DCC RPG 101: Your First Session Guide!

This is your beginner guide to Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG! It covers the very basics of how to play DCC, then for game masters: a full breakdown of the free level-0 adventure from the DCC Quick Start Rules, The Portal Under The Stars! ▶️ More below! ⏬
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00:00 it's me, robert world buildert
00:35 DCC basics - core rule and dice
02:49 finding players and making characters!
05:39 DCC guide for The Portal Under The Stars
#dnd #dccrpg #dungeoncrawlclassics

[@BobWorldBuilder]

📄 DCC Quick Start PDF (free): goodman-games.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DCC_QSR_Free.pdf 📄 DCC Quick Start PDF: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/220858 🎲 DCC Dice: amzn.to/3VPkMWm

[@GutisFive]

This man said "Robert World Buildert" with a straight face for us... we don't deserve him

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Well my wife came up with "Bobby World Buildy" a while back, so this was a natural progression.

[@kelph1]

@@BobWorldBuilder Does your wife use your full name when she’s mad? “Robert World Buildert! Get over here now!”

[@suburbohemian]

I struggle not to call him Bob the Builder cus my kids watched that show when they were little.

[@freddaniel5099]

Oh, this is delightful. Bob, please do more DCCRPG vids. There are only 100+ more DCC modules to cover! Subbed hoping for more DCCRPG good-ness.

[@najowhit]

Okay, Robert World Buildert got me out of nowhere lmao

[@matthewburton6360]

I loved it too!

[@smaspa8627]

Someone’s been watching Quinn’s Quest and getting inspired and I am here for it.

[@pedroh.m.8989]

My exact thoughts!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Very kind comparison! Believe it or not, I haven't watched any of their tutorials/reviews yet, but I know they're the leader of reviewing games that aren't D&D!

[@drillerdev4624]

​@@BobWorldBuilderif you haven't watched any of their RPG reviews (not board games, mind you. This is a new and different beast), do it. You'll see what OP was referring to ;)

[@Barquevious_Jackson]

I wish that he didn't do that 1980s Worship thing. It's very obnoxious.

[@randomtvninja]

Hey, never heard of that channel and wanted to say thanks for mentioning it I'll be watching their content too!

[@andrewstraight2961]

I’m looking forward to all the new training videos from Bob World Buildert.😂 Think I need to finally play a session of DCC!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks! And yeah, just give it a shot sometime :)

[@M0D3LCi7iZ3N]

Great to see this kind of DCC RPG content. Thanks for the Judge advice segment.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks! Yeah I really wanted to make some beginner DCC videos like I have for D&D :) There may be more to come. I think it would be cool to make a GM/Judge guide for Sailors on the Starless Sea.

[@petermaldonado7379]

Every time Bob talks about DCC, I circle a little closer to trying it out. But it was 1970s host Robert Buildert that really talked me into in.

[@lancejewkes4050]

After watching Bob's previous videos on DCC I decided to give it a shot and could not recommend it more! I found a massive community at my local game store which was extremely welcoming. Shout out Gongfarmers local 221

[@chrisbyrnes8758]

I ran this a while back for my friends. Through random occupations, they had a veritable petting zoo following them around. The chicken was used (and abused) as a trap detector very early on. The donkey refused to go any further after seeing the entry door laser beams in action. The sow was given some left-over chainmail and nearly drowned when the pool collapsed. Their "war-pig" ended up becoming a valued party member. Great times. Great vid!

[@Bodo-wu2zj]

Great video: try DCC folks, it is the missing link between a tabletop roleplaying game and hosting a party 🎉

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Haha that's a great testimonial!

[@bajafm1812]

Judging tip. Encourage your players to burn Luck often and reward luck frequently. Use luck to make your players feel cool for role playing and their clever ideas. It’s an amazing incentive that feels much more integrated in the game vs 5e’s inspiration system.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Great tip!!

[@kelph1]

Robert World Buildert is just the level of chaos I need in my life

[@NocturnalPeacock]

Love that you are covering DCC again, Bob! It´s so much fun Crazy spells like Ventroliquism that might summon demons? Fighters being the most creative class and describing every attack as a cinematic action piece? Level 1 adventures where you travel to Transdimensional Zoos or are part of a stage play while fighting hordes of cutthroats? So much good stuff!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks! :) You're so right about all that. I recently re-read the Hobbit, and completely forgot how Gandalf uses ventriloquism to trick the stone trolls. DCC gets it!

