Can I just say that in a world and hobby that can sometimes be a little toxic and hostile I really appreciate how you're a consistent beam of sunshine, positivity and wholesomeness.
The fact that I could play D&D completely free was a huge part of what got me into the hobby as a broke college student. We need more DMs aware of this!
I’ve been running games for my daughter, niece, nephew and a couple of other kids rotating in and out for over a year now. We’ve used a more rules light system but have now decided to take the plunge into D&D. Your last couple videos have helped me feel more confident in how to run D&D and this adventure might be the perfect starting point. Thank you.
The advice around being direct with odd player questions is, in my opinion, some of the best d&d advice you've ever given. It's something that's so important for new dungeon masters and was really important for me when I was first learning. The players and the DM are collaborating on a story, so we as dungeon masters need to understand what our players want to do so we can make sure they're able to do those things in the coolest and most satisfying ways possible.
Letting the dice decide for you is one of the pillars if Solo role-playing! Solo oracles are just GM tools, when you get down to it. And the whole "Yes and/ No, but" can be further expanded into: "Yes, Yes and, Yes but, No, No and, No but" and roll a d6 for your result. This is the most basic solo process: ask the oracle a Yes Or No question, then roll for your answer (for more abstract answers, you roll on a couple random word tables and put the two words together and interpret them into the context of the scene) Glad you're teaching processes like these, because it'll help people have less hurdles to jump if/when they check out Solo for themselves, for whatever reason brought them to Solo (for me it was to play out my characters of campaigns that fizzled out when I was invested in the character and didn't want to abandon them)
10:14 I would tell them that they all hear something, then roll for how much their characters can discern from it. Players will know anyway, and characters would follow the sound anyway, whether they discern a "baby dragon" or not. Either that or not rolling at all. I usually take rolls as "know more", because hearing/seeing/smelling is always possible for anyone, but discerning details is what sets you apart.
...I got to play through this adventure as a Lizardfolk... He was the first to stick his snout into the bushes with the hatchling. Guess who became the hatchling's mommy all of a sudden? Yup, the big, scaly barbarian... 😅 He made a quite decent mom, with the actual mother's approval...
Totally agree. I know the Coastal Mages may not want to create/support two different iterations at once, but when you see all the talk and products dedicated to simplifying entry to the hobby, they should really consider a pared down experience. Really great design by Shawn Merwin and his team on Perils in Pinebrook.
Wild to see how much you've grown as a DM and creator. I remember watching your first series through the 2014 starter, it had tons of great advice (at the time!) for people just starting out. Thanks for doing what you do.
I really appreciate that! Making these last two videos have really felt great returning to "beginner" stuff. Excited to do the same for other starter sets in the future :)
you mentioned your other basics videos weren't doing as well as expected. I think I know why. I think you have two sets of fans: those who consume everything you make (like me!) and those who are interested in specific things you do who are already familiar with the basics. Couple that with the dreaded "algorithm", and your videos aren't reaching enough of the user base you're trying to reach (boo TH-cam!). As a patron of yours, I'm all for the basics videos: I know you like doing them, and you should do what you love! Plus, if I ever need to direct new users to a resource, your videos can be a reference! I can add them to the toolbox with JoCat's guides 🙂
Yeah it's completely fine and fair that many viewers are beyond the basics. I'm enjoying revisiting this stuff, but if there's one thing consistent about my channel, is that it has a new theme like every 6-12 months lol Glad you're also enjoying these videos! :)
For the roll to notice the baby dragon, I think a much better roll would be to notice something weird before an obvious thing happens. For example, maybe the baby dragon scares some boars that charge towards the party. If someone notices the boars, they can warn everyone else or stop them in some way. Then, after the boars are gone, the NPC can remark about how something in the forest must have spooked them.
Another simple, straightforward & genuinely useful vid, Bob! As anyone who has been a viewer of yours can attest, you are always about all RPG's of all types being easy to learn/lifetime to master...ensuring the goal of the game is the most fun for all players.
@@BobWorldBuilder I got those customizable blank d6, and I made one that says No and, No, No but, Yes but, Yes, Yes and. I love it. You should make and sell those. :)
@@rickarizpe8661Strongly agree. I think it’s a good way to teach variation in outcomes without over complicating the mechanics. Maybe you could produce and sell them? If you have the bandwidth and the time (I know that’s not a given for most of us).
Thanks for covering this! It’s a rare product that’s actually designed to guide brand new DMs from start to finish. The first group perception check is a training roll designed to teach players and the DM how DCs work. In actual play, everyone is going to ask stuff like, “wait, which one do I roll? Oh that rolls really far! What do I add? What did you get? Am I supposed to meet 10 or do I need 11?” That first group check is going to take so long, and players will be so focused on the dice and character sheets, that any dramatic tension would be out the window.
I love simple rule-sets too. I ran a campaign with a simple rule-set and my group rebelled and "fired" me after 4 sessions. I and my group have been playing DnD since about 1977. They just couldn't handle me not using hexes (we use hexes rather than squares), not worrying about distance other than "adjacent", "near", "far", "out of range". They couldn't handle me saying, "go ahead, show me where you want to move..." And when they said "I want to do this" and I said "OK." They said, "wait, don't I need to roll?" "No. You can do that." It freaked them out big-time. Sure, I'm a crusty old 60 year old dude too, but it's sort of a shame that my group has lost the whimsy and carefree approach to playing. I know, I pushed too many changes all at once. It definitely freaked them out. Oh well.
Great call outs with your suggestions. Hadn’t thunk of DC15 and encouraging creativity to get advantage. I teach players to attack the Target. But I’m an ICRPG fan.
Thanks! Yeah this approach of 15 (with or without ADV) is similar to ICRPG with how it picks one DC, then decides +/-3 for easier or harder. I also use DC 10 sometimes as like "okay this isn't so bad, so DC 10, but if you want to do it STEALTHILY, then DC 15." Where Stealthily could stand in for other additional effects like intimidating, etc.
