Creating Your First D&D Character for Beginners

Creating Your First D&D Character for Beginners – A Guide

Dungeons & Dragons is more than just rolling dice; it’s about stepping into an adventure. Before you begin, however, you’ll need to create a character. Fortunately, this process is simpler than it seems. Whether you’re new to roleplaying games or returning after a break, this guide will help you craft a character that enhances your experience.

Step 1: Choose a Race, Class, and Background

Your character’s race, class, and background define their abilities, strengths, and personality. Making the right choice ensures a character that fits both the story and your playstyle.

• Race: Each race provides unique traits. For example, elves excel in agility, dwarves are naturally resilient, and halflings are known for their luck. Choosing one that aligns with your character concept can shape their strengths and weaknesses.
• Class: This determines your character’s role in combat and exploration. Fighters dominate in battle, wizards wield powerful magic, and rogues rely on stealth. Selecting a class that suits your playstyle ensures a more enjoyable experience.
• Background: This adds depth to your character by providing additional skills and roleplaying opportunities. For instance, were they a noble, a merchant, or a street thief? Additionally, backgrounds influence motivations and worldviews.

Step 2: Do You Need a Backstory?

Many new players believe they must write a complex backstory before playing. In reality, a short and flexible backstory works best. Instead of focusing on excessive details, consider these key questions:

• Why did your character become an adventurer?
• Do they have a personal goal or a secret that influences their journey?
• How do they interact with others—friendly, reserved, or unpredictable?

Instead of finalizing every detail, allow your character to develop naturally. Moreover, keeping things flexible means you can adjust their story as the campaign progresses.

Step 3: Preparing for Session Zero

Before the first session, many groups hold a Session Zero. This meeting helps set expectations and ensures everyone is on the same page.

During this discussion, players can clarify the following:

• Group dynamics: How do the characters know each other?
• Story tone: Will the campaign be serious, comedic, or somewhere in between?
• Boundaries and themes: Are there any topics players prefer to avoid?

By having this conversation early, players avoid misunderstandings and create a smoother, more enjoyable game. Furthermore, discussing character relationships in advance strengthens roleplaying cohesion.

Step 4: Balancing Rules and Roleplay

New players worry about understanding the rules. However, learning as you play is completely acceptable. Instead of memorizing every mechanic, focus on grasping the essentials.

If an unfamiliar rule arises, simply ask the Dungeon Master (DM) or check your character sheet. More importantly, don’t let mechanics overshadow storytelling. Engaging with the world and your fellow players creates the most memorable experiences.

Step 5: Avoiding Common Mistakes

Even experienced players make mistakes. Fortunately, these are easy to avoid with a little awareness:

✔ Over-optimising (Min-maxing): A powerful character is great, but focusing on fun and roleplay enhances the experience.
✔ Ignoring character personality: Stats define abilities, but personality and interactions bring your character to life.
✔ Playing a lone wolf: Since D&D is a team game, collaboration leads to stronger storytelling moments.

Final Thoughts: Just Jump In!

Your first D&D character for beginners doesn’t need to be perfect. While some players prefer detailed planning, others let their character evolve during play. No matter your approach, the goal is to have fun.

So, grab your dice, embrace the adventure, and get ready for an unforgettable journey. Most importantly, enjoy the experience and let your imagination guide you!

People on this Episode

Listen to us on

See All Listening Options

Episode Transcript

Mark:
[0:00] Welcome to RPG Blokes. In the last podcast we talked about the physical things, The tools of the trade. This is more about your mental preparation. I’ll start by introducing the RPG Blokes. Stephen, I always warn everybody never to trust one of Stephen’s characters. They’re very shady. At the age of nine he embraced the backstab rules from D&D first edition and Has run with them really for 40 years, assisted by his favourite die.

Stephen:
[0:27] I do like a good rogue and an uneven die, yeah.

Mark:
[0:31] Okay, Barry who has a penchant for characters who can bludgeon bad guys to death With inanimate objects, and the occasional good guy too, it really doesn’t seem to matter. John plays a fantastic nutty professor. You know the type, unkempt, Silver hair, absent-minded, bags stuffed with books. Not quite sure where he gets the inspiration from.

Jon:
[0:53] Only one character to play. I’m cosplaying constantly.