[@doomhippie6673]

Unless you don't like the concept of transdimensional places...

[@NocturnalPeacock]

@@doomhippie6673 Just an example - there are a lot of different adventures for every taste! Sailors of the Starless Sea is for example really close to grimdark Warhammer

[@NocturnalPeacock]

@@BobWorldBuilder Exactly, spells as a creative toolkit with various possible uses is way more fun, that one dedicated use. If you just read the Hobbit, I also highly suggest you check out the Blog Post of "Rise up Comus: 1937 Hobbit as a Setting "! It´s a fun & short read and was so liked, that they put it into a "Knock" Magazine of the Merry Mushmen !

[@johnnygreenface4195]

Ventriloquism can't summon monsters, but I've actually had some mileage out of it in the games I've played as a player. Scared off a massive combat because I rolled very well and produced the sound of hundreds of the monsters we had summoned sprinting through the woods. Really neat

[@bryantbiek7265]

I love DCC. This is the system that got me back into roleplaying after a LONG hiatus.

[@HouseDM]

Bob, thank you! I didn’t realize it at the time, but my actual first foray into the OSR was this exact module you described. I had completely forgotten what it was called 😂 Cheers!

[@Nintenglo]

Thank you for covering DCC again Bob!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

My pleasure!

[@douglashorton1368]

I love the DCC content…but it makes me sad that I don’t see many folks doing any deep dives into MCC. It’s such a great fit for the over the top flavor of Goodman Games!

[@reaganduggins5279]

I still just can't get over "Robert Worldbuildert" 😂 Great video! I've been curious about DCC for some time!

[@HeathenPlays]

Absolutely loved that you restarted to approach that stump differently and didn't take it out so I got to watch the thought path your videos never cease to amaze me I enjoy them

[@brokenmeats5928]

I love ALL Bob World Builder videos!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thank you!

[@lorenzohot5234]

I got this earlier this year based off your other videos and we are loving it!

[@TwinSteel]

4:12 excellent zoom and cut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@Lemonheadcrab]

We started with 4 PC's each and my players actually really liked having more then one PC so now we got 2 PC's at level 1.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Nice!

[@EcowarriorII]

Great video Bob. Dungeon Crawl Classics has revitalized my passion for running games. It’s just fun. The tables can be a little work to maneuver. The dice chain is so natural and gives an organic way to give a buff or debuff. The grittier game play makes it easier to bring the weird, fantastical, horror you hope for. Here for all your DCC content

[@BobWorldBuilder]

I agree about the tables! The reference booklet is a vital tool haha, and thankfully DCC is very encouraging about making the game your own

[@bobbycrosby9765]

I recommend making your own binder of tables with tabs. Gets me to any table I need in a second. And you can add third party tables or even your own.

[@jclefbouncyrock]

Great video - great game. I love flipping through DCC every now and then, even if I'm not currently playing.

[@breakerpressgames]

Dungeon Crawl Classics is the game system that brought me back to RPGs, and its because of that DCC Quickstart guide picked up at Free RPG Day in 2017. I'm always stoked when you show DCC some love, and this video makes it very approachable for new players. Well done!

[@apresmidi153]

Own this but have never run it...cool to hear how you would handle the first adventure. Please more DCC RPG videos!

[@DaHermitGamer]

It's like i'm back in class in the 90s watching an educational video. :D

[@Zr0din]

1. Thanks for the walk-through. 2. There were a bunch of these QuickStarts released for FreeRPGDay. A bunch of systems. Many of which had a flaw... So DCC says make quick disposable characters as part of the quickstart. But every other 5e system I saw giving a quickstart away did NOT include Pre-Gen characters. That makes NO SENSE! If they had pregen characters like level 1 or 3 with their new subclasses they always include then people could run the quick start right then, and maybe buy a book or download more!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks for watching! And yeah, pregens are always a trade-off. Depending on the game, some people play just for the experience of building an original character. Even D&D's Starter Sets have gone back and forth about including pregens. Ultimately I agree that any game is more playable with them than without them!

