11 Dungeons and Dragons Beginner's Tips From Professional Players and Dungeon Masters

Aoife Wilson and Zoe Delahunty-Light headed to the Lucca Comics and Games Festival to play some Dungeons and Dragons, and while they were there they had a chat with professional Dungeons and Dragons players and got some Dungeons and Dragons beginners tips everyone should know! Joe Manganiello, Paul Foxcroft, Suzzane Helmigh, Titus Lunter, Richard Whitters, Kim Richards, Mark Hulmes and Bill Benham all gave their top tips for those just starting out in Dungeons and Dragons, so here they all are.
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[@SherlockHulmes]

Big love to Aofie and Zoe for including me, Kim and HighRollers in this! Was a lot of fun hanging out at Lucca! Give me a shout if you need a DM or extra player for some Eurogamer D&D time! :)

[@thehulaoperator8356]

Mark I need a crossover, imagine one Aoife versus one Trott the sass I can't

[@squattingheads]

Only if Aiofe plays a Rancor "Oaahhrrg...didlididlidi...numnumnumnum"

[@bearhustler]

I loved the World Wide Wrestling game you ran for Shut Up and Sit Down !

[@bezerkoid]

We need a Eurogamer/Hulmes/Outside Xbox combo. Fuck knows how but that would be amazing.

[@sjorsfarla3767]

1:12 did she just say... BECAUSE HE'S LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD... That dawm song

[@Banquet42]

Seems way to deliberate to just be a coincidence. Aoife is smiling a lot when she says it too!

[@caidenpriaulx6492]

Notice a link to it appears when she says it

[@Banquet42]

@@caidenpriaulx6492 Good spot :)

[@nymalous3428]

I've been playing D&D for over 34 years. I think the best tip from the video was to be a sidekick every so often. My favorite occurrence when I'm running a game is when the players start interacting, in character, with each other and I can just sit back and watch. Having some players willing to be sidekicks would go a long way to making that happen more often.

[@MrHarryGray]

Jonny leaves Eurogamer - hey how about a d&d video ! 😂

[@CrystalTikal]

I've always wanted to get into DND, but had no friends.

[@shervin_emperor]

I believe there are apps and forums where you can find your DnD group and start playing. who knows maybe you'll become friends after a couple of sessions :))

[@writeonshell]

Same. I'm thinking I really need to find something online because I don't think there are any local groups at all.

[@wwaxwork]

Go to the D&D website, they have a place you can do a search for game stores near you running public "Adventure League" games. Which are games that welcome new players and are open to the public. Then you get to solve two problems at once, you can make friends with like minded people of all ages & get into D&D.

[@maddyb7008]

Find a local game store! They sometimes run campaigns and it’s a great place to find people also interested in rpgs!

[@AuntyAlexG]

There's also things like Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, etc. I play with a couple of groups via Discord and Roll20 and another couple of groups IRL. Yet to play in a game store though. It's either been at a gaming club, online, or at someone's home. Then again I live in a place where our local "city" has a population of abut 20K people.

[@captainzac24]

I think the most important advice I can give is to remember that yes you are all characters in a fantasy world but keep in mind you're also playing a game. now I'm not saying don't murder the super important NPC or never piss off another character so much you have to fight to the death but if you do, think about how the game will unfold if you do and if you need to talk out of character about it, say "bob my character would really hate your character, i'd like to have a duel. Is that ok?" you can still have deep roleplaying during the fight but now people are forewarned it doesn't feel personal and the other players and gm can work out a way let your characters fight but not have it end the story. Derailing a campaign is cool destroying it is not.

[@wwaxwork]

I've seen more games destroyed because of someone using the "But it's what my character would do" excuse than any other way. Help the party, don't hurt the party, NPCs on the other hand are fair game.

[@gamehunter88]

As a player and DM, i dont roleplay in voice or anything but I am careful about thinking how to have my character ACT. You dont have to go full on with the act like the groups that stream if you dont want to, but put thought into what makes sense for your character to do. Think of it like your playing Mass Effect or Greedfall, but with infinitely more dialogue options

[@brocksisson7128]

That look at 1:14 i've never seen such a satisfied grin. Looking forward to more of this content for sure.

[@elliedonels6606]

Hi I’m about to start my first campaign with two friends so this is super helpful🥰 Note: This is all of ours first time playing

[@reydecangrejos7087]

Like the sneaky reference to the Oxbox song about Johnny! Nicely done

[@flintenstein]

I hope this is the first of many D&D vids from this channel... and maybe a Johnny appearance? I bet he could be literally everyone else in the world.

[@chrismcintyre6684]

Starting my first campaign in a couple hours! Both nervous and excited!!!!!

