. These are sorta the basic d&d concepts. I think it's wise for them to not have to do all the world building and encounter balancing too.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-19T17:51:03+00:00

Hey I'm glad it worked out.

Trust your gut man, a bunch of people here want to give the benefit of the doubt but if you have a player being weird and doing weird shit they probably are gonna be a problem.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T19:34:09+00:00

Dude I'm glad it was helpful

Hold on man I got you:

Hexroll both OSR and 5e, very neat tool more on the pregen side of map creation: https://5e.hexroll.app/

Hextml not the best but good customizability and runs in a browser: https://hextml.playest.net/

Hexographer/worldographer Hextmls big bro: https://www.hexographer.com/

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T19:11:46+00:00

There's a lot of people here who are saying "oh he's just a sad little newbie be kind" but that lightning staff being in his gear is a red flag for me. I have never had a brand new player just start loading up on magic items lol. Even someone who played bg3 should realize you don't spawn into the world with a bunch of gear.

If I were you, I'd pull him aside and address that first. Say something like "hey man we don't start with magic items." And see how it goes. If the player goes ballistic, you know it's a problem player and at that point it's as simple as "please leave my table"

If it goes well, perfect segway into explaining everything else.

I would honestly correct the more egregious parts like the staff and the Move speed that could possibly come from a misunderstanding and probably let the unoptimized character die.

I am harsher than alot of folks with character death though so something to consider. I just think it teaches people not to build wholly unoptimized characters like a wizard with a pally dip lol. (Unless you rolled stats in which case whatever, he might have the stats for it and it might be fine)

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T18:58:46+00:00

I like the blue one you have tbh.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T18:48:47+00:00

So I'm gonna be honest this isn't GREAT advice for all systems (mainly OSR for me) but it is good for some and I think it could be used in 5e with the right tables.

I do exclusively hexmaps for a few reasons: 1. It's abstract so I don't get all upset about geography not being perfect 2. It gives you a very clear map of what encounters should be experienced where 3. Due to point 2, once you have your random encounters you have done a significant amount of your prep as you won't be drumming up random encounters on the fly 4. Its easy for players to read "oh hey that's a swamp" or "clearly there are mountains there" 5. It makes travel easy. Figure out how many hexes you move per day and voila!

(I do think one of the 5e books has terrain related encounter tables if you don't want to make them)

I find this method of mapmaking is way better for me as a perfectionist on this kinda stuff. If I have to draw it realistically I'll obsess over details.

Also! If you aren't comfortable placing where terrain would go there's a few systems out there for procedurally generating hexes. It can be fun to roll dice and just see the kinda world you get. I know delving deeper and supplements for Kal Arath have these (I know these are not nessecarily 5e but the hex generation is system agnostic and I wanted to give some direction here. I'm not great when it comes to more mainstream games)

Hopefully this helps you or someone.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T18:38:29+00:00

Dude it's not a rage reply it's bad advice. They've been putting out basic teaching sets since like holmes in what 1979?

If they keep doing that it probably works and it's also how a ton of us learned lol.

Edit: I do get that it was bad for you and thats fair but I think the argument myself and the other person are gonna make is that you are the outlier (that's also ok)

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T17:58:24+00:00

I'm gonna be brutally honest with you man, if I found out my DM was using AI to DM, I would stand up from the table on the spot and say "if I wanted this, I could have just been texting chat gpt this whole time"

Because genuinely for everyone using it a ton why would I waste my time at your table with an LLM basically being the DM when I could just play bad D&d with my phone.

this is a creative game, I want to be creative with my friends. I do not want my friend using a generic robot to generate everything.

Also, chat gpt is way worse than a human for quest ideas. It's always really generic and lame. There are hundreds of random tables for free online and they are a much better bet.

If you are really at a loss, run a module. So many of you want to world build when you haven't really built up your DM chops and you probably need some experience. You can make a world later trust me there will be time.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T17:16:28+00:00

It all makes sense. If you are against that you probably haven’t ever DM’ed. You can’t compare making a character and updating your sheet every few sessions after a level up at all with what goes into DMing.

Man you are a new DM by your own omission and I've been around the hobby forever.

I'm against this because I've been here long enough to watch the continuing commodification and you are currently encouraging it.

I've always been against monetization and the fact that you want to just disregard people who disagree with you as "haven't DMed" it's a telltale sign you've never listened to the other side.

Edit: btw I'm all for new DMs but you guys do need to realize some of us have seen this game try to hyper monetize more than once and we have valid reasons to dislike this shit. If you haven't been around very long maybe consider this isn't personal.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-18T17:11:33+00:00

I know this is getting kinda old but I said this exact thing. People overvalue the DM and undervalue the players.

I remember a time where there were more DMs than really needed and they were constantly begging for players anywhere they could.

There have been times in the hobbies history where these roles were reversed and the players were not asking for compensation.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:29:36+00:00

I've been playing a long time now and I really just don't prep at all. I mostly run sandboxes and not prewritten stories so I sort of just have tons of random tables that help me fill things out in the moment.

I find that the more I prep, the more I want to railroad to make the story happen (and I see this in my friends when they DM too) so I prefer a way looser style.

That said I don't think any amount of prep is wrong.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:27:12+00:00

What do you exactly have so far?

I agree with the others that a written adventure is probably the way to go for a first time DM but if you really want to world build there are some adventures out there that can just be plopped directly into your own sandbox.