Great vid, i love this as a starting adventure! Also sly flourish has trained me remind folks that darkvision doesnt let you see in darkness but full darkness is dim light so its disadvantage to perception and -5 to passive, idk where the idea of it being perfectly normal vision comes from but everyone ive ever played with thinks its that!
Maybe it's an interpretation, but creatures with darkvision can see in darkness as if it were dim light. Yeah there's a penalty to perception checks there, but it means that they CAN see in an environment where they otherwise shouldn't be able to see.
@@BobWorldBuilder yeah if seeing at all is a problem for your game i see why youd remove it! Just the thought of disadvantage makes most of my players reach for the torch
I printed this adventure when it came out, even printing it out takes awhile because of how large the file is. I keep it in a binder that's ready to drop on my table !
@BobWorldBuilder That would be a lot better, I think the common complaint from people who have reviewed it is that it's slow to load or just scroll through.
@@BobWorldBuilder I have players who get pleasure from surprising me and the group. They sometimes have magic items they don't mention to the party so they can pull them out at the perfect moment. Sometimes they ask specific questions so they can reveal their plan with a "ta-da" flourish. I wouldn't want to take that away from them, though I do worry a little about approving the parts without knowing if the whole plan is going to take the fun out of an encounter.
@@BobWorldBuilderyes please! I’ve tried for years with several groups to explain this concept. It’s much more fun to adjudicate character actions than to answer player questions not knowing what they’ll eventually want to do
12:10 Not to be a rules lawyer, but Dark Vision doesn't actually make it easy to see in the dark. Colors are indistinguishable and shapes are vague with boundaries fuzzy. They have disadvantage on all sight-based perception checks. Darkvision just means total darkness isn't pitch black for the specified distance. Dark vision would be like human vision in dim moonlight at night; you can make out general shapes and contours, but a danger lurking behind cover will be very difficult to detect, you might lose your footing more easily due to the ground being harder to see, etc.
I ran this with a small (12 students) behaviour support class at my primary school. It went really well and the class had fun working together through the adventure. It was after we had done both "Heroes of Hesiod" adventures. We then moved on to Dragons of Shipwreck Isle, but didn't finish that before the end of the year. Anyway for a class that was together due to behaviour problems, I had none during these gaming sessions. They came up with some wild ideas and a lot of fun was had.
I’m returning to D&D after more than 20 years away. Your videos have made me excited to introduce it to my boys. I was thinking of Stormwreck Isle, but this might be a little easier for an 8 and 4 year olds.
This is a good first step! Then Stormwreck Isle would be a good extension to the adventure. It'd be an easy hook if the mother silver dragon at the end of this one asks them to visit that island (it has a history with dragons). Or of course you can always make up an adventure based on what they're interested in!
I’ve been a long-time fan of your content and appreciate the value you bring to the D&D and roleplaying game community. Recently, I’ve noticed many of my favorite creators, including you, discussing the challenges posed by reduced ad revenue on TH-cam. This got me thinking about a potential solution that could benefit the community and its creators alike. What if the top 10-15 D&D and RPG content creators joined forces to create a shared TH-cam channel? This channel could feature exclusive content behind a paywall or membership program, where fans like me could access a variety of content from all of you in one place. Here’s how it might work: • Each creator contributes videos to the shared channel. • Revenue is shared based on either negotiated rates or metrics like view counts. • Membership perks (e.g., exclusive videos, Q&A sessions, or livestreams) could encourage fans to join. • Think of this a channel or station, just like the Discovery or History channel, each of you contributing a different show. By collaborating, you could pool your audiences, reduce competition between creators, and create a sustainable revenue model. Fans would likely welcome the chance to support multiple creators through one channel instead of having to choose. As a collective, you could also bring more influence on where this hobby goes. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this idea, and I hope it’s something you and others in the community might explore. Thank you for all you do, and I look forward to seeing where your content goes next! BTW, I am a supporter of numerous Patreons and Content Creators, but I’ve been tapped out. These individual $2 and $5 per month subscriptions add up. I'm also sending this message or similar one to some of my favorite D&D/RPG TH-camrs.
Running this one was fun!! I first heard it from you in a previous video (and printed it lol). I can say the group had a blast! They especially loved the dragon language bit for some reason! Made a few tweaks to the adventure of course, but comes with the territory of being a DM😉😇 very easy to run and good start to a campaign
They really get diamonds as treasure at the end of their very first adventure? That kind of thing would ruin the economy of a medieval world. The amount of treasure in D&D has been immersion breaking (for me) for 40 years. Good video, Bob.
Yeah it just saw "small diamonds" I believe, with no specified value. If I'm remembering that right, it's just up to the GM to decide their value. But this goes back to D&D's new rulebook stating "The Game Is Not An Economy" haha
Like BWB mentioned, D&D's engine is designed to be more of an abstract representation rather than gritty realism (i.e. Hit Points don't tell you where you got hit or the severity of the wound, and if you can continue fighting in that state; no, as long as you have 1HP, you can fight as competently as if you had full HP) The wonderful thing about this hobby, is that there is a system for almost every situation/player-type (and of there isn't one, more and more are being made so odd are you'll find something close to what you're looking for), and that includes realistic economy based games (I've been told GURPS could be good for that, but haven't played it so I wouldn't know)
As someone very new to TTRPG'S, D&D feels quite intimidating. Add in the OGL scandal and issues with WotC, I've so far avoided D&D, despite its popularity and presence in the gaming world. I immediately went and downloaded/printed this adventure after I finished your video! It was a simple and wonderful introduction to how D&D is played. Just what I needed, especially as a solo player brand new to TTRPG'S. I also adore the premise, returning a baby dragon to its mother/nest. I'm honestly not that big into the fighting/battling aspects, but this one made sense and resonated with me. Thank you so much for sharing this! I feel a LOT less intimidated by D&D and similar games now, with this simplified overview to help get me started. Still not sure how deep I'll delve into D&D specifically, but this is so helpful for me with my gaming journey.
