Newbie Night Event Guide for Hosts

Thank you for being a Host at a TorontoDnD Event! This document will go over the requirements for hosting Newbie Night events with TorontoDND.

Before starting, please make sure you have read the host guide for our regular events. It will cover what to expect at all of our events, plus some generally applicable guidelines and expectations.

Overview

Event Goals

Many of the players at our Newbie Nights are very new to D&D (and TTRPGs in general), and may feel some anxiety or be somewhat intimidated at the prospect. Our three main goals for Newbie Nights attendees are:

  1. They should have fun!
  2. They should feel welcome in the TorontoDND community.
  3. They should learn some of the basics of D&D2024..

Keep these goals in mind (especially the first two) when dealing with attendees.

Requirements to Host

Hosting is open to both players and DMs provided they meet the following criteria:

  • Have reviewed our Code of Conduct.
  • Have attended at least five TorontoDND events.
  • Have attended hosted at least one non Newbie Night event.
  • Are reasonably comfortable with public speaking.

Event Structure

There are five main parts to the event:

  1. Event Setup
  2. Welcome Attendees
  3. The Speech
  4. Breakout Sessions
  5. One Hour Warning
  6. End of Night Clean-up

1) Event Setup

Before the event starts there are a few things you will need to get prepared. This should only take a few minutes, but it is a good idea to be at the venue 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. When you arrive, confirm what tables are reserved for our use. If you do not see our materials kit waiting for you, ask the venue staff to bring it out. There should also be a bag of Newbie Night player folders.

Check-in Table

Next find an area in a conspicuous place you can use and put kit out for the players and DMs. This kit will usually have the following items for player and GM use:

  • Name Tags
  • Pronoun Buttons
  • Sets of dice
  • Loaner pencils
  • Battlemats & Dry Erase markers
  • DM Screens
  • Tokens to represent NPCs and Monsters
  • Pregenerated Characters (L1 and L5)
  • Blank Character Sheets

Any borrowed items should be returned at the end of the night. Please put the name tags and permanent marker in a prominent position by the kit.

Game Tables

Next, you should set up the tables for the DMs and players. The number of tables will depend on how many DMs are running games that night, but you should have at least one table for each DM. Place one of each of the following materials at each table:

  • One set of six player folders:
    • Barbarian
    • Bard
    • Cleric
    • Fighter
    • Rogue
    • Wizard
  • Dice Tray
  • X-Card (You can put this in the dice tray)
  • Promo Standee

As DMs arrive they can pick which of the reserved tables they prefer, first come first serve. If players arrive before their DM, they can pick the table! Also assign each DM classes to teach during the breakout session. Here are the most common setups, but feel free to do what makes most sense:

Four Tables Three Tables
Table 01: Fighters & Barbarians Table 01: Fighters & Barbarians
Table 02: Wizards & Clerics Table 02: Wizards & Clerics
Table 03: Bards Table 03: Bards & Rogues
Table 04: Rogues NA

2) Welcome Attendees

As attendees arrive, great them and perform the following steps:

  • Have them fill out a name badge; you can have them fill it out themselves. Indicating pronouns is optional.
  • Ask them if they have their own set of dice and a pencil, if not provide them with loaners.
  • If they don't know who's table they are at look them up on the event check-in page. Direct them to their table.

You can view the event check in page to see the full attendance list, including who is at each table. This is available on the event list page, you will find the link just underneath the title of the event.

If you are seating a player and their DM is not there yet, let them know that they can pick any one of the PC folders on the table to use for the night. The inside flap of each folder gives a quick overview of the character details.

3) The Speech

At the event start time (or a few minutes later if a significant amount of people have yet to arrive) it is time to give the intro speech. Although this might seem intimidating, it can actually be a lot of fun. Below is a bullet point version of the speech. You can rip through this pretty quickly, it should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes max.

