AuthorofWorlds35
Creator of Worlds
I was wondering if anyone knows what it's like to play dnd for the first time i recently started working on a dnd rp with some people here on rp nation and was just wondering
Advice/Help Does anyone know what it's like to play dnd
- Thread starter AuthorofWorlds35
- Start date
Jet
Uncultured
Depends wildly on the party and DM.
It's like any video game community on the internet (not that it's a video game but the comparison works). There are serious players dripping in sweat looking for the perfect min-max combos, quoting rule books and hoping to crush the DM. There are DMs who know every rule and play a very strict style, and present serious threats at every turn, and almost relish a TPK wipe on the party....
And theeeeeen you have the group I'm currently running, imagine Guardians of the Galaxy (it's a science fiction reflavor) but with even more nonsense. We have one guy who consistently bites enemies no matter their origin, and currently has a zombie plague in his body from biting a weird cave creature.
I'll spawn a super serious enemy and the characters crack jokes at them, and give them brain aneurysms with their nonchalant reactions. It's an action comedy where we take nothing that serious, and run bits like the "razorback skunk," a sentient animal that pressures people into worshipping him, and of course, building pyramids in his honor.
I don't strictly follow rules because my priority is them having fun, I'll sometimes break rules when it could be funny or interesting, and it seems to be going well. We're over a year in and haven't slowed down.
So there's no good answer.
On average DnD leans more towards action comedy than anything else, basically a bunch of meat heads inhabiting a Tolkien verse. Which is a lot of fun imo.
But there's no guarantee that's what you'll get.
It's like any video game community on the internet (not that it's a video game but the comparison works). There are serious players dripping in sweat looking for the perfect min-max combos, quoting rule books and hoping to crush the DM. There are DMs who know every rule and play a very strict style, and present serious threats at every turn, and almost relish a TPK wipe on the party....
And theeeeeen you have the group I'm currently running, imagine Guardians of the Galaxy (it's a science fiction reflavor) but with even more nonsense. We have one guy who consistently bites enemies no matter their origin, and currently has a zombie plague in his body from biting a weird cave creature.
I'll spawn a super serious enemy and the characters crack jokes at them, and give them brain aneurysms with their nonchalant reactions. It's an action comedy where we take nothing that serious, and run bits like the "razorback skunk," a sentient animal that pressures people into worshipping him, and of course, building pyramids in his honor.
I don't strictly follow rules because my priority is them having fun, I'll sometimes break rules when it could be funny or interesting, and it seems to be going well. We're over a year in and haven't slowed down.
So there's no good answer.
On average DnD leans more towards action comedy than anything else, basically a bunch of meat heads inhabiting a Tolkien verse. Which is a lot of fun imo.
But there's no guarantee that's what you'll get.
AuthorofWorlds35
Creator of Worlds
Thanks for the good reply i appreciate your advice i was just unsure about what to do considering i'm running a dnd rp currently and the players are at the character creation stage i am running said rp in a world i built btw
Idea
The Pun Tyrant
I've participated in D&D Rps both here in the forum as a player and as a GM and I've also had a run playing and GMing over discord, though the later proved to be unsustainable for my life circumstances. I've had plenty of new players in forum RPs as well, as when I GM I don't mind having new players to teach the ropes to. There certainly are things that aren't super intuitive, but I find that with patience and adaptability, two traits any DM/GM should have anyway, you can go a long way and those players can be quite enthusiastic to learn, assuming they came of their own volition.
I think the two main groups I would divide new DnD players into is those who came for taste-testing and those who came to dive into the game, and figuring out who is which might help. The former group is often a lot more lost and generally passive, waiting for you to tell them their options, being indecise, not having a very firm idea of what they want. They'll need to be encouraged and helped to find the desire and courage to take the initiative, as well as aid in finding what they want to so you can best aid them in making something they will turly enjoy within the boundaries of the game's rules. By contrast the later group probably has a very strong idea of what they want, perhaps informed by D&D content they watched or read about, perhaps just someone feeling creative. Either way such a player is likely to ask a lot of questions but jump to conclusions and move to do things they can't or create wrong expectations for themselves. They have enthusiasm, but they are also likely to be stubborn and be particularly sensitive about getting their way. Reigning them in is an important job for a DM with a player like this, as you want to both help them be more flexible and appreciate what is there rather than just the expectations they brought with them, but also you want to make sure they don't do something that can't easily be fixed / taken back.
