Character Sheet
You have your writing tools ready, the rulebook is prepared, and the dice are warmed up? Then it’s time for the character sheet. With this, you determine what and who you are actually playing. Depending on the version you choose, you need the one for 5e from 2014 or the one for the current version from 2024:
- Character sheet 5e (2014) German (Download via Dnddeutsch)
- Character sheet 2024 German (Download via D&D Beyond)
How to fill out the sheet is explained in the rulebook or the handbook. If you secured a starter set, it already comes with pre-filled sheets. The ones for 5e can also be downloaded in English through Wizards of the Coast.
For those who want to go completely digital and are proficient in English, you can of course also build your character using the free creation feature of D&D Beyond. The tool guides you very well and makes the creation easy. Finished sheets can later be exported and printed.
Similar to the dice, there are certainly also stylish upgrades and custom designs for character sheets. Here, I recommend checking out Etsy or your search engine of choice. Almost everything is available online, from class-specific to thematic designs – mostly for a corresponding fee.
The Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime is based on the second D&D campaign of the Critical Role crew. The sneak peek shows the various characters in action:
Fellow Players
Theoretically, Dungeons & Dragons can be played entirely alone. However, this is complicated and requires a lot of self-discipline. Generally, a session consists of at least two people: a game master, also called a dungeon master or game master, and a player with a character sheet.
The game master is responsible for leading the game, as the name suggests. This person plans the session, thinks up the plot, the location, and what challenges await the players. This role is the most labor-intensive, as one prepares, leads, and possibly also follows up on the adventure. The game master should also be familiar with the rules of D&D or at least know where to look things up in the handbook.
The remaining participants in D&D are the players. Their number is limited by the maximum number of people the game master believes they can lead simultaneously. As a player, you take on the role of the character for whom you have filled out your character sheet and react to the things presented by the game master during the game.
My tip: For a completely inexperienced group, I find two to three simultaneous players absolutely sufficient. Especially the game master will be under pressure, as it is not only about advancing the plot but also keeping up with the antics of the players. The more characters there are at the table, the more complex it becomes.
You can also ask around in your wider social environment or post your initiative on the bulletin board of your school, university, or workplace. There may even be an ongoing campaign that is willing to take on a new player.
Important: You do not have to play Dungeons & Dragons in person at someone’s home. You can also meet digitally. My first sessions were organized via Discord and the campaign tool Roll20. For a digital campaign, you only need a headset, microphone, and perhaps cameras.
Plot
Ultimately, a round of Dungeons & Dragons needs a plot – the story that the characters follow. There are traditionally two ways to go about this.
If you’ve never played D&D, a predefined campaign or session setting will serve you well. It generally contains the location of the adventure, the non-player characters, and the challenges almost entirely predefined. There is a red story thread the players can follow, as well as plenty of information for the game master.
Wizards of the Coast, the company behind D&D, regularly publishes new adventure books that can be purchased individually. In the beginner sets they publish, there are also always ready-made adventures included for starting out.
Alternatively, there is also a quite large community that creates its own campaign settings and makes them available online. These are often free or available for a small fee.
Of course, the setting for the first adventure can also be entirely your own, in what is known as a homebrew session. Homebrew means in German “brewed at home”. It is an adventure that you or your game master entirely creates on their own.
Homebrew gives you absolute freedom in terms of design. Almost anything can serve as inspiration. For example, video games, books, series, movies, or even local folk tales.
My tip: A homebrew campaign gives you complete freedom. But building a fantasy world of your own, even a small one for just one session, is not as easy as you might think. A lot of work lies with the game master. Therefore, for your first adventure, I would always recommend a pre-made one.