If it is too slow (been there) you can make it lighter by "printing" it into a pdf in your computer instead of actually printing it (mind the trees 😢). The problem is the original pdf is designed with many layers with a lot of transparencies and it has not been rasterized. Printing into a pdf puts all layers into one and reduces the size of the file.
I'll be running this for my family over the holidays. We've played a number of RPGs together but never D&D, even though I've played it for years. The brevity of the adventure is perfect for a little diversion.
The two books you need to become a good GM IMHO (at least for 5e) are 1st Justin Alexander's So you want to be a Game master and 2nd, Keith Ammann's The monsters know what they're doing.
I'm a new DM, trying to get my gf siblings into it and I honestly don't know what to do much less teach them how to play it, but your videos have been helpful and I feel confident enough to run my first session. Let's hope they don't get too overwhelmed trying to figure out the mechanics.
I haven't! Haha I only realized he wrote this supplement when I was scripting this video. I might have been able to get a response in time, but I've been kinda behind schedule on videos for a while :P
Thanks, I love this adventure as an intro. The PDF is 117 Mb, which is much larger than it needs to be, and why it's slow, as you mentioned. FWIW I can see why this happened (I'm a font designer IRL) and tried to get in touch with WotC about it, but oh well. It's just bad conversion to PDF.
I'm actually in the midst of re-interpreting this free adventure as an epilogue to the Secret Level D&D episode. My daughter was mildly distressed as to the way the episode ended rather suddenly. After reading PiP, I saw the potential of changing and evolving the story to have more significance through the recovery of one of Bahamut's children. One gold dragon falls, another must be saved to rise.
hey Bob if the DM is gonna buy only one book for DMing what should it be ... or you could make a tier list of the best books for DMing thanks anyway for making this awsomw content
If you're just starting out and are going to buy one book, depending on past experience I'd say: A note book A story book (if you haven't immersed yourself in the genre much before). Rules are easily searched, most are free online!
Good idea! It really depends on what the DM wants the game to be like. My gut says just get the PHB, but if you're more into homebrew something like Knave 2e or Shadowdark is so much more useful, even if you're playing 5e. Like another comment said, so much of 5e official rules are free online (from D&D too! Not advocating piracy lol)
The 2024 DMG is actually an excellent book for onboarding DMs now. DMing is about much more than rules or story. The new DMG starts with guides to all the other skills you need to do the job well.
I just ran this one for three new players. It was a superfun time. But I gave them.the choice of more level 1 pregen characters as that gives more choice.
Thank you for this video. I have a question, what is your tapestry from behind your monitor? It looks like a female warrior in a dragon or Drake in an arctic environment of some sort. I was wondering if it was from an older TSR module. Thanks
Yeah it's a Dragon Magazine cover. Keith Parkinson "Northwatch" that I got on Redbubble (from his actual profile as far as I can tell, though Redbubble is known for not policing stolen artwork very well)
A lot of box text can be paraphrased for those who are both experienced or brand new. Advantage/Disadvantage can also be a simple -2/+2 for DC respectfully. I know this is old edition math, but it helps demonstrate creative thinking.
@@gbnilsson6212I recall seeing the video I think you're referring to, and the Creator mentioned it can really be anywhere between ±1 to ±5, depending on the situation at hand, so GM discretion is still needed for how big/small the bonus should be
Yeah, for some reason, the PDF is HUGE (file size) and that makes everything slow to load and read/scroll... "The normal one" "..because players will *always* attempt feasible actions not covered in the adventure." felt that one lol. "reward creative solutions with success" depending on the situation (or solution) -but reward creativity absolutely. If not success, then advantage... or a lower DC... Yeah, I know you said you don't bother adjusting DC, but advantage/disadvantage and DC adjustments both have their place. I'm definitely more in favor of advantage/disadvantage because it's easier to implement, but both tools have their niche.
One of my players has +15 in Arcana. It is physically impossible for them to fail that check. P. S. Does it make me a bad person that I use pirated D&D materials? Like from discord servers and Anyflip?
@@BobWorldBuilder trick to work around unnecessary large pdf files (w/colors and or transparencies) in terminal, use ghostscript to basically make to file grayscale: gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/default -dQUIET -dDetectDuplicateImages -sColorConversionStrategy=Gray -dProcessColorModel=/DeviceGray -dCompressFonts=true -r100 -o peril-in-pinebrook-bw.pdf '/downloads//Peril_in_Pinebrook.pdf' you can trim the file to around 4,2 MB. or if you want to go full frugal and only need the text/table information, try this simpler script: gs -o peril-in-pinebrook-noimg.pdf -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dFILTERIMAGE '/downloads//Peril_in_Pinebrook.pdf' to remove ALL the images from the document. And boom! it is only 654kb file now. Fast as lightning.
Players could be quieter to listen better. If a sound is transmitted through the ground, they might literally put their ears to the ground. If through a wall, they might use a tube of some sort (a rolled scroll?) sort of like a stethoscope or speaking trumpet. There ARE ways to listen "harder".
Dungeons & Dragons should just be that simple but the character's options are what they can make money with... Anyway, if they all fail their perception check, they fail to see the troll and TPK Nah... I'm just joking... Or am I ? 😈
It seems like you could use these rules to run Lost Mines of Phandelver or any other the other level 1 adventures to introduce the game to older players. Frankly, I wish I could transition my group of greybeards to stripped down rules like these. We waste so much time at the table clarifying the overly-complicated (for us) 5E rules.
