Notepad hacks: #1 always leave a few pages at the beginning of the pad to use as an index, #2 number the pages as you go #3 record the numbers of the pages you want to refer back to in the index.
Leuchtturm1917 are my go-to notebook and have a blank contents page at the start. Really cool feature if you're already looking at slightly pricey notebooks, but probably not worth spending the extra £15-20 over a cheap run of the mill notebook if you weren't.
on minis! I stopped using minis when I saw a Reddit post about someone who used various sweets and monsters and whatever player killed them got to eat them, I have trained my friends to have a pavlovian response to combat.
I use Lego minifigures for mini's a lot of the time as they're not too expensive and allow for a lot of customisation. Plus if you get the custom mini stands from Wicked Bricks they fit perfectly in a 5x5 square on a battle map.
I would really disagree w probably 50% of your recommendations... they just aren't necessary or important. But, the video is very well made and I appreciate your hard work.
@@Pr0fess0rSasquatchAnd the first he mentioned. The rulebooks, aka phb, dmg & MM. Phb for rules, dmg for dm-ing and MM for monsters, unless I guess you're running a combatless game.
The best D&D accessory I own is a phone box, one of those small rectangular cardboard boxes you get when buying a cellphone: the box replaces the dice bag, the lid the dice tray, and they can be easily modified for other things (mine also has mini storage, I turned one into a easily portable dice tower for a friend).
That's what I currently have, three tables for temperature (normal, cooler, or hotter for the time of year) level of wind, and then if it's sunny, cloudy, heavily overcast, rainy or snowy and how heavy. I'm looking at expanding them to cover different region types and adjusting the d20 roll bands in each case.
Yeah the dice is a waste, but making sure weather plays a part is great. A strong wind from the east can reduce your arrows hits by -1 or buff them if you are shooting woth the wind. Rain puddles will make a lot of BG3 players giddy with spell comboes they can use in game. Harsh sunlight might make that fireball catch the whole house on fire. We all love the randomness of DnD and the weather is indeed random.
@@truecross4090 I love these! I've only so far used weather as a descriptive, and had heavy rain make things slippy. But these are great ways to expand on it
I use a D6, but same logic. 1-2 fair weather, great for travel 3-5 rain/snow, annoying low to somewhat hindering 6 severe weather (thunderstorms, blizzards etc.), dangerous, impossible to travel.
One of my best weird dm accessories I got is a d6 that has; Yes, No, Yes and, No and, Yes but, no but. This dice has been so helpful for those moments when you’re unsure of something. I often get my players to roll it and it’s been really fun, mostly when they ask if there’s something in the room I haven’t planned for or something like that. Also sand timer. For moments where you want to build tension.
@@Lithian123 so let’s imagine the party are doing a robbery in an old manor house, they sneak into an old storage room to avoid the night guard, a player asks hey is there any rope in here I might say roll the dice, if it’s: ‘yes and’ then there will be rope and maybe there’s a grappling hook attached to it. ‘No but’ there’s no rope but they find something else instead, perhaps there’s a bunch of old bedsheets, (they could possibly be tied together taking more time and making checks to see if the knots are tight enough? That’s just a quick on off the top of my head.
i highly recommend a white erase board. They are fantastic for tracking initiatve; hit points etc. it allows you to track non-permanent notes in a non-permanent manner; as you can easily erase and re-write the same information for the next combat. it's also lighter and thinner than a notebook.
Yes! I have great foldable one that can stand without other support.They are also magnetic and you can attach props like message board stuff and wanted posters on them.
The best D&D accessory you can buy is your own house to play in. I gotta say, the amount of players who don't have a Player's Handbook is infuriating. Especially if they're playing on a regular basis. When I started in the 90's, the idea of not having your own book was crazy. That's where the rules are! And the spells!
On your GM note pad: If you can find one that is quad rules (grid paper), even better. This makes sure you can't confuse your GM pad with work/journaling note pads. It also makes it easier to make your maps and write notes. Bonus feature, you can write your notes in either portrait or landscape mode.
For dice I carry 3 sets: two distinct black numbers on solid white and one distinct white number on solid black dice. These generally give me enough d6's and d10's for most tasks in most TTRPGs, while also giving me contrasting colours: The Aliens TTRPG, which only uses d6's, uses "stress" dice which are the only ones that can do the equivalent of a "crit failure". Rolling 7 white for my normal skill+2black ones for stress makes things easy to figure out. These dice are also carried in a zip up case/rolling tray, which means they don't take up any room the case doesn't already use. Those small mini dice would just get lost under a couch or the void the second they accidentally fly off the table. I actually made my own GM screen. I went to michael's, bought some hard flat canvas panels, taped some transparent sheet dossiers to it and set it up to fold. This way I can re-use my screen for whatever game I want and put in what charts and info I feel I need. It's scuffed as hell, but this means I don't need to buy one screen for every edition of D&D, one for pathfinder, one for Aliens, one for... you get the picture. For maps and minis, I make use of those transparent dossiers. Inside put in a page that's just 1x1 inch grid on both sides and using dry erase markers of various colours I can make whatever map I want. I usually have 2-3 of these out, one for combat, one for the player mapping and one for my own personal note-taking during the fight. For minis I use... Kinder surprise toys. They're a guilty pleasure and telling the party the gaggle of squirrels and rabbits are actually a horde of undead always makes me chuckle. I keep the toys in the same bag as my markers, pencils, erasers and sharpener. Regular and wipe-away index cards! Great for handouts! Great for note taking! Great for making a makeshift 3x3 square huge monster you didn't expect the players to piss off! I actually have a pretty in-depth way of tracking weather/moon/etc... moon phases are cyclical so you can easily map these out in advance. For weather if you google "4 Hex Flowers for the 4 Seasons" you'll get to the page with the way I generate my weather. This way I can generate and map out the weather over a long period of time. Sunrise/Sunset and average temperatures are all things you can easily find by grabbing a real-world location similar to the one your game is set in and grabbing that data off of meteorological websites. For those of you who are... artistically challenged like myself and suck at making maps... go on Steam and wishlish one of the Civilization games. When it goes on sale for like 12 bucks or whatever, you not only get a good videogame: you get it's hex map generation tool. These aren't just tilesets for mountains, deserts, plains, woods, tundra, water, etc... but resource tags you can use to mark important mines for ores or gems, dangerous locations, towns the party can visit, the places where nomadic tribes tend to settle, etc... Finally I would recommend getting a cheat-sheet of your player's character's abilities and any important magic gear they might have or share between the party.
I think it's worth mentioning, that out of the 3 core books - the Dungeon Master's Guide is the least necessary, especially for a new GM and a group that's just starting out. It is useful, don't get me wrong, but you can safely leave it for later if you need to cut costs somewhere. This is because it's mostly focused on creating your own worlds, adventures and campaigns, and new GMs would most likely run official campaigns, or standalone modules prepared by someone else. Player's handbook is (quite unintuitively) a necessity for a GM, and Monster Manual is REALLY helpful, as it is referenced in most adventures you can find online.
if you need one physical book as a gm it’s absolutely the monster mannual. the phb can be very useful but there’s nothing in there that you can’t find a google search away. you can even find a lot of stat blocks online but monster books are at their best when you can physically flip through them, whether that is in the moment or during prep for inspiration.
