D&D 5E - The Lost Mines of Phandelver Bi-weekly Adventure - Newbies Welcome!

Welcome Adventurers! I'm Kenji and I'm planning to run the "Lost Mines of Phandelver" D&D adventure.

This module is intended to introduce those who are new to D&D 5th edition (and D&D in general) to a "classic" adventure full of combat, intrigue, magic and possibly...a dragon! It usually takes about 6-8 sessions to run through all the material depending on what decisions the party makes and how much role playing the party likes to do. The characters will reach 5th level by the end of the adventure. After the adventure is over we can continue with the same characters to a new one or start afresh. I have run through this adventure as a player and had a blast doing it.

What to expect
I intend to run this adventure every two weeks on Thursdays, from 6:00PM to 10:00PM. Sessions may go overtime if we're at a crucial point in the campaign, but probably not over 30 mins. The number of players will be capped at 6. The venue will be initially Raygun Lounge, but we may change in the future. We may invite people from the waiting list (or players can bring in a friend) should we lose a player. In the first session we will go over character creation and what to expect from the campaign, but we should be able to get started.

Character Creation
No evil aligned characters. Every time I've seen this allowed it was not fun for the party.
Player vs player actions are allowed but only if the two players involved agree that it makes sense before it happens.
Brand new players are encouraged but not required to use a pre-generated character from this list: http://www.digitaldungeonmaster.com/pre-made-dd-5e-character-sheets.html

Also, brand new players may want to choose a class lower on the complexity scale, as it will be less overwhelming the first time through. Of course, you're welcome to play any class if you like! https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/38e9ul/complexity_rankings_of_the_classes/

For those creating their own characters from scratch the following rules apply:

• Classes/Sub-classes/Races are allowed from Player's Handbook, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Elemental Evil, Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
• Ability scores will be Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) or 27 point build.

27 point build calculator here: http://chicken-dinner.com/5e/5e-point-buy.html

If everyone comes to the session ready with a character we can start sooner :)

The story so far:
Gundren Rockseeker, a Dwarven Businessman with dealings in Waterdeep, Neverwinter and beyond, has a reputation of making and losing many fortunes, and risking his life along the way. Many who deal with Gundren have met or almost met similar fates. While he's the brains of his outfit, his two brothers often join him in his ventures as well.

Gundren, along with the seasoned human fighter Sildar Hallwinter, have invited all of you to escort some provisions to the mining town of Phandalin, just a short ride from Neverwinter. The pay is modest, but the job seems easy enough. With Gundren, however, no job is easy or simple. Indeed, you notice that he can scarcely conceal his excitement when he hints there may be "another bigger job" waiting for you when the provisions are delivered.

Consider the following questions for your backstory:

1. How did you meet Gundren? If you're a Dwarf you can be related to him.
2. If you did not meet Gundren, and just followed his job posting in Neverwinter, what have you been doing in Neverwinter?
3. Phandalin is an up and coming mining town, perhaps you have a reason to want to go there?

Consider what your goals are as a character, and I will do my best to work them into the story.

About Me
I am a relatively new DM who plays D&D regularly. I intend to bring my enthusiasm and passion for this game and this particular module to the table. My #1 intention will be for the players to have fun!