Summary

• Lost Mine of Phandelver is a great starter campaign for DnD, teaching basic mechanics and easing players into the game.
• An experienced DM is nice, but experience isn't necessary with a fair bit of prep work. Players don't need to buy anything before they start.
• Players should create characters with the specifics of the Phandelver campaign in mind.

The D&D's Phandelver & Below: The Shattered Obelisk. Oh, and it's available absolutely free via D&D Beyond.

Using an adventure module can be an excellent way to get into DnD: it takes a lot of pressure off both players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) both, providing them with premade characters, maps, and encounters, so not everything is left to the imagination. That said, Lost Mine of Phandelver is designed for the absolute beginner, and taking that first dive into DnD is daunting no matter what. So, for both players and DMs, newcomers and old-timers, here's everything to know before beginning a DnD adventure with the Lost Mine of Phandelver module.

Getting A D&D Group Together For Lost Mine Of Phandelver

Finding Players, Picking A DM, & Scheduling A Time

First and foremost, in order to begin any DnD module, players will have to form a group of at least four participants. Lost Mine of Phandelver is balanced for up to five players, plus one DM. Since it's possible to play either in-person or online using voice chat and DnD apps, these can either be real-life or internet friends. One of these people will be the DM, and the rest will be the players. These roles differ greatly, but everyone will actively participate in the gameplay. Players and DMs will share many of the same responsibilities, including roleplaying, upkeep, and combat. What primarily differentiates them is that the DM narrates the story, and controls monsters (i.e., the player party's enemies) in combat.

The opening pages of Lost Mine of Phandelver compare the DM to a referee. A DM's main job is to have a solid grasp of DnD rules. They're responsible for determining which skill checks players roll when, and what constitutes a success versus a failure. As a result, it's best to pick a DM with at least a little bit of DnD experience under their belt, whether they've run a campaign before or simply been a player. They'll need extensive familiarity with all the game's mechanics, which comes most easily from hands-on play. They don't need to have everything memorized from the very first session, but if player questions come up, they'll at least need to know where to find the answers in the rulebook.

That said, finding an experienced DM isn't always feasible. It's possible to learn how to DM a campaign beginning with absolutely no knowledge of DnD, but doing so requires a lot more prep work before the first session. Prospective DMs should read the Basic Rules document (also available for free via D&D Beyond) and Lost Mine of Phandelver pretty much cover to cover. They can skim the sections on Character Classes and Spell Lists, but should still have a basic understanding of how these concepts work. It might also be a good idea for a new DM to use a couple of premade characters and run through the first chapter of Lost Mine of Phandelver, "Goblin Arrows," by themselves to get an idea of how gameplay should proceed.

It's not necessary to follow every single rule in the DnD handbook. Many great DMs ignore certain aspects, or establish "house rules" of their own. If there's something in the basic rules that doesn't seem like it would add anything useful to the game, consider skipping it.

But with everyone on board, it's time to plan a time for a first session. Unfortunately, scheduling is notoriously the most difficult part of playing DnD. Even the shortest sessions can take as much as three hours, and some sessions last more than twice that. Setting regular times can work for some groups, but a measure of flexibility is advised. Free online tools like When2meet can help a party quickly determine everyone's availability, and set a time that works for everyone involved.

Getting Supplies For D&D's Lost Mine Of Phandelver

Dice, Sourcebooks, & More

Contrary to popular belief, it's not strictly necessary to buy anything before playing DnD, especially when starting with Lost Mine of Phandelver. The basic rules and campaign module are available free online. They include able or printable maps, which are compatible either with homemade miniatures or virtual tabletop tools. Players can use free character builders and digital dice rollers, also provided by D&D Beyond. For groups playing online, D&D Beyond's official Discord bot Avrae can help manage things like dice rolls, initiative tracking, and spellcasting. Players and DMs don't have to buy any sourcebooks for Lost Mine of Phandelver, either; everything they'll need is included in the free adventure module and Basic Rules.

That said, playing with physical dice can be a joy. Some veteran players love to show off their collections of hundreds upon hundreds of dice in every shape, size, and color, each one themed to a particular character. But in reality, each player only needs one set of dice to start playing DnD. A typical dice set consists of seven pieces: a four-sided die, a six-sided die, an eight-sided die, two ten-sided dice, a twelve-sided die, and a twenty-sided die. A decent set of DnD dice can be obtained from pretty much any brick-and-mortar game store, or a wide variety of Etsy shops, for somewhere in the $10 USD price range.

In most DnD literature, dice rolls are written in a particular shorthand format. Players may see notations like "4d6," which means four six-sided dice must be rolled.

Making D&D Characters For Lost Mine Of Phandelver

Premade Vs. Homemade, Sources Of Character Inspiration

Finally, before starting Lost Mine of Phandelver, players must create their characters. Some DMs will choose to conduct a "session zero," essentially a planning session in which the group will meet, discuss their expectations for the campaign, and design their characters together. Especially since this is often most players' first DnD experience, it's a good idea to have the DM guide everyone through the character creation process. Lost Mine of Phandelver does provide five premade character builds for anyone who wants to skip over character creation completely. However, since these are very limited in race and class, and character creation is a valuable experience for future DnD adventures, it's recommended that players make their own characters.

Before the first session, players should look at all the races and classes available in DnD's Basic Rules, and use them to start thinking about what kind of character they'd like to play. They don't need to understand exactly how every single class works or the lore around different races - the DM can fill them in on all the finer details when they actually start character creation. Instead, it's more important to consider the basic details of the adventure module and their desired role in the party, and try to imagine a character who fits into both.

Lost Mine of Phandelver is set in the expansive Forgotten Realms setting, which allows for a wide variety of fantasy stories. It's where the grand majority of DnD campaigns, along with spinoffs like Baldur's Gate 3, are set. Specifically, Lost Mine of Phandelver takes players to the small town of Phandalin. Players should familiarize themselves with that background, and use it to begin asking questions about their character that'll eventually help form a clearer picture of their personality. Have they been to Phandalin before? Do they have loved ones or enemies there? Have they heard of the mine? Do they have a familial or cultural connection to it?

Lost Mine of Phandelver provides an adventure hook for players who decide not to come up with their own original backstories. In that case, players may simply say their characters were hired by their dwarvish friend Gundren Rockseeker to escort a wagon to Phandalin.

Of course, it's perfectly fine if the answer to all the above questions is no. It's perfectly fine to play as a traveling merchant who simply gets embroiled in the search for the lost mine at the first whiff of riches. Ideally, no one member of the DnD party should feel like the main character. Everyone should have some motivation to participate in the adventure, but no one should be so central to it that the story revolves around them. One way to do so is to give each character a personal goal, one that will eventually lead them outside Phandalin. Maybe they've come to town in search of a lost loved one, or because they have a lead on a job.

And with all that, players should have everything they need to start rolling the dice. The last thing players and DM alike should keep in mind is that Lost Mine of Phandelver is simply a jumping-off point. It's designed to be a low-stakes, low-level adventure that the DM can tack onto another module, or even use as a first chapter in their own story. It provides an excellent introduction to the mechanics of DnD, but nothing more. For a longer-term adventure, players will need to get creative - but starting with Lost Mine of Phandelver can help provide the necessary background for creating a longer Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

Sources: D&D Beyond (1, 2), When2meet