I'd say a spell compendium or index would be handy listing all official spells that are available for players through 5e. Looking up spells & trying to interpret their meaning can get time-consuming if followed R.A.W.
Yea, if you aren't doing your own homebrew the DMG is almost useless; I honestly flicked through it once when I bought it and then only opened it a handful of times after that for the evil Cleric/Paladin Subclasses and a couple things about movement.
Agree. Sometimes, if I have to pack many things, I just leave that book out. It is more useful when planning things than when running things. Well, there is an old DMG version that has some tables for quick NPC references, by class and level, that one was useful for an improvised npc. About magic items, that is another big part of the book, not a big loss not having it at hand, unless you are dropping magic items everywhere. Lastly, having digital versions of those books, is way better and easier, making the PH perhaps the only one important to have in physical copy (while playing), and just because some players don't use/like/have digital versions.
Experienced GM here! I enjoyed your video, but just a quick note to the viewers-you don’t actually need all those accessories to play a great game of D&D! A simple set of dice, a pencil, and a notepad (you don't even need a screen!) are all you need. The most important thing is to have fun. RPGs is a very affordable hobby!
Dice, go for easy to read dice, 2d20, at least 4d6 and probably 4d8 too. Minis, use dry wipe counters for enemies and a dry wipe battle map or whiteboard. With a spell template you really don’t need a grid , a few 3d dungeon doors you can move about are good but not required. Honestly, if you’re buying books leave the DMG until last, PHB and MM are your priorities
Wow, playing in the 80s I had two books, a pencil, eraser, dice, one figure, hand drawn character sheet (no printer). Avanced equipment = a clipboard. Glad the game is still enjoyed by so many though.
If you’re a budding DM, hold off on buying the core books for now. New ones are coming out next year, they’ll be more useful. Much more useful, in the case of the DMG. Use a Starter Set in the meantime. I recommend Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, but Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak are both decent as well.
@@thanesgames9685 But dealing with hoary contrarians who prefer the previous core books is a time-honoured aspect of the hobby! Why would you deny new players these milestones?
@@xySuperManxy I'd help them get the better version of the game so they might keep playing it. There was a reason 5th (and 3rd) exploded in popularity while 4th books were quickly ebayed or shelved.
My dad had this directional die. Not cardinal directions, but arrows. He used it for weird stuff, but he mostly used it in combat to maybe see what direction a NPC gets knocked into after a gust of wind or a blast.
Notepad variation: 3-Ring Binde with pockets, and 3-hole punched notepaper. The pockets let you carry other small stuff as needed. But the BIG upside of the 3-Ring is that you can MOVE your notes around! You don't have to jump around trying to find where you put that NPC that just turned up!
The monster cards have been a lifesaver as a DM! They're a quick reference without a zillion tabs open. Ambiant Sphere is creating the most user-friendly ttrpg music creator where you can change mood and setting rather than needing to build a playlist - huge time saver and always relevant. Gyld just finished their kickstarted of weather dice that roll D&D RAW so you're getting the same odds (rather than "fun" dice with other odds). They even have temp variation (RAW odds) if it's a sunny/snowy day. They've made the game more exciting by affecting travel and elemental spells in the outdoors. Definitely recommend!
6:32 for my table I have 2 versions of those bottles. One that contains the dice, and another that contains a beverage. It's usually Hawaiian punch, but I allow them to change up to whatever there taste prefers that I make before the game's session. It adds an optional immersive flow to the game and my players really loved the idea, PLUS they get free little drinks. :) One of my current projects is finding drinks to fit each of the potions for DND. If you guys/girls/others have any ideas let me know!
if it is an of age group alcholic shots are a good option if it is going to be an hours long session and they dont guzzle them food coloring is also a good option to add to cool aid of various colors
DMG and MM I'd put at intermediate, but there's some solid player options in the DMG like races, subclasses, and action options (trip & disarm). Glad you included the cards! Wish every adventure module came with cards for items & npcs, and even printable minis for the monsters. But not many of these are needed if playing virtually...
The rules are free online and have all of the information in the players and book and dm handbook. It’s also much easier to search through a computer document.
As a person who is very new to DnD and a day 1 DM, I suppose I'm already "advanced"? So thank you for validating that! BUT! What I will say...glasses/cups as a battle riser...blew my mind! Why didn't I think of that!
I meticulously kitbash and sculpt minis for each of my players once they get invested and committed to their characters. Using premade minis is an awesome base (from really any tabletop game) but adding mixed medium, custom bits, and character-specific details makes it something that your players will genuinely cherish and adore
As a DM I use Rory's Story Dice for random inspiration sometimes. You'd be amazed at how often they random roll up a narrative when either my plans fall through because of player agency or because I just came in on full improv mode between milestone sessions.
actually--for the flyers, as it turns out the most simple thing I could do is what worked the best: I got a bunch of straws and hot glued a base and a top to each one: done. Later I spray painted them blue and white--but they work perfectly, incredibly cheap and simple to make for various heights.
I love this video! I personally already had the beginner and intermediate items. My only feedback is that the bag linked in the info is not the aame bag as the one being shown. I ordered the one in the link, it was way smaller. There were only 16 slots for figurines, amd only 5 books fit. I would love to know the actual bag beong shown.
The backpack is my favorite suggestion. The more advanced things would help with larger groups when playing but not some much when its only the DM and 2 players.
Thank you for suggesting yhat players should read the rulebook. This needs to be mentioned way more often just about everywhere. Players who dont read the rules are my pet peeve. My first time expressing interest in D&D, my brother handed me a thick tome and just said, "Read this." I've been running games for 15 years since.
A bit late to the party, but I have 2 things in my DM kit that I think are amazing and I don't see talked about enough: a timer (I use a small digital timer) and a large d20. The d20 has been used for big important rolls in front of the table, but it's more common use is a turn count down timer. As for combat risers, I use the clear Chessex boxes that some of my dice sets came in. This way, they serve a dual purpose. If I need to denote altitude, I just write it on the box in whatever marker I'm using for initiative / marking the map.
For the dice without numbers, the DnD Solo Adventurer's Toolbox holds a ton of tables to randomly generate details, NPCs, encounters, and other things. For example, instead of cute weather dice, one could also simply roll a d20 (or some such), and refer to the table(s). A less-dice goblin, but much cheaper option.
The best accessories to me are: - Neodymium magnets to stick notes on your screen - a sheet with pregenerated names in case you need one on-the-fly - a Tarot of Marseilles deck
Some good suggestions, having been out of gaming for 20 years, I had no idea how much very useful stuff is now available. Started back on the original white box dungeons and dragons.
Its wild to me that this channel has as few subscribers as it does with the content and views these videos provide. This video is also great in general
@@BonusAction not a problem! Your content is great. I've watched a lot of your videos over the past year or so. Especially anything regarding DM tips and help as I started as a first time DM about this time last year
Back when i was playing with RPG, we used the fudge/fate system. The number one rule that my GM learned the hard way many times is that when you have planned a big game, your players will think of the only thing that you didn't plan on. He could have a super long game planned for us, but we ruined the entire quest by doing a single thing that he never anticipated. I miss the old group, working full time, kids, whenever one is available the other's are busy... I wish that we could get back together and have a marathon.
