So, you want to know how to play DND so well it’s like you’ve playing for years, huh? Well, I want to show you how! In this article, I will explain how you can make a character, prepare for different types of experiences, and build your own character to fit a specific role.
I’ll also show you the best ways to play D&D, conserve your time, and give you some tricks of the trade to make life a little easier on you. The added benefit is that it will seem like you’ve been playing for years. You’ll want to let your DM (your Dungeon Master) know you’re new.
At the end of the night, D&D is all about having fun and exploring the unknown. With that in mind, I give you my quick guide to playing DND so you can experience that joy in an easier fashion. With the right Dungeon Master, D&D is epic in so many ways.
- How to Make a DND Character
- How to Prepare for Your D&D Experience
- Building Your Character’s Background
- Playing D&D Like a Tabletop Veteran from the 1980s
- 12 Tips to Be a D&D Veteran Even if You’re New
- 1 – Read the Player’s Handbook
- 2 – Learn About DM’s World
- 3 – Live With Bad Dice Rolls
- 4 – Be the Type of Player Your D&D Group Wants
- 5 – Play The Character You Want To Play
- 6 – Don’t Be Afraid To Promote Your Character
- 7 – Make Your Game More Fun
- 8 – Don’t Worry About Your Character’s Stats
- 9 – Always Ask Questions
- 10 – Get the Most Out of Your Game
- 11 – You Don’t Have To Know Everything
- 12 – Have Fun
- Playing Dungeons & Dragons: Closing Thought
How to Make a DND Character
Rolling up your first character can be overwhelming and confusing, but also a lot of fun. Your DM will walk you through choosing a race and class then rolling up your stats. There’s a lot of choices for characters these days, so think about what type of character you want to play. If you have questions, ask your Dungeon Master as you’re rolling up your character.
There’s no wrong answers, but if you decide to be an elf, then you should practice with that. You’ll want to choose a race with an archetype to make your life easier – especially if this is a new experience. If you want to be a fighter, then great! If you want to be an elf ranger, you’ll need to know what that means. Again, ask your Dungeon Master or look it up in the Player’s Manual.
Choosing a race is a pretty fun experience. In the beginning, there were only a few races, but people wanted more. There’s dozens of new races to choose from. There’s a plethora of new classes, too, and it can be overwhelming for new players. A good Dungeon Master might limit your choices as a new player to make it easier on you. Don’t be upset by this. They’re doing you a favor!
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Start with what character class you want to play. Then, choose a race that compliments that character class. For example, if you want to be a fighter or a barbarian, choose a dwarf or a half-orc. If you want to be a cleric or a paladin, choose a dwarf, or half-elf or a human.
In fact, the three oldest races – dwarf, elf, and human – make the best classes for new players to choose from. A dwarf is great for a fighter, cleric, or paladin. The fighters are going to be easiest for new players, just like a dwarf if for a D&D race.
How to Prepare for Your D&D Experience
This is a more esoteric way of looking at your D&D experience. First, you want to remember that it’s a role-playing game. You want to fully embody your character and make choices with them. If you want to say something, then say it with that character. (In most cases!)
Nobody likes the person who stays in their character ALL THE TIME – especially when calling out for Mountain Dew from the kitchen. (That’s an old D&D joke that will make you seem like a veteran who’s been playing for years. Look it up as it’s a classic DND meme that gets good response.)
The next thing to remember is that D&D is about teamwork. It’s about working together to keep the party strong and defeat whatever creature your DM scares you with. You don’t have to agree with all the other players in your group, but you do have to work together.
Use the DM’s instructions to make the game easier on everyone – especially when your D&D group is new at the game. If you’re all idiots, then don’t expect the DM to be a god. Be creative, and have fun, but don’t try the DM’s patience. This means knowing the rules.
If you’re new and don’t understand the rules, then ask questions. You don’t want to be the weakest link in the party because you didn’t know a simple rule. The Player’s Manual isn’t a super long book, and it’s full of a lot of great content about playing D&D.
You might also look at the various Dungeons and Dragons board games available these days to dip your toes into the water, so to speak. There’s a lot of great D&D board games that simplify the rules while still giving you a good gaming experience – sometimes even with a character sheet!
Building Your Character’s Background
Coming up with a DND backstory for your character is optional, especially if you’re new. If you want to be the son of an elven king living in an underground kingdom, then you will need to ask the DM. The basic idea is to stay as close to “normal” as possible – i.e. you’re not secretly a vampire dragon.
In all seriousness, you’ll want to ask your DM if it’s okay to build a DND character with a background you have in mind. Make sure it fits into the world and stays benign for the rest of your group. For example, a reptilian humanoid race that lives in the desert with a cleric/dragonborn might not be okay in the average D&D world.
Roleplaying is where the fun of D&D happens. But, if you want to experience the game in the best way possible, then you’ll have to work on your character. If you want to be god’s gift to DND, then you’ll need to build a character who will succeed.
Be a person who is smart, tough, and willing to back up their friends. If you’re a wizard who is weak and won’t back up the party, then you might as well be a doorstop. You’re here to play DND, not make the DM mad. (Okay, you’re here to make the Dungeon Master a little mad!)
Put time into your character, and you’ll be rewarded with a much more rewarding game. If you’re just looking to kill some time, then you probably won’t enjoy DND. It is a game about friends, imagination, and working together to achieve goals. Be nice to your DM, and the rest of the players, and you’ll have a much better time.
Playing D&D Like a Tabletop Veteran from the 1980s
So, you wanna play DND like a pro? Well, I’m here to show you how this is done. I want to clarify that you don’t need to memorize every rule and know every statistic that exists. That would be impossible. (It would take months to do this.)
