What's a good beginner module to DM?

[Sianthus]

Some of my non DnD playing ftiends have expressed interest in playing a campaign. But only if they have well, a DM. They've also expressed that they think I would be suitable - flattering, thanks friends.

So as I'm still relatively new to 5e, I would like some advice! I don't want to do the whole world crafting just yet. I will eventually, I love doing that after all, but I was wondering whether there was any good simple beginner modules to DM and to play. Maybe a oneshot for them to get us all used to it and build their characters at the same time! And then a longer module/campaign for them to do on a regular basis? Preferably *ahem* without charge of course :D

Your help is very much appreciated!

[Alejandro]

Run the Lost Mines of Phandelver for them, from the starter set.

[JumboWheat01]

Run the Lost Mines of Phandelver for them, from the starter set.

I agree with this. It's designed for new players and DMs alike. Plus it comes with some pre-made characters, perfect for just jumping into the game to see if they even like it, and some nice dice. I really like the dice.

[DiceDiceBaby]

If your party is comfortable not playing "pure" D&D and/or some of the players in your group already play Magic: The Gathering, and/or your have at least four people (or, come to think of it, even if you don't have any of those), I would suggest running this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?425679-Army-of-the-Damned-Free-lvl-1-5-adventure-set-in-Magic-the-Gathering-s-Innistrad).

It also won't cost you anything, if you're working on a budget.

Free to download, very easy to follow for a DM, easy to play for PCs, minimal investment in studying the lore of that world, has a clear guide for character creation (and the limitations of creating characters for that world), and is pretty much a read-as-you-go type of campaign. Can be finished in four sessions, if your party is decisive. Has enough plot hooks after the end to keep your party occupied if they liked it (and if you choose to continue the story after finishing the final fight at level 5). After that, it's open-ended and you, as the DM, can tour them through the rest of Innistrad in an adventure of your design. There's even a map at the end to guide you, too!

It's also relatively easy to adjust the difficulty level relative to the number of players. The encounters and fights your players get into are also easy to control and add or remove at will. You can also find anecdotes by various players who playtested it on the same thread (I'm one of them). My wife also thought it was great fun. A DM could read through it and probably host a campaign with minimal to no prep time at all. Just read it aloud where indicated and have the PCs play, and make sure you have the NPC stats handy.

This is the first thing I used to DM, by the way. It's so simple, it's magical. :smallsmile:

Dralnu (the OP in the thread I linked you to, and the creator of Army of the Damned) also makes other great stuff for beginner DMs, so he's really worth checking out if you're new to this. All his stuff are free to download online through his blog, as far as I know.

[Sianthus]

I can't believe I didn't check out the starter set. *bops my own head* thanks for pointing me that way.

And aight I'll try the other one too! They're at least familiar with MtG :D

[Nod_Hero]

Another vote for Lost Mines.
It was our introduction to 5e and it was a great one.

[DiceDiceBaby]

And aight I'll try the other one too! They're at least familiar with MtG :D

If they liked Innistrad (or even Gothic Horror in general) they'll love it.

I also recommend you download the updated one; the first one in the post was the un-playtested one. The more balanced one was in the update. They are functionally the same, except for the last chapter, which is the boss fight.