I made a video about this PDF when it was released last year, but this one is less about the "news" about more like a guide for reading and running it :)
Lots of bad DM advice. - describing DnD as a "storytelling" game and the dungeon master as "lead storyteller" does a great disservice to the hobby. "Telling a story" implies there is a pre-written story; something that the DM will railroad players towards, robbing them of their agency. The unique feature of roleplaying games is character immersion, which is only possible when players have agency. The only stories to be told in RPGs are the ones you tell after the game. - prompting players with "what do you do?" trains your players to be passive and wait for permission to play. Instead, players, including the GM, should simply take turns describing what their characters do and say. - this version of rule 0 is bad. Rules have a purpose: objectively simulating the campaign world. The responsibility of a GM is not to ensure everyone has fun, it's to fairly and objectively interpret the rules and make rulings when the rules are unclear or don't cover a specific situation. Changing and adding to the rules should be for the purpose of ensuring the verisimilitude of the world, not something as arbitrary and subjective as fun.
You make some good points, and I agree with the sentiment behind them, tho saying things like they're "bad" comes off a bit confrontational(?). I would say 'unhelpful' would be more digestible to readers, and up the possibilities of people giving your comment a read 😊
So are many other RPGs, like Ironsworn, which the creator even put into Creative Commons. Basically, it doesn't have to be any specific system, there are tons of free ones out there, and lots that are so easy to learn, one can pick up and play the same session. This hobby is so accessible and expensive now (covering SO many different genres outside of Fantasy), that one needn't be restricted to just any one system, especially if Funds are an issue
I feel this. Fortunately this is a FREE pdf --don't even need a D&D Beyond account or anything. And one must remember that official D&D is THE doorway to ttrpgs for the vast majority of people. PS: next week's video is about how beginner DMs can benefit from trying Shadowdark :)
Yes! A new video by Bob. I love all videos by Bob World Builder! Will you be creating videos about your rpg: Delve. OMG @6:46 that is the best beginner DM tip (in my opinion). You and the players are working together, so they should not be trying to outsmart or hide info from you. I sure hope so. You do a great job of explaining & showing what you are talking about. I love it. In fact, I don't get why people on youtube just talk. Do they not understand youtube is a video platform? Therefore, they should show what they are talking about while talking about it. I do learn visually which is why it really bothers me when I go to youtube to learn something and the youtuber is just talking. I came to youtube to SEE how it is done not hear about it. If they are just going to talk, they should be creating podcasts. These are just my opinions, but they seem logical and make sense. Does anyone else feel this way? @10:05 again with a great beginner DM tip (in my opinion). Bob is right on top of it. Thanks Bob. Lastly, I can't wait for the new starter set. Not because new starter set but because I am sure Bob World Builder will do a video on it. Showing any pit falls and how to avoid them. The key there is showing. Keep building and sharing with us Bob!
💪 Support on Patreon! www.patreon.com/bobworldbuilder
Wow it’s free! I just joined!
@@Hot_Dice True haha, free is a relatively new feature from Patreon, but most of my Patreon posts are for the paid tiers that support the channel
@@BobWorldBuilder very cool, it’s nice to be able to put my foot in the door for free. Thanks for setting realistic expectations :)
Can I just say that in a world and hobby that can sometimes be a little toxic and hostile I really appreciate how you're a consistent beam of sunshine, positivity and wholesomeness.
I try, and I don't always succeed, but I try 😅 Thank you!
I completely agree with this! Bob is such a helpful angel!
The fact that I could play D&D completely free was a huge part of what got me into the hobby as a broke college student. We need more DMs aware of this!
Bingo!
I’ve been running games for my daughter, niece, nephew and a couple of other kids rotating in and out for over a year now. We’ve used a more rules light system but have now decided to take the plunge into D&D. Your last couple videos have helped me feel more confident in how to run D&D and this adventure might be the perfect starting point. Thank you.
That is wonderful to hear! :) D&D certainly provides more to chew on. Take what is fun, ignore what is not, and add your own!
The advice around being direct with odd player questions is, in my opinion, some of the best d&d advice you've ever given. It's something that's so important for new dungeon masters and was really important for me when I was first learning. The players and the DM are collaborating on a story, so we as dungeon masters need to understand what our players want to do so we can make sure they're able to do those things in the coolest and most satisfying ways possible.
Letting the dice decide for you is one of the pillars if Solo role-playing! Solo oracles are just GM tools, when you get down to it. And the whole "Yes and/ No, but" can be further expanded into: "Yes, Yes and, Yes but, No, No and, No but" and roll a d6 for your result.
This is the most basic solo process: ask the oracle a Yes Or No question, then roll for your answer (for more abstract answers, you roll on a couple random word tables and put the two words together and interpret them into the context of the scene)
Glad you're teaching processes like these, because it'll help people have less hurdles to jump if/when they check out Solo for themselves, for whatever reason brought them to Solo (for me it was to play out my characters of campaigns that fizzled out when I was invested in the character and didn't want to abandon them)
10:14
I would tell them that they all hear something, then roll for how much their characters can discern from it. Players will know anyway, and characters would follow the sound anyway, whether they discern a "baby dragon" or not.
Either that or not rolling at all. I usually take rolls as "know more", because hearing/seeing/smelling is always possible for anyone, but discerning details is what sets you apart.
I am running this adventure for my kid's group of 7 to 9-year-olds this Friday; very timely video, Bob!
Excellent! Hope they enjoy it :)
Please post back on how it went. I don't have this yet but am DMing my kids from 5 to 12 years old.
...I got to play through this adventure as a Lizardfolk...
He was the first to stick his snout into the bushes with the hatchling. Guess who became the hatchling's mommy all of a sudden? Yup, the big, scaly barbarian... 😅
He made a quite decent mom, with the actual mother's approval...
I really love the tiny character sheets in this adventure. I think it pairs the information down in a very nice way.