Mark:
[1:12] You’re going to come into your first session, you’re going to be required to Make a character to represent you within the game. And there can be a multitude of choices involving which character you might choose. We’ve already spoken in the previous podcast about being a little bit ahead Of that and reading the rules and coming along with a rule book or having a Little idea about what you might want to take. So we won’t go into that really in any more detail. We’ll go into some of the other considerations of character choice. Let’s talk about backstory and not just backstory, personality traits. How important would you say as a DM, Stephen, when a new player sits at your Table, that they already have a fairly decent idea of where that’s going to take them?

Stephen:
[1:55] I think it definitely would be helpful. If they did, that’s great. If they’ve made the time to try and think about their backstory and how their Character will act in game. Yeah, I think maybe the personality traits of the character may be slightly more important, But they could be based on the backstory of course um because obviously backstory Is something that’s already happened to the character that’s great and gives You an idea of how to play it in the future and picking personality Trait it’s a good start when i think about those i think maybe go obvious with Personality traits there’s no point in other character with many shades of gray And it doesn’t don’t come across you might have one personality trait that really Comes across a lot like i love gold or i hate goblins or something it’s something Quite simple that you can stick to as a basis of a character sounds.

Mark:
[2:35] Like it’s out of the the barry textbook i remember you saying in a previous Podcast, it was one of your characters that you went with no appreciation of Money, and that really just led the way with everything else that come together with the character.

Jon:
[2:46] Yeah, I think…

Mark:
[2:47] There’s something on the mic.

Stephen:
[2:48] I can’t hear you.

Mark:
[2:49] Speak again, Brian.

Jon:
[2:50] Hello, hello, hello.

Barry:
[2:52] Hold on, I appear to be back. I appear to be back. I can hear myself. Can you hear me? Fuck you, guys.

Stephen:
[2:58] What would he say?

Jon:
[3:01] Once more with fearing.

Barry:
[3:03] So I think the thing to remember about backstory is If you want to have a complicated Backstory, then you need to know the law. I think if you’re a new player, you’re probably not going to know the lore. So just come in with what I always think of it as a hook. Just come in with one simple thing that will help you play your character in a certain way. And like you said, but I had no concept of money. And that it was an interesting Thing to do, particularly in D&D, which is very kind of gold and treasure orientated. It was an interesting thing to play. As a new player, I don’t think you need to worry about it too much. In fact, even if at all, you know, you’re, I Think probably most people when they play their first character they Are essentially playing this extension of themselves they Do what they would do they sound how they would sound and i Think that’s a perfectly valid way to approach your first Character if there’s something you’ve always had a burning desire to be Because of your you know enjoyment that you take out of particular genres if You’re a lord of the rings fan and you’re conan the barbarian fan and you want It to be about then you pick something that means something to you but you don’t Have to get hung up about the depth of that character you know that that can Be revealed as the game goes on. In fact, it’s a way that I quite like to play it. I don’t really, I’ll have one hook about a character, and then the experiences That character has in that session are what ends up shaping how that character ends up. I realise it’s not a particularly studious way to play the game, But it’s a way that I enjoy, and I think other people would as well.

Mark:
[4:27] Yeah, those choices will come naturally during the session. You don’t need to Worry about it, But for somebody who is a little bit more nervous about that Side of things, each player is normally called upon to describe their character, If not their personality, how they might physically look. Thinking about these things in advance or having an idea of them may make you Feel more at ease if that’s i don’t know would that be a reason why somebody Might feel nervous to turn up and play the game in the first place i it’s been So long since i’ve been there but i think for me it might might be i.

Barry:
[4:55] Hate introducing character part of the reason i hate introducing character because Normally i haven’t got a clue who that character is going to be when when we start.

Mark:
[5:01] Like i say you.

Barry:
[5:02] Know my experience is in the game are what ends up i think this is a good point To talk about a little bit more in-depth alignment. So one of the most important decisions that you’ll make is your character’s alignment. And alignment is essentially, you know, that character’s moral position. Are you good? Are you evil? Are you neutral? If you can be true to that choice, I think the rest of it just falls into place. You’ve got chaotic and lawful and neutral, good and evil. And one of my favorite combinations to play is chaotic neutral, Because you can essentially do whatever you want and justify it from a moral Position you can have the occasional bout of evilness.

Stephen:
[5:39] I was picking on the alignment thing you say chaotic neutral i think it’s one Of the more difficult alignments to play as a new new player because you can Do anything technically whereas you play lawful good you know you’re going to Be lawful when you know you’re going to be good and a chaotic evil you know You’re going to be chaotic you know you’re going to be good evil sorry and you Kind of you can play those extremes chaotic neutral you feel like people just Do what they want would you.

