How to run the Cragmaw Hideout and Goblin Arrows in LMoP - D&D 5th Edition Starter Set Guide 2

Here is my guide to the Lost Mines of Phandelver, which is the D&D 5th Edition Starter Set. This second episode shows Dungeon Masters how to run LMoP, focussing on the Cragmaw Hideout and Goblin Arrows.
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📢📢 Links Mentioned 📢📢
▶ Handouts for the Cragmaw Hideout: www.patreon.com/posts/lost-mi...
▶ My homebrew chase rules: • This is why your D&D c...
▶ Why you should cut the goblin blind: • How to use wandering m...
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This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at dnd.wizards.com/resources/sys.... The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at creativecommons.org/licenses/....
▼▼ Timestamps ▼▼
0:00 Introduction
0:39 I need your help!
1:19 Things to remember
1:45 NPC breakdowns
2:30 NPC The Cragmaw Goblins
3:42 NPC Slidar Hallwinder
4:48 NPC Klarg
5:51 NPC Wolves
6:34 Goblin Arrows
8:37 Goblin Trail
9:21 Three Dungeon Tips
10:13 Room 1
10:18 Room 2
10:29 Room 3
11:23 Room 4
11:50 Room 5
12:15 Room 6
13:30 Room 7
14:18 Room 8
15:52 Resting in the dungeon
16:13 Special player moments
17:14 Seeding the next session
18:29 Homework
#dnd #5e #lmop

[@heyitsMattyP]

If you like this kind of content, please let me know by liking, subscribing, commenting! Watching this video without feeding the algorithm is illegal, and you WILL be arrested. Also: please share this with your players after the campaign finishes :) -------------- ❤ Support the Channel ❤ -------------- 💚 Patreon: matthewperkins.net/patreon 💚 Donate: matthewperkins.net/donate 💚 Store: matthewperkins.net/store 💚 DM Guild: matthewperkins.net/dmsguild 💜 Twitch: matthewperkins.net/twitch 💜 TikTok: matthewperkins.net/tiktok 🧡 Discord: matthewperkins.net/discord 🧡 Facebook: matthewperkins.net/facebook 🧡 Twitter: matthewperkins.net/twitter 🧡 Instagram: matthewperkins.net/instagram 🧡 Reddit: matthewperkins.net/reddit ✏ Blog: matthewperkins.net/blog 📧 For marketing/business/sponsorship inquiries, email: [e-mail]

[@lashwrithe01]

My wife can't tell the difference between any of the dice. She just knows she HATES the d4.

[@heyitsMattyP]

@@lashwrithe01 Remember the simpler days when every dice was a cube? Cubes all the way down, like it should be.

[@lashwrithe01]

@@heyitsMattyP YAHTZEE!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Yahtzee.

[@anthonydegiusti8090]

Is the western style Fandlynn Map by Gaston on your Patreon?

[@benvoliothefirst]

I've DM'd Goblin Arrows many, many times as a training exercise for new players. My latest group was torn as to whether to follow the goblin trail or move the horses and push the cart on to Phandalin. They worried if they left the cart it would get pillaged. Their solution was to write "CURSED" in horse blood on every inch of the surface of the cart in every language they knew. I'm so excited for them to haul it back to Phandalin!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Horse blood!? Oh man, that's actually brutal!

[@jenoneonone]

How did this turn out?

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@jenoneonone The townsfolk were understandably wary of the cart once the sun rose, but by then so much else had happened that it was a non-issue, lol

[@jenoneonone]

@@benvoliothefirst Haha thanks for the update!

[@nevermoore4545]

I love this that they’re smart enough to do this to ward of goblins but not smart enough to know it’s gonna be horrifying for the towns people

[@BobWorldBuilder]

Including a section with RP tips is a great idea! Great presentation, Matt :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Cheers Bob!

[@reinpogo4601]

Just ran the hideout with my group of 6. I had them level up after the ambush and buffed the encounters in the hideout. The druid wildshaped into a spider and started exploring the cave, relaying the location of everything, unfortunately for her she rolled a nat1 on stealth and some Gobbos spotted the spider and attempted target practice on the spider in the ceiling. I had the Gobbo roll at disadvantage since he was aiming at fast spoder but he got a nat20 and a nat18 so he sniped the spoder reverting the druid back to herself, alone, in the deepest part of the hideout (by the pools). She entered combat by herself, Klarg got allerted and joined the fight, but miraculusly, the Gobbos missed 5 attacks in a row, so she managed to wildshape into a falcon and fly the fuck out of there. I love D&D :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Scouting missions often end up being combat missions - classic D&D :)

[@raccoon3164]

It's been a long time but what happened next !?