I am always looking for things to either help my DM session or to enhance the player experience. Plus different points of view are most helpful. my issue was always is and will be whats behind the screen. I started DM'ing 2 years ago almost full time after being on the other side (player side) for over 20 years so it helps watching and learning how better DMs do their setups.. Game Changers if you will are always great to see. I use Bottle Cap Rings since they are somewhat cheaper, I also use Lego Mini Figures since i have been collecting and playing with them for over 40 years so i have a bunch :-D my son and I made dice towers from LEGO because he has an 'issue' actually rolling the dice. I will use the idea of the players selecting the soundtrack for the session that hopefully fits the scenario. otherwise ill just put on the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack.
I have: the players handbook, tashas couldrion of everything, xanthars guide to everything, the dungeon masters guide, 8sets of dice, dm screen, condition rings, battle mat, pre made battle mat, giant dice, flight stands, dnd bag, + so much more
Don't use adhesive putty on your minis. It's very adhesive, and can pull the paint off even if you sealed them. Use silly putty. It's a lot safer for your paint.
The first several mentioned are common sense and obvious, but definitely worth mentioning. The three core rule books are essential for a DM who does in person games if they're not using some digital option like Beyond, though I'd argue even then they're good to have on hand. My players would often go to look up a rule or something and I'd get to it quicker most of the time with the book than they even could online, plus there's just something different and better about having the physical book in front of you to look at. For a DM, all 3 are extremely useful. People often underestimate the usefulness of the DM's Guide because it's not as essential as core rules, player character creation, and enemies to fight. However, it offers you a massive list of magic items to use and reference as well as many useful tables for determining item value and things like traps, diseases, molds, madnesses, treasure tables, vehicles, encounter tables, artifacts, reward options, downtime options, boons, poisons, variant/optional rules and more. It does also add a few player/npc creation options too, if you don't have another supplement book that covers the same option. (ie, Aasimar, Eladrin (subrace), death domain cleric, oathbreaker paladin). As for the notepad, I agree, although in the beginning if you have a laptop or tablet you're set for more complicated or in-depth notes on that device to reference during play, while you jot down session notes and information in your notepad. Onenote is free and perfect for the job on the digital front. A lot of the rest are extremely dependent upon how and where you play and how much you want to spend. The travel bag, for example, would be very useful if I traveled to DM, but seeing as I'm also the host and don't travel to DM, it doesn't help me. Mini's can be expensive, not just initially, but over time. I don't use mini's, although I have and occasionally use a battlemap, I have homemade tokens for that. The way I do things is use my desktop computer and TV during play. I create or use battlemaps I find online, on my computer and project my screen to my TV. My computer is right behind me where I DM, so I just quick turn around in my office chair to make alterations. The players can see homemade digital tokens of their characters move on the battlemap to represent their current location in the fight. Sometimes I will also use this method for mini adventures. I use a variety of tools from Dungeondraft to Photoshop for this. I can also easily show AoE and other effects on the battlemap with digital options. At the end of the day it's no less effort than it would be to use minis, but I do save money and the players seem to enjoy it. I also play music from my computer using fantasy music from various video games as well as some purchased fantasy music which I then created several categories for via playlists on my media player, and ambient sounds and noises from youtube playlists containing ambience for different locations. I have also created my own magic item cards, although I'm not against buying some nice ones. One major thing I haven't seen mentioned, if you're a DM and a host of the game, one of the biggest challenges I've seen and often see people leave unaddressed is comfort. I have been a player in games where the seating was awful, the lighting was awful, and it was a struggle finding places to put things and so on. My cheap option I use is two matching rectangular foldout tables. I bought them together and put them side-by-side in my living room when it's time for a game. It makes for a large playing surface with plenty of room to fit several players around. For chairs, I use whatever I have on hand, as long as it's not terribly uncomfortable. A cheap option that isn't overly uncomfortable are foldout camping chairs. The bonus of this, is that you can set your tables and chairs up just about anywhere and play outside or elsewhere. Additionally, I get to use the same set up for non D&D related gatherings for eating and other games also. As for status trackers, if you're not using minis like I'm not, I use a notepad page with numbers from -3 to 35 to track initiative and I just write current status effects near the number of an affected npc/pc and erase the effect when it's gone. There is probably a better way to track initiative and status effects and I've tried many, so far this has worked best for me but I am hopeful for something even better down the road. Another mention that I didn't see on the list is cheap seconds to minutes hour glasses. You can usually get a bundle of them together that range from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. I find them a very cheap solution to giving my players timed obstacles and challenges. There is always the free digital timer option, of course, but nothing says "suspense" like your players watching an hourglasses sand move from top to bottom as their time slowly slips away from them. You can also use these, and/or a digital timer, behind the DM screen for things you don't want the players knowing is timed. As for weather dice, I think those are really cool and I'll probably pick some up one day to try out, but until then, the simple method I use is deciding weather with a notepad and regular dice. I like to use a D20 actually, because I don't like the idea of there being an equal chance of a storm vs. clear skies for example. I often want it to be more likely to be a certain type of weather (based on locale) and so I'll do something such as 1-7 is clear skies, 8-12 is cloudy, 13-16 is rain only, 17-18 are thunderstorms, etc. And then if I choose how that weather effect is, or I roll another option. For example, if it's 8-12 cloudy, then I may roll a 1d4 to determine how cloudy. I will often also incorporate weather in encounter tables for travel, making it so a perfect day with a clear sky might turn into a raging storm during travel. There are a lot of cheap and/or free options available if you look and perhaps deploy a little creativity. If you're on a budget, don't despair. At the end of the day, the only thing you TRULY need to play D&D and most other TTRPG's is your imagination and some people to play with (preferably lol). Everything else after that, even the SYSTEMS themselves, just add to the experience, but they don't create the experience. You do.
Before reading the books, check with your dm. Some (all of the ones i have played with), prefer that players go into it knowing nothing. *Less chance of number crunching *More suprises during play, what is that monster's weakness? *Less, "nuhu, the rulebook says this" So yeah, check with your dm what they prefer. The dm im playing with now, is DMing a community build homebrew or whatever i should say. Hidden behind a paywall so even if i wanted to check everything i cant. And after playing it i cant go back to vanilla anymore.
I'm been DMing like 20-22 years since I was 13, and having small dice are the best fot😢 traveling if you are a handicap person as my self. Really good recommendation. Also I would like to say that if you need inspiration, just steal from Google, from the movies/manga/myths/culture you like, or you are from. In my worlds normally my dwarfs culture are really Jew-like, cuz I'm Jew in a Catholic country, so no one here understand a thing about my religion, so I look like a really good dm just for getting dark references. Good play to all :3
2:18 "The representatives from the Costermonger's Guild are here. Master Eggs and Grandmaster Milk." It's been a running joke at my table that every town has pairs of guards named Louie Louie and Mony Mony, and the captain of the guards is named Ringo. I forget how it all started, but we've been doing it since the '80s
Instead of minis. I bought a set of 16d6 dice. Each player picks “oh I’m the green 4” or “I’m the red 2”. Plus half the dice have a skull image on the 1 for enemies and the other half has a dragon image on the 1 for allies and Npcs. Cheap, effective, colorful! (I also have little rubber gumball-machine dragons for big enemies
This was a GREAT video! Great information and wonderful editing Clear speech. I loved it and thanks for the suggestion on weather sice and moods! Didn't even know that was a thing! 😮❤
Growing up our family cat used to steal lego men from me and run into the cellar under the clothes drying rack. I think the cat was just did it when she was bored.
