Dungeons & Dragons is the most popular tabletop RPG in the world and one of the best entry points into roleplaying. However, running a D&D game can be intimidating for those who’ve never done so. Luckily, D&D 5e has been widely recognized as the most accessible and beginner-friendly edition yet, which means that even some of their longer campaign adventures are readily accessible for new players and Dungeon Masters (DMs). There’s plenty to learn about engaging story flow, monster stat blocks, setting up encounters, and providing engaging NPCs to keep the players invested when DMing for the first time.
One of the great things about 5e’s accessibility is that it’s just as accessible to new DMs as it is to first-time players. From the Dungeon Master’s Guide—especially with the 2024 core rulebook updates—to the multiple adventure modules and anthology collections Wizards of the Coast has released over the last 10 years, there are plenty of ways to get started. Some, like the upcoming dragon-themed anthology, Dragon Delves, were even deliberately designed with beginners in mind.
Updated on June 25, 2025, by Guillermo Kurten: As the 2024 D&D 5e revision gets more time to settle at gaming tables, the resources for new DMs continue to expand. The various sourcebooks already published give new and aspiring D&D DMs a unique assortment of adventures and full-on campaigns without feeling overwhelmed. And with the upcoming Dragon Delves anthology, which kicks off the new 5e line of modules, DMs have even more exciting conflicts to throw their players’ way. This list has been updated to include five more worthwhile D&D 5e adventures and campaigns for new DMs to run.
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Dragon Delves Is the First D&D 5e Adventure Module For The Updated Core Rules
Fresh DMs Can Take Players on a Slew of Dragon-Themed Anthologies
With the 2024 revision of the D&D 5e core rulebooks, fans are now eagerly awaiting the game’s first adventure module using this ruleset. DMs and players won’t have to wait much longer, as the forthcoming (and excellent) Dragon Delves adventure book will be released on July 8, 2025. The book offers 10 standalone adventures that can take players from Level 1 to Level 12, each themed around the unique lineup of dragons in D&D‘s iconic mythos.
Dragon Delves is a brilliant way to let DMs kick off a one-off adventure or put together a longer campaign that gets dragons involved almost immediately. The 2024 D&D 5e revision has helped make these iconic monsters more accessible to DMs and the groups they run at lower levels, and each adventure has a unique tone to match the Chromatic and Metallic dragons found within. The lore, stylized artwork, and DM-friendly toolkits for running each adventure give DMs the tools and sources of information to kick off memorable draconic-focused campaigns.
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Peril In Pinebrook Is a Quick, Ideal Way to Get Used to 5e
This D&D Adventure Strips Down 5e Rules for New DMs & Players Alike
One of the best ways to get into D&D 5e is to look through the several free adventures available on D&D Beyond. Among them is the Peril in Pinebrook adventure, which, while brief, is an excellent introduction to the game. Moreover, it could just as easily serve as a launch pad for a larger campaign. The adventure has a group of up to four Level 1 player characters tasked with returning a baby Silver Dragon to its cave. Peril in Pinebrook is a fun, bite-sized D&D adventure that offers a tasteful balance of guidance for new DMs and players with freedom for roleplay.
DMs and players get a streamlined version of the fundamental 5e rules to quickly get the group into the action, focusing on D20 mechanics, Advantage/Disadvantage, Attack Rolls, making Skill Checks, HP, Armor Class, and Difficulty Class. The premade character sheets are similarly simplified, keeping new players (and the DMs guiding them) from being overwhelmed by D&D 5e‘s more nuanced systems. Because of this, Peril in Pinebrook is also the best-suited adventure for new DMs looking to run a campaign with younger players.
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Hunt for the Thessalhydra Is Perfect for Fans of Stranger Things
The D&D and Stranger Things Crossover is a Great Entry Point
Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons are heavily connected. Many of Stranger Things’ more fantastical elements were inspired by the game, and the characters often reference D&D. Thus, it should come as no surprise that there is a D&D campaign that incorporates Stranger Things elements. This campaign is a lot of fun and simple to run, even for those who aren’t familiar with the show.
Hunt for the Thessalhydra is littered with cute illustrations, as if Stranger Things character Mike Wheeler had created the adventure. While the campaign seems a bit roughshod compared to others, this benefits the DM. There are early social encounters that don’t impact the campaign, leading to a safe environment to practice role-playing gameplay. Similarly, a labyrinth later in the campaign includes hints to help players, helping a new DM guide players through the maze if needed.
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Infernal Machine Rebuild Is a Time-Hopping Adventure
D&D Players Must Reassemble a Powerful Machine Before It’s Too Late
While Infernal Machine Rebuild is not the simplest of campaigns, it is still manageable for a determined beginning DM. This campaign is designed around D&D players starting at level 5 through level 10. Running a campaign with higher-level player characters can be good and bad, as it allows for encounters on a bigger scale, which could generate tension more easily than at lower levels. Conversely, it can add complications.
What new DMs might find most challenging, though, are the time travel aspects. With proper preparation, beginner DMs can overcome this hurdle. Additionally, there are pre-set dungeons that provide plenty of opportunities for players to explore and encounter creatures. The unique premise of this module is another plus, as it makes it easy to be creative with the various period settings. For ambitious new DMs, Infernal Machine Rebuild is challenging but offers a lot of reward.