Mark:
[5:59] Recommend us something to do in advance of a session for somebody who’s playing Dungeons & Dragons to read up on the different alignments, what there might Be a combination of those things. Barry, you mentioned maybe eight different alignments, is there something along those lines?

Stephen:
[6:10] Yeah, it’s a mixture of lines.

Mark:
[6:11] Not too much reading, is it, to read up on those?

Stephen:
[6:13] No, it’s a good thing to read, I think, and especially if you want to play a Type of character, or have a personality in your character, it’s definitely a starting point for me. I don’t think it ends there, but it certainly starts there, and pick something That, if you don’t want to come up with your own unique take on it, Pick something that’s quite… Quite specific like play a very good lawful character and then you know exactly What you’re doing in all situations.

Jon:
[6:34] So i’m a great fan of a session zero but Preferably one-on-one i know it’s not always possible Um if you’ve got a whole group at the table if you’ve got the prep time and You can do that then people can come up with their concept so when they’re choosing Their skills it’s not just oh click i’ll choose that fee okay who taught you it why did you learn it.

Mark:
[6:58] So those things that you prefer would you say it’s a bigger advantage for a New player to come in having already thought of these things before they enter Because you’re giving them more room to breathe in those sessions are quite Long those considerations take up more time but i suppose if you’re stuck there And you’ve got writer’s block and you can’t think of anything.

Jon:
[7:15] Yeah so most of the uh game books That the basic players ones they’ll have a 10 20 questions thing at the beginning yeah most Of us will just skip past that because we’re long in the tooth but they’re good Ones it’ll be what’s your background where did you come from why are you adventuring Rather than risking life and limb for a pool full of silver rather than just Uh sitting back in your village with you know your, Other half and your 2.5 kids and just selling overpriced items to adventurers That come your way that’s.

Mark:
[7:49] Yeah so your style of game you would be asking these questions whereas many Many other games and i think develop them during during the game itself so if You’re going to be sitting down with a dm like john who’s going to be wanting To run two or three hours of character gen backstory, I think it’s probably more important to come along with some idea of what you’re Going to do under those circumstances.

Barry:
[8:10] No, I think absolutely. And it depends on the style of the game that you’re Playing. And the vast majority of what I play is, you know, D&D 5e. And those character generations and decisions just aren’t as involved. Were I sitting at a table with John, I would, of course, embrace coming with something like that. But I wouldn’t say I was winging it, but it worked. I just want to get on with the game. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, me too. Sometimes I feel like character generation Is, I just want to get that door open and start rolling my dice. So my character will work itself out. Some systems lend themselves more to some styles of gameplay than other systems do.

Mark:
[8:45] Stephen, you’re somewhere in between the two points of view there, Aren’t you? Because you play indie games. The game you’re playing, one of them at the moment, is 4D Dark Heresy. Fair bit of background work on characters on that. I can see that your players Engage with that quite a lot. But you also believe that backstory is for the player. What you do in the session, how you develop that character is more important.

Stephen:
[9:07] It’s getting the game going as well. I realise people have turned up and they Want to play a game. So yeah, if that can be done kind of beforehand, that’s great. Otherwise, yeah, a little bit of knowledge about where your character come from And then just bring that into the game as you can. Develop the character as you play, I think. I prefer that sort of method and Then you can reveal a backstory. You might not think of it beforehand, but you might think of something and you Think, oh, my character used to do this and then just bring it up and say, Yeah, okay, you did it. That’s fine. That’s not a problem.

Jon:
[9:33] Yeah i don’t disagree with any of that at all it’s just a personal preference For me but if i’m playing i’ll quite have not i’ll grab a pre-gen sheet like Uh the fifth edition we’re doing on the wednesday glance and rattle on as i Go along that that’s fine because it’s, It is what it is if i’m reffing most Of the time i’ve found that characters will Dictate or certainly suggest whole storylines which either sparked off by something That happens as part of the scenario or that they’ll just go at it from a completely Different direction because that’s what their character would do i fucking love That that’s spontaneous it sounds.

Mark:
[10:17] Like that’s spontaneous.

Jon:
[10:18] You don’t.

Mark:
[10:19] Need to prepare for that that kind of.

