It's no secret that over the last four and a half years, D&D 5e has become one of the most popular tabletop systems in the history of the hobby. Hundreds of thousands of new players have been coming to the table, many of which have never experienced tabletop RPGs before. This lack of experience can make playing and running these games a daunting task for newcomers and while help is available in the form of youtube videos and forums, these often leave many questions unanswered. Watching videos and reading the rulebooks is also no substitute for experience, but gaining said experience can be difficult if a group is not willing to slow down and take the time to help a new player to adapt, which is often the case in many games, even those that supposedly cater to and welcome new players. You may have a few questions. What is the purpose of this academy? The idea is to learn, not only the mechanics of things like D&D 5e, but also how to play the game on the Roll20 platform, as well as some extra quality of life stuff, like roleplaying etiquette, how to prepare games as a GM and avoiding some of the pitfalls many players fall into. Who is this open to? Anyone who wants to learn! Whether you're a first time player, or someone who has played for a while but just needs a bit of a refresher, as even veterans can benefit from fresh ideas and patching holes in their knowledge through exchange. Who are you and what makes you qualified for this? I'm Louth, and I've been playing tabletops for just over 11 years, 8 of which I've spent mostly GMing. Over my time being a part of the tabletop community, I've learned a lot about what makes tabletop so fun as both a game and a social experience. Every game I run is one where I will take feedback from my players to help me grow; the knowledge I have accumulated I already put to good use, teaching others that I play with. When I came up with the idea of a dedicated space to teach new players and GMs, the positive feedback I got from them inspired me to create this. Will you be using a module? Many GMs like to run Lost Mines of Phandelver as a way of teaching new players, however I feel this isn’t the best way of teaching the system due to it lacking content from additional rulebooks such as Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. What I have constructed is a set of short scenarios, each of which teach aspects of gameplay to create more of a complete picture. These scenarios will cover everything from combat and dungeons to roleplay scenarios, as well as your options as a player, or GM, in each. Why is it paid? and what's the cost? I realise that paid games have a certain stigma in the community and I can see both sides of the argument on this matter, each having their valid points. The reason I made this paid is that these classes require a lot of time, effort and resources from me to keep it running and I do need to keep the lights on while I'm preparing you for the wide world of tabletop games. The price for a 5-hour session is $10 USD per person, per session to be paid via paypal when you show up to the game each week. I will not be accepting payments in advance, as circumstances could cause the cancelation of a session and refunding money back and forth can cause transaction fees to mount if it’s overseas, and nobody wants their money to go to waste :). How big are the class sizes? 5 people per class. How many classes per week? Currently, only 1 on Thursdays at 7:00 PM BST starting on the 18th of July. if you're not one of the original 5 to be accepted I can put you on a waiting list in case we have people who can't make it or if I open up other classes that you might have the time for. Are there any requirements? Consistency and punctuality are required for this. If there are sessions you have to miss due to other things demanding your time, I would prefer to be notified 24 hours in advance if possible, otherwise please let me know as soon as you can. Missing sessions here and there is not a great problem as I can give you notes on what was covered that week as well as a refresher in a separate out-of-game session if you wish to do that, but missing games consistently may mean I have to let you go from the group to let someone else have a go. A decent microphone with minimal background noise and access to discord is also a requirement. A good attitude to learning and an ability to work in groups are definitely a plus; don't feel shy about asking questions about the subject being discussed, even if they seem silly at first; they may raise a very good point. You do not need an understanding of how Roll20 works nor do you need to have purchased any 5e books on Roll20, I can provide both of those. If you do already have a full understanding of the mechanics of Roll20 please let me know when you apply so that if a session comes up that will be about Roll20 mechanics, you can skip that session so you're not wasting your money.
In conclusion, if you have any other questions for me, either respond to this thread or PM me. If this appeals to you and you would like to join, please check the listing here: <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/165765/dandd-academy-thursday-7-00-pm-bst" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/165765/dandd-academy-thursday-7-00-pm-bst</a> and post a new topic with your application using the template provided. With that said, thank you for reading and I look forward to seeing you at the table. Disclaimer: This game will require payment to the Game Master at a rate of $10 USD per person per session via paypal. Roll20 is not responsible for any payment transactions and cannot enforce any private arrangements.
