Frequently Asked Questions

Once you arrive and get settled in, you’ll first browse the available pre-made character sheets. We will give a brief overview of each class and ask some questions to help you make a decision. Once you select a character, you come up with a name, select your dice, and select your mini. We also use name cards with your real name and character name on them. After all the players have arrived and gone through this process, we will run through some of the D&D basics, look at the character sheets, and share some information about our organziation. Now we’re ready to play! Games will generally start with a plot hook we read to the party and then the dice rolling and roleplaying begins! If you’re nervous about roleplaying, don’t worry! We will help you along the way. The energy around the table will be lighthearted, welcoming, and patient.

Virtual events take place on Discord and Astral Tabletop (or Roll20 depending on the DM). When it’s time to connect, you’ll simply join one of the “Private Game” voice channels in Discord. From there, you’ll get set up in Astral and prepare to join the game. After all the players have arrived and gone through this process, we will run through some of the D&D basics, look at the character sheets, and share some information about our organziation. Now we’re ready to play! Games will generally start with a plot hook we read to the party and then the dice rolling and roleplaying begins! If you’re nervous about roleplaying, don’t worry! We will help you along the way. The energy around the table will be lighthearted, welcoming, and patient.

Read our step-by-step guide to get started.

At in-person events, we will have everything you need to play D&D. You are welcome to bring your own character, books, dice, and mini, but it’s not required.

At virtual games, the only thing we ask you to prepare is a character. This can be done in Astral or D&D Beyond (or Roll20 depending on the DM) or you can select a pre-made character here. Other than that, everything else will be provided and ready to go.

No problem! Many of our players have never played D&D before and know very little about it. We’ll cover some basics at the beginning and then walk you through the game as we play. It’s a very hands-on approach and if you get stuck the Dungeon Master (DM) will help you out.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! If you’re struggling with something, the Dungeon Master (DM) will step in and help provide some ideas. Many new players struggle with the openness and freedom of D&D. We’ll be there to support you throughout the entire game.

Not at all! Most of our players show up alone. Here and there we get couples or friends who sign up together, but most often people are strangers at the beginning of the game and friends by the end.

I’d guess that around 25% of our members are women and that most games have women in them. For instance, in 3 of the most recent games, the gender breakdown was 2 women and 1 man, 2 women and 4 men, and 2 women and 4 men. Now, with that being said, it does depend on which game you RSVP to. It is definitely possible you could be the only woman, but I also don’t think that should deter you. In the many games we’ve run, the vast majority of players have been really awesome, friendly, and welcoming to everyone at the table (regardless of gender, ethnicity, beliefs, etc.).

You’re in good company. I myself am shy, quiet, and introverted with the one exception being when I DM. But what this means is that I understand what it’s like and how daunting showing up to a meetup event with strangers can be. I pay careful attention to the players at my table. If I detect that someone is shy, quiet, introverted, socially anxious, etc. I won’t draw attention to it. I’ll support that player by helping them with ideas. My goal is to always make players feel comfortable at the table. If you have fun, I have fun.

For the most part, any officially published content is ok to play, however, you should check the event description for details. Some stories, like Ommadawn, are bard-only with weapon and gold restrictions to fit the narrative. At the end of the day, we want our players to create the characters they like and are excited to play. Just remember to be fair and ask your DM if you’re unsure about something. A good rule of thumb is to only create officially published and playtested classes and races listed on D&D Beyond.

5e stands for “5th edition” and is the most recent and actively played version of Dungeons & Dragons.

There are currently no plans to cover other tabletop RPGs (TTRPGs) since we’re in the early stages of developing our organization. We love D&D and want to keep a steady focus on it for at least the first few years. If we decide to adopt another game, we’ll let you know here, on social media, and in our monthly newsletter.

Everyone! D&D is popular among both children and adults, nerds and non-nerds, celebrities, people worldwide, and everyone in between. Some notable people known to play D&D are: Ben Affleck, Big Show, D.B. Weiss, Deborah Ann Woll, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Elon Musk, Joe Manganiello, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judi Dench, Matt Damon, Morgan Webb, Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen Colbert, Steven Spielberg, Tom Morello, Trey Parker, Vin Diesel, Vince Vaugn, Wil Wheaton, and Xavier Woods.

Most of the D&D Newbie Sessions are run by Sam (me). I live by the motto, “If my players are having fun, I’m having fun.” (Thanks Matt!) I think that perfectly sums up the DM I am and strive to be.

Outside of that, I consider myself to be patient, usually smiling or laughing during games, light-hearted, I don’t mind clever players who foil my plans, I love roleplaying and challenging my players to think creatively, overall just player-centric, and open minded to unique ideas…there’s probably more, but that’s good enough for now.

Other DMs will have their own styles. If another DM posts an event, they will generally include what type of DM they are and what you can expect.

No. Our worlds are homebrew and our DMs may use house rules. We try to maintain some level of continuity, but ultimately we want our DMs to run the games they’re excited about as opposed to using a more strict framework.

Unfortunately, no, for these 4 important reasons:

1. It will ruin the story for you. Most players who request to spectate a game are doing so because they haven’t had a chance to play yet and want to see what it’s all about, but by doing this, you’ll spoil the adventure for yourself.
2. It “clogs up” our Discord voice channel. When spectators join, it adds another box to the voice channels screen which shrinks down everyone’s webcams. This makes it harder to see people and if we allow a lot of spectators, this would be even more pronounced. It also adds to the confusion of figuring out who is who.
3. Some people are shy and don’t want an audience. Many of our players are brand new and in the process of learning D&D. Having spectators may detract from some people’s experience because they’re worried about being judged by the silent audience who is watching them.
4. It is an unnecessary distraction. If spectators forget to mute their mics or are connecting and disconnecting throughout the game, it will cause unnecessary distractions that detract from the overall experience.

However, we do occasionally stream games on our Twitch channel. Those will be announced on Meetup, Discord, and elsewhere.

Sorry about that! We try to keep things organized, but there’s a lot going on and sometimes things get lost. Please refer to the All Resources page for a comprehensive list of links, forms, documents, etc. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for then please contact @Sam on Discord or one of the @Moderators.

Yes! Our games are designed for newbies, but experienced players are just as welcome! The only thing we ask is that experienced players give new players a chance to shine. We want to make sure new players have a stellar experience and a positive first impression of the game!

Before joining, you’ll want to download Discord to your computer and/or mobile device. Open it and create a user account. Once you’re registered, click this link to join our official Discord server.

Navigate to the specific meetup event that you RSVP’d to and click on your RSVP status. You should receive a popup that allows you to change your status to “Not going”. This is important to do even if it’s last minute. This lets the meetup organizer know they can try to find a player to fill your spot. Please communicate with the group if your status changes so they can plan accordingly.

There are multiple ways to send us a message. You can email us at [email protected], message @Sam or a green moderator in Discord, leave a comment or personal message on Meetup.com, or send us a message on Instagram or Twitter.

I understand that Discord can be confusing to some players, but official Newbie Session games will continue to use it. This is because a big chunk of our community lives in Discord and a lot of effort has been put into making it useful for our players. Platforms like Zoom and Google Hangouts may be easier to use, but they don’t offer the same community features. Slack is the closest alternative, but Discord ultimately won out in 2019 via community support. You can read more about how to join our Discord community here.

Yes! In fact, many of our members join multiple groups so they can experience a mix of events. Just be aware of the time zones so you don’t miss an event.