[@TomTrustworthy]

For some reason I like this Robert way better than the guy that was yapping on here before.

[@csPOthr33cs]

Thank you for highlighting other TTRPG's still. I feel like most content creator's have forgotten about the OGL debacle while you're over here dropping DCC videos during 5.5 spoiler season. Keep up the good work Mr World Buildert

[@PhilipDudley3]

Bob World Builder crushing it out here! I love this video!

[@thenoble1]

Absolutely adore the humor in this video, I sent it to all my friends immediately to get them to watch (and hopefully lure them into wanting to play DCC with me 😈)

[@pusprotis]

Bob. This is amazing! After watching your first videos on DCC I got sooo inspired! Since DCC is not a thing here in my Forgotten realm, I got my self a book from France and had my S.O. To bring me the funky dice from her internship at Smithsonian! I’ve been wanting to play DCC ever since, but we were still mid campaign in 5e. And now THIS!!!😊 Now I will have to set up a game! Thank You! 😌

[@LazyGhostHunter]

I truly love the idea of an instructional video channel with these vibes. I'd subscribe to it in a heartbeat. Imagine having new players sit in a room and watch the video before playing to better understand everything. Peak Geekdom!

[@trublgrl]

This whole time I thought his name was Robert Whirled-Buildert.

[@joshbecka6110]

While I haven’t played any DCC officially. I have played a few of their modules and have their rule book. I enjoy their stuff

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Awesome!

[@WombatProphecy]

Good modules for any game are as valuable as gold dust when you like trying different systems and are willing to convert stats

[@tntori5079]

Those birds in the background =) so makes me want to go outside

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Do it!

[@johnsmith3085]

Been waiting for a more mainstream RPG creator (influencer?) to cover DCC. I’ve been running it for 3 years straight now and it’s been absolutely amazing. Thanks, Bob!

[@patrickwest5516]

The beginning of this video was perfectly campy, I love it. And now I picture you doing a series of themed episodes (possibly world building) while you wear overalls and a flannel shirt; say, "Yes, we can!" at the intro of each video.

[@clayfare9733]

Man that change to the first puzzle is awesome!

[@DaedalusArc]

The actual video content was great, but I really want to praise the amazing production effort. The whole schtick was very entertaining and the “freeze frame” voiceover bits made me laugh out loud. I’ve been subscribed for a while, but am only recently getting into running non-D&D games. This video has me giving DCC a good, long look. 🎉

[@jeffreyw4099]

DCC and MCC has become my new favorite game system!!

[@bullseyeonline]

Thanks for covering DCC Bob! There are many of us that really appreciate your efforts. Don't forget MCC, and now we have XCC to mix in as well!

[@Ramperdos]

Bob's Charisma keeps increasing, and I thought it was already capped. Your explanations and jokes are such a joy to listen to.

[@matthewburton6360]

I liked your format for this episode! Nice to see you experimenting and trying new things. Also glad now that it's been nice you've been filming outside, we love Ranger Bob!

[@tommykubitschek2736]

you should do more of these guides on DCC! I've been wanting to try it and bought the thing, but there's a real lack of clear YT content about it - this was INCREDIBLY helpful, especially considering I'll be the one figuring out how to run it haha

[@MichaelSpredemann]

That was fantastic! Keep the DCC videos coming.

[@Thenarratorofsecrets]

That intro was a whole vibe

[@jahmaicherry]

Absolutely comedy! I wasn't terribly interested in DCC but Professor Buildert was an excellent guide! 😂

[@JeffWitty]

THIS is perfect! I’ve been a DCC Fan and DCC RPG artist for a while now - but my first actual play will be at my local (Seoul, Korea) DCC Day 2024 event! Please make more of these videos leading up to and after DCC Day! You rock Bob!

[@danrimo826]

So happy to see this among the deluge of WotC coverage

[@Venomm12]

I feel like I am back in school in the 90's watching instructional videos. Thank you so much for the nostalgic entertainment!

[@dudeist_priest]

DCC is a ton of fun, we played to level 5 at our table. The Judge also had us use Lego people as our villagers so all the deaths early on were very funny..

[@the-0-endless376]

DCC is so fun, I'm glad you're covering it!