[@reinpogo4601]

@@raccoon3164 A lot. We actually turned the campaign into Waterdeep: Dragonheist (An extended version with all villains from level 5 - 14) after they finished LMoP. We have played every other week for over two years and we have about 4-5 sessions remaining of it. One of the final boss battles today actually

[@kostaspaipatis2582]

Hey that's cool, hope everything turned out chaotic good! I actually had the same idea as you about leading into Waterdeep : Dragonheist just cause it sounds fucking cool, even though we just barely started Lost Mines. From one GM to another, any tips on how you segwayed from LMoP to Dragonheist would be super appreciated dude!@@reinpogo4601

[@nelsonml9]

Love the tutorial, but I disagree with cutting a lot out. This may be the first time for many players. The Traps for example, can be used to teach mechanics players may not think of on their own. Ex. Passive Perception to investigation to disarm trap. How to safely get free using team work, how to avoid a pit after sprung, looting a disarmed trap, luring enemies into trap etc.

[@butcher638butcher638]

That ending bow and foreshadowing section was awesome I'm stealing that for my own games going forward! I ran this a few years ago as my first time DMing and I wish I had seen these back then some great tweaks!!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh rad Butcher! It's a real handy trick to keep all the crucial information compartmentalized and stoke the players' interest for next session. Also it's super fun doing an over-the-top narrator thing :D If you're subscribed, keep an eye out for the rest of the series because I've just crossed the halfway point -- I'm writing about the Redbrands right now! Hopefully it's helpful if you decide to run Lost Mines again

[@butcher638butcher638]

Yeah keep it up man! enjoying the content! Found your channel when I was working out cool ways to run chase scenes and now im just binging your full catalogue in the background when doing prep

[@peanutbutterjellymeh]

I'm running my first campaign as a DM tomorrow and these videos have been suuuuper helpful. I saw this cave and was like ummm I'm not super confident they're gonna get through all of this hahaha. Great videos!!

[@SunFireMusicLove]

Prepping to DM LMOP for my friends right now! Can't say how much I appreciate having you as a resource

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh wow! I appreciate you inviting my ideas to your table :) Hope you and your mates have a rad time!

[@mariusk.3502]

Hi Matthew! Here is a recap of my first session of LMoP written by a party member. Most of us are not english native speakers but we play the module in english cause we got one party member from Portland. At a cold but sunny late summer morning the band of noobs started their adventure by escorting a cart to Phandalin as an assignment for Gundran Rockseeker, when Anton spotted some dead horses in the morning mist. As the band of noobs started to investigate the carcasses, they found an empty map case with Gundran's name on it. Soon they were attacked by three goblins, two of them almost immediatly lost their lives to Anton's and Pyroxenia's rage about this ambush, but the third one could be captured while he attempted to flee. Under the pressure of Funan's forceful Darth-Vader-style interrogation he told that Gundran and his componion were captured by goblins and brought to Klarg, a dubious mobster with an reputation for ambushes of all sorts. Strengthened by their successful first encounter, the band of noobs hid the cart in the bushes and made their way to the cave where Klarg and his entourage was hiding. The group managed to enter the cave unseen and met three very unhappy and mistreated goblins holding Gundrans companion Zilda hostage, but also willing to raise a mutiny against their oppressor Klarg. A deal was made - death of Klarg against the freedom of Zilda. They went to war against Klarg with Zilda at their side - a long and dangerous battle with almost everyone looking death in the face. Finally Klarg was defeated dying in the knowledge of his misbehaviour leaving a treasure of 600 copper, 120 silver, two healing potions and a mystic frog sculpture behind. Thankfully for the death of their bully the goblins gave them some prey of their ambushes and letting them spend a well-deserved and restful night in the cave.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks for sharing Marius! I like how the goblins let the party rest in the cave after they defeated Klarg :)

[@7jgraves7]

My party freed the wolves and then climbed the chimney. My bard then charmed Klarg and through a series of checks and saves got the VIP tour through the hideout and walked out with Slidar...

[@cordellrecording]

been a player for years and just recently decided to DM for a group of my friends that have always wanted to play. this has been SUUUPER helpful. thank you!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Glad to help! Bet your players loved it :)

[@Lirioperose]

Um. Omg. Yesterday I dmd my first game- I was feeling super stressed about it and have been spending weeks looking at different videos and reading up how to run it and just how to do the whole terrifying dm thing. Yesterday morning as a last minute desperate attempt to figure out all out I searched goblin arrows on KZbin and found your series on lmop. Holy crapballs you saved my game! I was totally overthinking everything and just having you talk about it all so simply and the ideas for swapping things up and removing stuff was such a frigging relief! I actually had fun and I think the players did too!!! Thank you sooooooo much, I can't wait to watch all the whole series and continue the adventure!!!!!!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@steveblackford5838]

This series is great, some awesome ideas. Really appreciate the effort!