22
Locathah Rising Has a Realistic Setting
New DMs Can Easily Ground Themselves in This Concise D&D Adventure
Easy to run as a short one-shot adventure or as part of a longer campaign, Locathah Rising is wonderfully adaptable. It can even be integrated into other existing campaigns like Ghosts of Saltmarsh. In Locathah Rising, a peaceful people decide to fight against those who are oppressing them. In doing so, certain heroes lead the charge, which is the role that the players fill.
This straightforward goal makes it easy for beginner DMs to direct the story for their players. While there is always the opportunity for players to go off track, the focused direction of this campaign acts as a guiding light. Additionally, given how realistic the scenario in Locathah Rising is, new DMs can easily put themselves in the shoes of the NPCs they’ll be roleplaying.
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Hold Back the Dead Is a Harrowing Campaign for Players
The D&D Beyond Adventure Offers Horror Thrills While Teaching DMs The Ropes
Given that Hold Back the Dead is free for registered users on the D&D Beyond website, it is ideal for beginner DMs to learn what running an adventure or campaign is like. In Hold Back the Dead, an evil Red Wizard sends hordes of monsters to conquer the land. The Hold Back the Dead module includes maps of the fortress where the Wizard resides and the surrounding area.
Not having to make these maps takes a burden off the DM, as they can study them instead. Additionally, the aim of this campaign is clear and helps ensure that players stay on track. Despite how straightforward the campaign is, it still offers plenty of challenges for players. Hold Back the Dead is excellent for teaching new DMs adventuring fundamentals while still engaging the players.
20
Frozen Sick Is a Compelling Mystery Story
D&D’s Frozen Sick Adventure Creates a Setting That Encourages Roleplay
As the name implies, Frozen Sick takes place in a freezing locale. Players have to investigate who is murdering the residents of Palebank Village in the Biting North region of the Greying Wildlands and Eiselcross. Players start at level 1, and the adventure ends after they reach level 3. This time and level range is well-suited to first-time DMs, as they can experience what levelling up players is like without having to commit to an overly long campaign.
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The mystery elements of Frozen Sick let new Dungeons & Dragons DMs practice their roleplaying and simultaneously encourage players to engage in roleplaying elements naturally. While the campaign directs encounters and the story, it also gives players many opportunities to make their own choices. The adventure’s balance between these elements makes it fantastic for new DMs.
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Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel Invites Players to Exotic Fun
A Variety of D&D Settings Keep the Radiant Citadel Adventure Lively
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel is one of several D&D 5e anthology books featuring a central “hub” setting where the party can explore several adventures that won’t take them too far away from the home base. This campaign has one of the most charming and optimistic settings, the Radiant Citadel City, which is a brilliant gem of life amidst the seemingly endless nothingness between the Border Ethereal and Deep Ethereal. It’s a place of cooperation, healthy diversity, and rich cultures that offers players an opportunity to explore not only game mechanics but also early roleplaying.
Despite starting at level 1, Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel doesn’t go easy on its players with some of its darker and more brutal adventures. That said, it should be an easy-to-run set of adventures for a novice Dungeon Master. If the DM needs to settle into their role, they can pick and choose any Radiant Citadel adventure they feel comfortable with and run that first, assuming the players don’t mind having the adventure selected for them.
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Quests from the Infinite Staircase Is an Exciting Multiversal Anthology
D&D’s Plane-Hopping Adventure Anthology Reimagines Beloved Adventures
D&D 5e‘s Quests from the Infinite Staircase is one of the more recent campaign books, only just predating the latest 5e 2024 revision. This is another anthological, multiversal-themed sourcebook that gives DMs a convenient way to piece together a campaign. It uses the eponymous locale as the focal point for six remastered, classic adventures and the genie Nafas as the party’s facilitator. Using the vast D&D multiverse as set dressing might not be novel.
Nonetheless, Quests from the Infinite Staircase proves it’s excellent for helping DMs seed adventures into homebrewed campaigns, play any of them as one-shots, or string all or a combination of them together as their own campaign. Each of the six remastered adventures for D&D 5e gives plenty of opportunities for varying flavors of fantasy and gameplay styles, from the sprawling dungeon exploration of The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth to the sci-fi fantasy of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Quests from the Infinite Staircase‘s versatility offer DMs tools to weave a well-paced campaign with different thematic appeals.
17
Lightning Keep Is a Simple, Dragon-Themed Adventure
This Adventure Can Happen Anywhere D&D Players Choose
Lightning Keep is one of the shortest official Dungeons & Dragons adventures. Designed to last no more than three or four hours, it’s the perfect introduction to the game’s mechanics for new players and DMs. The short gameplay time, combined with the party starting at level 3, means novice players on either side of the DM screen can easily handle Lightning Keep to sample what D&D is all about.
This adventure follows the core basics of D&D, including a dragon, a dungeon, and a clear goal to follow. The party must gather six lightning rods in a keep and put them in place to create a protective barrier so refugees from a local dragon’s rampage can find a safe place to stay. As an amusing bonus, Lightning Keep includes monsters from Minecraft, though players can use regular D&D 5e monster stat blocks in their place if desired.