Totally agree. I know the Coastal Mages may not want to create/support two different iterations at once, but when you see all the talk and products dedicated to simplifying entry to the hobby, they should really consider a pared down experience. Really great design by Shawn Merwin and his team on Perils in Pinebrook.
I've run this adventure twice now... once for adults and once for kids. It's really fun!
Wild to see how much you've grown as a DM and creator. I remember watching your first series through the 2014 starter, it had tons of great advice (at the time!) for people just starting out. Thanks for doing what you do.
I really appreciate that! Making these last two videos have really felt great returning to "beginner" stuff. Excited to do the same for other starter sets in the future :)
you mentioned your other basics videos weren't doing as well as expected. I think I know why. I think you have two sets of fans: those who consume everything you make (like me!) and those who are interested in specific things you do who are already familiar with the basics. Couple that with the dreaded "algorithm", and your videos aren't reaching enough of the user base you're trying to reach (boo TH-cam!). As a patron of yours, I'm all for the basics videos: I know you like doing them, and you should do what you love! Plus, if I ever need to direct new users to a resource, your videos can be a reference! I can add them to the toolbox with JoCat's guides 🙂
Yeah it's completely fine and fair that many viewers are beyond the basics. I'm enjoying revisiting this stuff, but if there's one thing consistent about my channel, is that it has a new theme like every 6-12 months lol
Glad you're also enjoying these videos! :)
For the roll to notice the baby dragon, I think a much better roll would be to notice something weird before an obvious thing happens. For example, maybe the baby dragon scares some boars that charge towards the party. If someone notices the boars, they can warn everyone else or stop them in some way. Then, after the boars are gone, the NPC can remark about how something in the forest must have spooked them.
That's a cool idea!
Another simple, straightforward & genuinely useful vid, Bob!
As anyone who has been a viewer of yours can attest, you are always about all RPG's of all types being easy to learn/lifetime to master...ensuring the goal of the game is the most fun for all players.
Sometimes I stray haha, but simplicity is my goal! Thank you :)
@BobWorldBuilder you responding just made my day - Thanks!
Bob, you should make and sell dice with "Yes And" and "No But" on them.
Haha I was just thinking about this the other night xD I really love my yes/no dice, so it's certainly a product I could stand behind
@@BobWorldBuilder I also have a die with a bunch of basic math terms (in French for some reason) on the sides, which could be used to similar effect!
@@BobWorldBuilder I got those customizable blank d6, and I made one that says No and, No, No but, Yes but, Yes, Yes and. I love it. You should make and sell those. :)
@@rickarizpe8661Strongly agree. I think it’s a good way to teach variation in outcomes without over complicating the mechanics.
Maybe you could produce and sell them? If you have the bandwidth and the time (I know that’s not a given for most of us).
Thanks for covering this! It’s a rare product that’s actually designed to guide brand new DMs from start to finish.
The first group perception check is a training roll designed to teach players and the DM how DCs work. In actual play, everyone is going to ask stuff like, “wait, which one do I roll? Oh that rolls really far! What do I add? What did you get? Am I supposed to meet 10 or do I need 11?”
That first group check is going to take so long, and players will be so focused on the dice and character sheets, that any dramatic tension would be out the window.
Thank you for these videos that BUILD a community, attracting more people to the game. Keep building! 😉👍
This was great. I am a long time GM, but I really love games distilled to their simplest forms.
Same! Glad you liked it
I love simple rule-sets too. I ran a campaign with a simple rule-set and my group rebelled and "fired" me after 4 sessions. I and my group have been playing DnD since about 1977. They just couldn't handle me not using hexes (we use hexes rather than squares), not worrying about distance other than "adjacent", "near", "far", "out of range". They couldn't handle me saying, "go ahead, show me where you want to move..." And when they said "I want to do this" and I said "OK." They said, "wait, don't I need to roll?" "No. You can do that." It freaked them out big-time. Sure, I'm a crusty old 60 year old dude too, but it's sort of a shame that my group has lost the whimsy and carefree approach to playing.
I know, I pushed too many changes all at once. It definitely freaked them out. Oh well.
Hey, This is a great resource! I had no idea this has been sitting there online for a year. Thanks for the video.
It is! And yeah it really didn't get enough attention!
Great call outs with your suggestions. Hadn’t thunk of DC15 and encouraging creativity to get advantage. I teach players to attack the Target. But I’m an ICRPG fan.
Thanks! Yeah this approach of 15 (with or without ADV) is similar to ICRPG with how it picks one DC, then decides +/-3 for easier or harder. I also use DC 10 sometimes as like "okay this isn't so bad, so DC 10, but if you want to do it STEALTHILY, then DC 15." Where Stealthily could stand in for other additional effects like intimidating, etc.
Great vid, i love this as a starting adventure! Also sly flourish has trained me remind folks that darkvision doesnt let you see in darkness but full darkness is dim light so its disadvantage to perception and -5 to passive, idk where the idea of it being perfectly normal vision comes from but everyone ive ever played with thinks its that!
Maybe it's an interpretation, but creatures with darkvision can see in darkness as if it were dim light. Yeah there's a penalty to perception checks there, but it means that they CAN see in an environment where they otherwise shouldn't be able to see.
@@BobWorldBuilder yeah if seeing at all is a problem for your game i see why youd remove it! Just the thought of disadvantage makes most of my players reach for the torch
I printed this adventure when it came out, even printing it out takes awhile because of how large the file is.
I keep it in a binder that's ready to drop on my table !
Yeah I used a free PDF compressor to shrink it down but I wish they just made a printer-friendly version!
@BobWorldBuilder That would be a lot better, I think the common complaint from people who have reviewed it is that it's slow to load or just scroll through.
Great video Bob!
I ran it as a first time DM. My players loved it!!