[@Chump_Bender]

Again, thanks so much for this! I just DM'd my 2nd ever proper session (1st was a bastardisation of Matt Colville's Delian Tomb) and it went really well (by that I mean nothing went to plan and I had to learn to improv very early on, but I think it went well!). The guys all loved it though and gave me awesome feedback, which made all my prep (of which there was way too much) worth it. The party chased the fleeing Gobbo from the ambush site (and had a cool chase scene thanks to your alternative chase rules) and interrogated him. All but 1 one the party felt sorry for him, as he was such a grunt of a Gobbo, he didn't have a name, so they named him Steef (was Steve, but when I asked them to spell it, this is what it turned into!). Steef led the party to the Cragmaw hideout and told them about Yeemik's desire to over-throw Klarg. After the Ranger tamed one of the wolves on the way in, Steef took the party directly to Yeemik's den. Yeekmik, not happy with Steef for bringing outsiders in,, shot and downed Steef, to the parties anguish. They then tried to bargain with Yeemik, but a bad persuasion roll led to a fight. Ranger went first targeting Yeemik and rolled a Nat 20 on his animal handling for the wolf, so I let the wolf give advantage AND attack for 1d4 +1 piercing damage with a bite and the Ranger also hit hard, so Yeemik was forced to call a truce super quick. He offered to let Sildar go, in exchange for Klarg's head. The party accepted this. Yeemik, now not wanting the burden of a Gobbo he believes to be insubordinate, let the party heal Steef and accompany them. They struggled in the Twin Pools fight, with the Rogue being downed twice and ending the fight stable, but unconscious. We ran out of time there, so the party, with no spells left, no healing pots, have dragged the Rogue's body under the bridge and are going to attempt to rest and recoup for the battle against Klarg. Not sure how happy Yeemik is going to be with this, as he is impatient, so I may have to let out a cry or some noise that Steef knows signifies a sacrifice has begun in Yeemik's den (e.g. they are about to eat Sildar) and then the party will have to go deal with that first. I can give them a level up after that to lvl 2 and then they can go and try and beat Klarg, his Worg, 2 hidden Gobos, but with a pretty strong party of 4 PC's, Steef, a wolf (yet un-named) and an injured Sildar! I have said that after each session, the players vote the MVP and that person gets inspiration at the beginning of the next session and I've also used an alternative inspiration spending system (lots of cool options to choose from), so they can at least get buffed a little from that, even if they don't manage to get a full rest in, so with that and hitting lvl 2, they should hopefully be well equipped to defeat Klarg! 1 month between sessions to plan the next one! Wish me luck!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Very well done! Glad it's going well :)

[@stephaniesheen6405]

Our party also decided to interrogate a goblin, I wish I had thought of the interrogated goblin giving info on Yeemik's schemes! Great idea!

[@deejayskullkid3558]

so many great ideas in this series! running my first campaign as a DM and this has helped me a lot and gave me many ideas of my own. one of my players is a female drow sorcerer who is deathly afraid of spiders (also summons a spider randomly when casting spells) and ik she'll be freaking out when i bring up the black spider earlier than usual, cant wait for her to find out the black spider is also a female drow, i might even make her the reason she got cursed in the first place 🤔

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh nice! Quick question: the CHARACTER is scared of spiders, not the PLAYER, right? Because if your player is scared of spiders, you should replace the Black Spider with the Black Caterpillar or something haha

[@deejayskullkid3558]

@@heyitsMattyP no its the character haha and hopefully she overcomes that fear before fighting her lol

[@michaelzavaleta3389]

Gotta say my dude, loving this series of videos. Soooooo much useful info and the format that you use to break it up and extract the "Point" of each part of the adventure can be used for literally any published adventure. Keep up the hard work mang!!!

[@cmdraridaw8658]

Hi Matt, just wanted to thank you so much for these videos, I ran my first ever session as a DM last night and used several of your tips and they really gave me confidence and the whole thing went over so well! In particular the players loved the little prologue before starting the adventure. Really useful for a brand new DM! Thank you!

[@TRosstafarian]

Absolutely love the little epilogue scenes idea, such great flavour

[@608midshipcool]

Matthew, you're amazing. I love your videos and have been utilizing your tips. I am the patron, "Santi Clous." My party has deep ties with Gundyr(we renamed him because Gundren was hard to remember and we're all Dark Souls fans), the human fighter, Will, was helped out of poverty by him and the Tiefling, Azura, is his adopted daughter. We also had a third player who wanted to play a Goblin Pugilist(strength based monk homebrew class) named Fi'Sticuffs. So what I did was had Fi be a goblin who was conquered by the Cragmaw tribe a long ways ago and instead of being killed like the rest, he blended in and joined the Cragmaws. When the ambush rolled around, Fi turned on the fellow ambushers and helped Will and Azura. He then proceeded to lead the party to the hideout. Fi never actually went into the hideout as he was always instructed to stay outside and keep guard while he was with the tribe(shitty reason but I wanted to keep the layout a secret). My party was seen by the goblin in the bridge(we kept him) and he ran and told Yeemik about the party and Fi's betrayl. Will, the fighter, had this wondrous idea to use an Elk head(a memento from his background) to put on like a helmet and intimidate the goblins while he screamed "THE ELK GOD HAS COME BACK!" With a successful natural 20 on an intimidation check, all but Yeemik were frightened of him as long as he kept the elk head on(he had disadvantage on all attacks due to poorly cut eye holes.) They then proceeded to clean-up shop with Azura casting command on Yeemik to drop Sildar while she moved under him to catch him. What a fucking session. We unfortunately didn't make it to Klarg yet but I'll keep you posted! ^^

[@christophp6947]

You feed me with ideas and therefore I'll feed the algorithm. Big thank you for making this series.