Jon:
[10:20] Thing no no well that that’s where the knowledge of the world and how things Go come in as a ref but if the the players come from a particular background. Yeah, you can fold them in to the narrative. If something in their past is part of the story, that can change what you’re Going to do, but usually better because the, The players are going to be far more involved so you see an advantage of doing it together with.

Mark:
[10:47] The other players involved.

Barry:
[10:48] So i’ve i’m famously this has Come out is that i do very very little prep that doesn’t mean i’m Not thinking about it i think one of the things that i’ve found really interesting Since playing tabletop role-playing games is that when i am consuming fiction I find myself thinking oh i wonder what alignment that character in like one I have more than a mild obsession with Firefly and Serenity, And the operative from the movie Serenity for me is the perfect representation of lawful evil. Absolutely bang on the money. So although you don’t necessarily have to come Into it having thought really in-depth about it, But if you’re coming into it saying, I want to play a character like this Character I know from my beloved fiction then yeah have a little think about What alignment is that on screen or in that literature or whatever i think that’s A really good starting point you know one of my aspirations is to play a lawful Evil character at some point i’ve never played an evil character i’ve done some Evil things but people are complicated man that’s.

Stephen:
[11:50] The chaos neutral coming through chaotic neutral.

Barry:
[11:52] Were i to do that and the other one that gets bandied around a lot as well is Um dolores umbrage from the harry potty and that’s another that’s another good Example of lawful evil okay yeah which i think is a difficult one to kind of play neutral.

Jon:
[12:08] Evil they are more the true evil than either of the others.

Barry:
[12:12] And like but straight away we’re debating it people take their alignment as If it’s a really simple decision but it isn’t.

Mark:
[12:18] It’s a great idea isn’t it people come along with an idea of the character based Upon something they’ve read or seen on.

Barry:
[12:22] The movie.

Mark:
[12:23] And then but try and apply the alignment to it. It’s fun.

Barry:
[12:25] Yeah, yeah. And it’s not, you know, from mine and John’s little exchange, It’s not as easy as you think because people are complicated. I mean, for me, it’s also, although I love the alignment system and I think It’s the most important decision, it’s also, you know, in many ways flawed because People are much more complicated than eight alignments.

Mark:
[12:42] Yeah if.

Barry:
[12:43] You’re playing your character well Your character should kind of be more complicated than their alignment.

Stephen:
[12:48] Yeah i think two complicated characters don’t really come across in a role playing Game too much i think simplicity is the key something that that’s where the Complication becomes not one character needs to be everything i think that as A group you should work together to create the story between you and different People have fulfilled different roles and alignments.

Mark:
[13:03] Play so so the message is feel free to do that a bit Of prep come along with a character in mind or just turn up and you will not Be at any disadvantage the questions will be asked of you a good dm will draw Those things out you’re not going to be sitting there and thinking i don’t know What to do because it it just seems to flow so naturally doesn’t it the ideas You could be the least imagined person in the world and you would surprise yourself sometimes.

Jon:
[13:25] Rarely it’s not that relevant if you’re starting off with the dungeon crawl Just a purely physical little tactical setup kick the doors down kill the monsters Steal the treasure that might be the intro that the hook that gets all the characters together.

Stephen:
[13:40] It might be that evil rogue that likes to steal all the gold because they love the gold.

Jon:
[13:44] It might be an evil type, but they might have some personal objections to things Like, I don’t know, slavery. That’s a thing that’s always considered bad. That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable To everyone. Capitalism. There’s a whole range of things. There’s enlightened, there’s despotic, And again the different characters will interact with that in a different way.

Barry:
[14:09] That’s a.

Mark:
[14:10] Capitalism barry no i’m just kidding.

Barry:
[14:15] It’s always capitalism is that a character class it’s it that’d be great.

Jon:
[14:19] No they’re the npc bad guys god.

Barry:
[14:21] My two great loves in dnd are really long campaigns and one shots like for completely Different reasons like the reason i love a one shot is that actually, Alignment, personalities, duddy, duddy, duddy, you know, they’re back burners, You know, you know that your one Shot is going to be a little bit of role play and a fuck ton of combat, You know, and I love it for that, but then I also love like long campaigns where You do spend time thinking about what would my guy do, what is my guy’s motivation, You know, how is my guy getting on with the other characters at the table?

