As a Game Master, you will at some point find yourself with a campaign which has enthusiastic players who all want to be in an adventure you’re running, but they may have a mix of experience levels. The best approach to managing a mixed group of experience levels will depend on your ability to navigate the different needs of these players.

Many of my Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaigns start out with players of a mixed group experience levels. Some are quite experienced, some are Dungeon Masters (DM) or Game Masters (GM), themselves, and are looking forward to enjoying playing the game. Others have intermediate experience, have played in a campaign or two, and are anticipating a new adventure. Many players are relatively new to the game; perhaps they’ve played a one-shot (single-session) or two, and are wanting to commit to a longer story. Some are brand new to the game and have yet to experience D&D, how to make a character, and need to learn how the game works.

Learning About Your Players

Take some time at your meeting with players (either a Session 0 or an interview) to learn about each person’s length of experience with the specific rules version of the game you’ll be using (for example, D&D 5e), whether they were in a campaign or maybe a series or single-session one-shot. Also determine whether they have used the Virtual Table Top (for example, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, or Foundry) and other technology, like Discord, that you plan to use for the campaign.

Sort Players Into Experience Levels

You can then sort your players into experience levels:  advanced, intermediate, beginner, and brand new to the game.

• Players who are brand new to D&D will want reassurance that they won’t be holding the others back, will need to be talked through character creation (or provided a guideline), introduced to the Virtual Table Top, and be given a basic understanding of character races and classes. You should have a plan for how you’d like to teach them the rules, and have them participate in the creation of this plan.
• Beginner players will have some experience playing D&D, but may not yet understand all of the rules. Ask questions and coach them in character creation, ask them qualifying questions which help you understand where you may need to provide assistance, and get their buy-in on how you’ll be providing support.
• Intermediate players have completed a campaign or campaigns, have a good sense of the rules, and may need details on how specific features or spells operate, and may want to work on specific skills, like roleplaying. Talk with them about their character concept, how they might want to progress the character through the adventure, and discuss how you may build elements from their character into the story to help them flesh out their backstory.
• Advanced players will want more information on character guidelines for the campaign which will affect character choices, “hooks” (links to a character’s backstory) which integrate their characters into the adventure, and to be given the freedom to jump into character creation. Think about how magic items or other treasure could enhance their character’s abilities at higher levels. Leverage their experience and encourage them to try voices, tell stories, and otherwise enhance the campaign for all.

Recommended Campaign Levels By Experience Level

Brand new players will be most comfortable starting in a lower-level Tier 1 (Levels 1-4) campaign, ideally Level 1 or Level 2. Beginners can generally manage Level 3 or Level 4.

That said, brand new, beginner and intermediate players will typically mix well, in my experience. Advanced players who played long ago may also mix well in these groups. It really depends on what level the campaign kicks off with. If starting higher in Tier 1 (for example, Level 3 or 4), you may want to find another campaign for your brand new (and perhaps some of the beginner) players.

Intermediate players have the experience and are also most flexible in slipping among the lower and higher experience levels.

With most advanced players, you’ll want other advanced players or strong intermediate players in the group, particularly if the campaign starts at a high Tier 2 (Levels 5-10), for example, Level 9 or Level 10, or Tier 3 (Levels 11-16) level.

If someone does not suit the specific mix of the group, don’t be afraid to suggest to a player that you think they’d have fun with a different group you’re running, if you think their experience or style will be a better fit with another group. Usually, if the time and day work with their schedule they may either join a second group or move over to the campaign you’ve recommended for them. 

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Ajax DM is a full-time professional Dungeon Master with 50 completed multi-year Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Play with Ajax DM here: https://startplaying.games/gm/ajaxdm