Is it necessary to have played Dn'D to read Oots?

[The Pale King]

I've been wondering this since I started the comic. I've never actually played Dn'D, and while some parts of it were less clear because of that, I've still enjoyed the comic. What do you guys think? Do you think a knowledge of Dn'D is necessary to read Oots?

[Belkster11]

I've been wondering this since I started the comic. I've never actually played Dn'D, and while some parts of it were less clear because of that, I've still enjoyed the comic. What do you guys think? Do you think a knowledge of Dn'D is necessary to read Oots?

It's not necessary. I haven't played DnD in my LIFE and I love this comic.

Interstingly enough, I've learned a bit about it from this. :)

[Katana_Geldar]

A lot more of the jokes will be funnier if you understood D&D. But you can understand the terminology without playing, like one of my friends has.

[SoD]

I've been wondering this since I started the comic. I've never actually played Dn'D, and while some parts of it were less clear because of that, I've still enjoyed the comic. What do you guys think? Do you think a knowledge of Dn'D is necessary to read Oots?

Nope. Hadn't played DnD when I started reading the comic. I used to think, to my greatest shame, that DnD was just a game for a bunch of nerds.

However, a friend of mine, who played DnD, introduced me to OOTS.

After a while, I began thinking; "Well, how bad can a game be if OOTS is about it?"

And here I am. A Level 3 DM. With the weak willed flaw, and also the pathetic wisdom flaw, without the free feats.

[Hardcore]

My experience is general RP and playing Baldurs Gate:smallsmile:

[Forbiddenwar]

Glad to hear you enjoy the comic without playing D&D. A LOT of people do. Rich has made this comic so that it is broad enough to appeal to hard core gamers and to people who like to read stories and not play games and everyone in between. You don't even have to start playing D&D in order to get some of those jokes. If there are some things about OotS that you don't get, ask here, on the forum. There is even a thread for Jokes I don't get, so you can ask there or here.

[[TS] Shadow]

I too, knew next to nothing about D&D before reading OotS. It's actually convinced me to give D&D a try, and I'm enjoying it.

[Silverraptor]

Nope. Hadn't played DnD when I started reading the comic. I used to think, to my greatest shame, that DnD was just a game for a bunch of nerds.

However, a friend of mine, who played DnD, introduced me to OOTS.

After a while, I began thinking; "Well, how bad can a game be if OOTS is about it?"

And here I am. A Level 3 DM. With the weak willed flaw, and also the pathetic wisdom flaw, without the free feats.

Wow. That's the same thing that happened to me. Except for being a level 3 DM. But still...

[Angelus-alvus]

I've never played D&D in my life and I liked this comic. Because of this comic I started playing Neverwinter Nights to understand more about the D&D.

[Nights1stStar]

This comic is what persuaded me to get into DnD. :) I'm now currently in two online campaigns on Mythweavers. No, it's not for senior citizens. I'm 17, and I love it.

Of course, you don't have to play DnD to read OOTS, but if you have time, you should try it at least once. Don't be put off by the lack of graphics and need for die-rolling. The problem with most electronic games is that they're one-ended. Play the whole game once, and you know the whole story. Play it twice, and you might get some bonus game features you didn't find the first time around with the help of a game guide, but the plotline won't change by much, and the characters will still be pre-made for you. And if it's a fantasy RPG, chances are the characters will be cliched. (destined kid hero, best-friend-turned-rival, damsel-in-distress-love-interest, Sephiroth-clone, etc.)

In DnD, though, you personally generate your character's stats, background, and personality and then your GM fits them into the campaign storyline, basically guaranteeing that every game you play will be different. Many GM's also use homebrewed campaigns (ones you make yourself, as opposed to pre-made ones bought in stores), so the games become even more original. Naturally, the quality of the campaign varies from game to game, but if both you and your GM have good writing skills, it's not that hard to create campaigns and characters that have more depth and detail than your average RPG.

[Meg]

I used to play DnD, back in the day (when I was about 5. My family used to play DnD because it's infinitely awesomer than Candyland), I didn't really remember any of the terms, but no, I don't think you have to know them to enjoy the comic.

[Acero]

no. i didn't.

there were a few things a didn't get at first, and things that i don;t get now that i DO play DDO, but i could still enjoy the comic

[Atronach]

I think people would enjoy the comic a lot more if they played D&D, but if you do not you should at least understand half of it, I do not believe I could give you a completely straight answers because everyone's knowledge varies, but it might not be entirely necessary to play Dungeons and Dragons to read OotS.