Stephen:
[14:53] Yeah, I just thought maybe we mentioned some games that have pre-generated characters That give you kind of like people’s motivations one we played recently was Alien RPG by Free League a lot of those scenarios were short but they had very much Every character had an agenda that kind of interwoved with everyone else’s agendas Kind of created conflicts or reasons to work together, So those sort of games are obviously very different to a…

Mark:
[15:17] A bit more like one-shots, right, wouldn’t you say? I know there wasn’t one session, but it…

Stephen:
[15:21] One-shots are equivalent. I suppose they average three to four sessions, I suppose, like tournament games you would play. If you turn up to a convention and play a tournament game, you’d be given a Character with a very specific kind of agenda.

Jon:
[15:32] Yeah, your character already has a friend and a rival in the group you’re with, and that added a lot. It can be difficult to play sometimes, especially if say you get along with The other player but your characters are rivals and you, Wouldn’t take your foot off their head if there was drowning yeah but it might Be the other way around you might not get along with a particular player i mean And i’ve been to games where not everyone has got along but their characters Work well it’s going to happen in any group i just i haven’t.

Barry:
[16:05] Experienced that yet i’ve.

Jon:
[16:06] I get on with.

Barry:
[16:07] Everyone i’ve been.

Mark:
[16:07] Playing for five years now.

Barry:
[16:08] And every and i have.

Mark:
[16:09] Definitely not in many many years yeah it’s very rare in our game go refer back To it the dm gave us all a secret didn’t he i.

Barry:
[16:17] I like stuff like that i think it’s a really clever dm tool.

Mark:
[16:20] And those things yeah dm you could always ask your dm to give you a little something Couldn’t you a little secret a little angle on your character as i say don’t Turn up worried about these things the pressure is rarely on you and um if it Is there’s plenty of people that would jump in if they see you awkward and give You an idea and point you to a random table to roll on or something.

Jon:
[16:40] And if you haven’t got anything already in your mind, you can always retcon it. It might come up in character a lot later on down the line, but it’s not necessarily That it’s just happened. It’s just never come up before or something like that. So yeah.

Mark:
[16:55] Okay, so backstory, personality traits, that kind of thing. I mention this as A joke, really, but character voice. Don’t worry about coming along with your accent well rehearsed and trained. And that’s quashed the rumour that D&D, it’s not full of actors and voiceover Actors and thespians. It really isn’t.

Barry:
[17:12] Although we do have one at our table.

Mark:
[17:13] Do we? I’m feeling intimidated now.

Stephen:
[17:17] You might fancy giving it a go, but you might be the only one at the table doing It. But if you’re not self-conscious about that, that’s great.

Mark:
[17:23] Yeah, we’ve got three DMs here. Who can do the best accent?

Jon:
[17:25] It’ll probably sound racist or trigger certain people. I’ve got a vampire character, my only vampire character, and he’s German.

Barry:
[17:34] He’s what? Well, that would be the same race. That’s xenophobic, not racist.

Jon:
[17:37] Oh, right then. Well, whatever. See what I mean about trigger? Jeez.

Mark:
[17:40] We’ll get you cancelled now.

Stephen:
[17:42] Give us your head off, Hitler.

Jon:
[17:43] No, it’s not. It’s just a slight little. It’s not full on LOLOs. It’s a tiny little thing because he’s trying to conceal it because he’s in America and stuff like that. I’ve really got to get into that to do that. So if you’re playing a particular type of character, they’ll go about doing it. It’s not role-playing so much as how you describe their actions.

Mark:
[18:07] Stephen taught me, actually, on how to do that, because I’m rubbish at them. I’m not going to give you one of mine. But you have an entry phrase, don’t you?

Stephen:
[18:12] Oh, yeah. For Northern Ireland.

Mark:
[18:15] Yeah, okay.

Stephen:
[18:15] Power shower.

Mark:
[18:16] So you say…

Stephen:
[18:17] If you say power shower, you can’t help but go Northern Ireland.

Mark:
[18:19] And then from then on, you’re in…

Stephen:
[18:21] Well, yeah, kind of, yeah. Yeah, for a little bit.

Barry:
[18:23] And apparently for Geordie, it’s a can of Coke.

Stephen:
[18:25] Can of Coke, or there’s the Jamaican one beer can sandwich.

Barry:
[18:29] Jimmy Carr, that’s it.

Stephen:
[18:30] Yeah, it’s tough to stay in, to be fair. It’s just a drift between sort of Northern Ireland and Wales and India. And then we’re back again.