[@JOSHONYX]

You got me hooked at the end with your cut away. Now I definitely want to play in your game

[@DrHeals]

That ending tale you told, made me excited to see what was going to happen in Phandelin! Well done good sir!

[@medcolumbus]

BTW, I can't say enough about how much I like/appreciate the chapters! Every time I have a question I go to the chapter I need. ...I watch these videos a LOT 🙂

[@heyitsMattyP]

Yeah it's a great feature! I'm a big fan. For some reason it stopped working in my browser, but I'm glad it's displaying properly for other people.

[@tylerhoward6295]

First time DM here. Love this series! I've been using a lot of your ideas as well as a few of my own and my players love it. Figured you might appreciate a quick story from our run through Cragmaw Hideout: One of my players calmed the wolves in the kennel with Animal Handling and the group explored the chimney on the other side. One of my dumber fighter players climbed up the chimney and saw Klarg sitting in his office. He decided that right then, with his head peeking out of the chimney, was the best time to strike up a casual conversation with Klarg. Klarg, obviously alarmed by the intruders, later ended up fighting them in the twin pools room, which led to some really interesting combat theatrics. Our wizard ran distraction and used minor illusion to distract Klarg while the Rogue hid behind one of the larger stalactites in the room. Klarg landed a critical hit on our fighter and dropped him to 0 HP, but the Rogue answered with a nat 20 sneak attack of his own, decapitating a weakened Klarg. I'm so excited for Yeemick to rise to power in Cragmaw Castle, and to potentially being back the tamed wolves in a street fight with the Redbrands in Phandalin! Thank you so much for all of the great content.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Woof! Love that clutch crit after the fighter drops. Thanks for sharing! My last group had a different no-name goblin they ended up convincing to believe in himself and let him leave the Cragmaw Hideout,. He ended up becoming Job the Goblin King. They fought him as he rode an owlbear in the second-last session at the Cragmaw Castle.

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@heyitsMattyP "Job" like the loser in wrestling, or "Job" like the biblical figure? :)

[@M.to.the.L]

This was fantastic! I love the extra flavor and early rewards

[@sammyboi1983]

This series is excellent, thank you for making it!

[@heyitsMattyP]

You're very welcome! Thanks for the support :)

[@dustinwahlrab661]

Just really started DMing and I absolutely love the format of your videos. Keep up the amazing work my dude!

[@kevinguerrero4307]

My favorite thing about your videos is how quick you jump into the good stuff. Really helpful ideas to help struggling dms prioritize and organize scenes

[@bukse321]

This is great! I think it's the best guide on Lmop and I've seen many. Love the way you tweak stuff, for example how to make the hideout a one session lenght dungeon to keep a good pace. How you describe teasing Phandalin in the end was an amazing cliffhanger I definitely will use that in my own campaign. Keep up the good work! :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Agnar that's such a kind thing to say - thank you! If this series became the go-to guide for Lost Mines, I'd be stoked. I haven't seen the competition though, so I'll take you at your word and make sure the later episodes keep the standard high :)

[@toddpickens]

Exceptionally well thought out and delivered. Thank you.

[@mikeb4394]

Hey mate, I love this videos. Thank you - they are great for a complete newcomer like myself who is daunted by starting a campaign/ becoming a 1st time DM'er

[@kevindonville8185]

Matt, my dude... you are SO right. The Goblin Arrows is surprisingly lethal. Everyone thinks, "Oh, Goblins... they're not hard, right?" Wrong. They can, and often DO, kill 1st and 2nd level characters. And there are a LOT of them in this scene. And don't forget the Bugbear!

[@heyitsMattyP]

I've had to fudge a couple rolls in the first dungeon for sure! Especially if the Bugbear manages to get a surprise round

[@RolandKritz]

This video is so helpful - I've only ran these encounters once and it felt really long winded in parts, but would never have considered getting rid of the traps or making the wolves encounter less combat focussed. Really great stuff and entertaining to boot :)

[@deadrekoning5247]

Man. Super love how you break down missions and add/delete portions. Well done, super excited to run this! 👏

[@heyitsMattyP]

Mate! Glad you're keen - I love cutting content haha

[@XucTT]

Gotta say, I wish this was out 4 years ago when I ran LMoP for my players. Very helpful content, have been watching it over the past few days. Finally subscribed. Please keep up the good work and make the same style videos about other adventures, Wizards' or otherwise.

[@zacharyfriberg2057]

Loving these videos! When I get the chance to run Lost Mines again I will definitely be implementing a lot of these ideas :-)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Zach! That's rad - you gotta let me know how you go. All these changes have worked really well for me, and I'd encourage you to make even further changes if you reckon it would work for your group

[@zacharyfriberg2057]

@@heyitsMattyP Will do! I am currently running two different campaigns - both in homebrew settings - so it may be awhile! BTW - I loved your Wild Sheep Chase video and pulled it out for our group when we were missing some players and I could tell we just needed a fun one-shot to break up the intensity of the campaign - we all had a blast :-D Thank you for the content you are creating for the community!

