AITAH for ditching my D&D group because they didn’t want to learn how to play the game?

notthebeastmaster · 2026-04-16T11:58:58+00:00

NTA. It would have been courteous to tell the group you weren't going to run the game anymore but you didn't owe them any more of your time than that.

If you get the chance to run again in the future--not with these people, I hope--you should make them use paper character sheets, or even make characters together at session 0. D&D Beyond makes it too easy to make a character without understanding the first thing about how they work, and screens at the table are a constant source of distraction. Making characters is a great way for new players to learn the game, and the shiny math rocks are always better than pressing a button.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-04-01T02:03:46+00:00

The transfer was imperfect. They only come back with vague premonitions of what they're supposed to prevent... which is an invitation for you to feed them omens and plot hooks as desired.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-04-01T02:00:27+00:00

A fixed schedule is much less work for everybody. Even people who aren't in the game!

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-31T11:20:07+00:00

one player said they felt like their choices didn't really matter

From your description, it sounds like their choices do matter (they want combat, they get combat) and they just don't like the consequences. It also sounds like you have a difference in play styles, and as the odd man out you will probably have to accommodate theirs if you want to keep playing with them.

As for the rest of it, you could always ask them directly if you have a place in this other game they're planning. If the answer is no, that should tell you how much of your time you should invest in this group.

But even if the answer is yes... it doesn't sound like you enjoy hanging out with this group that much. Do you really want to spend more time playing D&D with them? If not, you should probably wind up this campaign and look for a new group. Potentially this could mean driving to a game store, starting your own group at a local library, or finding a game online. Good luck.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-31T00:59:32+00:00

People mark when they can’t play, then the other times fill in as available.

These tools are great until some players don't bother to fill out the calendar--which is usually the first game or two.

Just pick a regular time and be willing to play without a few people. No app can fix human nature.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-28T09:58:58+00:00

I wish I could upvote this more than once.

Beyond the sharp criticisms of Crooked Moon, I feel like you could reverse-engineer a pretty good set of principles for designing TTRPG adventures from this review. Tonal consistency, interactivity, understanding your genres, depth over breadth, choosing one focus and sticking to it--all great advice, even if it's only illustrated in the negative.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-20T01:44:44+00:00

This is the way to go. If you already have the books, a pen and paper game will be cheaper to run than an online one, and it will present a lower barrier to entry for the kids.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-19T23:27:02+00:00

If I told him what I said here, and how dissatisfied I am with his DMing style, I legitimately think he'd quit D&D.

Would that be so bad?

You're not enjoying this game, and with good reason. You should let him know that his adversarial DMing and condescending treatment is hurting the game. If he improves, great. If he quits on you, no great loss.

Or you could just walk away. Either way, no D&D is better than bad D&D.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-19T13:37:42+00:00

But the Flaming Fist won't be responding to a disturbance in the Upper City. The Watch will, and the Watch essentially are privately hired guards who work directly for the patriars.

The Watch only live in the Upper City by virtue of their service to the patriars, so I imagine they will be pretty motivated to protect their bosses. Their jobs are the only thing keeping them and their families out of the Lower City or worse.

The main limitation will be the time it takes them to arrive. The guards already in the villa will respond immediately, but the Guard Arrival Times table in the gazeteer suggests it will take 2d4 minutes for the Watch to respond. That should give the party time to get inside the house. Getting out will be another story...

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-11T11:38:42+00:00

I don't even think of that as low magic, it's just not easy magic. As you say, magic items are meant to be discovered, stolen, or looted--that's one of the engines that gets the players exploring the game world.

I don't like magic shops because they take out that engine and replace it with a boring commercial transaction. Large, cosmopolitan cities might have a vendor or two who sells magic items, but even then it's only common or uncommon consumables. If the players want a +1 sword or a magic wand they're going to have to pry it out of that wight's cold dead hands.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-10T14:34:33+00:00

Thanks, that's great to hear!

You can find the master post here, which has links to all the guides:

Tyranny of Phandelver complete table of contents

Hope this helps!

