Teaching to play D&D by playing D&D
“Welcome to your first D&D game! [points to Player’s Handbook] Please read this 250-page book before we can get started!”
If we want to teach D&D to new players, we can do so in a fun and motivating way by quickly jumping into a game. Instead of explaining lots of rules up front, we introduce mechanics as they come up, and (hopefully) spark an interest to learn more.
In this article, we’re going to collect tips on what to keep in mind when we’re teaching D&D to new players by running a game for them. This doesn’t have to be a special adventure for new players. The tips below can help us introduce new players to D&D using any adventure.
Use pregenerated characters
In order to jump into the game quickly, the players can use pregenerated character sheets (I like these ones from slyflourish.com). All the mechanical stuff is already filled in, and we will explain it as features become relevant during the game. We can leave empty spaces on the character sheet so that players can write down their character’s name, basic backstory, and a few personality traits if they like.
Once players have chosen a class, we can even accommodate any specific wishes for the species of the character. Simply change the species cosmetically, but leave the pregenerated mechanics intact. If the pregenerated fighter is a human, but a player wants to be an elf, just cross out “human” and replace it with “elf.” Done! We’ll worry about the rules for elves in the next game.
Introduce mechanics step by step in play
The D&D character sheet can be intimidating to new players. Instead of going through everything on there at once before the game, we can introduce elements of the rules while we play. Here’s a few example steps of rules we explain in a learn-to-play adventure.
Explain the core mechanic
The one rule we need to explain before we start playing is what Mike “Slyflourish” Shea calls the core mechanic, or Shawn Merwin calls the game loop. Here’s what that single most important mechanic of D&D comes down to:
- The DM describes the environment and the situation.
- The player describes what their character intends to do.
- The DM narrates the outcome. If the outcome is uncertain, the DM might ask for dice to be rolled.
These three steps, which repeat throughout the game, are important to understand before we begin the game. It’s the core conversation that drives the D&D game forward. Every other rule we’re going to explain is secondary.
Start with Ability checks
With the core mechanic explained, new players can experience an example through Ability checks. In the first scene of the game, we can have them roll some checks get the hang of the game loop between DM and player.
While starting a session with combat is often fun, once initiative is rolled, things get a little more complicated rules-wise. The natural game conversation between DM and player changes. Suddenly there’s turns, and actions, and special features a character can use. In my experience it works well for new players to start with Ability checks, which reinforce the game loop of the core mechanic, and only afterwards to get into combat.
Focus on intention in combat
New players (and experienced players too) can sometimes be strictly focused on their character sheet when they get into combat. By teaching new players the rules of D&D combat step by step, we can fall back on the conversational style of the core mechanic. We ask the player what they want their character to do without worrying about the rules yet. Then, we suggest how that can be done with the features on their character sheet. For example:
New player: “I want to smash that zombie’s head.”
DM: “Fantastic! Roll a d20 and add the attack bonus for your hammer. It’s right there under “Actions” on your character sheet.
Attack roll and damage is resolved. Zombie is still alive.
New player: “Ok, I wanna hit it again. Let me roll the d20…”
DM: “Actually, at first level, you can only attack once with one action, but later on you’ll get more attacks. For now it’s someone else’s turn.”
In this example, the player explained their intention for their character, the DM explained the relevant mechanic, and clarified the rules around actions and attacks. This is how we learn (and teach) D&D by playing.
If a player doesn’t know what they want their character to do, we can help out by giving them three options. For example, a 2nd level paladin could use their turn to attack, to heal someone with Lay on Hands, or to cast a spell like bless. We can ask the player, “Do you want to swing your axe, heal your allies, or bless them with a spell so that they’re more effective?” By framing the three options as intentions instead of mechanics (”heal your allies” instead of “use Lay on Hands”) we make it easier for a new player to choose.
In combat, focus on intentions, whether it’s finding mechanical solutions to what a player wants to do, or whether it’s framing options the player has in terms of intentions. When we’re teaching D&D by playing D&D, intentions come first.
Create excitement for the game
In our first game with new players, we try to get them interested in and excited about D&D. Ideally, players go home and start to read and learn more about the game. They’ll learn more about what their character can do, what choices they’ll have to make as they level up, and eventually, they might want to make their own characters. If new players go home after their first game, and they’re eager to learn more, we’ve been successful.
How to create excitement in our D&D games, is a complex question, but there are a few things we can keep in mind for a first learn-to-play adventure:
- Focus on the characters. Let the characters affect the story and the world. Be a fan of them. Follow their lead through the adventure.
- “Yes and.” Let new players feel the freedom of the game and their character in it. As often as possible, “yes and” their ideas. Use Ability checks to let them try crazy ideas. Embrace the unorthodox solutions of new players instead of shutting them down too quickly.
- Highlight the fantastic. Fill the adventure with fantastic locations, NPCs, and monsters. Waterfalls that fall upwards, cultists of a dead god, mind-numbing aberrations—turn the fantastic up to eleven.
- Cut the boring bits. Focus the game on the drama and action of the story. Quickly narrate uninteresting parts like uneventful travel, shopping, or accounting for rations and water. And zoom in on scenes where the stakes are high and the characters’ decisions matter.
Our goal in teaching D&D by playing D&D is not to get new players to know all the rules or to dive deep into the mechanics of their characters. Instead, we can let them use pregenerated character sheets, introduce mechanics as they come up, and hopefully spark an interest in the game.
