I recently bought the d&d starter set and I want to play

>>53356834
Recognize that your game is unbalanced, it will never be balanced, and it is better to recognize this and handle the specific issues that players might have.

Inb4 "don't play d&d"

>>53356834
Return the starter set and grab a copy of Ryuutama or Beyond the Wall instead.

>>53356834
step 1: Get some friends

>>53356834
Enjoy it. If you're the one running it, read through the adventure it comes with, it's one of the best they've made in a while, and it helps you familiarize yourself with the mechanics and the way the game is meant to be played.

Keep those premade character sheets, too. It'll be easier than trying to figure out character creation for a group of newbies.

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>>53356834

Find a relatively private place to play, Put your phones away, play some music quietly in the background, smile and immerse yourselves in the limitless potential of your imagination.

>>53356834
We really need a sticky on this, considering how often something like it gets asked. Reposting what I said 12 hours ago in a similar thread (which was mostly a repost of what I said in another thread not too long before that).

Talk with your group about expectations and tone beforehand, so that everybody is on the same page with the type of game it will be, how silly or senselessly violent it's okay to be, and that sort of thing. And make sure everybody understands that this is a team sport. The players should keep the welfare of the game in mind as well, and avoid taking actions that would derail everything (like leaving the party, picking fights within the party, ignoring or actively avoiding every plot hook put before them, etc.).

Don't overdo things starting out. Don't spend forever creating a world when you don't know what you're doing yet. Just craft an adventure. It's okay to have an idea of where things might go from there, but don't dwell on it. Put essentially all your prep into the first thing you're going to play -- what you anticipate being a three-session arc at utmost. Once you've played through that, you can go from there, using the shit you've learned to better plan things for the future (because things *will* turn out different from your expectations). In fact, it's not a bad idea to use a published adventure to start out with (or at least to look over a few and draw inspiration from them). You can always tweak and reconfigure things as desired.

Don't worry about doing a crappy job when you first GM. GMing is like any other complex skill; you can't expect to be awesome at it when you start out, but you get better at it with practice. You'll probably do some stupid shit and make some rookie mistakes, because (guess what?) you'll be a rookie. Just have fun and make sure your players know that it's a learning process.

>>53356834
>d&d starter set
You mean dice?

Don't make the mistake of inviting too many players. 4 - 5 at a max. 3-4 is ideal.
Learn to say "no". If your players are playing for the first time they'll need direction. Don't railroad but giving them no clear indications of the "story" will end up with a bored group.

>>53357087
>rulebooks
>GM screen
Please stop being retarded.

>>53357063
The rules are merely guidelines to be used as a tool by the GM to provide structure and consistency of play, and to make the world more accessible to the player by making it easier to understand how things function and thus to assess the viability of actions within the game. The rules are not a straight jacket or a cage, and the GM should feel free to overrule or revise them when the advantage of doing so outweighs the disadvantage. The authority in a role-playing game is not the system, itself, interpreted and arbitrated by the GM, but rather the GM, guided by the rules. The system is not an overlord, who the GM must obey, but more like a trusted adviser, who offers the GM wisdom that he may choose to heed.

Role playing is just a more-adult, more structured way of playing pretend. Sure, there are a bunch of rules and dice rolls to make and so forth, but when it comes right down to it, the "playing pretend" bit is the most important part. If you're good at playing pretend, chances are you'll be a good role-gamer. If you're also decent at group management (keeping people on track and so forth), you'll probably be a good GM. I mean, if you're absolutely terrible at the mechanics, that can sink you, but if that's the case, it's generally just a question of getting acquainted enough with things through experience, and even if not, there's probably a rules-light game that you could master.

>>53357063
>Don't spend forever creating a world
This. Having an idea of what's in the world is good but remember that you aren't writing a novel.

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>>53356985

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>>53357063
>We really need a sticky on this,

I wish /tg/ could agree on something long enough to do something like this.

>>53357263
Fuck you, our unity is through discord. We'll to agree on nothing except to never agree on anything!

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>>53357350
>being this incorrect

>>53356873
This, maybe not that specific games. But d&d is horrible for first timers and teach to many bad habits and false expectations about rpgs.

>>53357400
>This, maybe not that specific games. But d&d is horrible for first timers and teach to many bad habits and false expectations about rpgs.

How is it any different from any of the other "Let's play pretend at a table", besides mechanics, rpgs out there? 5e is a pretty good gateway drug for an inexperienced group.

