What Can New D&D Players Expect?

"So, you want to be an adventurer, eh?" The grizzled old man smiles behind his bushy red beard. "I think I can help you with that!"

Welcome to the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D for short! If you're new to this exciting game then sit down, get comfortable, and let us guide you through what you can expect when you join a D&D game with Bristol Adventurers' Guild.

D&D is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game (TTRPG for short) in which you will play the role of a mighty hero as you complete quests and go on adventures. Think of it as interactive storytelling between a group of people. Games are usually set in fantasy style worlds, similar to things like Lord of the Rings, but games can take place in any setting you can imagine.

Games are facilitated by one of our experienced Dungeon Masters (DM for short, or you might also see GM which is short for Games Master, this is the same thing) who will set the scene for you and bring to life all of the monsters that you fight, and all of the other characters that you will meet.

So, what actually happens in a session, and how do you play?

Your very first session with us, often called Session Zero because it doesn't form part of the plot of the game's story, will be a one-to-one session with just you and the DM. In this session you will create your character together. So you might find it helpful to think about what type of character you would like to play beforehand. Do you want to use lots of magic spells? Or would you prefer to wield a mighty weapon like a greatsword or axe? Your DM will explain the different options to you and help you pick if you're not sure.

After you have created your character, your DM will lead you through a very short introductory scenario which will introduce you to how to play D&D.

D&D is a storytelling game of imagination, where you will pretend to be your character and describe what they say and do in response to the scenarios that the DM is describing. You can do this in two ways, and it's okay to switch between them whenever you like. You could pretend to be your character, like acting, and so you could say things like "I walk over and inspect the chest, and I look for any sign of traps". Or you can describe what your character does as if you are watching them, so you might say things like "Ulfric walks over to the bartender and he asks her if she knows of anyone who is looking to hire some adventurers".

Sometimes the DM will ask you to roll a 20 sided dice (D20), this usually happens when skill or luck could influence the outcome of what you want to do. Your character will have a list of skills and abilities, and each one will have a modifier which is added to or subtracted from the number that you roll on the dice. Here's an example to help you understand: you tell the DM that you want to leap over a table, so the DM asks you to make an Acrobatics check. You roll the dice and get a 13, and your Acrobatics modifier is +2, so your total is 15. You tell the DM your total, and the DM will then tell you whether or not you successfully managed to leap over the table.

At the end of your Session Zero you will have your character, and you will understand the basics of how to play, then you will be ready to join a group.

Our groups consist of 2-4 young people, all of a similar age, who will play together in weekly sessions of 1 hour long. Your weekly slot won't change, so you'll always know where your D&D session fits into your routine.

Together you will embark on an epic adventure in which you will defeat monsters, explore strange places, find treasure, rescue strangers, and more!

We hope this blog post has helped you understand what to expect when you start playing D&D with Bristol Adventurers' Guild. If you have any questions at all, or if anything is still unclear, please do leave a comment and we'll be happy to answer.

And if you’re ready to jump in and give it a go, drop us an email to hello@bristoladventurersguild.co.uk to find out more about joining a D&D group, or having one-to-one D&D sessions.