That's great to hear! :)
You could make a whole video on Be Direct @6:48
I spend so much game time asking my players “tell me what you want to do”
Haha yeah that might be a good player-facing video...
@@BobWorldBuilder I have players who get pleasure from surprising me and the group. They sometimes have magic items they don't mention to the party so they can pull them out at the perfect moment. Sometimes they ask specific questions so they can reveal their plan with a "ta-da" flourish. I wouldn't want to take that away from them, though I do worry a little about approving the parts without knowing if the whole plan is going to take the fun out of an encounter.
@@BobWorldBuilderyes please! I’ve tried for years with several groups to explain this concept. It’s much more fun to adjudicate character actions than to answer player questions not knowing what they’ll eventually want to do
Glad this beginner adventure is getting some coverage. It's very underrated
I may run it with students. Looks like their thing!
Yeah it's really one of the most useful beginner resources published by D&D!
12:10 Not to be a rules lawyer, but Dark Vision doesn't actually make it easy to see in the dark. Colors are indistinguishable and shapes are vague with boundaries fuzzy. They have disadvantage on all sight-based perception checks. Darkvision just means total darkness isn't pitch black for the specified distance. Dark vision would be like human vision in dim moonlight at night; you can make out general shapes and contours, but a danger lurking behind cover will be very difficult to detect, you might lose your footing more easily due to the ground being harder to see, etc.
"Not to be a rules lawyer", proceeds to be a rules lawyer...
At most tables it gets played as seeing in the dark. The rule is so unclear and clunky to use that it gets ignored.
I look forward to using this to get some new players into the game using this.
And it’s Free?
That’s great value!
This can’t be a Hasbro product?
Yeah free, and a PDF that YOU can actually OWN! Extremely rare for D&D today haha
Nice vid Bob 👍🏻
Thanks!
I ran this with a small (12 students) behaviour support class at my primary school. It went really well and the class had fun working together through the adventure. It was after we had done both "Heroes of Hesiod" adventures. We then moved on to Dragons of Shipwreck Isle, but didn't finish that before the end of the year. Anyway for a class that was together due to behaviour problems, I had none during these gaming sessions. They came up with some wild ideas and a lot of fun was had.
I’m returning to D&D after more than 20 years away. Your videos have made me excited to introduce it to my boys. I was thinking of Stormwreck Isle, but this might be a little easier for an 8 and 4 year olds.
This is a good first step! Then Stormwreck Isle would be a good extension to the adventure. It'd be an easy hook if the mother silver dragon at the end of this one asks them to visit that island (it has a history with dragons). Or of course you can always make up an adventure based on what they're interested in!
I want to play so badly!
I welcome you to check out my previous video if you haven't already! It's like a sample mini adventure :)
Thanks Bob! I say “Yes and” a lot, given up on the idea everyone will live through my preconceived notions for what should be done.
I’ve been a long-time fan of your content and appreciate the value you bring to the D&D and roleplaying game community. Recently, I’ve noticed many of my favorite creators, including you, discussing the challenges posed by reduced ad revenue on TH-cam. This got me thinking about a potential solution that could benefit the community and its creators alike.
What if the top 10-15 D&D and RPG content creators joined forces to create a shared TH-cam channel? This channel could feature exclusive content behind a paywall or membership program, where fans like me could access a variety of content from all of you in one place.
Here’s how it might work:
• Each creator contributes videos to the shared channel.
• Revenue is shared based on either negotiated rates or metrics like view counts.
• Membership perks (e.g., exclusive videos, Q&A sessions, or livestreams) could encourage fans to join.
• Think of this a channel or station, just like the Discovery or History channel, each of you contributing a different show.
By collaborating, you could pool your audiences, reduce competition between creators, and create a sustainable revenue model. Fans would likely welcome the chance to support multiple creators through one channel instead of having to choose. As a collective, you could also bring more influence on where this hobby goes.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this idea, and I hope it’s something you and others in the community might explore.
Thank you for all you do, and I look forward to seeing where your content goes next!
BTW, I am a supporter of numerous Patreons and Content Creators, but I’ve been tapped out. These individual $2 and $5 per month subscriptions add up.
I'm also sending this message or similar one to some of my favorite D&D/RPG TH-camrs.
Running this one was fun!! I first heard it from you in a previous video (and printed it lol). I can say the group had a blast! They especially loved the dragon language bit for some reason! Made a few tweaks to the adventure of course, but comes with the territory of being a DM😉😇 very easy to run and good start to a campaign
I think Bob is awesome
🙏
Good edits
Thanks!
The PDF is slow to scroll because the file size is unnecessarily large.
Maybe "save as" with reduced file size can work?
I love ALL Bob World Builder videos!
Thank you very much! :)
13:14 that look after the funny voice is great 😂
Such a nice guy.
sounds like a great dventure, glad that you are doing "back to basics"
Glad you liked it! :)
They really get diamonds as treasure at the end of their very first adventure? That kind of thing would ruin the economy of a medieval world. The amount of treasure in D&D has been immersion breaking (for me) for 40 years. Good video, Bob.
Yeah it just saw "small diamonds" I believe, with no specified value. If I'm remembering that right, it's just up to the GM to decide their value. But this goes back to D&D's new rulebook stating "The Game Is Not An Economy" haha
Like BWB mentioned, D&D's engine is designed to be more of an abstract representation rather than gritty realism (i.e. Hit Points don't tell you where you got hit or the severity of the wound, and if you can continue fighting in that state; no, as long as you have 1HP, you can fight as competently as if you had full HP)
The wonderful thing about this hobby, is that there is a system for almost every situation/player-type (and of there isn't one, more and more are being made so odd are you'll find something close to what you're looking for), and that includes realistic economy based games (I've been told GURPS could be good for that, but haven't played it so I wouldn't know)
As someone very new to TTRPG'S, D&D feels quite intimidating. Add in the OGL scandal and issues with WotC, I've so far avoided D&D, despite its popularity and presence in the gaming world. I immediately went and downloaded/printed this adventure after I finished your video! It was a simple and wonderful introduction to how D&D is played. Just what I needed, especially as a solo player brand new to TTRPG'S. I also adore the premise, returning a baby dragon to its mother/nest. I'm honestly not that big into the fighting/battling aspects, but this one made sense and resonated with me. Thank you so much for sharing this! I feel a LOT less intimidated by D&D and similar games now, with this simplified overview to help get me started. Still not sure how deep I'll delve into D&D specifically, but this is so helpful for me with my gaming journey.