[@ChaseDimmitt]

Haha this is awesome, Robert World Buildert is like Quinns Quest but they let him go outside. I like how he framed the game as simpler and easy for beginners, maybe I should show this to my coworkers who told me they wanted to try out D&D

[@andrewthomas7202]

Thanks Bob Great video. My opinion on DC checks is this: it defeats ( perhaps even the purpose of role playing) the onus on players to think, reason, and deduce. Just roll a certain number and the game master has to tell you everything. Yes. I’m old school.

[@frankb3347]

Nice. Glad to see more DCC content. Leaving comment here to help boost the video.

[@GazpachoTabletop]

The bench was my favourite bit in the video

[@rubensanchez9623]

So glad to see you making DCC videos. Excellent content as always. A super easy way to play this game. My favorite memory of running The Portal Under the Stars was the laughter the group shared when seeing their level 0 characters dying left and right. Also, one of my players made art of our first funnel adventure. In closing, players get attached to their level 0 characters that survive. It is a legendary story of how the cheese maker survived and is now an adventurer. Well done Bob!

[@davidTbosquez]

"Robert World Buildert" caught me off guard and cracked me up. Lol. Had to pause the video. Will return to comment on the video. Update: I had to finish the video after work, however, I have no downloaded and printed the DCC quickstart. Gonna give it a shot. At worst, I may add level-0 funnels to my OD&D games. At best, I've found a new game to play. Lol

[@CaseyWilkesmusic]

In my run of this as a player, we noticed that several of our PCs had chickens as their random item. In the statue room we sacrificed our chickens to the statue - then ate roasted chicken and has a party bonding moment. After that I knew DCc was absolutely the game for me lol

[@davidjennings2179]

I really like the idea of a funnel. I've done similar early character defining adventures (usually set in the character's youth but really its just supposed to be a turning point for them) but the funnel is a nice twist on that, giving the player many characters that can die

[@doomhippie6673]

Unfortunately that turned out to be a reason why people didn't take them serious from the start in my games.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Yeah it's worth trying if you haven't yet! Not everyone likes them, so you can always start at level 1 too.

[@NemoOhd20]

Love DCC and love Robert THE World Builder. DCC is fantastic stuff. And some of the "hidden" rules, like burning luck which isn't in the Quickstart or I missed it, are even better. Weird dice kind of bothered me at first but there is something cool about fumling around with dice trying to find the correct one just like we did as noobs.

[@richardgarrettjr4431]

Thank you! I will running my first DCC game in a few days. Somehow you knew. Thank you again!

[@user-hh7qi4qb9n]

Thanks for the review! I was able to pick up a digital copy of most of the DCC books on Humble Bundle earlier this year and have been thinking of getting a game (and possibly even a campaign) going this summer, especially with my local game store hosting an event for DCC Day on 7/20. Keep up the great work. Love your content

[@Shiyaku93]

Great video. I'd love to see more in this style. Thanks for highlighting smaller games like DCC, I'd definitely be interested in more videos about different indie games especially different genres

[@PhilC_PhD]

I have both run and played portal under the stars. When playing, the first death was a dwarf at the door messing with the jewels. Then one my characters (a wainwright) and another players character (a lumberjack) fashion wood to the pushcart we had to create shields. It saved us from the statues and the fire shooting statue. It became the holy symbol for my character that lived and this the War Wagon religion began. Tips for running: I would say you can disregard some of the checks it asks for. For instance, just tell the players they see the scotch marks and notice the silver miniatures. But I play by the philosophy of, "Stop hiding everything behind die rolls."

[@9HPRuneScape]

I very much enjoy the dice-chain mechanic but as a game designer who uses it on my own TTRPG, I hope it doesn’t catch on! 😅 - Great video!

[@LuizCesarFariaLC]

I DMed this adventure on my last vacation, with a homebrewed version of DC20. I've homebrewed another funnel adventure for the level 0 and made this the level 1 adventure

[@kanthus12345]

Love your videos, your points and the genuine interest that you seem to have in indie games and products from other companies. It's really awesome, because everything can be a tool to get better in D&D, as a player and as a GM - even games that are not DnD. For example, DCC funnels are crazy fun and really can be imported to D&D (to create the backstory of the players, to do a session in a flashback, or else)

[@samdoorley6101]

Great video Bob. I've been super curious about DCC for a long time.

