The basic structure of play in Dungeons and Dragons is fairly simple and typically involves a cycle of three main activities:
The DM describes the environment. The DM tells the players where their adventurers are and what's around them, presenting the basic scope of options that present themselves (how many doors lead out of a room, what's on a table, who's in the tavern, and so on).
The players describe what they want to do. Sometimes one player speaks for the whole party, saying, "We'll take the east door," for example. Other times, different adventurers do different things: one adventurer might search a treasure chest while a second examines an esoteric symbol engraved on a wall and a third keeps watch for monsters. The players don't need to take turns, but the DM listens to every player and decides how to resolve those actions.
Sometimes, resolving a task is easy. If an adventurer wants to walk across a room and open a door, the DM might just say that the door opens and describe what lies beyond. But the door might be locked, the floor might hide a deadly trap, or some other circumstance might make it challenging for an adventurer to complete a task. In those cases, the DM decides what happens, often relying on the roll of a die to determine the results of an action.
The DM narrates the results of the adventurers' actions. Describing the results often leads to another decision point, which brings the flow of the game right back to step 1.
This pattern holds whether the adventurers are cautiously exploring a ruin, talking to a devious prince, or locked in mortal combat against a mighty dragon.
In certain situations, particularly Combat & Turn Based Action, the flow of play is more granular and structured. The players (and the DM) take turns choosing and resolving actions. But most of the time, play is fluid and flexible, adapting to the circumstances of the adventure.
Often the action of an adventure takes place in the imagination of the players and DM, relying on the DM's verbal descriptions to set the scene. Some DMs like to use music, art, or recorded sound effects to help set the mood, and many players and DMs alike adopt different voices for the various adventurers, monsters, and other characters they play in the game. Sometimes, a DM might lay out a map and use tokens or miniature figures to represent each creature involved in a scene to help the players keep track of where everyone is.
Below are the most important, core concepts of playing Dungeons and Dragons, including making d20 Tests, Advantage & Disadvantage, Ability Scores, Heroic Inspiration, and more. However, before that, we should address the two most important concepts to remember:
Specific Beats General
If you see a rule about a specific circumstance which contradicts a general rule of the game, the specific rule takes precedence over the general rule. Individual features, spells, and traits can often “break” the general rule. These specific instances should be considered exceptions to the general rule.Always Round Down
Whenever you divide a number in the game, unless it is specified to do otherwise, always round down if you end up with a fraction, even if the fraction is one-half or greater.
A high level overview of the game's most basic mechanic, as well as it's most common modifier: Advantage & Disadvantage.
The basics of ability scores, a breakdown of each of the six primary scores and their accompanying Skill Proficencies, and a brief aside about Tool Proficiencies.
Detailing the Heroic Inspiration mechanic, how the meta currency can be earned, and what it can be spent on to provide players an additional edge.