A lot of old school pen and paper gamers got their start playing as awkward teenagers, gathering in the library or a friend’s basement huddled around a dusty table creating mythic realms far away from the problems of their lives. This was a way to create an epic story to escape into and own your own path to destiny, to become the hero in your own tale. Most of us never imagined that someday it would become main stream and certainly never thought it would become cool. So if you are new to tabletop gaming, read on for some idea’s on how to get started.
So now that it’s in the lime light, how do you get started in the world of D&D when it’s occupied by giants like Matt Mercer and Brennan Lee Mulligan? By first realizing that home games are actually a lot better than what you see on youtube or twitch. Don’t get me wrong, I am a critter and love watching those stories unfold but home games are always going to be better in my opinion because it’s your story, that you create with your friends and family. Nothing beats a story that you help create simply by being present.
Where to Actually Begin
First, your going to need a few like minded people to play with. You don’t need seven or eight people like you see streaming, you can actually play with as little as two people, A game master and a player. Obviously more people makes for a more dynamic story, but there is some to be said for the simplicity of a single player campaign. Plus, you don’t need to create a campaign, each session could be a carefully curated one shot. Don’t let the format of what you see keep you from playing the way you feel comfortable.
I Have a Friend, Now What?
Next is for the game master (GM) to find or create a session and for the player to create their character. For the GM, this means either creating or finding a one shot adventure that they feel comfortable using as a guide. We have resource section you can look through for a good first level one shot to start with. You can also head over to DMSGuild for hundreds of user created adventures to choose from. Once you’ve selected your one comes a little prep work. All this means is going through and getting an idea of what the story options are possibly making a cheat sheet of the information you think if going to be the most useful. One thing to note as the GM is that no matter how much prep you do, your player or players will always find a way throw you a curve ball. But that’s what makes the game so much fun.
For the player, this means taking the time to create a character. There are two important decisions you have to make first. You have to choose a class and a race. Each one will inform every other decision you make when making your character. Don’t be afraid to mix things up by making combinations that make sense to you without looking at the stats. No one is perfect and sometimes it makes for a more interesting story if your character doesn’t make sense to anyone else but you. There are no wrong answers when it comes to character creation.
The Stage is Set…
Now that the GM is prepared and the player has a character, its time to play, right? Almost, and you could certainly just jump right in if you wanted to. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of uncontrolled chaos but I generally recommend a session zero conversation at the very least. This means, the GM and the player or players get together to discuss both the setting of the game and any needed back stories that everyone needs to know. Examples of this would be the GM making sure all the players know that in their world, there is only 4 hours of sunlight per day or that the land is currently embroiled in a war. The players need to make the GM aware that their character is a werewolf or that their character has fear of trees. This is also a good time to go over any house rules you want to put in place.
Can We Play Yet!?
I know there seems like a lot to playing a tabletop game but trust me when I say that all this prep work is part of the fun. And now that you have gotten everything set, its time play your first session. Enjoy the war torn landscape of your imagination and be the halfling barbarian you were always meant to be.
What About Dice…Don’t I Need Those?
Your right, how could we forget one of the most important parts of tabletop gaming? Actually not having dice doesn’t mean you can’t play, there are many apps on your phone that can be used in place of physical dice. Just because you’re new to tabletop gaming doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune to get started. But if you realize nothing else from reading this, there really isn’t anything like the sound of click clack math rocks rolling on the table deciding your fate.
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