Learn to Play Dungeons & Dragons
The city of Phlan sits in darkness since the Lighthouse went out. Who will save the city from the horrors that stir in the dark depths of the Moonsea?
$20.00
/ Session
Details
Once / Sunday - 2:00 PM UTC
Jun 7
Session Duration / 2 hours
0 / 5 Seats Filled
Top Game Master
One of StartPlaying's top-rated GMs, a player favorite and highly recommended.
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About the adventure
Our story begins on Thorne Island, the only breakwater in the harbor of Phlan. It has two buildings: A lighthouse, and the small, outdated, Sokol Family Keep. The beacon has gone dark, ships are running aground, and there's no sign of the soldiers sent to guard the island. Rumors circulate that maybe the island is haunted! It will take a few brave adventurers to uncover the secrets of Sokol Keep. This is an adventure designed for both beginners and veterans alike! If you've always wanted to try Dungeons & Dragons but didn't know where to start, this game is perfect for you. No prior experience is needed—I’ll guide you through every step of your heroic journey. We’ll play using simple tools: -D&D Beyond: I’ll provide a shared campaign link so you can easily create your character or use a pre-made one. -D&D Beyond Maps: Move tokens, roll dice from your character sheet. No steep VTT learning curve. FOCUS on Role-Play and Combat, NOT on learning how to navigate a program. -Discord: We’ll use voice chat for clear communication and immersive storytelling. This session is all about getting comfortable with D&D 5th Edition, and maybe save the city of Phlan along the way! Whether you're brand-new or just brushing up on your skills, you'll leave feeling like a seasoned adventurer. Gather your courage, sharpen your wits, and let’s dive into the world of Dungeons & Dragons together! -This will take place in "The Forgotten Realms," a popular setting among players of Dungeons and Dragons. -No experience necessary! I'll provide Pre-Generated Characters! -The tone of the game is somewhat lighthearted, but the events themselves are certainly serious. Kind of like the D&D film, "Honor among Thieves" -Characters will start at level 1, and end at level 3. After the adventure, we will discuss if you'd like to end the story there, or continue adventuring!
Game style
Dungeon Crawl
Puzzle / Mystery Focused
Roleplay Heavy
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(25)
1 year on StartPlaying
100 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Teacher, Storytelling
Average response time: 11 hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
Rule 1: Treat others with respect and consideration. Abusive language is prohibited. Racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and all other types of harassment are prohibited. Rule 2: Explicit depictions of excessive or gratuitous violence are prohibited. Rule 3: Explicit descriptions of sexual intercourse are prohibited. (That level of adult content should be avoided. Let’s keep it “Avengers level PG13” so Captain America gets one use of the “F-Word” per film.) I’d love to tell you all about me, but instead...let’s hear from a few NPC’s that know me the best: NPC TESTAMONIALS: “Greg V? Yeah I know him, he made me up on the spot!”--Steve the Town Guard “Sure! I can tell you about Greg V’s GMing style...he’s attentive and imaginative!”--Steve the traveling merchant. “Excuse me? No , I don’t have a ‘British,’ accent. I’m from Waterdeep.”--Baron Steve of Waterdeep TL;DR Enthusiastic, committed, friendly, and accommodating. Flexible and eager to run the games you want to play. Played my first game of D&D back in 2017, and was delighted to have found a new hobby and obsession! Over the last 9 years I’ve been lucky enough to run games in person at both conventions and in game stores. The first time I ran a game online was in the early days of the quarantine. I’ve become familiar with Fantasy Grounds, Owlbear Rodeo, and a smattering of Foundry VTT. Gaming online has become a total comfort zone for me, but I am very lucky to be able to continue gaming in-person with a few different friend groups. D&D 5e will probably always be my “baseline,” but I’ve also become interested in several other game systems as well. I ran a few “Learn to Play” slots of Alien RPG by Free League at a local area convention. If you’ve heard of the new, tactical RPG, Draw Steel, I’ve run several campaigns of that already, and I have knowledge of the boutique VTT for Draw Steel on STEAM. Additionally, I ran Dungeon Crawl Classics for several months in 2024. I've run Delta Green, and Marvel Multiverse RPG! In terms of the “hobby” of tabletop rpg’s, I do spend quite a bit of my free time listening to podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and reading articles about D&D, and Tabletop gaming in-general. I've appeared on a few videos on the YouTube channel Looking for Mom: https://www.youtube.com/@LookingForMomTTRPG
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
DM Greg V will provide pre-made character sheets for you to choose from after you sign up or at the start of the game.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
When you join the adventure, I'll message you with a link to the Discord. We'll communicate in the Discord Channel. I'll provide a link to create a Free account in D&D Beyond. We'll play using the Discord Voice Chat room and use the D&D Beyond website for rolling dice, and our virtual tabletop. You'll want to ensure: 1. PC or Laptop 2. Headphones 3. Microphone of some kind. Gaming headsets work fine! --Optional: Webcam-- 4. A quiet corner to engage in sick role-play!
What Greg V 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ brings to the table
-D&D Beyond: I’ll provide a shared campaign link so you can easily access a pre-made character. NO PURCHASE necessary. I pay for the Hero Tier subscription on D&D Beyond, so I can share with my players! -D&D Beyond Maps: Our virtual tabletop for maps and tokens, accessible via any web browser—no downloads required. (This means our game sessions will be a mixture of "theater of the mind," and map-based combat with digital tokens.) -Discord: We’ll use voice chat for clear communication and immersive storytelling. (So you'll need a microphone plugged into your device. No camera necessary, but I do tend to go on-camera to help with my storytelling.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Greg V 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ creates a safe table
Sesson 1 will begin with a discussion of my non-negotiables (also found in my DM Profile). Additionally, the discussion will include any important items that players want avoided in this brief campaign. The use of breaks will be used, not just as practical, "hey it's time for a quick break!" but also as way to reflect on where we've been, narratively, and to ensure players are comfortable. At the end of each game session, there will be a chance for another reflection on narrative themes and content. In general, I am always seeking player feedback to help make this the game you want to play.
Content warnings
Safety tools used