[@morbidmike]

Running this tonight for the first time excited!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Mike! How'd the session go?

[@sweetsartcorner]

Thank you so much for this series! I think for my campaign, I'm gonna turn the little teasers at the end of the session into prophetic dreams for our Paladin? I did something similiar in the previous campaign and the players got really hyped about it.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

I love the point you made about asking the players how their character is feeling. I have tried to present spots where the characters could talk to each other and waste some time. This might be a good way to do it.

[@julianharris88]

Well done on the useful information, high quality presentation and editing, useful time stamps and positive vibes 👏Have found this very handy!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thank you! I love getting feedback like this on the older videos, because the content has only gotten better since then 💪💪💪

[@voultbioy6247]

Awesome video dude! I was feeling really anxious about running this campaign, but you really made it simple and easier!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks - that's the goal! I don't think I'm saying anything revolutionary, but sometimes it's handy to see these big buckets of information rephrased, makes it easier to parse.

[@voultbioy6247]

@@heyitsMattyP Well I run the session today from 10:00 to 14:00 and it went amazing, way better than I had anticipated. Once I realised that, I'm the dm, that I don't need to run the module excactly as it is, that I can make changes, it was a piece of cake. I am now watching your "How to run Phandalin" video and I'm going to make good use of it as well, thanks again!

[@arsenyprokhorenko8649]

Thanks, great approach to structuring the material and nice humor! ⚔️

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thank you :)

[@JasonCoulston]

This content and series is absolutely ace. Best in class. Many thanks.

[@agnel1320]

Thank you, this gives me hope and some confidence for this first session

[@heyitsMattyP]

Excellent! Hope it's gone well for ya :)

[@chuckawood]

Hey Matt! Just finished this video and your first on LMoP. I’m about to start DMing for the first time for my nephew and a couple of his friends. They’re excited to play and I’m excited to DM. These videos have been great! I was feeling nervous about running and now I am utterly inspired. Thank you for your work and your approach to describing the scenes and options for modifications. Can’t wait to watch more :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Mate, you legend! You're gonna have a blast - kids are natural roleplayers. Thanks very much for your kind words :)

[@KenKthulhu]

Wow. This is really good. Our players are about to enter the cave. Perfect timing. I like your npc breakdown... what they know etc. Good! I like your style and presentation. Really makes for an informative and engaging video. Thanks Oi oi oi

[@Raphaelus13]

I wish I had seen this before running it. Fully agree with all the removals.

[@kayasarangelo9663]

Your content is amazing- I kind of want more vids for different modules, or even your own modules!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thank you! I'm starting my series about Storm King's Thunder next week :)

[@chickane5586]

Defo the best DM's guide on YT for the starter set!

[@wells235]

Please never stop making videos. This was so helpful for me.

[@heyitsMattyP]

More to come! One day I hope to have most of my content be in-depth guides like these

[@MrShooter72]

Brilliant, good stuff!

[@jamiemcf1847]

Awesome stuff! Been looking forward to this video for a week now. I just finished my session zero. The players got to create their own prologue for how they got the magic box. Then the session ended with a collective dream the night before setting out for Phandalin, where a dark figure (the black spider) realized the box had slipped from his grasp. Very excited to run session 1 with most of these recommendations soon!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Jamie that's awesome! Super stoked this video series is chugging along at the same pace as your game :) What was the prologue your party concocted?

[@jamiemcf1847]

@@heyitsMattyP Long wall of text incoming: Following your advice from the first video, each character had a connection to Gundren. He called them together and explained that he had been tracking down this artifact that contains a magical secret to unlocking "an important opportunity." Recently he learned that it would be up for auction by a woman with no clue what it really was. Gundren sent the party to the auction with twice the gold they would need, but were outbid nonetheless by a bored nobleman. The wizard's familiar and the Ranger kept eyes on the nobleman. Meanwhile, the rest scrambled to create a replica box, utilizing the fighter's proficiency in Jeweler's Tools to affix the large emerald (which they paid for with the money left to them by Gundren). The wizard then magically sealed it in a manner similar to the original (I made the box be sealed so that I didn't have to deal with them eventually opening it). At night, the Rogue went sneaky-sneak to swap the boxes while the nobleman, who looked less ornate than before, slept at his campsite. (Rightfully, the players wondered why a rich guy would camp out instead of buying lodging.) The party returned safely to Neverwinter with the box and instructions to deliver the wagon to Barthen's Provisions in Phandalin where they would meet up with Gundren. BUT that night they all had a dream of the nobleman walking through a cave with the box. As the nobleman went deeper, his features melted until he was a feature-less mass of black muscle and skin. The creature presented the box to a figure obscured by shadow (the Black Spider), who magically unlocked the box, then screamed in rage as the party's remaining gold pieces tumbled out. TLDR; The party lost an auction, so they made a replica box and swapped it with the real thing. The man with the fake ended up being the doppelganger, whose master was enraged at having been conned.

