Watch jontrons new video and that's all the tips you will need

Don't draw first blood

D&D, you say?

The starter kit is useless. It gives only a few pre generated characters and a few stories to get to Lvl 5 or so. If you really get into the game, you need at least 3 core books. The players manual, which teaches [i]all[/i] the rules, as well as all the options to create a character. https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606 The monster manual, which has a sizable collection of creatures to fight, as well as their stats https://www.amazon.com/Monster-Manual-Core-Rulebook-Wizards/dp/0786965614 And last but not least, the dungeon masters guide. This sets up all other in-game mechanics the DM controls, and it also has the magic items list and ideas for a story. https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Core-Rulebook/dp/0786965622 Now, when setting up a campaign, talk to your friends about classes. It is important to run a balanced party, as this minimizes weaknesses. For example, if you have four wizards, your spellcasting capability will be great, but if anything gets into close range, you would be toast. Likewise, if you run all fighters, you will excel in combat but may fail miserably with arcana checks or other intelligence oriented challenges. Also, it's important to cooperate with the team. (obviously) don't be that guy who always fights his party members because his alignment differs so greatly from the others. To increase immersiveness, try to stay in character and be certain to make sure everyone knows when you are in character, or just plain speaking. The Adam might mistake you saying things IRL as you in character, which can be confusing and could lead into many a misunderstanding. Overall, to get the best playing experience minimize distraction, be kind to your teammates, and have fun! D and D is an exciting experience, one that will take you on many memorable journeys, for years to come. [spoiler]sorry about this huge wall of text. But that's just the basics. Good luck and have fun![/spoiler]

Sacrifice many virgins and bathe in their blood. [spoiler]is that in the game, or have i been playing it wrong?[/spoiler]

Roll a 20

Get fancy dice. Like these: http://www.tabletopempires.com.au/image/cache/data/Chessex/RPG/chx_26431-350x350.jpg https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0222/9748/products/IMG_1091.JPG?v=1456133030

You need the players book(phb), the dungeon master guide(dmg), and the monster manual(mm). There are a bunch of free adventure module pdfs online which you can use to get the feel for the game and how to setup a campaign. Find out what your players like (hack and slash, politics, whatever) and find/make campaigns that appeal to that

My advice? Since it's your friends, I'd start out making a campaign somewhat resembling things they're into. So, if, say, they like Game of Thrones, make a campaign with that level of intrigue and such.