[@georgemckay7795]

I would love to see a Eurogamer campaign, potentially with someone from Dicebreaker DMing, but not Johnny because he's too busy. Then maybe a ladies only crossover with the Oxventure, because I would love to see Aoife and Zoe hang with Prudence and Merilwen

[@writeonshell]

Wheels! From the few other role playing games he's run on the channel (including the live werewolf) I'd love to see him run a campaign.

[@theodorepinnock1517]

One more, absolutely critical one: No D&D is better than bad D&D. If the people you are playing with are unpleasant, or making the game not fun for you, either confront them about it to try to get it rectified, or, if that won't work, get out. r/rpghorrorstories has plenty to illustrate this.

[@ParadoxMooCheese]

Not required by any means, but many players commission artists to draw their DnD characters, there are artists who do this as their full time job. If you get attached to a character and want to see a professional artist bring them to life, you can find them on Reddit, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Since this is their career, don't expect them to be inexpensive- though some may offer a budget option such as a bust or a sketch. I would suggest going to reddit.com/r/characterdrawing and/or reddit.com/r/fantasyartists to see what people are getting, which artists are available, and then if/when you're ready, email the artist(s) you're interested in for their rates and options.

[@dgsalvilla]

Oxventures cross-over!!! considering how much they can derail Johnny, i wanna see what more chaos Eurogamer can add to the mix lol.

[@Banquet42]

Maybe give Ian or Aoife a go at DMing a one shot and let Johnny have some fun? Even better, get @Bratterz back and get him to DM the lot of them!

[@KeyOfTheTwilight]

Awesome! I’ve always wanted to play this game.

[@wwaxwork]

Thanks from someone that has loved this game for decades for including shots of groups other than Critical Role. I love what CR do so much but there are so many great games being streamed out there it was great to see them getting some love too. Also if you want to play or DM I highly recommend you watch more than Critical Role before you start so you can see just how much variety in storytelling & roleplaying styles & skill levels there are out there as it will make you a lot less nervous going into your first game.

[@roswaldwalton1147]

Thanks for this, I was convinced to start reading R. A. Salvatore's books and combined with watching the Oxventure Guild and Aoife DMing, I've fallen in love with the whole thing. I have a plan for a couple of characters (a sister and brother rogues) and have rough sketches for their backgrounds, mostly due to physical restrictions I'm probably not going to get to play (50 miles from Newcastle and last bus home at 8pm with 19 year old furry overlady Tigger who won't eat if I'm not home) but I'm going to get as much as I can so if the opportunity arrives, I'm good to go.

[@sleepytime999998]

If it is your first time as a DM, I strongly suggest reading the webcomic 'DM of the Rings'. It's about 15 years old (3-3.5 edition, and hopefully grandfathered out of being considered promotion that violates community guidelines), but it gives a lot of true to life examples of everything that will go wrong in your campaign.

[@nines3048]

are going to leave 2020 with all three and a half channels entirely dedicated to dnd because I am down for that.

[@red-fy8si]

Recently started playing last week we've had two sessions thank you for this video

[@sa-sy5no]

Really great to see this video. Any chance for a one shot d&d video in preparation for Baldur's gate 3? :) I don't know what kind of permissions from WOTC you might need or prep but it would be a ton of fun to see Ian, Zoe and Aoife play a one shot campaign! :)

[@vamikos]

Dicebreaker: Coming for my brand?

[@dougfoster445]

Just finished my first D n D game...I'm 40...had my daughter, who is 13, in the game....We had such a fun time! Was great!

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Gotta love how you guys flashed footage of Joe "Beefcake" Mangienelo both times when you mentioned Gary Gygax and Dave Arnison as the creators of the game. I'm sure they'd enjoy the subliminal association.

[@HighFiveTheHorizon]

I am about to DM my first ever session of DnD, as I am the only one who dares to do it among my friends. And while I look forward to it, I am so damn terrified to fail my own standards (basically what Johnny does in the Oxventure, but different). Every time the folks in your video said not to worry and to 'trust your DM' I thought, 'well yeah...but I AM the DM. Am I allowed to worry, because I am worried AF'.

[@wwaxwork]

Trust your players. It's a group effort, not you against them. It's a team effort. If you don't know something one of them will, or you can just stop & look up the rule or just make up a rule that sounds fair at the time & check it later. It's OK to make mistakes, it's OK to say hang on I don't know let me look it up or I don't know give me a second to think and just make something up on the spot.

[@MonikaLockpick]

I might have another tip DnD is great even if you don’t have the chance to do it in person (even if it is better that way), but look for friends on discord or twitter and get together And not unimportant Dming yourself can be quite scary, especially if you have hardly, or not at all, played yourself, but try it, the only thing that might be required is wanting to tell a story

[@gamehunter88]

Agreed. There are premade adventures to help you too so you can always try one of those until you have more experience/confidence.