The Game Master's Book of series are some of the best 3rd party books on the market in my opinion. Fantastic reference tools if you need something quick or tons of inspiration. Glad you recommended them! I'll never fail to sing the praises of them.
There's a few things in here that you never need to play. Battle maps, minis, apps, cards, which gets rid of things like rises, storage, status rings, measuring discs, etc. I literally play my games using nothing but dice, books, my tray, a screen to hide my written material, my laptop to play sound effects (not music, as my personal preference is ambiance for roleplaying and not a movie-like feel) and a whiteboard to outline maps as the characters see it. Maps, terrain, minis, all of the mini add-ons, none of that is needed to run a great game.
Really good video, thank you! I had some trouble with the audio in the desk sections. The desk-mounted mic is causing problems with the bass, greatly amplifying any contact with the desk. Even when you gently rest your hands on the desk, it comes across on my speakers as a loud booming noise. Easiest fix is probably to attach the boom to an independent mic stand, or maybe to filter the bass in editing.
Oh also! That area measurement template is really cool! Previously I have made my own out of craft wire, which you can get in a bunch of colors. They're a little easier to use with miniatures & standees because the figures will fit through the wire.
Thanks for letting me know! It sounded fine on my headphones but I did not even think about people listening in different ways. I'l try and figure out a solution for the future!
Im pretty much brand new to DnD, ive only played baldurs gate 3 and read a little online but this list is super helpful for me. I have the DMs guid, players guide and monsters guide + the essentials bundle yo help me get started but im super excited to get playing
Not everything in the list seems like a must to me and more a matter of taste, but all the items that make combat go faster and overseeable are of great help. I'd like to add condition cards and spell effect props (we use Wizkids). These are essential in our group. Also index cards for homebrew monsters or other monsters that have no official card. And also a larger scale map of the area the party is roaming to help visualizing their journey and destination. Prefereably one for the players and one for the DM with the encounters and places of interest written on them.
If you are playing at a table you don't need a dice tray. Pick up die to roll, roll it around in your hand, place your other hand on the table sligtly cupped and roll the die toward said hand. Job done.
I will not do HeroForge's Colors. Maybe as a guide after ordering, but some of their colors do not translate. I am going to have to say watch your added items, My Ice Shield for my Frost Giant broke in transit. the strange plastic is powdery. I love my minis but just giving a warning to some of it's problems.
I have a body hit dice. If my players go down i role the body location dice and a d20 on a table to see what injury they get with a debuf (or cool scars with a mini buff). Makes combat more memorable can give a side Quest to get healing
I would strongly suggest against the DMG and monster manual DMG because the information it gives you is lacking/ not useful. The monster manual because all of that information is widely available. Not to mention all the free homebrew monsters.
We play combat with no screen and then monster cards or written info on index cards handier than a whole book. For random encounters I just draw a monster card from the MM.
For me, its just less cumbersome, a glass takes up multiple squares on a battle mat so if characters are moving around alot, you need to keep lifting the glass and maneuvering it around, and if you have multiple flying creatures it can get very unwieldy.
Oh yeah the dice tray is an absolute must have. I also recommend The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns from Eldermancy and the Remarkable Cults and Guilds from Lore Smyth.
@jfdewoluwe don't throw em so hard or a forward motion legit grab it with your thumb and index finger flick your wrist toward the table while rolling it between your fingers and it won't roll much on the table will just usually drop on a number
I started with original red box, moved on to AD&D, to 2nd edition to a shit ton of others. I am old. I greatly prefer d6-based ttrpgs. It's easier to introduce to others and can take one book to get the job done. I appreciate how much money can be spent on more than a game now. Have fun kids!
Don't buy the core books! If you're a beginner DM, buy the starter set or the free rules! Nobody ever says this. Like they expect you to drop £90 to play this game Also, I hate the DMG. DMs, don't buy one
Most of these accessories you don't *need* unless you're a DM Just a set of dice and the player handbook is enough for most regular players And even then that's not 100% necessary if you've got a friend at the table willing to share their book and dice with you. So new players watching this and feeling intimidated by all the things you "need", don't worry, most of it is just for convenience.
Notepad hacks:
#1 always leave a few pages at the beginning of the pad to use as an index,
#2 number the pages as you go
#3 record the numbers of the pages you want to refer back to in the index.
so simple ... so revolutionary... my notepad is bizarrely unorganized
That’s really smart
this was mindblowing thank you
You changed the game for us dumb dumbs
Leuchtturm1917 are my go-to notebook and have a blank contents page at the start. Really cool feature if you're already looking at slightly pricey notebooks, but probably not worth spending the extra £15-20 over a cheap run of the mill notebook if you weren't.
My 48 year old eyes saw those tiny dice and instantly said, “Don’t think about it, old man.”
Because my regular dice take up so much room 😉
Same. I'm blind on a good day.
Maybe extra big, large print dice are the next accessory for the more - ahem - mature player.
Super small, so they're easy to store... and easy to lose.
Why im 46 looks aweome
on minis! I stopped using minis when I saw a Reddit post about someone who used various sweets and monsters and whatever player killed them got to eat them, I have trained my friends to have a pavlovian response to combat.
Didn't that same post say the friends first fought for the donut? Are you instigating your own fight club?
Lol, jk
@@henrysullivan6341 You know the rules.
@@qoora2050 "and so do I"
@@henrysullivan6341 “Say goodbye”
@@henrysullivan6341 Say goodbye [water pistol emoji]
I use Lego minifigures for mini's a lot of the time as they're not too expensive and allow for a lot of customisation. Plus if you get the custom mini stands from Wicked Bricks they fit perfectly in a 5x5 square on a battle map.
I would really disagree w probably 50% of your recommendations... they just aren't necessary or important. But, the video is very well made and I appreciate your hard work.
Same, it's like recommending someone to take acting classes before DM'ing. 🙏
Really interested in which things you'd have left out (or added)
@@karenanna123So am I
I mean, the only thing really “necessary” to run a game is a set of dice. Literally everything else is there for convenience and flavor
@@Pr0fess0rSasquatchAnd the first he mentioned.
The rulebooks, aka phb, dmg & MM.
Phb for rules, dmg for dm-ing and MM for monsters, unless I guess you're running a combatless game.
The best D&D accessory I own is a phone box, one of those small rectangular cardboard boxes you get when buying a cellphone: the box replaces the dice bag, the lid the dice tray, and they can be easily modified for other things (mine also has mini storage, I turned one into a easily portable dice tower for a friend).
Could be a makeshift building or structure on a battlemat too!
Bruh I do the same thing. I simply refer to it as "The Box"
I thought i was crazy for years
Pips or GTFO. I want to see that dice tower, sounds brilliant!
Thank you for the idea!
For the dice, you can just use regular dice and write a table out. 1=clear, 2=cloudy, 3=rainy, etc.
Of course - but where's the fun in that ;-)
That's what I currently have, three tables for temperature (normal, cooler, or hotter for the time of year) level of wind, and then if it's sunny, cloudy, heavily overcast, rainy or snowy and how heavy.
I'm looking at expanding them to cover different region types and adjusting the d20 roll bands in each case.
Yeah the dice is a waste, but making sure weather plays a part is great. A strong wind from the east can reduce your arrows hits by -1 or buff them if you are shooting woth the wind.
Rain puddles will make a lot of BG3 players giddy with spell comboes they can use in game.
