Teaching New dungeons and dragons Players

Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons can be really big and complicated. New players can be easily overwhelmed with all the rules and weird terminology. 

If you want your friends or family to role-play with you, it is important to be patient and supportive while teaching new players to learn your game.

Keep the rules simple.
Don't overwhelm new people with too many rules.

Only teach the race and class the player is using from only the main rule book. Don't let them try to create some weirdly complicated character from a 3rd party rule book. Keep it simple. let them learn the basics first.

 Focus their learning on what is personal to the student. Attacks. abilities, and spells, that are specific to their character.

Make sure they know what dice to roll and how to find information on their character sheet.

Let new players base their characters off of a famous or recognizable character. This way they can think "What would Legolas do? How would john wick do this?" 

Using a famous character will give new players a framework or guideline to follow instead of being overwhelmed with infinite character possibilities.

Create a supportive environment.
Make sure players feel free to do whatever they want. Let them tell you (the DM) what they want to do and you can tell them what checks or rolls they will need to do.

Don't let them be afraid of not knowing the rules. Let them know that it is okay to make mistakes.

Be open and accepting. Don't condescend or make fun of players who don't know what to do.

Allow new players to make mistakes. Do not judge or criticize a noob mistake. Being critical or judgmental automatically kills the learning process.

The more you criticize, the more new players will not want to play. Nobody wants to be judged or bullied when they are trying to learn something new. If this is happening, new players will be disengaged and they won't ever want to to play again.

Hopefully most issues and play styles were previously agreed upon during session zero or through established house rules. However something can always become an issue no matter how many rules and expectations you establish.

 Don't assume the worst in people or new players.

Wheatons Law: Don't be a dick.
Don't make assumptions about people or their actions without talking to them first. 

Nothing is worse than that person who complains, criticizes, or starts ranting without knowing what is going on. Do not be that guy. 

Players and dungeon masters will like you a lot better if you aren't complaining. 

If you aren't following this law, the problem could be you.


Be Welcoming
A lot of players are new to the game, so don't assume that people know everything. Most tabletop RPGs are big and complicated and it can be overwhelming for new players. 

Be welcoming, supportive, and inclusive. A group game doesn't work unless you are actively part of the group. If a new player doesn't feel welcome, they aren't going to want to play at all.


Ask questions before you criticize. 
If you come into a situation where you don't know what is going on or you see something that you don't like, talk first, ask questions first, before making assumptions and yelling at your friends. 

This is especially important if you are the Game Master. Listen first before making game altering judgments.

Before you criticize, ask questions and learn about what the other person is thinking. This is a lot more constructive than blindly attacking or judging.

"Are you Okay?" Is the best thing to say if you don't know what else to ask. Always listen first and acknowledge what they say.

After that, the communication can become more specific. "I asked if you we're okay because it seems like you are refusing to wait for your turn when I'm trying to tell the story." 

Or, "I asked if you are okay because it seems like you aren't listening to the other players."

 Or, "It seems like you are trying to take the attention away from other players."

If the player in question doesn't respond well, you'll most likely need to talk, and listen to them, privately outside of the game and away from the table.

Review your house rules and expectations before the game starts.

Remember that every dungeon masters play style is different. Every group has different players and a different group dynamic. No two games are ever the same. So don't expect assumptions or behavior to be exactly the same either. 

Make sure all players who come and go from your table know your house rules and the consequences for their actions.

This might feel harsh at first, but you'll know it's worth it when there are a lot less arguments about how to calculate critical hit damage. 

Behavior expectations should be common knowledge.... Things like waiting for your turn. Or rules like don't be a cheater. It is important to talk about this stuff instead of assuming that everyone knows how to behave.

These games are supposed to be fun. The more supportive and relaxed environment you create, the more fun everyone at the table will have.