Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account

New DM here need advice!

Good afternoon Everyone! I am starting a new campaign for a handful of my friends.  I have never DM'd before.    We all live in different city's now and want to stay in touch.   DnD would be so much fun! I have played the game before for about 6 months in the same campaign in person.   I am hoping to use this site to create a campaign and play together with friends.      If I buy the pro account level will I have access to create a world and let my friends play it?  What's the procedure?  Do I have to buy a supporter level and then buy premade games and modify them a bit?   Do all the players have to pay to play?    Do I have to buy each individual book online to DM or is there free resources available? Thanks for the help and advice everyone! 
1521344244
Gold
Forum Champion
A good way to get started is start a new "Create New Game" and launch it. You'll see an invite link, copy that and email it to one of your friends. Once they join and log in, then you can test it and see how it works, for free. This will give you better perspective before you decide about what to buy (subscriptions, modules, art sets, add ons, or just to make and upload your own instead).  Others from the community will answer more of the questions!
1521353552
Loren the GM
Pro
Marketplace Creator
Alan C. said: If I buy the pro account level will I have access to create a world and let my friends play it?&nbsp; What's the procedure?&nbsp; Do I have to buy a supporter level and then buy premade games and modify them a bit?&nbsp; &nbsp;Do all the players have to pay to play?&nbsp; &nbsp; Do I have to buy each individual book online to DM or is there free resources available? You can definitely play a game, create a world, and play with your friends through Roll20. Definitely check out the tutorial (although it could use a bit of updating, but should at least get you started). <a href="https://app.roll20.net/editor/tutorial/" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/editor/tutorial/</a> You don't need to buy anything unless you want to extend what you can do - but since you are still learning, there is no reason to buy anything. If you want to learn D&D on Roll20, there is a free module you can get ( <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/23/th" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/23/th</a>... ) that can show you what a game is like. If you are also new as a Dungeon Master, after you check out the free module you might also want to consider running Lost Mine of Phandelver, which is specifically designed to introduce new DM's to D&D.&nbsp; <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/24/lo" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/24/lo</a>... That is a purchase, but try all the other stuff before investing in modules. It may take a bit to learn, but once you get it Roll20 is a great place to run games with your friends. As you come up with more questions, ask here on the forums and also check out the Wiki&nbsp; <a href="https://wiki.roll20.net/Main_Page" rel="nofollow">https://wiki.roll20.net/Main_Page</a> which explains a lot as well.
1521357781
GiGs
Pro
Sheet Author
API Scripter
Alan C. said: If I buy the pro account level will I have access to create a world and let my friends play it?&nbsp; What's the procedure?&nbsp; Do I have to buy a supporter level and then buy premade games and modify them a bit?&nbsp; &nbsp;Do all the players have to pay to play?&nbsp; &nbsp; Do I have to buy each individual book online to DM or is there free resources available? Thanks for the help and advice everyone!&nbsp; You do not have to buy anything to start running games. Anyone can create a campaign (look at the Games menu above, and the option Create New Game). This gives you a basic, barebones experience. When creating a new game, you can choose from a list of predesigned character sheets, with a lot of different games covered. These character sheets give you a nicely formatted way to enter characters, and also have a lot of built-in functiosn - most have the dice rolls you need for the game already programmed into the system, so you just click a button whenever you need to roll a skill, saving throw, attack, or whatever. If you're running D&D, you have access to the Compendium. This gives you rules, spells, gear, monsters, etc., you can simply drag into the campaign to use. It doesn't include everything in the monster manual, PHB, DMG, but it does include a lot. This again is a feature available to free users. You can buy adventures, and they will come with maps, tokens and stats for all the creatures you need, etc., everything you need to play. You do not need to buy a Plus or Pro membership to get any of this. Plus and Pro membership give extra universal features. Plus, for instance lets you use dynamic lighting (which hides stuff in a dungeon that players tokens cant see), and Pro lets you use advanced scripting, easily move stuff between different campaigns, and create custom character sheets (which if you're new, you don't need). Hopefully that helps a bit.
Don't spend 10+ minutes trying to discuss how a mechanic works in the game or how the rule was intended.&nbsp; Move on come back to it AFTER the session ends.&nbsp; Your the GM so make the call and move on.