  • General
    • Thanks to the venue, if possible introduce staff
    • Let players know if the venue has table or counter service
    • If table service, remind everybody to be patient with their server!
    • We are an inclusive group and do not tolerate harassment or abuse for any reason.
    • This includes respecting people’s pronouns. You are not required to indicate your pronouns if you don’t want to, but you ARE required to respect other people’s pronouns.
    • Respect your fellow players, DM and staff.
    • Feel free to borrow dice/pencils, return at the end of night. Folders and contents are yours to keep.
    • A big thanks to all the DMs who are volunteering their time to run these games!
  • Code of Conduct
    • Required reading for all participants. If they have not read it yet, please do so!
    • We do take this document seriously.
  • Persistent World
    • Allows your character to level up and gain sweet loot.
    • Our website has all the details, link in your folder
    • Ask your DM after the session if you need some help with this
  • After Tonight
    • Register your character - this is what allows you to level up etc.
    • If you want to keep using the character you played today, pick the template option when you register.
    • You can join any L1 - L4 games with your character
  • Dungeons and Dragons
    • We are playing with the 2024 rules exclusively
    • What is D&D
      • D&D is a shared storytelling game. While your characters may succeed or fail in their goals, there is no winning or losing a game of D&D.
      • There are rules to the game, but the rules are there to help us have fun and create dramatic moments.
      • The most important rule to remember is that you can always ask the DM if you can try something. This is not a video game where you have a list of set options and you can only choose from those. Something you want your PC to do but not sure how to go about? Tell the DM what you want to try and they will tell you how you would go about it!
    • The role of the DM
      • Narrator
      • Runner of World - they are everything the PCs aren't.
      • Arbiter of Rules
      • They will describe a scene to you, you describe how you react, repeat. Will call for rolls/rules when required.
      • Not all DMs are the same, in fact you will find that your game experience will be very different from one DM to another. This is normal and a good thing.
    • The role of the player
      • Decide how your character reacts to the world around them
      • Engage with the story and describe your actions
      • Be an individual in a team.
      • Be a good player:
        • Don’t talk over anyone else
        • Don’t hog the spotlight
        • Don’t put down another player for their actions in game
        • Pay attention when it is not your turn, your DM should not be doing a recap because you tuned out
        • Consider the party, don’t consistently Leroy Jenkins
        • No PvP at our games. Ever.
        • Be respectful of everybody at the table, including the DM
    • What are the dice for?
      • Used to determine the outcome of an uncertain situation, where the results matter. Generally speaking you will be rolling the d20 and adding a modifier from your character sheet. Higher numbers are more likely to result in a success, low numbers are more likely to result in failure. Used when attacking, trying to use a skill, or trying to avoid something horrible from happening. Unless you are rolling for damage, you are almost always using the d20.
      • Note that failing rolls checks can end up being great opportunities for role playing and story development.
    • Theatre of the Mind vs Battlemat
      • Some DMs prefer one over the other. Many DMs will use both. ie; tiny tavern fight doesn’t need a map, but a battle in a more complex environment might. Both are great.
    • Mechanics vs Role Playing
      • Your character sheet defines who your character is, to a point. It is mostly mechanical.
      • Aside from the numbers and gear etc on your sheet, consider adding some flavour by describing what your character looks like and how they act in the world.
      • You can create a backstory for your character if you like, but for tonight no more than two sentences. You can add to it over time and get to know your character better.
      • Show Random Character Details page (in folder) and explain basic use. This is an optional way to quickly flesh out who your character is.
      • When playing, think about how your character would act in a given situation.
      • Don’t make your character a jerk. The “But that’s what my character would do rule”. Typical behaviour attached to this phrase includes not engaging with a story, constantly getting the party into trouble by stealing from or insulting NPCs, not helping/running away in combat etc.
  • Final Points
    • The rules exist to allow us to have fun, the GM has final say on interpreting them
    • Rules should always be interpreted in good faith, we are not looking for exploits
    • X-Card
      • Safety tool to edit out content that is problematic for any participant (DM included!)
      • Quick example of intended use.
    • Announcements
      • If there is a character creation workshop on the schedule please mention it. If there isn't mention that they exist and to keep your eyes out for them.
      • Remind everybody to complete surveys after event is over.
      • Volume level - overall noise level is probably the most common issue we have at our events. Please do your best to try and keep the volume at your table low and avoid getting in an arms race with other tables.
      • Class instruction breakout.

4) Class Breakout

At this point it is time for the class breakout. It is recommended that you start by telling people not to go anywhere until you are finished with the table assignments, otherwise they start moving right away and it is confusing as heck. Tell them what table they are going to and have them switch. Here is an example of what one might say:

Okay, it is just about time for our class breakout. Many of you will be moving tables to learn how your class works, but don’t worry, you will be back in your current seat in 10 minutes and will stay there for the rest of the event. Please wait till I assign all tables and before getting up and moving. So, if you are a wizard or a cleric, you will be going to Tony’s table. Fighters and Barbarians will be with Naomi, and Rogues and Bards are with Chris. Okay, everybody switch tables!

Set a ten minute timer. When two minutes are remaining let the room know that they have two minutes left. When the timer runs out, have everybody return to their seats and they can start their game!

5) One Hour Warning

When there is an hour remaining in the scheduled event time, quietly let each GM know. It is a good idea to set yourself an alarm at the start of the night so you don't forget.

6) End of Night Clean-up

When the tables are wrapping up make sure that:

  • All borrowed items (dice, pencils, DM screens etc) are returned to the kit.
  • The standees are back in their protective foam wrap.
  • All table materials are returned to the kit.
  • None of the DMs had any significant problems with any of the attendees or the venue etc. If there are concerns please forward them via email or to @torontodnd on our Discord server.
  • All attendees paid their tabs. If anybody left without paying:
    • Pay the bill, including a 20% tip
    • Take a picture of the receipt (itemized and with final tip/tax total)
    • Send the picture along with the attendee's name and the table they were at to us via email or to @torontodnd on our Discord server. You will be fully reimbursed within 24 hours, usually much sooner.

Also, note that although some venues don't mind if some tables run long, some definitely do. If it looks like a table is going to run over please remind the GM of the time limit.

That’s it! If you have any questions about any of this please reach out via email or on our Discord server.

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