Ask a DM Anything!! (2-3 Hours)
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | One-Shot
About the adventure
Are you a "first-time player" or someone who is "still new to D&D" and looking for a game where you can learn the ropes? You’ve come to the right place! Whether this is your first time playing or you’ve had a little experience and want to expand your knowledge, I enjoy working with new players to help them understand the game I’ve loved for 40 years. Each session will include live play as well as discussion and Q&A, so you can get comfortable with the game at your own pace. I can run sessions for an individual or for groups of up to four new players. What we'll do: HOUR 1 1) WHERE ARE YOU NOW: I'll spend a few minutes getting a feel for where you are in your process of learning how to play D&D (never played, played once or a few times, etc.) and what aspects of the game you are most interested in learning about. 2) CHARACTER PREFERENCES: I'll help you spin up a character that suits your sense of how you want to play (spell caster, tinker, fighter, high-priest, shifty rogue), or if you're not sure, I'll guide you through some Q&A that will help you understand what it's like to play each each type of character. 3) PLAY PREFERENCES: Next we'll talk about what kind of game play experience you think you want to have. What interests you most? Exploration? Combat? Interacting with NPCs? Solving puzzles? Facing monsters? Navigating dangerous city politics? Finding treasure? What do YOU want to try first/next? HOUR 2 & 3 For the 2nd and 3rd hour, we'll dive into a short adventure crafted by me to suit your wants, goals, and needs. 4) PLAY + Q&A: We can either play straight through for 90 or 105 minutes and leave 15 to 30 minutes for Q&A at the end, or we can allow play to pause any time you have a question that you feel is preventing you from playing as effectively as you'd like. I have done both and am comfortable with both.
Tap into my 40 years of experience as a D&D player and 35 years of experience as a DM and let me help you in any way you can imagine! Note, this is planned as a group session (1-6 participants). If you'd prefer a 1:1 session (just the two of us), direct message me and I'll be happy to schedule a session just with you.
Less than a year on StartPlaying
42 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Rule of Cool, Knows the Rules
Average response time: 3 hours
Response rate: 88%
Additional details
How to prepare
1) WANTS: Think about what kind of experience you WANT to have from your play / learning session. Make some notes about what you think you want, based on what you know so far. 2) DON'T WANT: Make a list of any things you know for sure you do NOT want to try or experience during this session. 3) QUESTIONS: Make a list of things you want to learn more about so you can ask the DM questions. 4) WHY D&D: Be prepared to tell me a little bit about why you want to learn more about D&D.
What I provide
As your GM, my primary goal is to make sure everyone has a great time, including me! I recognize that every group is different and that the preferences of each group also vary. That's why we'll spend plenty of time in the first hour making sure I understand the group's likes and dislikes, preferences and boundaries, and what they are looking for from the adventure. This one-shot will be designed to suit your situation, your goals, your preferences for what you want from your learning experience. THE BASICS VIRTUAL/REMOTE: I use D&D Beyond and grant all player characters assigned to my campaign full access to all relevant materials. I also provide custom story content, original (my own) and AI-generated NPC, location, and item illustrations, and lots and lots of detailed big and small maps, as well as PDF post-game session notes for every episode. Video recordings may be available if we play in Zoom and the group is open to it and interested. IN PERSON (Puget Sound area only): For those of us lucky enough to play together in person, I also provide battle maps, a huge collection of minis from which to draw, an awe-inspiring selection of dice (if you forgot your own), memorable handouts, eye-popping props, and other additional features which are negotiable based on party/group preferences (music, lighting, etc.). NPC VOICES I love doing a wide range of compelling NPC voices and sound effects, but if you happen to be a group that prefers that I don't do that, I'm OK either way. Just let me know what you prefer.
Gameplay details
All listed safety tools available to players at all times during the session. It's MOST important that you feel safe and comfortable learning and playing the game.
Content warnings
Safety tools used
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Luxton Technique
• Luxton Technique Discussion
• Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
• Open Door
• Session 0
• Stars and Wishes
• X, N, and O Cards
How will character creation work
I'll work with you to create a character that suits your understanding of what you want to enjoy in this session. We'll use D&D Beyond as the Character Creation Tool and when we've created a character you're happy with, we'll connect it to my campaign in D&D Beyond so you have access to everything you need. My only restriction is I don't support evil Player Characters in my sessions ... it tends to lead to real-world stress that's not fun for the group as a whole.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
Medium
Roleplay
Low
Puzzles
Low
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Discord
• D&D Beyond
• D&D Beyond Maps
• Zoom
$20.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Once / Sunday - 1:00 AM UTC
Apr 20
2-3 Hour Duration
0 / 6 Seats Filled
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+