Harsh sunlight might make that fireball catch the whole house on fire.
We all love the randomness of DnD and the weather is indeed random.
@@truecross4090 I love these! I've only so far used weather as a descriptive, and had heavy rain make things slippy. But these are great ways to expand on it
I use a D6, but same logic.
1-2 fair weather, great for travel
3-5 rain/snow, annoying low to somewhat hindering
6 severe weather (thunderstorms, blizzards etc.), dangerous, impossible to travel.
You just blew my mind with the "upside down glasses for flying characters" hack. Woah.
One of my best weird dm accessories I got is a d6 that has; Yes, No, Yes and, No and, Yes but, no but. This dice has been so helpful for those moments when you’re unsure of something. I often get my players to roll it and it’s been really fun, mostly when they ask if there’s something in the room I haven’t planned for or something like that.
Also sand timer. For moments where you want to build tension.
Can you give an example how yes and or no but would work?
@@Lithian123 so let’s imagine the party are doing a robbery in an old manor house, they sneak into an old storage room to avoid the night guard, a player asks hey is there any rope in here I might say roll the dice, if it’s:
‘yes and’ then there will be rope and maybe there’s a grappling hook attached to it.
‘No but’ there’s no rope but they find something else instead, perhaps there’s a bunch of old bedsheets, (they could possibly be tied together taking more time and making checks to see if the knots are tight enough?
That’s just a quick on off the top of my head.
how much time in that sand timer you use
i highly recommend a white erase board. They are fantastic for tracking initiatve; hit points etc. it allows you to track non-permanent notes in a non-permanent manner; as you can easily erase and re-write the same information for the next combat. it's also lighter and thinner than a notebook.
I just use a clear plastic front sheet of a notebook I used to have. Has the advantage of being seethrough.
Yes! I have great foldable one that can stand without other support.They are also magnetic and you can attach props like message board stuff and wanted posters on them.
Use ultra washable markers on a game mat. They are meant to be something easy to clean for when kids write on walls and clothes and stuff
The best D&D accessory you can buy is your own house to play in.
I gotta say, the amount of players who don't have a Player's Handbook is infuriating. Especially if they're playing on a regular basis. When I started in the 90's, the idea of not having your own book was crazy. That's where the rules are! And the spells!
They are also on the internet. Every laptop, smartphone etc can access sites with all the rules ;D
Only a caster needs a Player's Handbook. Everyone else had it on their player sheets and everyone knew every rule by heart.
Is any handbook acceptable to start out these days?
thank you so much. i'm planning to be a DM for the first time and this video helped a lot
me too, and it's helping me to play
I’ve got a die with body parts on it so when a player hits you can vividly describe what limb they’ve damaged and they(and I) love it
On your GM note pad: If you can find one that is quad rules (grid paper), even better. This makes sure you can't confuse your GM pad with work/journaling note pads. It also makes it easier to make your maps and write notes. Bonus feature, you can write your notes in either portrait or landscape mode.
For dice I carry 3 sets: two distinct black numbers on solid white and one distinct white number on solid black dice. These generally give me enough d6's and d10's for most tasks in most TTRPGs, while also giving me contrasting colours: The Aliens TTRPG, which only uses d6's, uses "stress" dice which are the only ones that can do the equivalent of a "crit failure". Rolling 7 white for my normal skill+2black ones for stress makes things easy to figure out. These dice are also carried in a zip up case/rolling tray, which means they don't take up any room the case doesn't already use. Those small mini dice would just get lost under a couch or the void the second they accidentally fly off the table.
I actually made my own GM screen. I went to michael's, bought some hard flat canvas panels, taped some transparent sheet dossiers to it and set it up to fold. This way I can re-use my screen for whatever game I want and put in what charts and info I feel I need. It's scuffed as hell, but this means I don't need to buy one screen for every edition of D&D, one for pathfinder, one for Aliens, one for... you get the picture.
For maps and minis, I make use of those transparent dossiers. Inside put in a page that's just 1x1 inch grid on both sides and using dry erase markers of various colours I can make whatever map I want. I usually have 2-3 of these out, one for combat, one for the player mapping and one for my own personal note-taking during the fight. For minis I use... Kinder surprise toys. They're a guilty pleasure and telling the party the gaggle of squirrels and rabbits are actually a horde of undead always makes me chuckle. I keep the toys in the same bag as my markers, pencils, erasers and sharpener.
Regular and wipe-away index cards! Great for handouts! Great for note taking! Great for making a makeshift 3x3 square huge monster you didn't expect the players to piss off!
I actually have a pretty in-depth way of tracking weather/moon/etc... moon phases are cyclical so you can easily map these out in advance. For weather if you google "4 Hex Flowers for the 4 Seasons" you'll get to the page with the way I generate my weather. This way I can generate and map out the weather over a long period of time. Sunrise/Sunset and average temperatures are all things you can easily find by grabbing a real-world location similar to the one your game is set in and grabbing that data off of meteorological websites.
For those of you who are... artistically challenged like myself and suck at making maps... go on Steam and wishlish one of the Civilization games. When it goes on sale for like 12 bucks or whatever, you not only get a good videogame: you get it's hex map generation tool. These aren't just tilesets for mountains, deserts, plains, woods, tundra, water, etc... but resource tags you can use to mark important mines for ores or gems, dangerous locations, towns the party can visit, the places where nomadic tribes tend to settle, etc...
Finally I would recommend getting a cheat-sheet of your player's character's abilities and any important magic gear they might have or share between the party.
I think it's worth mentioning, that out of the 3 core books - the Dungeon Master's Guide is the least necessary, especially for a new GM and a group that's just starting out. It is useful, don't get me wrong, but you can safely leave it for later if you need to cut costs somewhere. This is because it's mostly focused on creating your own worlds, adventures and campaigns, and new GMs would most likely run official campaigns, or standalone modules prepared by someone else.
Player's handbook is (quite unintuitively) a necessity for a GM, and Monster Manual is REALLY helpful, as it is referenced in most adventures you can find online.
if you need one physical book as a gm it’s absolutely the monster mannual. the phb can be very useful but there’s nothing in there that you can’t find a google search away. you can even find a lot of stat blocks online but monster books are at their best when you can physically flip through them, whether that is in the moment or during prep for inspiration.
I'd say a spell compendium or index would be handy listing all official spells that are available for players through 5e. Looking up spells & trying to interpret their meaning can get
time-consuming if followed R.A.W.
Have to disagree on that lol both out dms started new with their own campaigns and I temped with ny own 1shot to start but maybe were just weird lol
Yea, if you aren't doing your own homebrew the DMG is almost useless; I honestly flicked through it once when I bought it and then only opened it a handful of times after that for the evil Cleric/Paladin Subclasses and a couple things about movement.
Agree. Sometimes, if I have to pack many things, I just leave that book out. It is more useful when planning things than when running things. Well, there is an old DMG version that has some tables for quick NPC references, by class and level, that one was useful for an improvised npc. About magic items, that is another big part of the book, not a big loss not having it at hand, unless you are dropping magic items everywhere. Lastly, having digital versions of those books, is way better and easier, making the PH perhaps the only one important to have in physical copy (while playing), and just because some players don't use/like/have digital versions.
Yes the bag is awesome.