Jon:
[18:37] When I was playing Doc Tanner, my Call of Cthulhu character, Always enunciated everything correct but it was well modulated and i’d always Find a wordier way of phrasing something it wasn’t an accent but it was how he would have.

Mark:
[18:53] Spoken that happens naturally and i don’t.

Jon:
[18:56] Always notice it.

Mark:
[18:57] Yeah um but no requirements there whatsoever no you’re not going to be surrounded By amateur dramatics it’s just not like that it’s normal guys like us just plan if.

Jon:
[19:09] Don’t if you feel pressured into any of that you.

Mark:
[19:12] Know then you’re.

Barry:
[19:13] Then you’re at the wrong table.

Mark:
[19:14] You’re at a table that’s not for you it’s the table rather than the hobbit that’s Wrong for you then isn’t it yeah one thing you do need to prepare to do is use Your imagination and creativity i think you probably picked up on that by now That these things these two qualities are important don’t overthink it think It do it and and see what happens and where it takes you.

Barry:
[19:32] I don’t think you have to be a super creative person i don’t i certainly don’t Consider myself to be particularly imaginative or creative.

Mark:
[19:39] But bring what you’ve got but.

Barry:
[19:41] Bring what you bring what you’ve got and be prepared to speak up as well it’s You know be prepared to take it seriously be prepared to realize that you know You’re you’re you’re taking life and death situations for your characters and For your party take those decisions seriously.

Mark:
[19:54] Yeah so it flows logically in some Ways if you’ve got that alter ego shape in itself In front of you on the paper then those decisions then can flow a bit more naturally Even though they’re most likely going to be decisions you’re going to be making Yourself as we say beginning players often play an extension of themselves rather Than shape a character that’s a completely alien or two you go to who they normally are that’s normal.

Stephen:
[20:19] Yeah, are we talking about fire and imagination? You could even turn up to a Session, really, just sit there and watch a lot of the time, Especially if you’re new to it. If it’s fire and your imagination, in the end you’ll get, you’re into the game. If you sit down and listen and watch.

Mark:
[20:32] There’s no such thing as a quiet player by definition, is it? We don’t ever think that player’s quiet. You just…

Stephen:
[20:38] Understandable. When I first started playing, I think we didn’t say hardly anything. You just, you know, you absorb it in, watch people play.

Mark:
[20:44] Yeah, be comfortable, be quiet, be comfortable. There’ll be plenty of other People that will want to speak in your stead.

Stephen:
[20:49] Oh yeah yeah vacuum will be filled yeah no.

Barry:
[20:52] But and again i think if you’re a good table when you’re the quiet player you Know a good table will still ask you to confirm that you agree with the decision That’s been made i think as an absolute minimum you’re expected to give the nod to a plan but.

Mark:
[21:04] You’re never made to feel.

Barry:
[21:05] Awkward well listen listen i don’t i think you will feel awkward i don’t think You’re made to feel awkward i you know i felt awkward particularly when, Called upon to speak in my character that was i that was something i just found Really i was way outside my comfort zone and no one made me feel like that it Wasn’t behavior of other people at the table that was just my own anxiety did.

Mark:
[21:28] You feel obliged to do it.

Barry:
[21:29] No like i wanted to do it i wanted to be part of the story but that doesn’t Make it easy but then you know this is something i say to my son like you know Nothing worth doing is easy what.

Jon:
[21:40] When i was younger i was really shot I was the quiet guy and everything else. Not good with people. Still not. But what I’ve found is you can hide inside the character.

Stephen:
[21:51] Yeah, I’ll just say that you’ll get out what you put into it. And the more you kind of engage with it, the more you’ll get out of it.

Mark:
[21:56] So we’re coming to the end of the podcast now. And the last thing I did want To talk about, and I’m not quite sure how relevant this is and how much of an Insight we can have on it, but say that you’ve done all of these things, You’ve listened to our podcast up until this point, and you’re going to go to Your first game this evening. There’ll be some last minute nerves right and making sure that you get there Is so important you can tell it’s a fantastic copy we we love it and we think You you will too just make sure you go right isn’t that the point and.

Barry:
[22:25] Sometimes the hardest thing i have to do is walk out my front door do you know I mean once i’ve walked out my front door everything’s tickety-boo the world’s Out there and it’s full of people and people aren’t always the best and yet I just just turn up it’s the the worst thing that can happen is you realize It’s not for you and you don’t go back that’s literally the worst case scenario.