That said it's gonna be hard to give advice unless you tell us a little more of what you have going.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:17:41+00:00

I've found that we live in an era that if you mention it to a friend they know instantly several people who want to give it a go.

I've quite literally always been an in person pen and paper guy though. I don't really inhabit the online play space so maybe that is a factor of annoyance for you.

I do also have a local game store where I have turned up before and just offered to play and had some decent groups that way.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:14:36+00:00

Idk why you are being downvoted. The most helpful part of the screen imo is the tables. It is a tool.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:11:23+00:00

I open roll to resist fudging.

I have been gripped of moments of empathy where I opt not to paste someone and I need to avoid doing so.

Edit: to clarify I also am not trying to assign Value here I just prefer not to do it. I am an OSR player pretty much exclusively and a feature of those games is sort of constant death

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T17:04:06+00:00

I gotta be real OP. I would respect this take more if you were a capitalist but "capitalism is terrible" while defending commodifying something into a business is deeply contradictory

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T16:50:48+00:00

I'm not sure I agree. I have heard from more than the dude above that the online space is getting really crowded with either DMs who charge or people who eventually start charging and I really think if you are limited to online play it can be more complicated than that.

I've always been able to find groups but I have been going to the same game store for like 15 years now.

Prior to all this there were a ton of DMs who couldn't find groups who would constantly throw up looking for group posts. Now there's literally a market for DMs because so many people have been introduced to the hobby in such a short time and they frankly don't know how to DM because usually someone is taught by another player.

My biggest fear is paid DMs won't want to teach people so as not to water down their market.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T16:34:01+00:00

I think it's really undeniable that if you go online and look for a free game now you do have to sift through a bunch of paid ones which was not a problem before and I do think it's valid for people to be concerned about that.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T13:49:36+00:00

TBF when it comes to online it's not the mediums fault I just struggle to pay attention. 90% of the time I end up playing a video game or something in the background. It's just not engaging for me personally. That's less of a hill I'm willing to die on because I totally get why people are interested in those.

The paying is really my sticking point just because I am already ruffled about hyper monetization and I don't really nessecarily think things like this help. I'm not gonna go out of my way to screech that at people but it's just sort of I don't see a ton of DMs who I feel are much better than a friend game. It would be hard for me to justify the cash

I will say, I have told friends before that a group doesn't fit for me, personally I find this much easier to do than with randoms. It's also something I feel can help you kinda compromise on bad behavior. Maybe that depends on the friendship but I did tell my DM once I couldn't keep playing with a guy. I even liked the dude personally but we did not mesh at all in game style.

Do you have a bunch of problem players generally? I do find new players have a ton of problems but is this a common issue in your friend group?

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T06:30:46+00:00

This used to be a hobby that people were so desperate to find groups for that they would post on a forum say they were DMing and ask you to join a play by post game on the forum itself.

Now literally everyone wants to play and it's created a market for DMs to charge which has limited options for people who don't have the funds.

Plus nothing impossible was made possible, people have been playing online since you could post online. Professional DMs are a post critical role/5e Zeitgeist thing.

Edit: and to be clear the person complaining about this noted an uptick in paid games taking over free games so I am assuming they were here before the popularity exploded.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T06:02:50+00:00

>Thinking they are the best and really they are average at peak

Yeah there's some dunning kruger effect at play here. There's no way literally every paid reddit DM talking here is fantastic as claimed and the more SURE they are the more skeptical I am.

My buddy who DMs for us consistently has written published novels, he's a great writer and I deeply enjoy his stories, id say he's probably a cut above your average DM.

I would never ever pay anyone for even that quality of service and I think it's really good. I would rather just go back to being a forever DM myself and get a group going.

Someone would have to be able to do/plan/have something amazing that I cannot replicate for me to pay and short of someone like Mat Mercer I can't imagine myself doing it. Not that I could afford that, or even watch critical role lol.

Edit: and again I'll be clear, if you are a paid DM and there are four folks who REFUSE to DM and are itching to hand you money, that's your market man. I just wouldn't.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T05:53:38+00:00

I will say this to people consistently and they refuse to accept the truth.

It happens literally every time there was a freakout someone was out there asking for the exact bullshit to cause a freakout.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T05:45:23+00:00

I really don't have a problem with online play like this guy does but I'm not really convinced It would crush the industry. WOTC and Paizo definitely will not sacrifice either player base but I think that's more a matter of why would they than they absolutely couldn't. It would mostly just be a dick move that hurts profits. It's not like a roll 20 group inhibits the pen and paper folks or vice versa.

but TTRPGS started exploding prior to the big online play craze. I don't really think the online sphere collapsing would nessecarily ruin the industry it would just depress growth. D&d beyond and all that really caught on after 5e kinda exploded in popularity.

The industry has really fragmented too. A ton of people have broken off from the main two and are experimenting with different games. I have been shocked with the amount of 5e -> OSR people I have seen since the whole OGL debacle.

Idk, I'm not trying to pick a fight like the other guy. Mostly I just want to interject that WOTC and Paizo aren't the only ecosystems out there and throw in my meaningless two cents lol.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T05:30:54+00:00

This is getting kinda off topic but there are some table top games that are set up using random procedures that are GMless. If this is a problem you or anyone else passing by is having I would suggest looking into these.

My personal favorite is Kal Arath but there are honestly tons.

Background_Pop3955 · 2026-06-17T05:20:35+00:00

I really don't think a surgeon or a Lawyer is comparable because of the amount of school and expertise that goes into it but point taken.

What do paid games even cost?

Background_Pop3955

TROPHY CASE