However, as someone who has played D&D for decades, I’ve got some tips and tricks that will take you to the next level. Again, you don’t have to follow all of these examples, but they will help you to “jive” at the table with your DM and the party.
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12 Tips to Be a D&D Veteran Even if You’re New
Here’s my list of tips to play Dungeons & Dragons like you’ve been playing for years. Dungeons & Dragons is a lot of fun, and taking this tips to heart will help you have an even better experience with your tabletop roleplaying game.
1 – Read the Player’s Handbook
This is a pretty basic tip, but it’s important. You’ll need to read the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Manual to learn the mechanics of making a character, rolling dice, and building NPCs. This will take some time, but it’s worth it.
2 – Learn About DM’s World
Whether you’re playing in Greyhawk or a Dungeon Master’s private world he’s been building for 42 years, learn a little about the DND lore before you start adventuring. Ask questions, and be a good member of the party. (Game master will appreciate this…)
3 – Live With Bad Dice Rolls
If you roll badly for your character’s background, just roll with it. A warrior with a bartender’s background is still a warrior – that’s all that matters. Roleplaying is the best way to really bring your character to life and interact with the world.
4 – Be the Type of Player Your D&D Group Wants
As I mentioned above, your D&D game is just as much for the DM as it is for you. He’s sitting up late at night making the adventure, and he wants your game to be fun for everyone. If you’re always complaining and never taking a risk, then the DM will start to lose interest in your character. Wizards of the Coast has made D&D fifth edition fun, so take advantage of that fact.
You are a “player” integral to this game. You’re also a “character” in the world. Mix them together, and you have a perfect experience. Think about what you want to do as a character, then the DM will help guide you. This is a cooperative experience – and the best way to go about it is to be a good sport. Play the way that Wizards of the Coast made it possible to play.
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5 – Play The Character You Want To Play
If you play the character you want to play, you’ll have more fun and do a better job. Even if the party needs a rogue specialist, if you want to play a fighter who charges into battle, you should do it. Multiclassing is something to think about too, but it’s hard if you’re new. (Still, it’ll make you seem like a veteran gamer who has tried every roleplaying game at least once, including MERPs!)
6 – Don’t Be Afraid To Promote Your Character
If you don’t think you’re important, take a step back and ask yourself why. It’s weird because sometimes people in games don’t seem to know how important they are and they relay this to their D&D character.
You’ve got a unique voice and a unique way of looking at the world. Be proud of who you play. Be proud of who you are. It will bring your character to life and make the role-playing experience better for everyone involved.
7 – Make Your Game More Fun
This is all about the group dynamics: if you want to play a game with a group of friends, then you should do something to make sure that the table stays fun. It’s odd how sometimes you get involved with negative people and you can talk yourself into a bad game
. It’s not worth it. If your friends are in a bad mood, then you need to do something positive to improve the mood – and your game. Dungeons and Dragons is all about having fun, so do your part to make it a pleasant experience for everyone involved.
8 – Don’t Worry About Your Character’s Stats
A huge part of D&D is having fun. If your character has a low charisma, then roll with it. Don’t push for better numbers… it’s lame. Instead, focus your energy on creating a memorable and fun character. Maybe their bad charisma is because they’re always shy and they have a lisp!
On a semi-related note, you should keep your character sheet up to date at all times. Your character sheet is crucial when playing Dungeons and Dragons, and you want to make sure you have all the correct information filled out. It’s a fantasy world, but you need your character sheet!
9 – Always Ask Questions
People go to every table of RPGs with different levels of experience. If you’ve never played D&D before, then you should always ask questions about what’s going on. If you want to play Dungeons & Dragons, ask the right questions at the right time.
Don’t wait for the game to start, either. Wait for the right time and don’t ask too many questions in one session (no one wants to be the game police), but always ask questions to the DM when you play Dungeons & Dragons.
10 – Get the Most Out of Your Game
In D&D, you’re trying to build your character, grow as a player, and have fun. If your character dies, then he’s been useful. If your character lives, he’s been useful. It doesn’t matter if you fail the mission or the quest; it only matters that you tried and had fun along the way.
Embrace risk. Embrace the unexpected. Embrace growth. Realize that your character’s fate isn’t yours alone. When playing a tabletop RPG like Dungeons and Dragons, it’s important to know what you want to get out of the experience before you go into it.
11 – You Don’t Have To Know Everything
This is a big one. You have to have the skill to improvise. If you don’t know a specific rule, you can ask or look it up yourself before the game session. If you don’t know what you’re doing, then you can ask the DM or other party members for tips on how to handle a specific situation.
12 – Have Fun
This is the most important thing to do: have fun! If you really have fun, you’ll be invited back to play again and again. If you have fun, people will want to play with you. Your game is only as good as you make it. Pay attention to your Dungeons and Dragons character creation!
Playing Dungeons & Dragons: Closing Thought
D&D is all about friends. It’s about coming together to explore a world filled with things you’ve never seen before. It’s about combat, exploration, mischief, and plenty of good old-fashioned RPG fun! (Thanks, Wizards of the Coast!)
If you want to play D&D like a pro, you have to really get into character and be the kind of player everyone wants to play with. Otherwise, you’re going to have a bad time. Be the type of D&D player you’d like to play with yourself.
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I’ve played D&D for a long time, and I still love the game. My friends and I enjoy sitting down every week to play a fun, exciting new adventure. The most important thing is to have fun, and that’s true of every game. Put your heart into it, and you’ll be an awesome DND player.