>>53357474
>5e is a pretty good gateway drug for an inexperienced group.
As far as I can tell, it'd be okay for the purpose. I'd prefer something a bit less crunchy for a group of noobs though (and while 5e might significantly simpler than 3.5, it's definitely not rules-light).

>>53357474
>How is it any different from any of the other "Let's play pretend at a table", besides mechanics, rpgs out there?

Care to rephrase that question?
The only way I can interpret the question in its current form is so mind-bogglingly stupid that I don't even know where to start with an answer.

>>53357598
Sure chum, I agree I wrote that pretty sloppy.

How is D&D horrible at teaching bad habits and false expectations for first timers as opposed to any other ttrpg out there?

>>53357722
Worst of all it teaches you that D&D is the only game out there and to never explore anything else. From my experience, people who start with D&D stick to D&D even when they outright say they don’t like combat or prefer narrative play. People who start with other systems are more willing to learn new systems for different games.

>>53357767
>Worst of all it teaches you that D&D is the only game out there and to never explore anything else.

D&D teaches that?

>>53357809
yeah, it usually says in the handbooks that D&D da best and everything else a shit.

>>53357767
That sounds more like an issue of players and the industry

This is like saying "Call of Duty is awful because it teaches you that CoD is the only FPS out there and anything else doesn't matter"

/tg/ is so negative sometimes. The 5E Starter Set is great.

OP, read through the whole thing at least once. Fall back on the general ability check rules when in doubt (most of the time stick with DC 15, but go for DC 10 if it's particularly easy or DC 20 if it's particularly difficult). Expect players to do things you didn't anticipate, but realize that's part of the fun and where the two previous points come in.

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>>53357209
>be a good goy and buy our screen! you don't want your players peeking do you??
Follow your own advice.

>>53358070
Exactly what anon said.
The players WILL derail and go rogue and some point. Don't be afraid to roll with it, and if the players really threw a wrench in the works don't be afraid to tell them that you need 10 minutes to make something up. Your all new to the game so everyone should be cool about it.

>>53357722
It teaches that rpgs are mainly about combat and not about role-playing.
It teaches that a game must be crunchy and have rules for almost anything.
It teaches that rpgs must have classes to have character variety.
It teaches that inbalance is not only okay but inherent to the genre.
It teaches that the only differences that matter and are fun are mechanical differences (hence the hate for 4e).
It teaches that more content is better than less but better content.
It teaches that you must master a system in order to have a competent character.
It teaches that learning an rpg take a lot of time.

And many, many more things. It is awful for first timers because it's probably the only rpg they know, and that makes them assume that all the other rpgs are like it or that if they are not they must not be "real" rpgs.

>>53358325
You convinced me. I thought I was just having fun this whole time but it turns out I was:

>Being taught that rpgs are mainly about combat and not about role-playing.
>Being taught that a game must be crunchy and have rules for almost anything.
>Being taught that rpgs must have classes to have character variety.
>Being taught that inbalance is not only okay but inherent to the genre.
>Being taught that the only differences that matter and are fun are mechanical differences (hence the hate for 4e).
>Being taught that more content is better than less but better content.
>Being taught that you must master a system in order to have a competent character.
>Being taught that learning an rpg take a lot of time.

He's right OP. Refund your starter set and have fun his way.

>>53358485
since you’re so buttblasted, what’s good about D&D and why should it be someone’s first RPG

>>53356834
which D&D?

>>53358485
You can have fun while learning bad habits. That's what happen when you start smoking or drinking with your friends.

>>53358515
Easy friend, I never said it needs to be anyones first RPG. But if he already bought the Starter Set let the negro have some fun. If D&D isn't his thing and ttrpgs are then he'll move on and try other systems like the rest of us do.

You were just being a negative faggot and I felt like pissing on you bit.

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>>53356834
keep the first few story lines/campaigns/missions by the book. It'll let you find your flow as a DM a lot better (e.g. save mayors kid from goblins, find treasure or kill Orc chief). Too many games are ruined because the DM tries this grand epic right off the bat.

>>53358750
You realize that you are talking to more than one person, right?
Also, another problem with d&d is that if they try it and it's not their thing they are more probable to stop at ttrpg than to look for another one.

>>53358804
>Also, another problem with d&d is that if they try it and it's not their thing they are more probable to stop at ttrpg than to look for another one.
Ah yes, because famously if another RPG fails to hold up their attention, they'll immediately pick another to try again. Because D&D is a magic black hole that sucks your soul or something.

>>53359388
No, because if another fails you always know that there is atleast another game.