Mark:
[22:42] John you i come to you because you’ve often said you know that might be a barrier To become starting in the first place you know you were naturally very quiet When you were young but if you were an adult now get this i.

Jon:
[22:55] Like that do you mean if i was a functioning adult now because that’s a different Thing on the assumption i still had the hobby of, Reading and the things that i’m into anyway if i knew someone that had described It i’d probably give it a go.

Stephen:
[23:13] Of um societies have kind of like a discord or something like that you can get Into first and speak to people online before you go and that kind of breaks The ice a lot of the time and you kind of can get an idea of who you’re playing With uh that can help especially if you speak directly to the dm that can help You if you want to turn up that evening you can speak to them during the day And confirm everything’s good.

Mark:
[23:32] We interact with a lot of people like that, don’t we?

Stephen:
[23:33] Yeah.

Mark:
[23:33] Into our community online.

Stephen:
[23:35] You kind of make them feel more at ease if you speak to them and I think they’re More likely to turn up if you’ve…

Mark:
[23:40] They don’t always though, do they?

Stephen:
[23:41] Not always, I suppose. Yeah, there’s a few… Repeat offenders isn’t there for they just love to come online and pretend they’re coming but yeah.

Mark:
[23:48] They don’t but i do i are they mischief makers or are they generally people they just i’ll.

Barry:
[23:53] Go back to like sometimes the hardest thing i have to do is walk out my front Door i think you need to give those people the benefit of the doubt i think That most people are probably well intentioned and when it comes to crunch time Their social anxiety gets the better of them and.

Mark:
[24:05] They can’t do it because.

Stephen:
[24:06] When we first went we went as a group as well don’t we we went together with Some friends so if you’ve got someone bring someone with you as well so.

Mark:
[24:12] Yeah well i mean go.

Stephen:
[24:14] With go with people and then.

Mark:
[24:15] Yeah we approach our community anybody makes contact we take them at face value And even if they are repeat offenders like you say that we’ve had i keep on Extending the offer and i i do think that for quite a lot of people getting Through the door at that first for that first time is like you’re saying the Most difficult thing by far yeah and the.

Jon:
[24:33] Good thing about the club in particular there’s something for everyone that’s The benefit of going to a club uh there’s more than likely you’re gonna see At least one person there that you get along with and a system that will capture your imagination.

Mark:
[24:49] And another another fear you may have and Maybe i can cover this one is that you’re going to be integrated into a Group of people that you’re not um you’re not comfortable with Maybe on an age level because we’re talking to you as middle-aged or Older or slightly younger whether you’re going to get there and then be place With a bunch of 20 year olds 30 year olds you may not want that you may want To be clear what kind of thing you’re going to experience before you get there And I think very few people do actually ask the question how old are the people That are playing the game that I’m playing it doesn’t get asked very often I Can only imagine it’s because people feel uncomfortable, Asking the question but I do try and gauge gauge that a little bit and try and make sure, New players end up in the.

Barry:
[25:28] Groups they should what do you think well on a personal level Um that would never enter my head to ask that not because i i think i might Be judged for asking it but but one of the things that’s been really joyous About this whole experience for me is playing with people from different generations That’s that’s been one of the big that’s what i would put forward as one of the huge pluses so.

Mark:
[25:50] Most people don’t care you think that’s.

Barry:
[25:51] Why i’m not being asked the question no yeah absolutely i think i think the Reason that’s that question is not being asked is because people don’t care. You know, I’ve sat at tables with 19, 20-year-olds and really enjoyed their Company. I think young people are worth experiencing.

Jon:
[26:06] Phrasing! But yes, to expand on that ill-phrased comment. So the first, this has been mentioned before, but when I was first reffing at The club, they threw the sprogs at me. And honestly, I was nervous as hell. I was familiar with the game and everything Else. That wasn’t an issue at all. But I’ve got a foul fecking mouth, and I really want to rein that in. And I did, successfully, for much longer than I ever thought I would. You can get used to doing things a certain way. You can anticipate how players Are going to react to certain situations. That all goes out the window with A, new players, and B, a certain generation. And it was brilliant. It was one of the most enjoyable times I’ve ever had.