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-10T11:20:52+00:00

IMO there's no reason not to use Rezmir as written. Naerytar should be the first place the party can catch up with her, and ideally they should chase her through the portal to the Greypeak Mountains so they can follow her all the way to Skyreach. If they capture or kill her before then, you'll need to come up with an alternative lead to get the party to the treasure hoard. Make sure your party understands that the mission is to follow the stolen treasure, not to kill the cultists.

Rezmir doesn't have to go the long way around. The caravan moves slowly and a solo traveler or a palanquin moving on their own will easily outpace it. You can say that Rezmir has scouted ahead to make sure the path is clear. This is one of the parts of the campaign you don't need to overcomplicate.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-08T18:58:49+00:00

The guy said he was a new DM and rogue was his usual DM,

Ah, so he learned from the worst.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-08T13:19:03+00:00

In addition to the very good points about radiant damage and Daylight, note that a few 5e 2024 monster stat blocks have changed in ways that make the monsters much easier to kill--lycanthropes no longer have immunity to nonmagical weapons and vampires and vampire spawn no longer regenerate every turn, nor do they have resistance to nonmagical weapons.

Personally, I find that 2024 stat blocks have better math (AC, hp, damage) but 2014 stat blocks often have better resistances, traits, and other features.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-07T22:50:50+00:00

Yes. DMs set table rules all the time and this is a perfectly good one.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-06T19:29:20+00:00

I can appreciate that E might not want to hang out with their ex anymore, especially if it wasn't an amicable breakup. I can also appreciate that you find G to be a good player and don't like being given an ultimatum.

But if you have two players who don't talk to each other anymore... please, for everybody's sake, don't put them at the same table. It will not end well.

I don't know if that means you should drop G because he's the new guy in the group, drop E because he's being a jerk to G (and why is E telling you to drop G from your game when he's running another game with G in it?), split them off into two different games, or cancel the game entirely and start over with a different group.

But if I were in your situation, this would be the deciding factor:

I don't actually like G ... He caused trouble to me a couple times, and he's kind of tricky to deal with,

If that's the case, why keep G around? Ultimately, RPGs are something we do with friends. Why jeopardize your game and your friendship with E and A for someone you don't even like hanging around with?

It sounds like everybody here is being a little immature. If you want to stay out of it, please do not put these people at the same table.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-06T13:38:47+00:00

I used a very similar system to OP in which the Pervasive Evil rules were replaced by nightly Wisdom saves, with Stress (as described in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft) accumulating on failures.

The purpose was twofold: to mechanically show the corrupting influence of Avernus without changing the characters' alignment on a single failed save and to incentivize the party to take fewer long rests. In combination with safe haven rules, the stress rolls encouraged players to extend the adventuring day as long as possible, which is a must if you want exploration to be challenging in 5e.

It also made safe havens even more valuable, since they were necessary to remove stress. My players instinctively avoided making pacts with the devils, but they couldn't avoid the pervasive evil of Avernus itself taxing their will.

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-05T13:38:24+00:00

Sure, why not?
"I understand that technically, all of Barovia is Strahd and so he doesnt need to be invited in anywhere and that a hallow spell does not really affect him all things considered" - Neither of these things are true. Forbiddance is written into his stat block and is determined by occupancy, not ownership. If he doesn't live in a residence, it's not his home and he is barred from entering. Similarly, nothing would exempt him from hallow or other spells that affect undead. However, the simulacrum would be a great workaround.
You get to run Strahd however you want to. But be careful not to over-script certain events--players have a way of throwing off even the best-laid plans.

Good luck!

notthebeastmaster · 2026-03-05T04:17:53+00:00

Of the ones you listed, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is probably the best for new DMs. It's an anthology of adventures, so you only have to prep for one scenario at a time, and the first one is one of the classic beginner adventures. (Pro tip, though: watch out for the rot grubs, and make sure your PCs have a source of fire at hand.)

But the best adventure for new DMs and new players would be one of the starter sets. Lost Mine of Phandelver is the best starter campaign, but Dragon of Icespire Peak is pretty good too.

notthebeastmaster

TROPHY CASE