If it is too slow (been there) you can make it lighter by "printing" it into a pdf in your computer instead of actually printing it (mind the trees 😢). The problem is the original pdf is designed with many layers with a lot of transparencies and it has not been rasterized. Printing into a pdf puts all layers into one and reduces the size of the file.
When I ran it through some compression software, it came out as 30 mb. Which is still huge for this kind of pdf.
Yeah I compressed it a few times with some online tool. Still wish it was just a print friendly version! :P
I'll be running this for my family over the holidays. We've played a number of RPGs together but never D&D, even though I've played it for years. The brevity of the adventure is perfect for a little diversion.
That sounds great! Enjoy
The two books you need to become a good GM IMHO (at least for 5e) are 1st Justin Alexander's So you want to be a Game master and 2nd, Keith Ammann's The monsters know what they're doing.
I approve you alt cover 2024 handbook, I am collecting all 3 of them ;D
I'm a new DM, trying to get my gf siblings into it and I honestly don't know what to do much less teach them how to play it, but your videos have been helpful and I feel confident enough to run my first session. Let's hope they don't get too overwhelmed trying to figure out the mechanics.
I am going to run this with my 12 & 13 yo kids. Thank you.
Enjoy!
@BobWorldBuilder @9:45 did you ask Shawn why he designed it this way?
I haven't! Haha I only realized he wrote this supplement when I was scripting this video. I might have been able to get a response in time, but I've been kinda behind schedule on videos for a while :P
very cool
Thanks, I love this adventure as an intro. The PDF is 117 Mb, which is much larger than it needs to be, and why it's slow, as you mentioned. FWIW I can see why this happened (I'm a font designer IRL) and tried to get in touch with WotC about it, but oh well. It's just bad conversion to PDF.
Yeah it's kind of a shame it wasn't optimized in some way. Such potential here!
I'm actually in the midst of re-interpreting this free adventure as an epilogue to the Secret Level D&D episode. My daughter was mildly distressed as to the way the episode ended rather suddenly. After reading PiP, I saw the potential of changing and evolving the story to have more significance through the recovery of one of Bahamut's children. One gold dragon falls, another must be saved to rise.
hey Bob if the DM is gonna buy only one book for DMing what should it be ... or you could make a tier list of the best books for DMing thanks anyway for making this awsomw content
If you're just starting out and are going to buy one book, depending on past experience I'd say:
A note book
A story book (if you haven't immersed yourself in the genre much before).
Rules are easily searched, most are free online!
@davidjennings2179 but do you have something to recomend just for DMing
Good idea! It really depends on what the DM wants the game to be like. My gut says just get the PHB, but if you're more into homebrew something like Knave 2e or Shadowdark is so much more useful, even if you're playing 5e. Like another comment said, so much of 5e official rules are free online (from D&D too! Not advocating piracy lol)
The 2024 DMG is actually an excellent book for onboarding DMs now. DMing is about much more than rules or story. The new DMG starts with guides to all the other skills you need to do the job well.
I LOVE ALL Bob World Builder videos!
This was a wonderful video Bob!
Thanks very much! :)
I just ran this one for three new players. It was a superfun time. But I gave them.the choice of more level 1 pregen characters as that gives more choice.
Thank you for this video. I have a question, what is your tapestry from behind your monitor? It looks like a female warrior in a dragon or Drake in an arctic environment of some sort. I was wondering if it was from an older TSR module. Thanks
It’s the cover from dragon mag issue 137
That is cool ! How do you get it as a tapestry? I want one of those.
Yeah it's a Dragon Magazine cover. Keith Parkinson "Northwatch" that I got on Redbubble (from his actual profile as far as I can tell, though Redbubble is known for not policing stolen artwork very well)
Worked out for you. It is very cool art. Thank you for your time and replies.
A lot of box text can be paraphrased for those who are both experienced or brand new. Advantage/Disadvantage can also be a simple -2/+2 for DC respectfully. I know this is old edition math, but it helps demonstrate creative thinking.
True!
I believe it works out mathematically to be more like +5/-5 using advantage/disadvantage
@@gbnilsson6212I recall seeing the video I think you're referring to, and the Creator mentioned it can really be anywhere between ±1 to ±5, depending on the situation at hand, so GM discretion is still needed for how big/small the bonus should be
acrobat reader runs super slow on a lot of pdf's now, i switched to foxit and it works WAY better
D4 1= no 2= no…but 3= yes…and 4= yes.
Where’s the spot in your vids for a little ad for Delve? Let’s see some BWB self-shilling. We’re all rooting for you, dude.
Yeah I really need to get better at pushing my own stuff xD Just pinned a comment for my Patreon
@ fight the cringe of talking about yourself, when you do it your way it comes off just a genuine as you always do! =]
Yeah, for some reason, the PDF is HUGE (file size) and that makes everything slow to load and read/scroll...
"The normal one"
"..because players will *always* attempt feasible actions not covered in the adventure." felt that one lol.
"reward creative solutions with success" depending on the situation (or solution) -but reward creativity absolutely. If not success, then advantage... or a lower DC... Yeah, I know you said you don't bother adjusting DC, but advantage/disadvantage and DC adjustments both have their place. I'm definitely more in favor of advantage/disadvantage because it's easier to implement, but both tools have their niche.