Mark:
[27:00] So be open to the experience. Don’t narrow down your options when it comes to The people that you’ll be playing with. You’ll have a fairly decent idea of what the makeup of the people playing might be. But if you are worried about that kind of thing, you could always go online, look at the community. There might be photographs that give away, you know, what level of geekdom you’re dealing with. We’re all geeks. That’s a spoiler for you.

Stephen:
[27:22] Tell in a photo how geeky you are.

Mark:
[27:24] I’d like to bring this podcast to an end now. And just to finish it off, I’m going to ask each of you that if this was your first session and you had Done a little bit of homework or had an idea about what you might take as your first character, What character would that be? Who wants to go first?

Stephen:
[27:41] Well, my first character I did ever play was a cleric. I remember because I Was very helpful for the rest of the party. They loved me. You got a healing spell. You’re the favorite person ever.

Mark:
[27:50] Did that help you integrate?

Stephen:
[27:51] Yeah, it did. Yeah. Yeah. It was great. Everyone’s all like saying, We’ve got some healing and go yeah it’s me take a helpful character then absolutely Make friends take a little helpful yeah or you play the rogue later on and steal All the gold and everyone hates you yeah don’t do that first do that second so a cleric, Yeah do that first that’s a very nice I’ll go around.

Mark:
[28:08] The table then John.

Jon:
[28:10] Well, my first ever one was a paladin. In general, I do tend to like a jack of all trades.

Mark:
[28:19] So there will be a bard under these circumstances?

Jon:
[28:21] A bard was something I liked. They had spellcasting, they had the gift of the Gab, which I found more and more useful, but not in a dedicated dungeon crawl. But yeah, being able to have a go at most things I like. You lose out on specialization. you’re not as good as the fighter you’re not As good as the wizard you’re not as good as the thief but you can do a little Bit of everything and for me personally i’ve always liked that with the that versatility yeah yeah.

Barry:
[28:52] Uh barry right i think this might say a bit about me um i can’t narrow it down To just one and it would be two and i don’t think they could be any more different It would be a Warlock or a Barbarian.

Stephen:
[29:07] Multiclass.

Barry:
[29:08] I don’t multiclass.

Mark:
[29:09] What’s the primary reason for each of those choices?

Barry:
[29:12] So the first character I ever played was a Warlock and the primary reason for That is the single cantrip. That’s it. Just Eldritch Blast is the most fun you can have with your finger. That came out wrong. So from a character playing point of view they couldn’t be any more different But I think what they both do really well is have their it’s kind of the opposite To you. They are, it’s the one trick pony. Yeah? Yeah, so you’re a warlock. From the get-go, you’ve got a phenomenal attack spell. You can use it over and over and over again. But also as a magic user, A warlock is really easy in terms of admin because you only get two spell slots. And that’s it. If you cast two spells, you’re done until you short rest. And again, one trick pony with the barbarian, you get your rage. Rage is just really good fun to play. When you rage, you are just a certified badass.

Jon:
[30:02] They’ve also upped that with the new sixth edition thing or whatever they call it.

Mark:
[30:07] 2024 edition.

Jon:
[30:09] So you can use your strength bonus on things like perception checks.

Mark:
[30:15] Okay. Yeah, so mine would be a fighter. So I just like getting into the thick of things. I like combat, but also, you know, if you’ve got a fighting character, You can still be involved in all of the role play, all of the investigation and everything else. I think it just gives you a stake in everything. And I’ve always enjoyed a vanilla Fighter very much. So that’s been my choice, I think. It was my first session. And you can always shake down other players’ characters as well and take things Off them against their will.

Stephen:
[30:40] Mean.

Mark:
[30:43] Did I say you’ve never done it?

Stephen:
[30:44] No, you’ve done it to my characters, I remember, in the day.

Barry:
[30:47] Oh, hold it, hold it. Are we getting big brother dynamics here now? it is, yeah.

Stephen:
[30:53] GM didn’t do me any favours, let you shake down the party, didn’t he?

Mark:
[30:57] He did allow us to do that quite a bit.

Stephen:
[30:59] Yeah.

Mark:
[31:00] It was helpful back in the days when you needed money to go up levels. Oh, yeah.

Jon:
[31:05] We might have to go into different mechanics for different things on the other side.

Stephen:
[31:09] Money’s really important, you know.

Mark:
[31:11] Okay, well, thank you very much again for listening.

Jon:
[31:13] We’re good.

Stephen:
[31:14] We’re ready.

Mark:
[31:14] Oh, go.

Stephen:
[31:15] So let’s Slice and dice.