I use the weather dice a lot since the Druid in the party always wants to know the weather before he cast call lightning
Experienced GM here! I enjoyed your video, but just a quick note to the viewers-you don’t actually need all those accessories to play a great game of D&D! A simple set of dice, a pencil, and a notepad (you don't even need a screen!) are all you need. The most important thing is to have fun. RPGs is a very affordable hobby!
I'll say a resin printer is a great addition to the list. A little expensive for a one time purchase but I've print over a hundred unique minis
I have not made that upgrade yet, but sooooon.
Dice, go for easy to read dice, 2d20, at least 4d6 and probably 4d8 too. Minis, use dry wipe counters for enemies and a dry wipe battle map or whiteboard. With a spell template you really don’t need a grid , a few 3d dungeon doors you can move about are good but not required. Honestly, if you’re buying books leave the DMG until last, PHB and MM are your priorities
Wow, playing in the 80s I had two books, a pencil, eraser, dice, one figure, hand drawn character sheet (no printer). Avanced equipment = a clipboard. Glad the game is still enjoyed by so many though.
The mini dice are too cool. I love that they come with a key ring case.
My wife LOVES mini dice and keychains, that's totally pandering to her, haha.
Eggs & Milk sounds like a fun duo of Kobold merchants.
Quite the wishlist. I find my players appreciate having the Gale Force Nine spell cards more than anything else mentioned in the video.
but those are not available through an Amazon affiliate link.
If you’re a budding DM, hold off on buying the core books for now. New ones are coming out next year, they’ll be more useful.
Much more useful, in the case of the DMG. Use a Starter Set in the meantime. I recommend Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, but Lost Mines of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak are both decent as well.
Or don't, because 6E is looking really bad, and half the players won't be using it.
@@thanesgames9685 But dealing with hoary contrarians who prefer the previous core books is a time-honoured aspect of the hobby! Why would you deny new players these milestones?
@@xySuperManxy I'd help them get the better version of the game so they might keep playing it. There was a reason 5th (and 3rd) exploded in popularity while 4th books were quickly ebayed or shelved.
Back in my day pro D&D accessories included 3ltr Mountaindew and jumbo Cheetos packet.
Maybe I will put them in my next video!
My dad had this directional die. Not cardinal directions, but arrows. He used it for weird stuff, but he mostly used it in combat to maybe see what direction a NPC gets knocked into after a gust of wind or a blast.
Notepad variation: 3-Ring Binde with pockets, and 3-hole punched notepaper.
The pockets let you carry other small stuff as needed. But the BIG upside of the 3-Ring is that you can MOVE your notes around! You don't have to jump around trying to find where you put that NPC that just turned up!
The monster cards have been a lifesaver as a DM! They're a quick reference without a zillion tabs open.
Ambiant Sphere is creating the most user-friendly ttrpg music creator where you can change mood and setting rather than needing to build a playlist - huge time saver and always relevant.
Gyld just finished their kickstarted of weather dice that roll D&D RAW so you're getting the same odds (rather than "fun" dice with other odds). They even have temp variation (RAW odds) if it's a sunny/snowy day. They've made the game more exciting by affecting travel and elemental spells in the outdoors. Definitely recommend!
6:32 for my table I have 2 versions of those bottles. One that contains the dice, and another that contains a beverage. It's usually Hawaiian punch, but I allow them to change up to whatever there taste prefers that I make before the game's session. It adds an optional immersive flow to the game and my players really loved the idea, PLUS they get free little drinks. :)
One of my current projects is finding drinks to fit each of the potions for DND. If you guys/girls/others have any ideas let me know!
if it is an of age group alcholic shots are a good option if it is going to be an hours long session and they dont guzzle them food coloring is also a good option to add to cool aid of various colors
DMG and MM I'd put at intermediate, but there's some solid player options in the DMG like races, subclasses, and action options (trip & disarm). Glad you included the cards! Wish every adventure module came with cards for items & npcs, and even printable minis for the monsters. But not many of these are needed if playing virtually...
The rules are free online and have all of the information in the players and book and dm handbook. It’s also much easier to search through a computer document.
As a person who is very new to DnD and a day 1 DM, I suppose I'm already "advanced"? So thank you for validating that! BUT! What I will say...glasses/cups as a battle riser...blew my mind! Why didn't I think of that!
I meticulously kitbash and sculpt minis for each of my players once they get invested and committed to their characters. Using premade minis is an awesome base (from really any tabletop game) but adding mixed medium, custom bits, and character-specific details makes it something that your players will genuinely cherish and adore
Love your channel. Appreciate the insight into DM'ing as someone pretty new to it!
As a DM I use Rory's Story Dice for random inspiration sometimes. You'd be amazed at how often they random roll up a narrative when either my plans fall through because of player agency or because I just came in on full improv mode between milestone sessions.
The way I learned to be a player in DnD was by playing BG3 now im a player in my first campaign and its super fun and probably much less overwhelming
Something about your voice is so charming. I don't know what it is, but listening to you is very soothing ❤️
One thing I noticed that was pretty cool. He said "Subscribe" and the button did a glowing thing.
actually--for the flyers, as it turns out the most simple thing I could do is what worked the best:
I got a bunch of straws and hot glued a base and a top to each one: done.
Later I spray painted them blue and white--but they work perfectly, incredibly cheap and simple to make for various heights.
I love this video! I personally already had the beginner and intermediate items. My only feedback is that the bag linked in the info is not the aame bag as the one being shown. I ordered the one in the link, it was way smaller. There were only 16 slots for figurines, amd only 5 books fit. I would love to know the actual bag beong shown.
The backpack is my favorite suggestion. The more advanced things would help with larger groups when playing but not some much when its only the DM and 2 players.
Thank you for suggesting yhat players should read the rulebook. This needs to be mentioned way more often just about everywhere. Players who dont read the rules are my pet peeve.
My first time expressing interest in D&D, my brother handed me a thick tome and just said, "Read this." I've been running games for 15 years since.
你能向我推荐这本书吗？
As an older player I've became fond of dice with big numerals in clear fonts printed in high contrast colors. Much easier than having to squint.
Also better for the DM, and the other players. So they can actually see the number on the dice.
A bit late to the party, but I have 2 things in my DM kit that I think are amazing and I don't see talked about enough: a timer (I use a small digital timer) and a large d20. The d20 has been used for big important rolls in front of the table, but it's more common use is a turn count down timer.
As for combat risers, I use the clear Chessex boxes that some of my dice sets came in. This way, they serve a dual purpose. If I need to denote altitude, I just write it on the box in whatever marker I'm using for initiative / marking the map.
For the dice without numbers, the DnD Solo Adventurer's Toolbox holds a ton of tables to randomly generate details, NPCs, encounters, and other things. For example, instead of cute weather dice, one could also simply roll a d20 (or some such), and refer to the table(s). A less-dice goblin, but much cheaper option.
The best accessories to me are:
- Neodymium magnets to stick notes on your screen
- a sheet with pregenerated names in case you need one on-the-fly
- a Tarot of Marseilles deck
Some good suggestions, having been out of gaming for 20 years, I had no idea how much very useful stuff is now available. Started back on the original white box dungeons and dragons.
Its wild to me that this channel has as few subscribers as it does with the content and views these videos provide. This video is also great in general
This is such a nice comment! Thank-you!
@@BonusAction not a problem! Your content is great. I've watched a lot of your videos over the past year or so. Especially anything regarding DM tips and help as I started as a first time DM about this time last year
Back when i was playing with RPG, we used the fudge/fate system.
