How to get started with role-playing games (D&D and others)

So you want to start with role-playing games, but not sure where to begin? This post will hopefully help you get started, and make an initial adventure. 

 

 

Tiers of Investment - Money and time

First up, you should invest some time in deciding what rules to use. Dungeons and Dragons is not the only game in town, and there are a lot of fun games out there!

Some of the biggest games can be expensive to jump into, and some of them have multiple books you need to buy. This section will hopefully help you think about what sort of money and time investment you want to commit to.

I have created this small table to illustrate some options. When I write [big game], I am talking about the most popular games. For example Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Cyberpunk, Shadowrun, etc.

Tiers of investment

	Open to other things	Only [big game]
Save money	Tier 1	Tier 2
Spend money	Tier 3	Tier 4

 

 

Tier 1 - The freebird

• Play with dice, cards, coins, or dice-less. Create your own rules or use free online ones. A great example is Revenant's Hack found on itch.io or Electric Bastionland Free Edition on their website
  
• Pros: This is the way. Realize that you don’t need to spend lots of money to have a cool role-playing experience.
• Cons: it can be daunting to new GMs to lack the structure of an established game. This requires some work and practice, but is very rewarding.  

 

Tier 2 - I really want to try [big game], but I don’t want to spend a whole lotta money

• Some of the games have free core rules online. These rules will probably be somewhat limited, but they will give you a good impression of what the game is like. Here are D&D's equivalent: D&D basic rules on dnd.wizards.com 
• Next, most of these games have starter sets of some kind. These often cost money, but will have what you need to get going. Sometimes even dice are included! 
• Follow the guide below to create your first adventure
• Pros: You get to know if the game is what you actually thought it was
• Cons: some of the free rules and starter sets lack important rules, like character creation. They will, however, come with pre-generated characters. 

 

Tier 3 - I am fine with not playing [big game], and I can spend some money

• Buy a set of polyhedral dice
• Buy a simple role-playing game online. They come in all shapes and sizes. I recommend Black Hack, Mothership, Maze Rats or Old School Essentials. These games will have what you need in terms of rules, monsters, and tips. These can be found on DriveThruRpg. For example here is the link to Maze Rats.
  
• Pros: you support smaller game developers
• Cons: there is a varying degree of content created for these games. Some games are not finished yet, some don't have any adventures, etc

 

Tier 4 - I want to play [big game], and am willing to spend some money

• See Tier 2. Yes, even though you are willing to spend the money, you don’t really need the core books yet. Play the starter set a bit with some friends. Get to know the basic rules, and create some adventures yourself.
• Once you are accustomed to running the game, you can buy the core books. 
• Pros: you are really sure that this is the game you want to play.
• Cons: well, this is the most expensive route.

 

Okay, great, you have made a decision. Now what?

Now you create and play. You actually need very little to start running your own game. You only need:

• Three locations
• Some characters
• Some drama.
  

Let’s work through it!

First up, the locations!

You need: a village, a dangerous place near the village, and a really dangerous place in the middle of the other dangerous place.

The village will be where the characters meet and start the game. Here they can buy some equipment, meet the townsfolk, learn about the drama, and plan their adventures. 

Invent a general store with a shopkeep, a leader, a bully, a wise man or woman, and someone willing to help. Make one interesting thing about each character, and find out the rest when playing. Some examples of interesting things are: have an eyepatch and a great story; are afraid of the dark; are very meticulous; ALWAYS SPEAKS REALLY LOUD.

Okay, now you have the rough outline of a town and some people in it. We actually almost completed the first of the three things needed already! Easy peasy!

Next up is the dangerous place near the village. This will be that place that the villagers dread and never go near. Perhaps it is riddled with beasts, or is infested with dangerous aliens? It could even be that the landscape is too dangerous to traverse, like a vast desert or barren arctic landscape. Whatever the reason, it needs to be scary or dangerous enough so that normal people do not dare to enter it.

For the final location you want to create something extra scary. This will be the focal point of your first adventure. Make it really dangerous and the source of the villagers main problem. An old wizards tower, a dangerous ork prison, a long forgotten and icy cold crypt, a industrial complex spewing out chemicals in the drinking water. If you are stuck on ideas, browse subreddits like r/ImaginaryRuins or check out dysonlogos.blog/ for some sweet maps.

Now imagine what types of creatures live in this dangerous location. Is the wizard still alive in his tower, or have his golems finally broken free of his mind control and ended him? Is the chemical plant run by evil soldiers, or neglecting and drunk fairies? If you are stuck on inspiration, browse your selected rules monster section or book. They are often riddled with inspiring images!

Feel free to check out my Dungeon Creation Checklist here on EldritchRusk

The characters!

If you haven’t created them yet, now is the time to create the villagers. You can also create some additional characters that the players might meet. Include anyone you think would be fun to meet. Also, in this part, create the monsters and villains in the locations.

I like to keep the details about characters sparse, but enough for me to get a grasp on what they are like. In general, I note down their number one desire, their fear, and any unique personality traits they have. Keep these things sparse for your own sake! Keep in mind that you want to read these things while playing, so a paragraph of backstory for the shop vendor is wasted time.

Last but not least, drama!

This will be the spice of the adventure. Actually, the reason the adventure IS happening. This is why the villagers are in trouble, and why the player characters rise up and embark on their adventure!

You can of course create lots of different troubles for the villagers, but for the first session keep it at one central problem. Also, tie the problem to that scary location you just created. Make the player characters want to go there to fix the issue.

Once you have your central problem, you are ready!


Some bonus tips:

• Help the players create their characters, and make sure they understand what kind of world their characters are living in.
• Introduce the central problem early in the session, and lean into what the players are doing. Roll with the punches
• Call for a break if you feel overwhelmed! Use the time to read your notes or plan ahead.
• Remember to drink water and try to relax
  

Good luck!