I think the two main groups I would divide new DnD players into is those who came for taste-testing and those who came to dive into the game, and figuring out who is which might help. The former group is often a lot more lost and generally passive, waiting for you to tell them their options, being indecise, not having a very firm idea of what they want. They'll need to be encouraged and helped to find the desire and courage to take the initiative, as well as aid in finding what they want to so you can best aid them in making something they will turly enjoy within the boundaries of the game's rules. By contrast the later group probably has a very strong idea of what they want, perhaps informed by D&D content they watched or read about, perhaps just someone feeling creative. Either way such a player is likely to ask a lot of questions but jump to conclusions and move to do things they can't or create wrong expectations for themselves. They have enthusiasm, but they are also likely to be stubborn and be particularly sensitive about getting their way. Reigning them in is an important job for a DM with a player like this, as you want to both help them be more flexible and appreciate what is there rather than just the expectations they brought with them, but also you want to make sure they don't do something that can't easily be fixed / taken back.
AuthorofWorlds35
Creator of Worlds
Yeah i agree i've actually been working on said dnd world for a while and i intend to be a good gm someday and right now i hope everything goes well i get along well with the people i'm running the rp for quite well to be honest their all nice so anymore advice before i go work on my stories which is what i plan on doing today since the people i'm running an rp for are currently working on their characters
Beckoncall
World-Weaver and servant to the most-holy PC
One thing I suggest is that while players are making their characters, think about how the characters come to be a believable group with shared interests and goals.
One good example is somebody that all the players had known in their pasts passes away and there is a reading of the will. Some of the players are owed or stand to inherit stuff, some are there to pay respects, or help settle their affairs... but when the will is read the deceased has a stipulation -- a job or a goal, that all of the players have to accomplish so they can get their inheritances or fulfill their duties to the deceased.
But depending on the situation there could be a million different unifying events or circumstances. Let me know if you need help!
One good example is somebody that all the players had known in their pasts passes away and there is a reading of the will. Some of the players are owed or stand to inherit stuff, some are there to pay respects, or help settle their affairs... but when the will is read the deceased has a stipulation -- a job or a goal, that all of the players have to accomplish so they can get their inheritances or fulfill their duties to the deceased.
But depending on the situation there could be a million different unifying events or circumstances. Let me know if you need help!
Megilagor
My feelings are like schrodingers cat.
there are a few things every rp needs especially tabletop ones like dnd or pf2e.
group cohesion, why they are together, it could be as simple as we all got the same quest and the reward is big enough for all of us to share, maybe a shared friend wants some help, or simply you were travelling in the same direction for a while so you decided to stick together.
as for how the groups look..... well from my experience I can related it to 4 themes.
1. Very serious group rp, everyone is in character sure there might be some drama but its in character drama for character or party development, I classify it as LoTR kind of group.
2. they do stay in character though it is comedy over all, some inside jokes here and there, they are here to have fun and crack some jokes. I classify it as Monthy Python group.
3. Then there are those that don't rp in character much but enjoy the game overall, mostly seen in heist type systems, that while they do rp its usually during a heist. I classify them as Pink Panther.
4. and then there are the the group of people that want only fun, cracking jokes left right and center, the names of their characters are probably jokes as well. I classify them as Benny Hill.
all of those types of groups I had have their own merits, but all of them had fun, cause there is no wrong way to play the game [ok there is but that requires trying to break the GM and I don't recommend that]
group cohesion, why they are together, it could be as simple as we all got the same quest and the reward is big enough for all of us to share, maybe a shared friend wants some help, or simply you were travelling in the same direction for a while so you decided to stick together.
as for how the groups look..... well from my experience I can related it to 4 themes.
1. Very serious group rp, everyone is in character sure there might be some drama but its in character drama for character or party development, I classify it as LoTR kind of group.
2. they do stay in character though it is comedy over all, some inside jokes here and there, they are here to have fun and crack some jokes. I classify it as Monthy Python group.
3. Then there are those that don't rp in character much but enjoy the game overall, mostly seen in heist type systems, that while they do rp its usually during a heist. I classify them as Pink Panther.
4. and then there are the the group of people that want only fun, cracking jokes left right and center, the names of their characters are probably jokes as well. I classify them as Benny Hill.
all of those types of groups I had have their own merits, but all of them had fun, cause there is no wrong way to play the game [ok there is but that requires trying to break the GM and I don't recommend that]
Zaruslala
New Member
Hi! I've been playing dnd for a while and i'm so glad i found a local discord server that is very active and very newbie-friendly. Basically, it's just weaving stories with a system for balancing all the fights and power progression--in hopes that it'll be fair. The first time i played, it was really awkward and i chose a very difficult class--artificier! needless to say, it was a mess. But the people were nice and i got more into it after a while.
My advice is, play for enjoyment. You don't need to build something 'optimally'--just built whatever you like. And the DM is your friend, not your foe, and you're all working together to weave one fun adventure
My advice is, play for enjoyment. You don't need to build something 'optimally'--just built whatever you like. And the DM is your friend, not your foe, and you're all working together to weave one fun adventure
Users who are viewing this thread
Similar threads