[@jimjones7980]

Great video. My only note would be more striped bell bottoms on the host instead of shorts.

[@sitegong]

The front door can be opened if a character have a occupation that can meet the stars, like tarot reader and such. The area with the statues after the door gona attack when the judge want, he can show how luck works here and attack the lowest luck of the group. I didnt use the checks find the scorch in area 3, they are on the floor, look at it and you find it. What is gona come from there is other thing. Much of this checks can be avoided if the players look, search, move, describe what they are doing and mach the realization requirement. Besides that, great video, keep coming Buildert.

[@jayjohnson8246]

Been running DCC games on occasion for a couple of years now. By far the most fun RPG I've found in decades. Nothing quite like killing 2 characters from the same player in less than 5 minutes by the same NPC due to bad choices.

[@chewbacca7856]

Funny episode. I played my first game of dnd last night. It was a solo adventure called the death knight squire. It was so fun. I got a pdf pack from dungeon masters guild.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Awesome!

[@Fitzybitzy9595]

Love your passion for DCC, it really shines through whenever you cover it

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks!

[@SHR3DD3Rx]

I loved this video! I’m running the first session of a DCC campaign this coming weekend, and this got me even more hyped up! I hope you do more DCC videos, it’s very underrepresented!

[@israelmorales4249]

Excellent review, and thanks for the walkthrou!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Thanks!

[@NotSureWhatsHappening73]

I love this already

[@johnnygreenface4195]

I do love some Dungeon Crawl Classics videos. 💪

[@DamianTheAlien]

Just recently ran this for friends who had given up on D&D because people got tired of he amount of time doing nothing. In two hours we generated characters and played the adventure. It was a very different experience to what they had been used to.

[@Jorge2D]

I love your content about DCC. Nice beginner guide!

[@totalanimalsoup]

Mr. World Builbert, thank you for this video! I got a bunch of DCC stuff through a humblebundle a few months ago, and really wanted to play but I just couldn't get myself to sit down and read anything. This lit a fire under me to finally start playing. Cheers!

[@jonothanthrace1530]

0:51 Bob has finally mastered Zen computing.

[@LordJazzly]

Nice! Welp, the stars have aligned and the gods have sort of shrugged and said 'yeah, like, _i guess_ or whatever'; time to start a new gaming group. Also dang it but that 'how to start a game' section is really good; I'm legit envious of how well-distilled those ideas are. 40 seconds and it's not only covered the essentials but also fit in the standard (yet vital) safety disclaimers about meeting new people through niche interests. 🤘That's impressive writing🤘

[@ElderGoblinGames]

Love DCC! I get the feeling you'd also really enjoy Dragonsbane.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Me too! But I haven't checked out Dragonbane yet. I've heard it's a roll-under system. For short games, no problem. But for anything more than a one shot, my brain really prefers "big number good, small number bad" haha

[@ProfessorAragorn]

You had me had last name Buildert. 😄

[@huntermurphylaw]

I played the creation funnel as a oneshot once in the past. It was similar enough to know what I was doing, but different enough to be a really unique experience. I highly suggest.

[@PetesDracolich]

DCC rocks! Just backed Caverns of Thracia DCC version!

[@npdaz3092]

Another banger from Bob, love these videos

[@zvenlin]

The comedy bit we did not know we needed

[@marcorivetti4045]

Going to play it this evening! This has been really helpful, thank you Bob!

[@Lusk1993]

Great video Bob!

[@SteveKavadas]

DCC and its sister games are my choice for an exciting alternative to “The world’s most popular rpg” I’m waiting for my X-Crawl Classics, Dungeon Denizens, and Grimtooth’s Traps Kickstarters.

[@BDTMack]

Great video! Thank you for covering DCC! I own the pdfs but just haven't gotten to learning it yet! These Guides should help me finally run a DCC one-shot.

[@stoppableforce]

Man, I totally forgot that the default quickstart wants the characters to stand still for two hours doing nothing right off the bat. What a weird choice! I like your suggested fix of having the gems slide around into position, though - makes sense for an ornate lock.

[@j.rinker4609]

Love your intro to this video!

[@jaybird_things]

Getting some Brian David Gilbert vibes from your presentation style for this one!

[@BobWorldBuilder]

That is high praise!