[@heyitsMattyP]

That's rad! Well done :) What class do you think your Gundren is?

[@jamiemcf1847]

​@@heyitsMattyP I haven't thought much about that. Off the top of my head, probably a fighter. He's the one who trained our fighter in the ways of the warhammer.

[@chrismcfadden599]

I'm about to start running my first ever game with the starter set and I'm a bit nervous. I'm over-analyzing and I love that you keep pointing out things that I noticed after my first read-through of the book. I'm going to be sure to watch as many of these videos as I can!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Cheers Chris! The general consensus I've gotten from people about this videos is something like, "Even if I don't agree with every suggestion, the videos kept me calm about running D&D." I'd recommend banging out the whole lot of videos before acting on my advice, because I there are some bits of information I forgot to front-load and it all makes better sense in context. You're gonna love LMOP! It's great :)

[@freighttrainusa]

Thanks for this series. About to DM my first game and watching these has been great help.

[@abpho207]

I love your coverage on this module. Keep it up.

[@justinwallace5145]

Thanks for this I'm running this campaign and you are really helping me create a better picture. I've been running games since 3E and this is my first premade.

[@justinwallace5145]

The first time I ran the Klarg encounter I had a small trap created. The fire pit is built on a metal shield that covers a hole in the ground large enough for Klarg to crawl in from a vantage point away from the door. If he is warned he will climb under the fire pit and wait for the party to walk close enough and get a surprise round where he explodes out from under the pit wielding the red hot shield showering the room with embers, and utilizing his bugbear sneak attack damage ability.

[@gerakx]

I am planning on running my youngest daughter and a few sidekicks through this very soon. We are both so very excited! Thank you so much for making this video series helping to break down the key moments and give new DM's pointers for these adventures. The module isn't always so clear cut as you explain things to be. I appreciate your work with all of your module guides. I can't wait to pour through them and get to adventuring!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Eric! Happy to help! Hope your campaign goes well :)

[@paulkingsley8582]

About to start Dming for the family for the first time, your videos and Patreon have been amazing help

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks Paul! I'm gonna work hard to keep making useful content for you :)

[@netniuqc]

Really digging this series! Keep up the good work!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks, will do!

[@scotthackney4747]

Thanks for making this Matthew! I'm gonna run this adventure for a group of complete noobies next week, this video and the first of the series have been super helpful, I'm gonna have a hard time not watching the rest of your videos on this module.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh rad! Please let me know how the session goes Scott. I'd totally recommend binging the series before your first session -- it should give you a complete image of the adventure's ecosystem and how everything is connected :)

[@Tomsaulk]

I'm getting ready to dm this adventure after a hiatus of, oh, hmm 40 years (Advanced Ediltion)? I've watched a number of other videos covering this adventure, and while some are quite good, man, yours are the best. I love your ideas, and personality. I do see how these would take a lot of work. Good luck man! I'll be looking for more from you

[@Aemery17]

So Good!!! Thank for for this!

[@pflegerich]

Hey there, I found your guide while preparing this as my first D&D campaign. I've always only played The Dark Eye, coming from Germany, so this is my first toe-dipping here - Thanks for the invaluable resources! My players (First time PnP-players, my Wife and 3 kids, 12-15) have deceived Yeemik into thinking they're supposed to get the hostage for King Grol, which he didn't really buy, but he struck a deal with them to dispose of Klarg. Then they deceived Klarg into believing them as well. Unfortunately, he went with them to Yeemik, to get the hostage, so he was pissed to see Klarg alive. Klarg knew, Yeemik was up to no good, so the boss fight of this cave was Klarg and the Players against Yeemik an his cronies. Not quite as I had planned, but funny nonetheless. They nearly managed to talk themselves out of everything, really good for first time players.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh wow! They smooth-talked their way into an impossible situation haha :) Well done! Also: since you're from Germany, you may like this free combat cheat sheet my community translated into Deutsch - www.patreon.com/posts/5e-combat-cheat-37395490

[@trevorwilson2042]

Late to the party, but I just wanted to share my appreciation for this video. I'm a relatively new DM and this guide has helped me to find that right balance between a pre-written campaign and homebrew. My players are loving the experience and I know its because the story is compelling and they feel a part of it. Plus the pre-written stuff (and these videos) make prep minimal.

[@LoneWolffanwriter]

Great video series! Your little jokes about the players and the game show-esque music with "What's the point of ?" got a laugh out of me. More importantly, these are super helpful for a new DM like me. Thank you!!

[@Domina7ion]

This is funny and informative. Wish I'd had this before I started running it. I'd come to some similar conclusions but yours is way better.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks Dom! Maybe you can run it a second time? :D

[@KonohagakureYondaime]

second video i enjoy bro! starting my DM experience shortly and using this to help me. Thanks very much my dude. Have added a few more things ontop of your suggestions as well :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Excellent! Glad you're making it your own

[@TheBinger033]

When I started the campaign, I hadn’t come across your videos until the party was at the Cragmaw hideout, so I wasn’t able to start the group with the puzzle box at the beginning. I set it up so that the sentry goblin on the drawbridge post was not paying attention, as he was sitting down in the middle of the bridge fiddling with this unassuming wooden box, trying to open it. When the party crossed the bridge, they surprised the goblin and took the box. It’s been so great to integrate this as the cornerstone to the campaign!