The number one rule that my GM learned the hard way many times is that when you have planned a big game, your players will think of the only thing that you didn't plan on.
He could have a super long game planned for us, but we ruined the entire quest by doing a single thing that he never anticipated.
I miss the old group, working full time, kids, whenever one is available the other's are busy...
I wish that we could get back together and have a marathon.
Great things you show there, especially the weather Dices are very nice !!! 😍
I am always looking for things to either help my DM session or to enhance the player experience. Plus different points of view are most helpful. my issue was always is and will be whats behind the screen. I started DM'ing 2 years ago almost full time after being on the other side (player side) for over 20 years so it helps watching and learning how better DMs do their setups.. Game Changers if you will are always great to see. I use Bottle Cap Rings since they are somewhat cheaper, I also use Lego Mini Figures since i have been collecting and playing with them for over 40 years so i have a bunch :-D my son and I made dice towers from LEGO because he has an 'issue' actually rolling the dice. I will use the idea of the players selecting the soundtrack for the session that hopefully fits the scenario. otherwise ill just put on the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack.
Pencil, paper, dice, imagination & a good understanding of the rules are the only accessories needed for any RPG
Man i wish i bought dice sooner. I played 50 years without them, absolute game changer
I have: the players handbook, tashas couldrion of everything, xanthars guide to everything, the dungeon masters guide, 8sets of dice, dm screen, condition rings, battle mat, pre made battle mat, giant dice, flight stands, dnd bag, + so much more
Don't use adhesive putty on your minis. It's very adhesive, and can pull the paint off even if you sealed them. Use silly putty. It's a lot safer for your paint.
I highly recommend new players (and OGs) stick with traditional pen and paper note pads. Purely for the nostalgia of reading through them years later.
The only thing a dnd player really needs is an understanding of core rules, imagination, and a coin.
Ironically, I went for larger dice because you can give a GIANT inspiration dice too.
The first several mentioned are common sense and obvious, but definitely worth mentioning. The three core rule books are essential for a DM who does in person games if they're not using some digital option like Beyond, though I'd argue even then they're good to have on hand. My players would often go to look up a rule or something and I'd get to it quicker most of the time with the book than they even could online, plus there's just something different and better about having the physical book in front of you to look at. For a DM, all 3 are extremely useful.
People often underestimate the usefulness of the DM's Guide because it's not as essential as core rules, player character creation, and enemies to fight. However, it offers you a massive list of magic items to use and reference as well as many useful tables for determining item value and things like traps, diseases, molds, madnesses, treasure tables, vehicles, encounter tables, artifacts, reward options, downtime options, boons, poisons, variant/optional rules and more. It does also add a few player/npc creation options too, if you don't have another supplement book that covers the same option. (ie, Aasimar, Eladrin (subrace), death domain cleric, oathbreaker paladin).
As for the notepad, I agree, although in the beginning if you have a laptop or tablet you're set for more complicated or in-depth notes on that device to reference during play, while you jot down session notes and information in your notepad. Onenote is free and perfect for the job on the digital front.
A lot of the rest are extremely dependent upon how and where you play and how much you want to spend. The travel bag, for example, would be very useful if I traveled to DM, but seeing as I'm also the host and don't travel to DM, it doesn't help me. Mini's can be expensive, not just initially, but over time. I don't use mini's, although I have and occasionally use a battlemap, I have homemade tokens for that. The way I do things is use my desktop computer and TV during play. I create or use battlemaps I find online, on my computer and project my screen to my TV. My computer is right behind me where I DM, so I just quick turn around in my office chair to make alterations. The players can see homemade digital tokens of their characters move on the battlemap to represent their current location in the fight. Sometimes I will also use this method for mini adventures. I use a variety of tools from Dungeondraft to Photoshop for this. I can also easily show AoE and other effects on the battlemap with digital options. At the end of the day it's no less effort than it would be to use minis, but I do save money and the players seem to enjoy it. I also play music from my computer using fantasy music from various video games as well as some purchased fantasy music which I then created several categories for via playlists on my media player, and ambient sounds and noises from youtube playlists containing ambience for different locations.
I have also created my own magic item cards, although I'm not against buying some nice ones.
One major thing I haven't seen mentioned, if you're a DM and a host of the game, one of the biggest challenges I've seen and often see people leave unaddressed is comfort. I have been a player in games where the seating was awful, the lighting was awful, and it was a struggle finding places to put things and so on. My cheap option I use is two matching rectangular foldout tables. I bought them together and put them side-by-side in my living room when it's time for a game. It makes for a large playing surface with plenty of room to fit several players around. For chairs, I use whatever I have on hand, as long as it's not terribly uncomfortable. A cheap option that isn't overly uncomfortable are foldout camping chairs. The bonus of this, is that you can set your tables and chairs up just about anywhere and play outside or elsewhere. Additionally, I get to use the same set up for non D&D related gatherings for eating and other games also.
As for status trackers, if you're not using minis like I'm not, I use a notepad page with numbers from -3 to 35 to track initiative and I just write current status effects near the number of an affected npc/pc and erase the effect when it's gone. There is probably a better way to track initiative and status effects and I've tried many, so far this has worked best for me but I am hopeful for something even better down the road.
Another mention that I didn't see on the list is cheap seconds to minutes hour glasses. You can usually get a bundle of them together that range from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. I find them a very cheap solution to giving my players timed obstacles and challenges. There is always the free digital timer option, of course, but nothing says "suspense" like your players watching an hourglasses sand move from top to bottom as their time slowly slips away from them. You can also use these, and/or a digital timer, behind the DM screen for things you don't want the players knowing is timed.
As for weather dice, I think those are really cool and I'll probably pick some up one day to try out, but until then, the simple method I use is deciding weather with a notepad and regular dice. I like to use a D20 actually, because I don't like the idea of there being an equal chance of a storm vs. clear skies for example. I often want it to be more likely to be a certain type of weather (based on locale) and so I'll do something such as 1-7 is clear skies, 8-12 is cloudy, 13-16 is rain only, 17-18 are thunderstorms, etc. And then if I choose how that weather effect is, or I roll another option. For example, if it's 8-12 cloudy, then I may roll a 1d4 to determine how cloudy. I will often also incorporate weather in encounter tables for travel, making it so a perfect day with a clear sky might turn into a raging storm during travel.
There are a lot of cheap and/or free options available if you look and perhaps deploy a little creativity. If you're on a budget, don't despair. At the end of the day, the only thing you TRULY need to play D&D and most other TTRPG's is your imagination and some people to play with (preferably lol). Everything else after that, even the SYSTEMS themselves, just add to the experience, but they don't create the experience. You do.
Before reading the books, check with your dm. Some (all of the ones i have played with), prefer that players go into it knowing nothing.
*Less chance of number crunching
*More suprises during play, what is that monster's weakness?
*Less, "nuhu, the rulebook says this"
So yeah, check with your dm what they prefer.
The dm im playing with now, is DMing a community build homebrew or whatever i should say. Hidden behind a paywall so even if i wanted to check everything i cant. And after playing it i cant go back to vanilla anymore.
