Blog Posts

Playing Dungeons & Dragons and similar tabletop role-playing games for the first time is a bewildering but never-to-be-forgotten experience. Whether it’s also a good experience is up to you, the Game Master.

So how do we stack the odds in the beginner’s favor? I have some tricks.

Adding a Beginner to an Existing Group

When introducing a beginner into an existing gaming group, I give them a warrior character to play, one at least as high-level as the best fighter in the party.

Then I give them the pitch: “You’re playing a big, stupid, fearless, reckless warrior. You’re at least as powerful as any other warrior in the group. You get along with your friends and love destroying your enemies. With any luck, you’ll die a glorious death and save the lives of your friends by the end of the evening.”

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The New Yorker published an article a while back, The Uncanny Resurrection of Dungeons & Dragons. Apparently even trendy people finally started playing role-playing games!

In the years after I wrote Through Dungeons Deep: A Fantasy Gamers’ Handbook, one thing that’s surprised me is how well the old-school role-playing games have held up, and how few important changes have been made in the newer editions. One thing that surprises me is that tabletop role-playing games are still done almost entirely by hand, with little in the way of apps to assist with the mechanics, dice, and table lookups. It’s still 1980 that way. But that’s okay. 1980 is a great vintage for role-playing games.

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Robert Plamondon, author of Through Dungeons Deep: A Fantasy Gamers’ Handbook, shares ten DM’ing tips.

How can you make your role-playing campaign run more smoothly and be more fun for everyone? Here are ten quick dungeon mastering tips for any campaign:

1. Supply paper, pencils, and dice.

Counting on the players to provide even their most basic requirements doesn’t work, so don’t try. Always have more sharpened pencils available than players. Bring lots of paper. Have more dice than you can possibly use.

2. Enforce a “No touching” rule.

Some players can’t keep their hands off the other players. This is disgusting and must be stopped before the other players abandon your campaign just to get away from the offenders. Declare a “no touching” rule and enforce it. Come down hard on even minor infractions, or when the game gets exciting, the offenders won’t be able to control themselves and will be pawing and pummeling the other players like six-armed monkeys on acid. (“No touching” also includes “No pretending to touch, no brandishing, no looming over the other players.” They need to stay out of each other’s personal space.)

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