Start Your First Adventure
Like Duolingo, but for Start Your First Adventure. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
54 levels across 4 sections, about 108 minutes end to end, roughly 22 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Jump Into the Action, Survive Your First Battle, Build Your Own Hero, and Master the World Rules. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Start Your First Adventure
- The GM sets the stage before players can act
- Players respond to the environment with intent
- The GM determines and describes the outcome of those intents
- Players have total agency over their own character's thoughts and actions
- The GM controls every element of the world and non-player characters
- The standard loop of gameplay interaction
- The distinct responsibilities of the Player vs. the Game Master
- Success is defined by creating a memorable, shared story
- The story is a result of the conversation, not a pre-written script
- Failure in-game often leads to more interesting plot developments
- Players' choices must be able to change the direction of the game
- Describing intentions (what you want to do)
- The definition of 'winning' in a collaborative narrative game
- Describing consequences (what actually happens)
- The collaborative nature of the story
- Building on what others have said
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Start Your First Adventure the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
The GM describes a locked, heavy iron door. As a player, what is your role in this moment?
Get it right to open this lesson and 53 more in the app.
Where Start Your First Adventure takes you
Stop watching from the sidelines and start playing! Learn how to roleplay, roll the dice, and tell epic stories with your friends in no time.
- 1
Jump Into the Action
- What Do You Actually Do?
- Rolling the Dice for Success
- Describing Your Hero's Moves
- Talking as Your Character
- 2
Survive Your First Battle
- Taking Turns in a Fight
- Moving Around the Map
- Attacking and Dealing Damage
- Using Spells and Special Skills
- Healing and Staying Alive
- Winning the Encounter
- 3
Build Your Own Hero
- Picking the Right Class
- Choosing a Fantasy Race
- What the Numbers on Your Sheet Mean
- 4
Master the World Rules
- How the Game Master Thinks
- The Three Pillars of Play
- Equipment and Magic Items
- Leveling Up Your Power
- Finding a Group to Play With
4 sections · 18 units · 54 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Start Your First Adventure is taught in the The Storyteller style: every lesson is a story. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Entertainment on Tomo
Pathfinder: The Hero's Journey
Master the deep tactics and infinite storytelling of the Pathfinder roleplaying system. From your first d20 roll to crafting an entire living world, learn to lead your party through epic adventures.
Mastering the Xbox Universe
Go from picking up a controller for the first time to dominating online matches and discovering your favorite gaming genres. Learn how to navigate the Xbox ecosystem, find the best deals, and join a global community of players.
Mastering the 11th Edition Battlefield
Move beyond the basics of rolling dice and start thinking like a seasoned commander. Learn to manipulate the mission, exploit terrain, and master the complex interactions of the newest edition.
Mastering the Falling Blocks
Learn how to think like a Tetris pro by mastering the art of the 'clean stack.' Discover how to turn a chaotic rain of blocks into a satisfying high-score machine.
The World and Its Countries
Discover how the world is divided, why borders exist where they do, and how to make sense of the global map without getting lost in the details.
The Architecture of Disney Magic
Go beyond the fairy tales to decode the narrative formulas, visual language, and technical innovations that define the Disney cinematic style.
Start Start Your First Adventure today.
Download Tomo, search Start Your First Adventure, and play your first lesson in under a minute.