Free Rules left the chat.
One of my players has +15 in Arcana. It is physically impossible for them to fail that check.
P. S. Does it make me a bad person that I use pirated D&D materials? Like from discord servers and Anyflip?
Cool, it sucks that WotC didn't translated It
I don't understand why a 22-page PDF is 111MB, it's unwieldy to use! WOTC should know better.
Yeah a print-friendly version would be great :P
@@BobWorldBuilder
trick to work around unnecessary large pdf files (w/colors and or transparencies)
in terminal, use ghostscript to basically make to file grayscale:
gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 -dPDFSETTINGS=/default -dQUIET -dDetectDuplicateImages -sColorConversionStrategy=Gray -dProcessColorModel=/DeviceGray -dCompressFonts=true -r100 -o peril-in-pinebrook-bw.pdf '/downloads//Peril_in_Pinebrook.pdf'
you can trim the file to around 4,2 MB.
or if you want to go full frugal and only need the text/table information, try this simpler script:
gs -o peril-in-pinebrook-noimg.pdf -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dFILTERIMAGE '/downloads//Peril_in_Pinebrook.pdf'
to remove ALL the images from the document. And boom! it is only 654kb file now. Fast as lightning.
is there a spanish language version of Peril?
I wish WotC would just "remaster" BECMI Set 1 and how they introduced the game to new players and DM.
Players could be quieter to listen better. If a sound is transmitted through the ground, they might literally put their ears to the ground. If through a wall, they might use a tube of some sort (a rolled scroll?) sort of like a stethoscope or speaking trumpet. There ARE ways to listen "harder".
Here is my two-word open letter to WOTC: Defense Class.
Genius! haha
They can’t. That acronym (DC) is already taken by dice check.
Dungeons & Dragons should just be that simple but the character's options are what they can make money with... Anyway, if they all fail their perception check, they fail to see the troll and TPK Nah... I'm just joking... Or am I ? 😈
This adventure is just way too infantile. We wouldn’t have touched it as teenagers.
Easy. Replace baby dragon with injured maiden for teenage boys
It seems like you could use these rules to run Lost Mines of Phandelver or any other the other level 1 adventures to introduce the game to older players. Frankly, I wish I could transition my group of greybeards to stripped down rules like these. We waste so much time at the table clarifying the overly-complicated (for us) 5E rules.
The adventure was designed with a middle school level in mind. Teens are able to handle a more complex starter adventure.
Thank you for not being a shadowdark simp.
10:30 very neat advice
Haha next week is about Shadowdark! It's great :)
@@BobWorldBuilder D'oh!
Am I crazy or this is a re upload?
I made a video about this PDF when it was released last year, but this one is less about the "news" about more like a guide for reading and running it :)
Lots of bad DM advice.
- describing DnD as a "storytelling" game and the dungeon master as "lead storyteller" does a great disservice to the hobby. "Telling a story" implies there is a pre-written story; something that the DM will railroad players towards, robbing them of their agency. The unique feature of roleplaying games is character immersion, which is only possible when players have agency. The only stories to be told in RPGs are the ones you tell after the game.
- prompting players with "what do you do?" trains your players to be passive and wait for permission to play. Instead, players, including the GM, should simply take turns describing what their characters do and say.
- this version of rule 0 is bad. Rules have a purpose: objectively simulating the campaign world. The responsibility of a GM is not to ensure everyone has fun, it's to fairly and objectively interpret the rules and make rulings when the rules are unclear or don't cover a specific situation. Changing and adding to the rules should be for the purpose of ensuring the verisimilitude of the world, not something as arbitrary and subjective as fun.
You make some good points, and I agree with the sentiment behind them, tho saying things like they're "bad" comes off a bit confrontational(?). I would say 'unhelpful' would be more digestible to readers, and up the possibilities of people giving your comment a read 😊
Why are you increasing verisimilitude? Is that because… you find that fun?
Uh oh.
You don’t need anything. Just play PF2e. All the rules are free. Stop wasting money.
So are many other RPGs, like Ironsworn, which the creator even put into Creative Commons.
Basically, it doesn't have to be any specific system, there are tons of free ones out there, and lots that are so easy to learn, one can pick up and play the same session. This hobby is so accessible and expensive now (covering SO many different genres outside of Fantasy), that one needn't be restricted to just any one system, especially if Funds are an issue
But nobody should! Reject wotc
I feel this. Fortunately this is a FREE pdf --don't even need a D&D Beyond account or anything. And one must remember that official D&D is THE doorway to ttrpgs for the vast majority of people. PS: next week's video is about how beginner DMs can benefit from trying Shadowdark :)
No more D&D for me, thanks
Yes! A new video by Bob. I love all videos by Bob World Builder!
Will you be creating videos about your rpg: Delve.
OMG @6:46 that is the best beginner DM tip (in my opinion). You and the players are working together, so they should not be trying to outsmart or hide info from you.
I sure hope so. You do a great job of explaining & showing what you are talking about. I love it.
In fact, I don't get why people on youtube just talk. Do they not understand youtube is a video platform? Therefore, they should show what they are talking about while talking about it. I do learn visually which is why it really bothers me when I go to youtube to learn something and the youtuber is just talking. I came to youtube to SEE how it is done not hear about it.
If they are just going to talk, they should be creating podcasts.
These are just my opinions, but they seem logical and make sense. Does anyone else feel this way?
@10:05 again with a great beginner DM tip (in my opinion). Bob is right on top of it. Thanks Bob.
Lastly, I can't wait for the new starter set. Not because new starter set but because I am sure Bob World Builder will do a video on it. Showing any pit falls and how to avoid them. The key there is showing. Keep building and sharing with us Bob!