[@gintarenorv905]

"and are ready to scream at bits of plastic when they come up with the wrong number" XD

[@bearhustler]

Just to bang my drum again, anyone who has never RPed and wants to try it don't forget D&D is *far* from the only RPG out there, if you try it and don't enjoy it there's a game out there for you (Full Disclosure, I've been playing and DMing 25 years and have barely played D&D because I really dislike it). Looking at my shelf I have games covering everything from Dark, tongue-in-cheek fantasy to OTT Hong Kong Action Movies to Jane Austen social shenanigans to Coen Brother style cinematic incompetence to TV wrestling to dark Alien-style sci-fi horror to an RPG where real world surrealist artists meet the Cthulhu Mythos (yes you can play Dali and fight Nyarlathotep). And that's just on my shelf. Look online or at a local shop there is *so* much out there (there's also loads of stuff available for free or a few £s)

[@DyingWolf83]

Seen it mate

[@luisemoralesfalcon4716]

Goblin Slayer (mature anime) picked my interest into the genre, since I love LEGO and SW I might do a match up with interesting results.

[@DragonBotherer]

Not saying i'd REALLY like to give DnD a go or owt....but the nice Amazon man will be dropping off the handbook tomorrow. If they do a starter pack that includes actual people to play the other parts and a pop up DM (hnnngh!) i'm gonna be VERY tempted! Thank you Aoife and Zoe! X X

[@MonikaLockpick]

Discord and twitter can be really helpful for finding a group But they should really include the necessary stuff in the starter pack, really are friends and a great dm that hard to package up?

[@DragonBotherer]

@@MonikaLockpick yeah, social anxiety means i can't really talk to strangers, so i'm hoping they come up with some kinda pre-packaged insta mates option soon! :)

[@MonikaLockpick]

dragon-botherer I am pretty much the same Joined a discord server to ask for directions for EGX and ended up in a group within a day, that was ...... much but it took quite a while till we all had time to actually play and in that time I got to know everyone i played with Now I am (in a few minutes) in session two with the group and past the first dm session and I was never so thankful I had no idea about public transport before

[@DragonBotherer]

@@MonikaLockpick That's really cool! i tend to get nervous and completely stop talking, so, whilst i'd love to try dnd i've a feeling i'm really not suited to it! i shall spend more time watching others do it on the internet instead!

[@MonikaLockpick]

dragon-botherer Always a good plan It’s okay to not always talk, you will most likely get more comfortable with time, once you get used to everyone But I am thinking of maybe starting my own campaign in a few weeks (okay maybe one or two months), if you would be interested in joining a discord one, let me know?

[@theodorepinnock1517]

1:12 I see what you did there, Aoife.

[@ScottishLegend]

I so want to play D&D but have no one to play with or anywhere to play

[@nightcatarts]

There are several online things that let you do it remotely, with voice chat or a camera. The DM has control over the "tabletop" and can hand out items digitally & all that sort of thing. I haven't used them myself so can't speak for how user friendly they are, but many do use them.

[@robertabarnhart6240]

I don't scream at my dice - I hint in a low menacing voice what will happen to dice who betray me.

[@johnoneil9188]

Great, now I got that song stuck in my head again. You are working with Jane, aren´t you? I started pretty late with DnD when some friends asked about who would be interested and I am looking forward to every session and am legit sad if we have to cancel one.

[@fairyringdancer1234]

Excited to see the d&d bug has infected Eurogamer as well!!

[@VengerSatanis]

Crimson Dragon Slayer!

[@devildogwhite]

Is there a non role-playing version of this? I tried D&D and enjoyed everything about it except the roleplaying. I like the combat, coming up with plans with my teammates, exploring towns. I just didn't like acting. I would much rather say "I'm rolling charisma to ask for a discount," than "Good sir, might thou be willing to lower the price of your wares?"

[@nightcatarts]

That's up to the GM & players really. Some go way overboard with the roleplaying & stick to it regardless of circumstances, whereas others do little. There's nothing in the rules of any(ish) of these RPGs that say you have to do roleplaying, or use Shakespearean prose, or stay in character, or whatever. That said, you might enjoy some of the dungeon crawling board games better if you want to cut out the R & do more of the PG. They put the emphasis on the rolls & the board/cards tell you what you're doing, rather than you having to make it up. I wish I could recommend some by name, but I have no friends so play no board games. Perhaps Dicebreaker.com would be a good place to look.

