D&D 5e Starter Kit suggestions

I'm first-time DMing a newbie group (I have only played a little bit in high school), except one experienced player. Since I'm so green I opted for the D&D starter set and we're running The Lost Mines of Phandelver...anyone here played/run that module? Did you do anything to spice it up? How can I make this the most fun and lock in this group's interest?

I am slightly worried you are my DM OP.

With a better system.

On a more serious note, if you don't know your players' preferences, you can't play to them.
Run it as is, ask your players to keep an open mind and have them provide feedback after the session. That's all you can do.

...did you just get someone to play the last slot for a pregen fighter to join the group yesterday?

Mostly this.

You just gotta talk with and get to know your players. Also go to your experienced players for a little insight into how their past games have gone. Get a real feel for different styles and habits from other players and DMs to really get a feel for your own style.

>if you don't know your players' preferences, you can't play to them.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

The advice about talking with your players after the game is true tho. Run the game as is and get a feel for what you like, don't like, and same with everyone else.

Well, it's kind of true. If you don't know player preferences then you can't play your style or campaign to their immediate benefit, reliably.

Okay, let me revise that.

If you don't know your players' preferences, you can't intentionally play to them.

Better?

I did not. Don't think I'm your guy

Nah, it'd be more like "if you don't know your players' preferences, playing a game with them is kind of a crapshot"

People can get a long just fine playing things that they don't prefer, it's how hardcore this "non preference" that's the problem

BURN. I just got a couple Forgotten Realms paperbacks at a garage sale the other day and the lady who sold them to me started mocking me for talking about 5e, brought me into her house and showed me a literal wall full of Pathfinder books, then told me about her fibromyalgia and myriad other ailments. I don't want to get sick so I'll stick to 5e for now

It's a good module. You can and should add things to it but I wouldn't change it or fuck with it really. I ran it and it ended up starting a year long campaign last time I ran 5e.

>People can get a long just fine playing things that they don't prefer
I never said they couldn't.
I'm just saying OP can't do things "just right" for his player if he doesn't know what's "just right" for his players.

I said a BETTER system.

A better system like the James Bond RPG from 1986 I found at the used book store the other day? Alls you need is a d6!

Can't judge that as I've never even heard of the system.
I was thinking of stuff like Old School Hack, World of Dungeons, Beyond the Wall, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Ryuutama, Apocalypse World: Fallen Empires, etc.

Have you ever played Hackmaster from Knights of the Dinner Table?

No.
But I just remembered Dungeonslayers as another game to add to the list.

>How can I make this the most fun

Toss the book and play D&D basic. Just as easy to learn as 5e if not easier with much more freedom to make the game your own.

>I never said they couldn't.

Well you kinda did

>, if you don't know your players' preferences, you can't play to them.
Literally said "you can't play with them"

>If you don't know your players' preferences, you can't intentionally play to them.
Then you said that if you don't know your players' preferences then if you play with them you are being coerced.

Are you aware that "with" and "to" are two different words?

boom bam slam!

Oh shit, you're right. My b.

Care to repeat that in comprehensible English?