[@TabletopFignatics]

Picked up this mod to introduce my boys to they game. I havent since 3.5 and never really dm'ed before. Thanks for the review and all the RP ideas along the breakdown! Great work!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Cheers Michael! Hope you and your boys have a great time :)

[@mycalwalker7554]

I cannot tell you how much I enjoy your style. There are a large number of great content creators teaching this adventure, but I love your approach. I am a new DM and I feel you have given me the tools to run this module the way the author intended, while leaving me the flexibility to maximize my players' enjoyment. I am planning on running my first session one on one with my girlfriends Rouge and her Wizard sidekick tongiht! Thanks for all your hard work.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh wow, thanks! My gameplay style hasn't changed since making these videos, but my video and presentation style has changed quite a bit as I've gotten more practice. I'm about to dip back into LMOP content this month though, so hopefully the new videos are helpful too!

[@Das0s]

Wow Matthew, been a little while since I caught one of your vids and the production value has skyrocketed, so good man!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Welcome back! The production value has gone way up with the benefit of more free time in the covid lockdown and better gear from Patreon support :) I'm so glad you noticed the improvement!

[@jacobborg9594]

Hey Matt, A lot of good ideas here. I'm a big fan of the way you tease the next session. I'm going to give it a go in a session I'm running at the end of the week. I'll let you know how it turns out ! Keep up the great content :)

[@heyitsMattyP]

Cheers mate! Hope it went well :)

[@tiffanye.8585]

I was having problems with the hideout and your ideas are perfect! My players will absolutely love them!

[@heyitsMattyP]

The puzzle box is a macguffin I added into the campaign as an excuse to introduce the villain early. This video is the second video in the series - I think I talk about the puzzlebox in the first video.

[@tiffanye.8585]

@@heyitsMattyP ahh, yeah i listened a little more and realized that! This is my first time DM’ing and I just thought I missed some big thing! I am really enjoying your videos though!!

[@solortiz3242]

thanks for the video, it was super helpful!

[@jonthrift4848]

Great video Matthew. Loved it.😊

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks so much!

[@jaygee7508]

My party went STRAIGHT TO KLARG! Really threw me off. lol.

[@ChrisGardinerBill]

Fabulous as usual!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh you!

[@brendangable]

Great series man, gonna make sure to like every vid

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thank you!

[@Fystikia1987]

Good advice all around and with a great sense of humour. I can't stres enough what you said about Room 6. Five goblins and Yeemik are far too many for four 1st lvl characters if you want to run this dungeon without the group having to stop for a long rest and drag the whole session down.

[@ianseaweed]

I play a lot of board games with my now teenage daughters, they mainly go for worker placement Euro-games like Agricola. We were researching what game to get this Christmas and with nothing grabbing us they asked ‘What did you mostly play when you were our age’…. ‘D&D’ said I. Golly they got excited once I’d explained it a bit. So 45 years since I last painted up a mini here I am. I’m certainly going to play the wolves as potential pets and cut out most of the traps. Really liking your ideas, having a ‘cipher’ treasure box that they’ll really want to solve- that’s genius. Also going for a rogue widowed wife Bugbear somewhere in the plot later on…. I’m actually getting a tad excited.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Sounds great Ian! I do love those euro games though haha

[@nataschamalta4366]

I love the idea of playing Klarg as an evil Seth Rogen 😂 Great series on how to run this module. I used your session 0 tips last night, and my players loved the addition of the puzzle box! They decided it was going to be like the puzzle box in Hellraiser, which was great because I love when the players add their own ideas into the mix and make the thing their own.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Nice one! You'll be happy to know Hellraiser is EXACTLY what I was imagining when I first used the puzzle box in my game

[@brucedao2360]

Hey great content! I wanted some nice changes to the campaign and you delivered!

[@Cragun.]

I like to throw in an intro adventure before Goblin Ambush ... Sacrifice of Innocence is a great one. I have the players leave Neverwinter with Gundren, Sildar and one of Gundren's bros. They travel together a couple of days and get to know the group, then they part ways at the beginning of the Sacrifice of Innocence scene saying they'll catch up. That way when they get to the dead horse (and dying brother!) they have built a relationship and really want to save Sildar and Gundren. The dying brother is also my first spot to give a fun magic item to one of the party -- a family heirloom or something, like a bag of holding or something like that.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh nice! I've got something in the works for a prologue quest too :) It's all written, but I'm still commissioning art

[@amberpdavis]

This adaptation of the encounter was so helpful, we just ran it today - the encounters were balanced and all my players had a blast, and I had so much fun running it. Thanks for all your work and advice, it’s been a huge help for this first time DM!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Happy to help! Cheers Amber!

[@jameslynch5701]

Dude, you have helped me soooooo much!