[@carolinelabbott2451]

I am absolutely aweful at the Roleplaying part of DnD, but I still enjoyed playing the game. It was quickly accepted by the group that I was shit at it and no one got upset when I stopped trying to RolePlay. As long as you are upfront with the group you play with about this, it should not be a problem. RPG's, like DnD, can be tailored to whatever game play you enjoy the most. Dungeon Crawling/Exploration, Combat/Strategy, Heist/Criminal Activity, Political Intrigue/Social Manoeuvring, etc. Whatever your play style, the game can be tailored towards.

[@ryanschmidt3319]

Why was the video removed and then reposted? Curious...?

[@s1mi]

Mo money mo money mooo money

[@benmcmanus4154]

Depends entirely on the ppl you're playing with

[@smokescreen100]

Ha ha I don't scream at plastic, I scream at stone. I'm better. I hope you picked up on the sarcasm

[@Steve_Marsden]

It’s weird how such a simple difference as standing up can be so disconcerting. Between the non-video game subject and the scripted waist-high shots, I was very confused for a second.

[@tjam84]

Any way I can buy that giant D20, please?

[@DunkMyNuts]

How do I find a group to play with

[@nightcatarts]

Look online on things like local neighbourhood sites, ask on the social medias, visit your local nerd shops, maybe post something at your library if you happen to still have one nearby.

[@morecringe89]

I can't ask this without laughing. What is a professional player in your eyes.

[@davidb736]

There are many many many other RPGs other than Dungeons and Dragons

[@carolinelabbott2451]

Yes, that there is. DnD is the one most folk have heard of before. Once you start looking into DnD you soon discover other RPG's to get into.

[@davidb736]

@@carolinelabbott2451 Yes but those who do cannot usually handle anything other than murder hobos in a Renfair fantasy setting.

[@carolinelabbott2451]

@@davidb736 A tad bit harsh there. I became interested in many different RPGs thanks to DnD and Fighting Fantasy books. Steampunk, SciFi, Classic Detective stories, even a bit of sappy romance RPG's. Heck even MLP. It's not all murder hobo fantasy Renfair.

[@nightcatarts]

Tip 12: There are a lot more playable races than human, dwarf, elf, tiefling, and orc.

[@PrincessWhoosh]

My current character is a fire Genasi because I wanted her to look like those 90's flame trousers.

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

Most of them are in alternate books though. Beginners would only get the Player's Handbook at first, and those are the playable races in it!

[@marhawkman303]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude yeah but you can do web searches now.

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

@Mar Hawkman and @Hallvarr Guys, this is a BEGINNER'S tips video! Like, I have a few friends that I would love to get them into DnD but they are kinda scared by the volume of it all! IF one day I manage to convince them, I won't tell them "Well you can make a Warforged or a Changeling or a Minotaur or a Centaur or a […]". Sure, those are cool but, again, those are new players, they already feel overwhelmed by the basic stuff, I'm not gonna scare them even more, unless they ask me to introduce them to those options. If I introduce them to the game and help them make their characters, I'll just go with the Player's Handbook and mention, in passing, that there are other racial options in other books. If they are curious about them they can ask me about it, but you shouldn't push extra material on new players.

[@nightcatarts]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude The rarer races aren't particularly any more difficult to play as though, & may appeal far more than the standard ones to a particular personality. A quick search will tell you what they all are & another will provide you with enough info to set up a starting character. For example, here: www.calebthompson.io/dnd-races you get a simple rundown of the mechanics of them, & the GM could help with anything more gritty if they're experienced, otherwise just wing it. The minutia of the rules really don't matter to how enjoyable or immersive the game is, provided the way the group does choose to play them means they work the same way for everybody. I'd go so far as to say that a few house rules can make it far simpler for first timers to get into the game, & they can be done away with once somebody knows they enjoy it.

[@00pugsly48]

You can be D and D pro?

[@lebaguetteboi7773]

they're not professional players unless they get payed to play. They just play alot

[@DongioniDragoni]

Why the heck some of the people interviewed are so focused on "doing voices".... that's not important at all to start with. Let's stop thinking roleplaying is "Do it like CR does" please.

[@ericgrajeda9916]

Doing voices helps with immersion for you and the other players. I strongly encourage people to at least try.

[@jaspervanderlinden5938]

Professional players and DM's... That means they earn money from playing and DMing?

[@tarotikum]

Hmm.. A video about D&D, talking explicitly about how influential the game has been and it's recent dramatic rise in popularity amongst the nerd world - and not a word said about #criticalrole. Impressive, albeit sad

[@wwaxwork]

They came along 10 years after other people where podcasting & streaming the game. They didn't mention any particular stream by name & included footage from a huge variety of streamers, many of whom where streaming & podcasting before Matt Mercer & Geek & Sundry thought to put on a show. . I love their game as much as anyone, and I am guessing you didn't notice they had Joe Manganiello, you know from Critical Role, the show you claim to be such a fan of.