How to Play D&D

how to play

Check out the videos below and feel free to leave a comment about what you like to see next in this series.

How to Play D&D is a good series if you want to see a sample game session with some rules explanations along the way. Part 1 is below, or check out the entire series here.

D&D Rules School is a good series if you want to a more systematic and organized approach to learning how to play Dungeons & Dragons 5E.  Part 1 is below, or check out the entire series here.

Helpful Places to go with questions:

https://discord.io/wasd20

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DnD5th/

https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/

http://community.wizards.com/forums/61981

⇐ Back to Beginner’s Guide to D&D main page

47 Comments

  1. Oh, a baller? Nice shot at the end there! lmao
    I like your videos, they are both informative and very easy to understand. Thanks for taking the time to make them all.

    • Hey Im new to your chanel, your videos are very helpful, although my family thinks the roleplaying is boring, and they dont quite understand how the combat and movement work, and i myself still dont get how to use the dice, im using normal dice, with six sides, also, i dont know how to make the game more fun for my family

  2. I am giving 5e a try with my with my kids after several years off. I picked up the starter set and these videos have been tremendously helpful. Thanks for posting them!

  4. thank you for the video. I am very new to this game, and they really helped.

  5. Hi!
    Just wanted to thank you because your videos were very helpful for me as a complete newcomer to D&D – something I’ve wanted to try my hand at since I was a kid! (Now Im 32 :D)
    But being in India has not made that easy – still isn’t!
    Have found 2 other people and a possible 3rd, got the player handbook, DM handbook and monsters sheet from the D&D official site and started building my character.
    I AM however still hoping to find more people or at least more experienced people to play with and build on my game and understanding.
    Thanks to your video, I’m heading over to roll20 and the other one to see what I can find. Fingers crossed!
    Cheers!

  6. Hello!In your how to play Dungeons and Dragons you said you had a free pdf on the basics of D&D,where is that?

  7. Hello! In your how to play D&D you said you had a free pdf on the basics of D&D,where is that?Thanks!!!

  9. Great site. I’m returning to D&D after a 25 year hiatus. My things have changed (and stayed the same)! I’m loving 5e and I’m DMing a group with some adults and kids, so your beginners videos have been great. Any good resources that you like that help a DM deal with kids whose attention spans may be limited at times? Thanks!

  10. Thank you for the videos! I have only recently started playing D&D, and it helps to see a slowed down, more informative version of the game.

  11. Hey, thanks for the great intro Nate. Everything looks good. 🙂

    Have you ever used the Roll20 web-based system to play? Living in a rural area it seems like a good option for me.

  13. Hey, Nate. I just want to start off saying, Your videos are great! Playing D&D has been on my bucket list for so long andI finally got the starter set and am trying to get my friends to play. There are a lot of rules and your videos helped a lot, thanks! I was just wondering if you could do a little more about combat for me, if not if you could explain it. If you can’t I understand, if there’s a link to somewhere that could teach me about combat, (simply) that would work too. Once again thank you!

    • Hi there. I actually don’t really know of any great resources for learning combat basics, other than my how to play videos. This is something I should do, so I’ll add it to the list.

  14. sorry if I said the same thing a couple times, I’m not sure, I’m new to this website as well!!

  15. These videos have been such a great help! I’ve never played before and these really helped me understand the game before I played for the first time. My boyfriend and friends have played for years but they weren’t very great at explaining the basics to me. Thank you 👌🏻

  16. So I am planning on starting to play soon. Would these videos be better than reading the actual full handbooks?

    • I’d say yes Newbie. The video’s give you a great overview of how the game works. The books can be a bit overwhelming when you haven’t actually played before.

      Having said that, you will need access to the books when you do actually begin to play.

    • These videos do not have all the rules, but honestly I’d recommend reading the free basic rules before the Player’s Handbook. These videos will surely help. Give it a shot! Try playing and see what happens. 🙂

  17. This has been very helpfull, in fact i couldn’t find a more clear explenation. Thanks for making this!

  18. I remember playing a very pure version of a role-playing game with my siblings as a child. We played without any accessories at all, no paper, dice, or anything. You chose a character that had two forms, say a dwarf and a bird, and you could change between them at any time. You also got three wishes, which you could use to wish for whatever you wanted, and the dungeon master would have to fulfill that wish, though if you asked for too much, the DM may choose to put a nasty spin on it. Those were the only rules. It was an exercise in improv story-telling basically.

  19. I am hoping to play D&D with my grade 8 class. Are these videos appropriate for them to watch? Cheers

    • There’s a pretty bloody death description at the end of Ep. 2. Other than that I think it’s pretty good? I don’t know why I had to get all gory on that one. Stupid of me! Always good to preview content before showing in class. :)http://www.wasd20.net/wp-admin/#comments-form

  20. Like LongDruid, I’m returning to D&D after a very long hiatus. Am thinking of starting a Beginning RPG (class? group?) at my library. Your videos are very helpful, do you mind if I share that way?

  22. Hi Nate. Just wanted to echo others. Haven’t played D&D in 17 years. Not sure I’ll get back in or not but wanted to basically start from scratch and relearn, especially since 5e came out well after I stopped playing. Your videos have been very helpful in that respect, and I know how much effort is involved in just creating them. Thanks so much for doing them!!

  23. Hey Im new to your chanel, your videos are very helpful, although my family thinks the roleplaying is boring, and they dont quite understand how the combat and movement work, and i myself still dont get how to use the dice, im using normal dice, with six sides, also, i dont know how to make the game more fun for my family

  24. Ive made my own maps and characters, out of paper, i was wondering do you have a pdf of what you said in your first few videos on How to play D&D
    that would be really helpful, i also need help understanding how to use character sheets

  25. I HAVE NEVER PLAYED D&D IN MY LIFE, IM NEW AND DONT KNOW ANYTHING, I CANT AFFORD THE ACTUAL GAME SO I CAME UP WITH MY OWN, IVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS FOR 2 DAYS NOW AND THEY ARE REALLY HELPFUL, BUT I STILL DON’T KNOW THE BASICS, NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I REWATCH YOUR VIDEOS, PLEASE HELP, I REALLY WANT TO PLAY BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW

    • Hey Marcus, I am a fellow Dungeons and Dragons player and I wanted to suggest something. If you watch Nates DnD encounter part 1 made 5 years ago, it could probably help solve your questions. Nate does a fabulous job explaining how to play out sessions and help solve problems. If it does not help then you should go to your local game shop and get helped there.

  26. Thank you, Nate. I enjoy watching your videos. As a brand new DnD player I have learned some of the basics which I was failing to understand. My 22 year old son has talked me into trying. This old dog needs to learn new tricks. 🤓

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