How to Run D&D TONIGHT (Even If You’ve Never Played Before)

How to Run D&D TONIGHT (Even If You’ve Never Played Before) | No Experience Needed!

Ready to run your first Dungeons & Dragons game tonight—even if you’ve never played before? No books, no stress, no gatekeeping. In this video, I’ll walk you step-by-step through running a full one-shot D&D adventure, complete with free rules, pre-made characters, a printable map, and a ready-to-run dungeon. Grab some friends and snacks—it’s go time. 🍕🎲

⸻

🎯 WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

00:00 – Intro: You’re the DM Now, Baby!
00:21 – Step 1: Grab Some Friends (Yes, Really)
01:04 – Step 2: Don’t Buy the Books – Free Rules Instead!
02:25 – Step 2b: Free Pre-Generated Characters (No Character Creation Marathon)
03:00 – Step 3: The Adventure (And Why It’s Not Scary)
03:29 – How to Structure a One-Shot in 5 Encounters
04:02 – Why Goblins Are the Fast Food of Villains
05:24 – The Goblin’s Burrow: The HOOK
07:49 – Designing a Dungeon (Using Free Tools)
16:12 – DM Tips for First Timers (Don’t Sweat the Rules)

⸻

🧰 DOWNLOADS & FREE RESOURCES:

📜 Basic Rules (Free from Wizards of the Coast):
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DMBasicRules.pdf

🧙‍♂️ Pre-Generated Characters (Pick & Play):
https://www.dndbeyond.com/resources/1779-d-d-character-sheets

🗺️ Free Map Making Tool (Dungeon Scrawl):
https://dungeonscrawl.com

📄 Printable Graph Paper (Make Your Own Maps):
https://incompetech.com/graphpaper/plain/

🧭 Download “The Goblin’s Burrow” Map (PNG):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eBeDAz6vn0kufv1iD8qYMcvLz9JL6CJb/view?usp=drive_link

📖 Want more content? Check out my PWYW resources on DMsGuild.com:
https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?affiliate_id=1320617&keywords=evilpenguinrpg

⸻

👥 WHO THIS VIDEO IS FOR:
• New Dungeon Masters looking to run their first game TONIGHT
• D&D-curious folks who don’t want to read 300 pages first
• Game night hosts who want a fun, fantasy one-shot
• People who thought being a DM was too hard (spoiler: it’s not)

⸻

🔥 Subscribe for more no-BS D&D advice, fast-start guides, and storytelling tips for Dungeon Masters!

📺 Click here to subscribe → https://www.youtube.com/@EvilPenguinRPG?sub_confirmation=1

🐉 Want to play in one of my games: https://startplaying.games/gm/evilpenguin

❤️ Follow me on socials
✅ TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@evilpenguingaming
✅ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/evilpenguingaming
✅ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/evilpenguinRPG
✅ Bluesky – @evilpenguinrpg.bsky.social

#dndtips #dmtipsandtricks #ttrpg