Is it a good idea to write my own one-shot as a first-time DM? /u/c4nis_m4jor DnD: Roll for Initiative!

I’ve been into D&D for a long time, played a few sessions that never turned into anything, I have a main group of friends who are interested in playing, and, seeing as I’m very much the “hyperfixate and learn everything I can on a subject” type, I’ve been prepping to actually start DMing — for what would be like, 3-5 of my buddies — over the last nine months. Not that I intended to spend nine months on research, we’re all just very busy and there was never a time when it would have worked to actually play.

Anyway, three of us, myself included, have now graduated (and the others are on summer holidays at the moment) so, given that everyone’s schedules are a lot more flexible, it’s sort of the perfect time for us to start.

My plan is, for the first time we play, to just run a one-shot, something (relatively) short to get those who haven’t played before comfortable with the mechanics, and that isn’t setting up a big time commitment right off the bat.

As mentioned I’ve done a lot of research into how to run/write a campaign/oneshot. Watched countless vidoes on the matter (at one point binged Matthew Colville’s “Running the Game” series over the course of like, a week), read many, many articles and posts on mechanics and advice, read all the core rules, plus the important parts of the Player’s Handbook, DMG, and Monster Manual… you get the picture.

I’ve (in the last 24 hours, this isn’t a big passion project or anything) started planning out a one-shot that I’m now tweaking slightly to fit the five room dungeon structure (weirdly it was pretty much already there, just needed the stakes upped a bit in a few areas). But, I also really want to do right by my players, and if writing the material you plan to DM as a beginner DM is a bad idea, I’d of course be more than happy to table it and find something pre-written, if that’s what would be best for my party.

So, yeah, I’m open to any advice, opinions, whatever. I personally feel like I’m ready to write my own material, but I don’t want to end up being TTRPG Icarus, you know?

I’ve been into D&D for a long time, played a few sessions that never turned into anything, I have a main group of friends who are interested in playing, and, seeing as I’m very much the “hyperfixate and learn everything I can on a subject” type, I’ve been prepping to actually start DMing — for what would be like, 3-5 of my buddies — over the last nine months. Not that I intended to spend nine months on research, we’re all just very busy and there was never a time when it would have worked to actually play.

Anyway, three of us, myself included, have now graduated (and the others are on summer holidays at the moment) so, given that everyone’s schedules are a lot more flexible, it’s sort of the perfect time for us to start.

My plan is, for the first time we play, to just run a one-shot, something (relatively) short to get those who haven’t played before comfortable with the mechanics, and that isn’t setting up a big time commitment right off the bat.

As mentioned I’ve done a lot of research into how to run/write a campaign/oneshot. Watched countless vidoes on the matter (at one point binged Matthew Colville’s “Running the Game” series over the course of like, a week), read many, many articles and posts on mechanics and advice, read all the core rules, plus the important parts of the Player’s Handbook, DMG, and Monster Manual… you get the picture.

I’ve (in the last 24 hours, this isn’t a big passion project or anything) started planning out a one-shot that I’m now tweaking slightly to fit the five room dungeon structure (weirdly it was pretty much already there, just needed the stakes upped a bit in a few areas). But, I also really want to do right by my players, and if writing the material you plan to DM as a beginner DM is a bad idea, I’d of course be more than happy to table it and find something pre-written, if that’s what would be best for my party.

So, yeah, I’m open to any advice, opinions, whatever. I personally feel like I’m ready to write my own material, but I don’t want to end up being TTRPG Icarus, you know?