where to start

[Walk Hard]

Hello Playground

I am going to run a 3.X campaign at some point in the future - possibly before the end of this year.

With that in mind a here is a quick run down of my DnD experience

Other than a few PC games zero..... I am however experienced in other RPG - Rolemaster mainly.

What I am after is an idea on what books I should read up on first - and yes I am a fan of more is better so any recommended books outside of core rules too would be great

Also any recommended adventure/campaign modules to use to base a campaign on??
for an idea I generally like to start players around 3rd - 5th lvl

[Lerondiel]

Vital question: how much d&d experience do your players have?

[prufock]

Best advice for the first time out: start small, expand from there.

Read the PHB and DMG, as well as the Monster Manual. Get your hands on a pre-published first level adventure and run it, making your own tweaks if you like.

I sort of wish 3.5 had a quick start guide.

[Darrin]

Basic Stuff:

Core: PHB/DMG/MM. Arguably these books have the most overpowered borked stuff in the game, but understanding why takes some effort to explain.

PHBII: Has the Beguiler (Enchantment/Social Engineering specialist) and Duskblade ("gish in a can" or rather simple and effective Fighter/Wizard hybrid). Ignore the Dragon Shaman.

Complete Arcane: Warlock "blaster" (great for beginning players).

Spell Compendium (SC): Consolidates most of the splatbook spells into a single book. While this adds so many spells to the game that the primary spellcasters may get "analysis paralysis" just trying to absorb all the different options, I recommend this book because it really beefs up the "secondary spellcasters": bards, paladins, and rangers. They need the help most (well... ok, the last two do).

Magic Item Compendium (MIC): Great book but also comes with somewhat problematic implications if you understand how the D&D magic item "Christmas Tree" economy works.

Intermediate Stuff:

Expanded Psionic Handbook (XPH): This should really be part of the Basic Stuff, but personally I've had trouble digging in to it. Psionics presents an entirely different point-based magic system that in some ways is actually superior to the "Vancian Spellcasting" system in Core (particularly if you disliked Vancian Spellcasting to begin with). But there are some contiguity problems when you put it side-by-side to Vancian Wizards/Sorcerers... and it doesn't mesh well at all with divine spellcasting, because the designers had trouble reconciling "I get Kewl Powerz because I'm super-smart!" with "I get Kewl Powerz because my Gawd likes me!".

Tome of Battle (ToB): Possibly the most divisive book in the 3.5 canon, because certain knuckle-draggers have a problem with "Weeabo Fighters" who can wave their swords around to pull off "spell-like" maneuvers, but apparently have no problems with Wizards wiggling their fingers and shooting flaming unicorns out of their buttocks. Just mentioning the book tends to immediately spark off a 15-page flame war between the various Pro/Con factions (as my knuckle-dragger comment is probably going to do). From a functional standpoint, this book provides "upgraded" melee classes that do a better job than some of the core classes. Notably: Crusaders are better holy warriors (paladins), Swordsages are better martial artists (monks), and Warblades are better at hitting things with sharp objects (fighters). And by better I don't mean "they do more damage" (which some of them can do) but "more interesting at higher levels" when the spellcasters are pwning everything.

Dragon Magic: Contains the Dragonfire Adept, sort of a more playable version of the Dragon Shaman. Also a good class for beginners with the "I want to play a dragon!" bugaboo or players who think "I breathe fire on it!" is the absolute best solution for everything. Also has more "draconic auras", which is a subsystem the designers attempted a couple times (see the Dragon Shaman in PHBII and Marshall in the Miniatures Handbook) but just never quite figured out how to make worthwhile. It's also a handbook (along with Races of the Dragon) for all things Dragonblooded, sort of a mini-subsystem that bleeds into some other subsystems.

Advanced Stuff:

Magic of Incarnum (MoI): Difficult to explain, but it's an alternate magic subsystem, where you shape "soul-stuff" into glowing blue customized magic items linked to your body's "chakras". Or rather think of it as a semi-imaginary wardrobe of outfits and accessories that you can slip into and out of to buff up various abilities. You want to fly, put on this belt. You want to pick locks, put on these gloves. You want to tear people apart with your bare hands, put on these legwarmers.

