How to Run the D&D Starter Set: Dragon's Rest

[@jaytyler6203]

Hey Ryan, I agree that Myla is important, I had her as a more guide around the cloister but not give up too much info. Also I had Runara's reason for not leaving Dragon's Rest as her connection to the Temple keeps an aura of good that repels the lesser (zombies, etc) away from the cloister, so she can't leave the immediate area.

[@RdotDoyle]

Oh nice, two good ideas

[@JNJTabletop]

Hello there! Thanks for the shoutout!! You give outstanding tips here too! We love how deeply you can tie things together by having Mek and Minn be active parts of the community when things start out 🙂

[@nnickplays9713]

I like running Runara as a old warrior dragon and a dragon-slayer herself. That her years of killing dragons using dragon-killing weapons has taken its toll on her and her body is weak, so much so her body works on gritty realism mode. After all this, shes grown weary of the cycle of violence, killing, and has vowed to never take a other life. And also she killed Sparkrender's father back in the day and the young bronze dragon is infact Runara's son. Runara seeing them fight makes her feel that her kid will end up like her bathed in blood

[@RdotDoyle]

That's actually pretty cool, it turns him into the rebellious teenager type and adds another level of drama (and/or comedy) to the whole thing

[@lise5302]

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice! I will be DMing for the first time next week and you mentioned so many useful things to do and make the start easier☺️

[@prestonlintzenich1923]

Howdy! I’ve ran this module once but I came here to see another take on it and in my play through ( also my first time ever dming) I did exactly what you suggested for the kobalds treating them as a unit. so pretty proud of myself for doing that on the fly lol I played them as a bunch of annoying toddlers and myla as the big sis/ mother figure and I played the siblings so annoyingly that my characters tried to sneak around dragon rest just to avoid these little rascals. Turned out very helpful not having to keep track of them all talking due to not getting the chance lol

[@RdotDoyle]

Hey hey! Glad you got something out of this but also happy to hear you're trusting your instincts in the moment, that's awesome

[@majoraborne403]

Surprised no one does it how I always learned it. Rose-Something you liked. Thorn- Something you didn’t care for or at least want to watch out and approach differently the next time. Bud- Something you are looking forward to in the future. Makes a sandwich good/bad/good format that tends to work a bit better than ending on the sour note. Also watch out for people who use bud to do basically a restatement of thorn…it’s the worst, “I loved the role play, but the combat could use alot of work to run smoother. I’m looking forward to the DM running smoother combat!” Puts pressure on the person twice. Trust me, when you tell someone they did bad at something…they won’t forget😅

[@jaytyler6203]

I also peppered in what I call a healing plaster, bandage that does 1d4 +1 healing that a kobold could give a player or have it as treasure if party takes damage exploring, still leaving Seagrove Caves important.

[@RdotDoyle]

Make that three good ideas, thanks for sharing!

[@UFOCrochet]

A Court of Thrones and Roses is crazy popular maybe keeping the name Rose and Thornes will appeal to people

[@pxturtle4297]

Where can I find that free pdf for the random encounters?

[@RdotDoyle]

On the DMs Guild, link in the description

[@culturalproduct]

Wow listening to this series I feel like I totally just missed half the story.

[@RdotDoyle]

Yeah there's a few aspects I highlight here because I feel like they kind of get buried

[@tylerdurden7965]

looking through the book for the first time, i noticed it doesn't really help new DM's at all as far as role play guidance and directing what the NPC's have to say. It would of been nice if the book had a few handful of text for the important NPC's to help guide the narrative and conversations that might come up, so that new DM's like myself aren't just freeballing it trying to scramble and think of what to say. The book just tells you who the NPC's are and what quests they have, but leaves ALL the role playing for you to figure out on your own. for a new DM thats pretty intimidating... this video at least offers some idea's on what to say and how to interact.

[@tylerdurden7965]

Also, i noticed you said here the fighter and paladin story quests could use a little help. but you didnt really offer anything for the rouge. The rouge is also quite weak and needs some work... they are bascially suppose to find Tarak and locate his treasure. Once they find Tarak they learn there is no treasure and Tarak says "stop being a rouge" and thats it? thats pretty terrible lol

[@RdotDoyle]

Heard chef. I think the best way to roleplay the NPCs is to react to the player characters. The PCs are the heroes and driving the action, the NPCs are supporting cast. In the moment knowing what they are like and what they want informs how they react in the moment. As far as the rogue not rogueing, I'd make it more about criminality vs heroism than sneaking and backstabbing

[@timeprotector4320]

I dont understand should the players know that Runara is a dragon ? Because in their backstories some of coming to meet Runara so should I tell them a fake name to disguise the fact this helpful human is actually Runara

[@timeprotector4320]

You also speak of this comet I dont see this in the book ?

[@RdotDoyle]

It’s potentially very cool to have a player armed with a secret going into it. It’s also not a huge deal if they all know right away, you lose the reveal but it’s not a game changer

[@RdotDoyle]

Yeah the comet only gets a mention at the end in the description of the ceremony and I think that’s a real missed opportunity for a key plot point that can create a sense of urgency