The Most Important Rule to Teach in D&D That Makes 1st Time Players Play Like a Pro

Last week I ran a group of players through D&D for the first time. We ran the goblin ambush and the first half of the cave from Lost Mine of Phandelver, and I think everyone had a good time.

I’ve played with new players plenty before, and there was always something that stuck with me: Players were constantly asking me “what die do I roll?” any time I would ask them for an ability check.

So, the first rule I taught these new players: Anytime you’re asked to roll a die, it’s going to be a D20, unless you’ve hit something and are dealing damage. The exception to this, of course, is when a spell tells you to roll another die, or when you’re rolling for Hit Dice, but it’s so often a D20, that when the exception is called out, that’s when they should be asking, not the other way around.

With that being the first rule in their heads, ANY TIME I would call for a die roll, the new players immediately checked their character sheet for that skill, and then made their roll. Without fail, it worked every single time. By the end of the night, they were fully invested, and rolling like pros. I’ve never had a group of players take to the rules as quickly as this group, and I think the primary reason is because of this.

Now, this may seem simple. And it is! But without specifically calling it out, too often new players will find themselves asking the DM “What die am I rolling again?” Not anymore.