Thanks for reading the first article in this how-to series on setting up and running a game of Dungeons And Dragons. This article is aimed towards people who have decided they are going to be the Dungeon Master, or DM; so welcome to the club – you are going to be having the most fun, but will also feel a weight of responsibility on you like nothing else.
Hopefully I’ll let you into a couple of tips and tricks to let you navigate the troubled waters of being a god in a lonely universe of your own making.
I am Lizard, and I have been running DnD games for about eighteen years and have made so many mistakes that I can’t even begin to describe them; so the first piece of advice, and I guess this is more of a “rule zero” than anything else, is that you are completely free to make mistakes when you’re running games of this nature – they are very much made up of strange and wonderful interactions between people who are all learning the rules, learning who each other are and even learning how to have fun with roleplay. So, If you make a mistake you can either own up to it and walk it back; or you can take the altogether more interesting option of fudging the dice to make it all fit – you are a god after all.
Step 0 – What Is Dungeons And Dragons?
DnD is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game where one person takes on the role of the Dungeon Master – or game organiser. They curate the story and all things in it, and play all the roles in the game that are not the player characters. Then you have all the other people in the game who play the role of a single Player Character, typically a hero (though sometimes not; muahaha), who will participate in the DM’s story and interact with all of the weird and wonderful things that come their way.
The game uses a set of polyhedral dice to simulate randomness in an uncaring universe – which is supported by the mechanics of the game which uses what are called “rolls” of the dice to determine whether a player has succeeded in the action they choose to attempt.
Step 1 – Find Nerds!
DnD is a social game and you do need other people to play it; while there is no minimum number (and I have had fun with one-on-one games) typically 3-4 players and 1 DM is the magic number. Honestly, this is probably the hardest thing to get right if you don’t already have an established social circle. The good news is that these days, it is very much easier than it used to be to find a group of nerds hungry for a game, and people volunteering to take on all the hard work of being a DM are few and far between.
So, go to reddit, join a DnD subreddit and find a discord server where you can start to talk to people. Be honest about your intentions, your experience and take some advice; people are going to want to support you if you’ve come this far – the intention to run a game is half the battle!
However, if you already have enough people interested in a game – lucky you!
Step 2 – Get Organised.
You’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that in most instances you are going to have to be the most prepared and the most responsible person in the room. You will need to have your resources together; this typically means having your source material ready and available to all players. Here’s a link to the DnD 5e SRD – all you need to learn the rules of the game and run it:
If you’re playing a game in person, then I would recommend at least getting a copy of The Players Handbook – physical copies of the rules are so handy and far less cumbersome than having to get it up on phones or computers with people around a table.
Next, make sure your players are able to record their character details. If you’re playing online then there are a ton of resources available that are basically full suites of DM tools to help you present maps, information and host the game. I use roll20 exclusively and here’s the link:
If you are playing in person, then you might find that your players turn up having already drawn up their character on DnD Beyond or another way – all I would say is to make sure you have ready reference to their character sheet at all times if you need it (and you will).
For the record, in person I prefer good old fashioned pencil and paper on the stock character sheet found in the back of The Players Handbook.
Get some dice! Obviously on something like roll20, it simulates them, but for in person, make sure you have at least one set of dice; three sets is perfect in case people need to borrow them.
Get a notebook, or start writing down all your notes in a text editor (I actually use notepad to the chagrin of my players). Remember to write down things as the game goes on; your players are going to be throwing information all over the place and anything can be a plot hook.
Step 3 – Decide on your world.
Well, this step is going to take up a good number of future articles, so I’m rather reluctant to go into much detail but I do have a few tips.
You should probably choose a pre written adventure module for your first try – here are an amazing list of free adventures from Adventures Await Studios that include everything you’ll need:
https://www.adventuresawaitstudios.com/freeadventures
The only reason I recommend that you use a module is because crafting an adventure from scratch is quite the undertaking – one which I hope to guide you through in the coming weeks and months; but by all means, have at it if you really want to jump in at the deep end.
Step 4 – Have fun!
Of course this is the most important step. Dungeons and Dragons is after all a game; if you approach it with an open mind, then you won’t feel so silly putting on goblin voices and making wild hand movements – which are both things you should absolutely do. Try to relax and lead your players towards funny and interesting options. Don’t get hung up on running the game “correctly”; the only way to play DnD right is for all your players to leave with a smile on their face.
It does need to be said that most of the time, a new group will have a lot more nervous energy than an established group. Brand new players will be learning all the time and might be reticent to roleplay or do the mad hand gestures – this is fine, they will open up as they go. Try to accommodate their style but encourage them to do cool things and be included. Your game is nothing without your players, never forget that.
Well, those are my quick setup steps to begin playing Dungeons and Dragons. I hope they have helped but please do let me know if you have any more questions at [email protected] – I will be absolutely happy to help.
Good luck for your first game and remember – you’re a god, so act like it.