Things can get pretty hard in DROD, especially when you are just beginning as a new player of this unique game. After a frustrating start, you might be tempted to call it quits, but we really don't want you to give up. Beethro Budkin wouldn't give up! He's very determined about getting to the bottom of things. You can't let Beethro down--he needs your help!
Honestly, the game gets really good after you make that little investment upfront to learn how to play. You may be irritated that the game doesn't play in a similar way to other puzzle games you are good at. We didn't want DROD to be the same as those other puzzle games, so we built it with fresh gameplay mechanics. Many of our fans were initially frustrated, but once they understood the game, came to love the game and play it for years. So if the whole thing seems a little weird at first, please keep trying. Some have declared DROD to be their favorite game; it could end up being your favorite, too!
Are you dying a lot at times when you don't expect it? Your character, Beethro, moves after you issue a command, and then all monsters move immediately after. There is no delay between these two events so it can seem as though both happen simultaneously. Understanding the movement sequence makes it much easier to predict and plan. Try to slow down a little and observe what happens in response to your commands. Remember that you can press the "backspace" key to undo a command. If you get killed by a monster, you can even undo your death by pressing the "backspace" key before Beethro's death scream comes to an end.
Still stuck. There's more help at hand...
You can read Gunthro Budkin's hints and tips handed down to future generations of Smitemasters, or familiarise yourself better with the monsters of DROD and how they move.
There are also number of useful features in-game. You can press F1 at any time to bring up this help documentation, which includes backstory, controls, explanations of how monsters and elements work and gameplay tips. Right clicking on a tile will tell you the elements on that tile, and the movement order of the monster on it. Left clicking on an orb or pressure plate will show you the door(s) it is associated with and whether it opens (green), toggles (amber) or closes (red) it/them. Left-clicking on a tunnel will show you where it connects to, on a bomb will show you the explosion radius, and a soldier will show you who or what he is targetting. F6 will bring up the demo screen, where you can export your own solutions, import others' or download others' from Caravelnet.
The DROD online community is generally very helpful and well-informed. If you have a general question like "When's the next Smitemaster's Selection coming out?", "What's Gunthro's middle name?" or "How do Serpents move?", then the Caravel Forum General Board is probably the best place to go. However, if you need to ask about a particular room in a particular hold, go to the Hints and Solutions Board and click on Get Help for a Room. You can then select the hold, level and room you're stuck on and you'll be taken to previous hints and solutions that have been given for that room (or if they're none, it'll open a new thread where you can ask for help). You may also find the "Beginner's Guide to DROD" helpful.