Scattered dice, a pencil, character sheet, and miniatures belonging to someone ready to begin playing Dungeons and Dragons. — Could one of these beginner-friendly campaigns be your introduction to the game of Dungeons & Dragons?

Creating a Dungeons & Dragons campaign from scratch is a lot of work. Not only do you need a good grasp of how the game plays, but you need fun ideas for characters, plots, encounters and more - plus the chops to put them all together! If you want to be a Dungeon Master but don’t want to spend hours crafting a custom campaign, there are plenty of pre-made campaigns that you can use.

No matter what tone of game you’re looking for (wholesome and cozy? traditional fantasy? dark and spooky?) there’s a D&D campaign on this list for you. Drawing from both official and indie sources, here are a few campaigns we recommend for beginner Dungeon Masters and D&D players alike.

A Wild Sheep Chase

In A Wild Sheep Chase, player characters run into a desperate sheep in need of help. Of course, all is not as it appears, and they must use their wits to track down a crew of magical animals and determine where they came from. This adventure is self-contained and low-stakes, which makes for a great introduction for newcomers to D&D. It's got clear notes for novice Dungeon Masters on how to play NPCs, run the (simple) combat encounters, and play out the plot depending on the choices the players make. The plot itself has investigation, combat, and roleplay elements but is flexible enough to focus on just one or two if that’s what the players or Dungeon Master want.

The Forgedragon

In The Forgedragon, player characters track down trouble in a mountain town where they stumble upon an extra-large faction, a magical gem, and a some fantastical steampunk constructs. This adventure works well for players who know a little bit about the gameplay of D&D, are confident they will enjoy the game, and are excited to engage with its combat mechanics. It concludes within about a month of weekly sessions, but it's set in the world of Omeria, a custom campaign setting (with additional adventures if your group wants to continue the story)! The Forgedragon has optional roleplay, light investigation, and lots of interesting combat encounters and magic items.

Grammy’s Country Apple Pie

Publisher: Jennifer Adcock

Good for fans of: Delicious in Dungeon

Cost: PDF is $1, no print edition

Expected Length: One session (2-4 hours)

Party Level: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th

Included: Adventure, Pregenerated Character Sheets

In Grammy's Country Apple Pie, player characters track down a legendary apple-pie recipe only to find a bakery fallen into disarray and overrun by goblins. This silly and self-contained adventure wraps in a few hours and is a great way for those unfamiliar with D&D to experiment with the game. It's ideal for younger players, with a relatively short play time, lots of potential chaotic antics, and clear options to bypass combat altogether, which can help avoid both violent themes and more complex gameplay.

Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye

In Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye, player characters investigate a mysterious cursed eye that was clutched in the hand of a dead militia member. Along the way, they explore a dangerous dungeon and find a mysterious cult. This darker adventure is good for more mature players looking for spooky themes and a traditional dungeon-crawl experience using the D&D Beyond digital toolset, which gets games going quickly. Though it stands on its own, this adventure is a prequel to another adventure (Vecna: Eve of Ruin) if players want to continue playing at higher levels.

Infernal Machine Rebuild

**Publisher:** Wizards of the Coast
**Good for fans of:** Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
**Cost:** D&D Beyond version is $10, but it supports the Extra Life charity!
**Expected Length:** About 3-5 sessions
**Party Level:** 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th level
**Number of Players:** 5 recommended
**Included:** Adventure, Maps, D&D Beyond Integration

In Infernal Machine Rebuild, the player characters must gather relics of an ancient extraplanar device rumored to be able to travel through time and space. Then they must decide which of the many interested parties should get their power. This is ideal for an experienced Dungeon Master looking for a creative and fun adventure to introduce new players to the many aspects of Dungeons & Dragons. It's got plenty of fun dungeon crawling and exploration with a time-travel twist, but it also has some investigation and roleplaying elements to give new players a fully rounded experience. Like The Forgedragon, it plays through in about a month, which gives players enough time to really sink their teeth into D&D.

Journey to Beryl's Reach

In Journey to Beryl's Reach, player characters escort a caravan to a faraway city and run into all sorts of troubles along the way. This is the most unique adventure on this list; rather than being read and run by a single Dungeon Master, the plot is created by drawing cards, and everyone around the table takes a turn running part of the adventure. It requires no preparation and works well for groups without a singular Dungeon Master (and for players who want to dip their toe into DMing without committing to a full adventure). You can build a deck from cards with combat, puzzles, and roleplay encounters to create the game you would most enjoy playing!

Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a bundle of 7 distinct adventures, all set in and around the port city of Saltmarsh. This gives you options for a variety of party levels and play styles. But because the adventures in the same region, multiple adventures can also be played back to back to build a modular campaign. They explore a variety of coastal and seafaring themes, from undead pirates to underwater war!

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

In The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, player characters enter the Fey Wild, a land of magic and faeries where notions like time and logic don't always work the way you expect. It takes character from level 1 to level 10, so it's a great choice for players who know they're in it for the long haul. Though the campaign has several combat scenarios, it's designed so that not every encounter ends in a fight, which rewards clever players who get creative with their characters and abilities.

In Conclusion: Our Top 8 Campaigns for Beginners

We hope we’ve given you inspiration for your next adventure, whether you’re a novice Dungeon Master or simply preparing to run a game for first-time players. In no particular order, here are our top 8 recommendations for D&D campaigns for beginners, all in one handy list:

Join a Beginner-Friendly D&D Campaign

Do you think you would be up to the task of running (or perhaps even making) adventures like these? We are here to help! Our Dragon Leaders course is designed for D&D enthusiasts like you to learn the skills needed to become Dungeon Masters and walk you through creating your very own one-shot.

Rather be on the other side of the DM screen? No problem! We also run weekly online D&D games for tweens and teens of all experience levels to get a chance to play fantastic adventures like these.

The Best Dungeons & Dragons Campaigns for Beginners