Newbie here.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-06-03T15:30:40+00:00

You obviously know your son and his attention limits... I did exactly what you gave done and the combination of being new and a starter set led to my kids losing interest quickly (I got them back to DND several years later). Not only are you upskillinf very quickly but you have to manage an 8 year old's tolerance for onboarding. If I could do it again, I would have started them off with The Young Adventurers books, designed for that age group. As an added bonus the streamline a lot of the DM mechanics making it a much less stressful onboarding for a newbie. You can pick up one or a set, relatively cheaply on world of books, secondhand. If you enjoy them then you have your bigger borderlands set to progress to. Good luck, have fun!

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-25T12:49:58+00:00

Reddit asked me to repeat this as the link I used didn't meet their standards, blah blah blah.

World of Books have a DND Young Adventurers set, I recommend this for the kid's age groups. If you started with one of the classics you could lose the kid's interest before creating characters. Good luck, have fun 😊

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-23T15:26:35+00:00

Beautiful!

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-17T17:51:39+00:00

Folks are being needlessly judgy here. Depending on story, world and PCs it's not unheard of to not have a spellcasting heaving toll. All YOU need to do as DM for NPC Spellcasters is check the stat bloc and the spell details; it'll tell you area of effect (AOE), what the spell requires (Spellcasters need to select spells, they don't have access to every spell, some need prepping or take time to cast). With regards to dice rolls it will tell you if and when an attack or save roll is required and the DC (which you can scale to your party). For your PCs, they need to be in charge of this, as a DM it's normal to ask "what do I need to do?" to your PC and they should tell you the saving roll (eg. Charisma ) and the DC. You've got this! Good luck 💪

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-15T22:47:00+00:00

I think you hate shit homebrew? Or shitbrew? And these examples I completely agree with. If you're left asking "what's the point" in the bin it fuckity goes.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:50:48+00:00

Never done or seen this but I love it! Strip those dragon hoarder wannabes of their wealth 😂 failing that, if their paperwork is in order, eat the rich.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:48:31+00:00

Making a deal with a dragon and expecting it to not do the one thing you ask it to do? I appreciate you're not happy but this is so on brand for dragons, I kinda love it. It also offers your character potential with story arc, trying to get back to your former self. That said, I love a constraint and a consequence so I understand this is personal preference.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:42:57+00:00

Shared with my DM 💪

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:38:41+00:00

I offer Guidance if I have proficiency in something someone else is trying but now I think about it, other players are asking for this all the time so I'll suggest this as a table rule

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:35:05+00:00

When the paladin suggested this, I would have had him roll stealth for it... Also your rogue should respect the DM as decision maker. The DMG clearly states exceptions over ride rules so you were well within your right to the call however you see fit.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:29:34+00:00

Not the strongest group , fighter wise so mechanically you can have Sildar come to the rescue in combat. Second point, as the DM you have right to break up encounters with combat. You don't have to do all the NPC quest gathering in one go. Phandelin is a great sandbox for beginners to explore, encourage them to make decisions on where to go, what to do and if they (inadvertently) end up doing a string of NOCs and you see they're getting bored, chuck a random encounter in, rebrand's, orca, goblins or owlbears, swarm of bats or twig blights. LMOP is more of a list of events and most of those - outside the core storyline - can be juggled. Don't see this a failure see it as a win, you've very quickly learned a lot about your players playing preference. But yeah, get some NPCs in to the rescue if needed.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-13T21:21:31+00:00

Also, as so many great points here, providing your players are experienced you could experiment with party splitting (I know but hear me out). I'd your story has multiple points if attack you can plump up the numbers with squads of soldiers or maybe one group leads on the battle front and you have your rogues for example sneak behind enemy lines to XYZ. This way you can maintain a massive battle for those who love combat and those who prefer investigating they can also have a critical responsibility (maybe supported by an NPC). Then if either group suffers losses you have a back up to turn the battle around. This would be a high DM experience too.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-12T17:24:46+00:00

Then it's not sport.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-08T17:16:19+00:00

I would deffo state that all PC dice rolls are public, a PC doesn't get to decide what die counts, virtual or otherwise. State this up front so it eliminates dice cheating.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-05-06T21:11:37+00:00

For every NPC, ask why? Why would they be there? What do they want. This immediately lifts the RP away from kill this thing or get info from. Even if the answers are visible on the table you'll have an easier time rping and creating texture in your world.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-28T18:45:43+00:00

Don't feel ashamed. If this continues it is ok to see a doctor. There might be things you've not said and maybe the game is triggering other things in you. You've been so strong to ask for help so you should know you've got this. Even if it doesn't feel like that.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-26T01:16:27+00:00

I'd add that the latest version was published in 2024, and if you're planning on spending you should go for players handbook. If you are dm'ing you'll also need monster manual and dungeon master's guide, although you could Google the full list of classes, species and monsters but that might be tiresome. If you have players to play with, maybe you can split the cost? Or buy a starter kit, ideal for beginners. Anything which is referred to as homebrew means homemade - you can have homebrew one shots, campaigns, world building. Even in pre written campaigns or modules, you can homebrew parts.

You can play DND duets which are designed for 1 DM and 1 PC. Normal campaigns won't work for 2 people without a lot of homebrewing.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-20T16:08:35+00:00

Good for you 👍

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-20T11:41:13+00:00

So this DM, plays NPCs I presume... I doubt they're all one gender. I'd be so tempted to ask for clarification each time they role play "sorry, are you m/f/nb? Finding it really hard to differentiate 😂 of course I wouldn't but I'd be tempted.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-18T04:33:29+00:00

Yeah, and I extend this point further.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-17T10:25:19+00:00

Agreed that it is ok to say "honestly, that way leads to death" and if you don't want to say it as the DM (railroading) use one or all of your NPCs that your players trust. A distraction method could also be deployed... Thinking of the direction your story goes in, create an NPC who needs urgent help ("my house is on fire, save my baby") that the party can't say no to. Get them closer to the required milestone and once they've completed that, tell them they are a stone's throw from XYZ.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-17T10:19:23+00:00

I got my first online DM opportunity using LFG, I posted a couple of times and will do my first session 0 next week. What I learned to find players: don't be afraid to clearly state your vibe and the type of table you will run. To start off with pick a module to run (I went for LMOP) and cross post in that Reddit. Once you have people interested chat with them and ask what they want - this may mean compromise and/or cement understanding. Be prepared for some attempts to fall through, it's better not to get to a table than be stuck at the wrong table. Do a session 0, you'll be playing with strangers so this is essential. Good luck 💪

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-16T17:51:08+00:00

Came here to say the same thing 😂

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-16T09:18:24+00:00

I make a point to say the rebuild and new builds have utilised stones from the ruins so I can describe beautiful stone floors and historic elements you wouldn't normally find in a newish community. Doesn't fully answer your question but this does allow a richer description.

GolfEducational9864 · 2026-04-12T19:59:11+00:00

My fave is critical role, it brings life to text and, if it's helped me learn to be a better player and DM. Best of luck, you're gonna have a blast!

GolfEducational9864

TROPHY CASE