What If I Suck at D&D?
Excited? Terrified? Both? Welcome to D&D.
Welcome to D&D for Beginners. Join Professor Lump (but I prefer "Richard") Crackfang, the learned scholar and wizard, in exploring the most common questions of new and early D&D players. If you haven't yet, subscribe here:
You are set! You've got your dice, snacks, and your overly complicated 4½-page backstory. But now what?
You finally get to play D&D… and you’re convinced you’re about to ruin it.
You have no idea what you’re doing.
You don’t know the rules.
You forget your abilities.
You panic every time someone says, “It’s your turn.”
And worse, you feel like you’re slowing everyone down.
So you sit there, second-guessing everything.
Should I have picked a different class?
Should I have watched more Critical Role?
Are my friends silently regretting inviting me??
Good News! We've ALL Been There
Face it — you are gonna suck at first. We all do. Like anything else, you get better at D&D by playing D&D.
But, no, your friends do not regret inviting you. They've been where you are, felt exactly how you feel. There was a time that they had to ask "Which one is the d10 again?" too.
Ask all the stupid questions!
DMs love when players ask questions. Seriously. It makes their job easier.
“Wait, how does initiative work again?” is not an issue.
"Can I step out from behind the rock, cast a spell, then run over to the wall, all in one turn?"
"What if I want to run up to the ogre, dive between his legs, and punch him in the dangly bits as I slide past?"
Focus on what your character would do and not “playing D&D right.” This is especially true if you are playing a character who is wholly unlike you. Maybe you would never slap the spoiled princess, but your character might.
D&D is about decisions and fun — and consequences of the poor decisions are often the most fun.
So lean into failures. Failure is where the best stories — and the most fun — comes from.
And if you help make the game fun, you don't suck at D&D.
Love this! Very true!