[@zigbaghtv1202]

After playing LmoP a year ago i am now dming it and ...damn... this helps so much , thanks ^^

[@ThriftySteve]

Great ideas here!

[@panatzu_gaming]

Really cool ideas the best were sooo happy that they were able to tame a wolf 😁🎉 your changes make so much fun... And also your cliffhanger at the end of each session make my player and especially me so happy when they get to hear them 😍

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh rad - thank you! Yeah I love doing little cutaway scenes at the end of sessions. I can't always justify doing a cutaway, but I try!

[@jackfranciswest3778]

Literally incredible

[@heyitsMattyP]

Cheers Jack! I'd recommend blitzing the whole series before running the adventure :)

[@kennethmc2601]

I took your advice and had the wolves be fearful and I made it clear they were malnourished and it worked out really well. The party set them free. One of the wolves stopped to smell the wizards hand, and then ran off. Later, when they would long rest they would hear something stalking them in the bushes. My plan was to have the wolf join later or show up to save the day. Well we had another buddy want to join us, so now we have a lycanthrope in the party, and only he and I know it.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Oh great! I'm always happy to hear the party choosing to save animals :)

[@connormaglis1858]

Watching this has genuinely changed how I view story telling! Awesome video man, love the whole series

[@heyitsMattyP]

Glad to help :)

[@stevenfrazer9423]

I have my very first session of goblin ambush, at the start I linked everyone's backstory to the plot hook, I also gave each player a buff as they are level 1 and I know how grueling this module can get. Excited to run session 2 and I love this video, lays out more information 👍

[@heyitsMattyP]

Good idea! There are only five real danger areas balance-wise - the first goblin encounter, the encounter with Yeemik if the players are still level 1, the zombie encounter with the necromancer, the stirges in WEC, and the green dragon. Everything else hits OK :)

[@benvoliothefirst]

I've got six players and they absolutely STEAMROLLED the whole hideout and the battle with Klarg, but haven't gotten to the Yeemik room yet. I'm thinking about adding a hobgoblin attempting to make a deal with Yeemik. Only by teaming up can the hobs and gobs defeat the Bugbears. But the hobs plan to subjugate the goblins when the bugbears are out of the way, and vice versa. Only the players can tip the balance...

[@heyitsMattyP]

I like in this situation the goblins don't know the players have already defeated Klarg. "We need to team up to defeat Klarg!" "Yeah about that..."

[@jenniferbauer3905]

oh my gosh. OH MY GOSH. oh my gosh. Thank you Matthew, thank you for making these! This is the first video of yours I've seen! I'm trying to put together this campaign as a noob DM and DANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG. Thankfully none of our crew have ever played DnD so they won't notice when I use every single suggestion here. THANK YOU

[@heyitsMattyP]

Glad to help :) Hope it's going well!

[@mybassisbatman]

I discovered your videos 2 sessions into LMoP…and have been binging and craving the next session ever since! I’m excited to alter some of the pre-written info now that you’ve given “permission” to go rogue. Haha. My first session was a doozy, I misunderstood the “charm” spell and let the players take a Goblin friend who through a series of. AMAZING persuasion checks, became their friend. This goblin (Jeff) was later instated as the new leader of Cragmaw cavern as a thanks for his help in battle. Session 2, one of the players insisted on buying a goat, and because the image is so funny, I am allowing the goat to be large enough/the dwarf to be small enough that they ride the goat in battle. Hahahaha

[@ddaquisitionsincompetent3577]

My first LToP goblin cave experience as DM: 1) The players surprise, kill, then revive one of the goblin sentries, roll Nat 20 and he joins their side. He is called Dugg. 2) Nat 20 animal handling check on wolves. The party now has wolves… 3) The Cleric (using the chr sheet that CAME WITH THE BOOK) rolls Nat 20 on a Guiding Bolt and 1 hit kills Klarg the bugbear leader. 4) After rescuing Sildar and being warned by Dugg that more goblins are on the way back to the cave (I needed more enemies at this point…), the party Home Alones the cave. 5) The one goblin that escaped to tell the tail of their victory is felled by a trap the party set rolling yet another Nat 20. I gave them my dice.

[@heyitsMattyP]

Hah! You've got a swat team on your hands

[@medcolumbus]

My players would pay cash money for those dice!

[@tippytess]

Legend mate, big help for new DMs (me).

[@shadowstrider190]

Subscribed here! I'm enjoying this so far!

[@coryschlichting3517]

Mr. Perkins, I presume? Hey Matt, just wanted to thank you SO much for this series of vids you've created on the LMoP! I've never DM'd before, but am very excited to do so for my buds. So I've been searching on "how to's" and stumbled across your channel. Let me tell you, you've got another subscriber, my dude! These vids are well done and I am excited to make similar changes to this starter set, to make my first time DM'ing a sure success!

[@heyitsMattyP]

Thanks mate! You'll have a blast :) It's a great module

[@russellmudget4503]

Dope videos. Commenting for algorithms

[@WillVogt]

Running this adventure the second time with a new group and have found your videos awesome! I tell my players that the d8 is 2 Pyramids butt to butt....