I'm been DMing like 20-22 years since I was 13, and having small dice are the best fot😢 traveling if you are a handicap person as my self. Really good recommendation. Also I would like to say that if you need inspiration, just steal from Google, from the movies/manga/myths/culture you like, or you are from. In my worlds normally my dwarfs culture are really Jew-like, cuz I'm Jew in a Catholic country, so no one here understand a thing about my religion, so I look like a really good dm just for getting dark references. Good play to all :3
2:18 "The representatives from the Costermonger's Guild are here. Master Eggs and Grandmaster Milk."
It's been a running joke at my table that every town has pairs of guards named Louie Louie and Mony Mony, and the captain of the guards is named Ringo. I forget how it all started, but we've been doing it since the '80s
Instead of minis. I bought a set of 16d6 dice. Each player picks “oh I’m the green 4” or “I’m the red 2”. Plus half the dice have a skull image on the 1 for enemies and the other half has a dragon image on the 1 for allies and Npcs. Cheap, effective, colorful! (I also have little rubber gumball-machine dragons for big enemies
This was a GREAT video! Great information and wonderful editing
Clear speech. I loved it and thanks for the suggestion on weather sice and moods! Didn't even know that was a thing! 😮❤
Last boss sheet:
Name: Eggs and Milk
Spells: well cooked +5 to every save
Sounds ominous
What bag is in the video, the linked bag is different and I am interested in the bigger one on video
Its called the Trunab Tabletop RPG Adventurer's Backpack but it looks like its only available in Canada right now (On Amazon at least.)
Growing up our family cat used to steal lego men from me and run into the cellar under the clothes drying rack. I think the cat was just did it when she was bored.
"You need a dice tray"?
If ever there was anything you 100% DIDN'T need, it's a dice tray.
I just came on to write this exact comment.
Video and advice loses all credibility after such a ridiculous statement.
@@jonathangrant3019you responded to yourself old timer
The Game Master's Book of series are some of the best 3rd party books on the market in my opinion. Fantastic reference tools if you need something quick or tons of inspiration. Glad you recommended them! I'll never fail to sing the praises of them.
The best thing to invest in is a bigger table xD
There's a few things in here that you never need to play. Battle maps, minis, apps, cards, which gets rid of things like rises, storage, status rings, measuring discs, etc. I literally play my games using nothing but dice, books, my tray, a screen to hide my written material, my laptop to play sound effects (not music, as my personal preference is ambiance for roleplaying and not a movie-like feel) and a whiteboard to outline maps as the characters see it. Maps, terrain, minis, all of the mini add-ons, none of that is needed to run a great game.
Speaking of dice without numbers, I found a d20 for death saves with hearts and skulls on it for failures vs successes
Really good video, thank you! I had some trouble with the audio in the desk sections. The desk-mounted mic is causing problems with the bass, greatly amplifying any contact with the desk. Even when you gently rest your hands on the desk, it comes across on my speakers as a loud booming noise. Easiest fix is probably to attach the boom to an independent mic stand, or maybe to filter the bass in editing.
Oh also! That area measurement template is really cool! Previously I have made my own out of craft wire, which you can get in a bunch of colors. They're a little easier to use with miniatures & standees because the figures will fit through the wire.
Thanks for letting me know! It sounded fine on my headphones but I did not even think about people listening in different ways. I'l try and figure out a solution for the future!
@@BonusActionAppreciate it! I have a home theater system with a subwoofer, so the low-frequency vibrations get really boomy
Im pretty much brand new to DnD, ive only played baldurs gate 3 and read a little online but this list is super helpful for me. I have the DMs guid, players guide and monsters guide + the essentials bundle yo help me get started but im super excited to get playing
Don't touch a Monster Manual unless you are the DM. You'll spoil the fun for yourself and others
Not everything in the list seems like a must to me and more a matter of taste, but all the items that make combat go faster and overseeable are of great help. I'd like to add condition cards and spell effect props (we use Wizkids). These are essential in our group. Also index cards for homebrew monsters or other monsters that have no official card. And also a larger scale map of the area the party is roaming to help visualizing their journey and destination. Prefereably one for the players and one for the DM with the encounters and places of interest written on them.
This had a lot of great tips. Thanks for the video.
3:32 What's this? Creating characters thingy?
The website is called "Heroforge".
Hero Forge
If you are playing at a table you don't need a dice tray. Pick up die to roll, roll it around in your hand, place your other hand on the table sligtly cupped and roll the die toward said hand. Job done.
I will not do HeroForge's Colors. Maybe as a guide after ordering, but some of their colors do not translate. I am going to have to say watch your added items, My Ice Shield for my Frost Giant broke in transit. the strange plastic is powdery. I love my minis but just giving a warning to some of it's problems.
Definitely gonna use the glass trick
Ok I have only a notebook and dice
My friends have the books its enouh eventhough I am the dm
And that's all you need to have fun :)
I have a body hit dice. If my players go down i role the body location dice and a d20 on a table to see what injury they get with a debuf (or cool scars with a mini buff). Makes combat more memorable can give a side Quest to get healing
I would strongly suggest against the DMG and monster manual
DMG because the information it gives you is lacking/ not useful.
The monster manual because all of that information is widely available. Not to mention all the free homebrew monsters.
These two books are fine, but I agree they are not necessary for a beginner getting started.
We play combat with no screen and then monster cards or written info on index cards handier than a whole book. For random encounters I just draw a monster card from the MM.
How are those little ladder things better than a glass for flying minis?
For me, its just less cumbersome, a glass takes up multiple squares on a battle mat so if characters are moving around alot, you need to keep lifting the glass and maneuvering it around, and if you have multiple flying creatures it can get very unwieldy.
Oh yeah the dice tray is an absolute must have. I also recommend The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns from Eldermancy and the Remarkable Cults and Guilds from Lore Smyth.
Why not just roll on the table 😆
@@xXxInFaMYxXx because those shiny click clacks often roll off the table 😂
@jfdewoluwe don't throw em so hard or a forward motion legit grab it with your thumb and index finger flick your wrist toward the table while rolling it between your fingers and it won't roll much on the table will just usually drop on a number
Thanks for this, something for everyone.
2:09 change your smoke detector battery
I have no idea what this comment means
@@BonusActionthey probably hear a smoke detector beeping meaning it needs new batteries
I have the weather/emotions dice and my players go CRAZY for them!!
I use a small whiteboard, it has saved my game more than once! 😆😆
once we used to imagine/create things like dungeons, weather conditions, items, etc... Now there's a guide for everything.
I highly recommend the book Treacherous Traps as well!
I started with original red box, moved on to AD&D, to 2nd edition to a shit ton of others. I am old. I greatly prefer d6-based ttrpgs. It's easier to introduce to others and can take one book to get the job done. I appreciate how much money can be spent on more than a game now. Have fun kids!
You only need some Friends and a DM.
But it's a good guide for someone outtside of roleplaying who wants to gift someone who does play.
Which Website is used for the Character Creation?
My game changed so much we are playing Trail of Cthulhu now!
Omg those battle maps books look so good
Don't buy the core books!
If you're a beginner DM, buy the starter set or the free rules! Nobody ever says this. Like they expect you to drop £90 to play this game
Also, I hate the DMG. DMs, don't buy one
Most of these accessories you don't *need* unless you're a DM
Just a set of dice and the player handbook is enough for most regular players
And even then that's not 100% necessary if you've got a friend at the table willing to share their book and dice with you.
So new players watching this and feeling intimidated by all the things you "need", don't worry, most of it is just for convenience.