[MRizzle08]

I had never played dnd before but I had a general idea of the game but I felt that that was enough to enjoy both the nondnd jokes and most of the dnd ones. If anything OotS has made me want to dnd just because it seems like it would be really fun.

[Sewblon]

I have never played DnD but I got allot of the early jokes because I have played Never Winter Nights.

[Lissou]

It's definitely not necessary, but it can help. The game jokes are usually easy to understand if you play other RPGs (including non-tabletop ones) or games in general, since the terminology is often self-explanatory.

You'd probably have a harder time getting the cultural jokes when you're not from North America than getting the DnD jokes if you're not a gamer, but both are usually "gettable" and the few ones you don't get won't prevent you from understanding the story.

[Nimrod's Son]

It's definitely not necessary, but it can help. The game jokes are usually easy to understand if you play other RPGs (including non-tabletop ones) or games in general, since the terminology is often self-explanatory.

You'd probably have a harder time getting the cultural jokes when you're not from North America than getting the DnD jokes if you're not a gamer, but both are usually "gettable" and the few ones you don't get won't prevent you from understanding the story.
Spot on. The closest I've ever come to playing D&D is painting Citadel Miniatures when I was younger, but the vast majority of the jokes (including the rules ones) are usually phrased so that the reader only needs common sense and a bit of general knowledge to understand them. I don't always get the reference, but Google does the rest. I'm pretty sure there's not a single line in the entire comic that I don't understand now, and I'm no gamer by any stretch of the imagination.

[Thanatosia]

I think the very early strips would be rough going without any DnD knowledge, but the futher you go into the strips run the less and less DnD knowledge becomes necisary to get whats going on.

[Martok]

It's definitely not necessary, but it can help. The game jokes are usually easy to understand if you play other RPGs (including non-tabletop ones) or games in general, since the terminology is often self-explanatory.

You'd probably have a harder time getting the cultural jokes when you're not from North America than getting the DnD jokes if you're not a gamer, but both are usually "gettable" and the few ones you don't get won't prevent you from understanding the story.
Well said. It certainly helps if you've played D&D at some point, but it's by no means necessary.

There are a few jokes here and there -- especially in the earlier strips -- that are likely to be only understood by regular D&D players, but overall they're few and far between. Generally speaking, the humor is broad-based enough that most people can understand/appreciate it without any particular prior knowledge or experience.

[Jolee]

Most of my knowledge of the game mechanics jokes came from Star Wars knights of the old republic, but I had almost no knowledge of spells and monsters until I discovered the system reference document (after doing a google search on "explosive runes"). I'd occasionally look something up, but for the most part my weak foundation has served me well.

[Turkish Delight]

I used to think, to my greatest shame, that DnD was just a game for a bunch of nerds.

No shame about it. It is a game for a bunch of nerds. The question is whether you view that fact with embarrassment or pride after discovering it. :smallsmile:

Incidentally, directed to the initial post, you'll miss some of the jokes if you don't understand D&D, but not so many that it'll ruin it for you. Besides, even a lot of the D&D jokes can be figured out through context, even if said jokes are best enjoyed after years of exposure to some of the bizarre rules and ideas that make up the game.

I stopping playing before the introduction of 3rd edition, only experiencing it through playing Neverwinters Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2, so even former D&D players who haven't touched the game in awhile are likely to miss jokes.

[AxeD]

While I've never played D&D, OotS is easily in my top 5 favourite webcomics and I regularly read nearly 50 different webcomics each day. It's a great read, really accessible and doesn't require a complete indepth knowledge of the D&D rules.

[Katana_Geldar]

Having played a roleplaying game, you can appreciate a few little subtleties that might escape an initial reading. A good example of this is in strip 200 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0200.html) which, as Burlew says in the commentary, has a definite initative order.

I think it's

Vaarsuvius
Elan
Roy
Belkar
Durkon
Miko

Miko also has a surprise round, has a readied action for Windstriker to attack when she is flanked (Belkar does it with Roy) and I think another readied action to attack when she is flanked again (this time it's Roy and Vaarsuvius).

See how much more you can see with your geek hat on?

[TheBibliophile]

Shadow;6973630']I too, knew next to nothing about D&D before reading OotS. It's actually convinced me to give D&D a try, and I'm enjoying it.

Well, that's almost what happened to me. Except that there isn't a single RP group within, oh, say, thirty miles from here, a distance my parents flatly refuse to drive me. :smallfurious:

[Trixie]

No, you don't have to, but without it, you might at times be wondering "why that worked like this", "what the hell X is", or "how can anyone say almost all about a character by seeing it do a simple action Y".

Still, over 2/3 of the strip would be easy for someone even without the specific knowledge :smalltongue:

[Finzy]

I used to play a lot of Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, which use the 3.0 and 3.5 rulesets respectively, and I've had no problems getting any of the D&D jokes since the start of the comic even though I've never played it myself. Likewise, if you've played a lot of Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, I'd think most people wouldn't have any issues getting them.

Hopefully they'll still stay in there, these days the comic barely has any D&D references left...it made it more unique IMO, and I loved the earlier strips with all those tentacles of forced intrusion, Z'zdtri, Thor's prayers, the god panthemon, etc. Now it's more general fantasy than anything. Better for new readers of course, but I can't help but miss the old stuff.

[Mauve Shirt]

I've never played DnD and I love this comic/live on this website. I really want to play DnD after reading it for a while though.

[Katana_Geldar]

You guys do realise that there are online games on this site as well as others? It's not the same, but still D&D.

[ericgrau]

I'm not sure if it's in the FAQ or if Rich said it in some thread, but knowledge of DnD is not supposed to be necessary to enjoy the comic. Some things rely on it, but they aren't essential to following the story. Or else the DnD rule is explained in the comic.

[Scarlet Knight]

Comic # 678 is a good example. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0678.html)

Without the knowlege of D&D, one may read it to move the plot.

With D&D knowledge, you finish with "Bwah! Drawmij!"

[Trobby]

I think the strip has evolved over the years to be more friendly to a wider crowd. It used to be mostly jokes about spot checks and party politics. For instance the very first comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html) is a reference to the conversion from 3.0 to 3.5.

But a background in DnD is not strictly required to enjoy the strip. The very next one (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0002.html) is more about establishing Elan's character than anything else, and enjoyable even if you don't know a lick about DnD. I think lately, it's gotten more plot-heavy and enjoyable to a wider demographic, and while understanding the rules could help you enjoy it maybe a little more, it is not, strictly, required.



If you WANT to learn about the rules, there are plenty of resources online. I employ this http://www.geocities.com/sovelior/srd/ as a quick reference tool. There are plenty of sites online that can help you with the basics, and if you get really interested, you can usually find the Player's Handbook at your local store. I gave you a link for 3.5 rules, but 4.0 is also out, and gaining some reasonable ground. But this strip is still largely based on the 3.5 rules.

[John Cribati]

I 've never played d&d in my life, and I enjoy the comic just the same. Still, I can still understand some of the references, like
:elan: I have no ranks in Craft(Shiv).

[Pyrolep]

There are plenty of jokes that have nothing to do with DnD, so no, I don't think it's necessary. I could never have the patience to learn how to play it..hell, I didn't even have the patience to learn Euchre, and I'm assuming euchre is a lot more simple. But props to those who do play.

[rangermania]

I've never played DnD eighter. I love fantasy novels and read the whole Drizzt series with some of the Dragon Lance...

I feel like home here :smallbiggrin:


P.S: After a while if you keep tracking these threads(with putting some google on it) you start to understand a little bit of that stuff too...

[phobiandarkmoon]

No, and if you've played something like Neverwinter Nights or any other roleplaying system you can get most of the jokes without really trying. After all, the terminology is mostly designed to be self-explanatory

[Gamerlord]

The only experience I had with D&D before OOTS was the basic 3.5 set with the blue dragon, ahhh memories :smallsmile:, OOTS got me to buy the core books, but by freak coincide a few days later Gary Gygax died after I bought the core books :smallfrown:. And then a bit afterwards I became a full-fledged D&D player. And now I am a crazy D&D fan. In fact,I have played both Icewinds dale games, NWN 1, and recently ordered the complete Baldurs gate series! :smallbiggrin:

But back to the topic, I don't think you need to play D&D to enjoy the comic, but it sure helps!

[Cleverdan22]

With me, I had never played DnD, but I managed to pick up a good deal about it from the comic, and I wanted to play ever since I started to read the comic, which was a few years ago. Eventually, that being a few months ago, I got together four friends who had also always wanted to play, and we made a campaign. Since then, I have gotten them all into Order of the Stick, and two of them are members of the Playground.

[Blue Ghost]

I've inducted two of my friends into OOTS, neither of whom play D&D. One of them still follows OOTS, and the other read the entire archive within a span of 24 hours (I don't know if she still follows it, though). So I would daresay that a knowledge of D&D is not at all necessary for the enjoyment of the strip.