Tome of Magic (ToM): Essentially three alternative magic subsystems, each tied to a new "spellcaster-ish" class, but only two of them are functional. Binders allow themselves to be possessed with certain powerful extraplanar personalities called Vestiges that give them various buffs and special attacks. In spite of this, it's somewhat surprisingly flavorful and more balanced than you'd expect. Shadowcasters were an attempt to meld Vancian spells and "Emo gits hanging out at Hot Topic" into an "innate spellcasting" thing based on Spell-Like Abilities (SLAs), and while the designers bungled up the power curve, it's at least functional. Truenamers was an attempt at a skill-based magic system, but it's nearly unplayable without smacking it around a bit with some homebrew.

Books to Avoid:

Weapons of Legacy (WoL): Magic items that level up with the PCs or that you unlock new special abilities with rituals is definitely something that should be added to the game, lots of great ideas there, but from a practical standpoint the designers screwed the pooch with the mechanics in the worst possible way. Intentionally handicapping your PC to get new abilities that are barely useful or are worse than buying some other magic item off the shelf? No thanks. The designers misunderstood their audience ("murderhobos don't have weaknesses") and how their own game works (the "Christmas Tree" magic economy).

Playground Game Theory:

The Playground as a community tends to advocate certain play styles or an approach to the game that some groups may find off-putting or wrongheaded. Some of this is dominated by "Theoretical Optimization" strategies where players with loads of free time and access to every book will super-min-max every possible decision in the game down to some super-powerful "infinite wishes" recursion loop where if you're not playing a Tier 1 Demigawd, you're somehow "doing it wrong". Not everyone plays this way, but when you ask the Playground for advice, it's important to understand where most Playgrounders consider the "problem areas" are in the game, and the context under which we try to propose "fixes" for them. Your group may be entirely different and may consider taking "Dodge" and "Monkey Grip" to be the uberpinnacle of powergaming (and thus our advice is probably largely useless). Mostly what it boils down to is if there are wide "System Mastery" disparities between your players, it tends to create problems. To get you started on how some Playgrounders tend to see things:

Being Batman: the Logic Ninja's Guide to Wizards (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?104002): The original "bible" on how to approach the game, ostensibly just a Wizard's Handbook, but it's probably the most fundamental starting point for understanding the Tier System, the Christmas Tree, and how much we hate Monkday.

JaronK's Tier System For Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?266559): Another good "I want to start a flame war" topic.

Bad Trap Syndrome (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/90/bad-trap-syndrome/) and Bad Trap Blues (http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/91/bad-trap-syndrome-curing-the-bad-trap-blues/). An insightful look at "class role protectionism" and how it can klunk up your game.



Also any recommended adventure/campaign modules to use to base a campaign on??
for an idea I generally like to start players around 3rd - 5th lvl

The Red Hand of Doom (http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Fantasy-Roleplaying-Adventure/dp/0786939389) appears to be a huge favorite. Starts at 5th and runs up to 10th.

[Oddman80]

I sort of wish 3.5 had a quick start guide.

Well... It might not be from Wizards of the Coast... But the Pathfinder Beginners Box is a thing.

[Urpriest]

If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. A big part of the appeal of 3.5 is how well it responds to system mastery, and the depth of the content, things that you won't benefit from as someone who hasn't played it before.

Why not GM a Rolemaster game instead?

[Darrin]

Why not GM a Rolemaster game instead?

My understanding of Rolemaster was that it wasn't an RPG so much as someone's homebrew critical hit system gone horribly out of control...?

(as if I haven't invited enough flames in this thread already...)

[Urpriest]

My understanding of Rolemaster was that it wasn't an RPG so much as someone's homebrew critical hit system gone horribly out of control...?

(as if I haven't invited enough flames in this thread already...)

If the OP doesn't like Rolemaster, that still doesn't mean they should play D&D 3.5. There are plenty of options open that aren't "one of the most intricate out of print systems, with a very low optimization floor and a very high ceiling". Heck, if the goal is to play D&D, 5e is quite a bit simpler and is actually in-print.

In general though, I don't think anyone should run an RPG they've never played, unless it's a very new RPG. The game's prevailing culture covers a lot of important content that isn't covered by the rules.

[Red Fel]

If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. A big part of the appeal of 3.5 is how well it responds to system mastery, and the depth of the content, things that you won't benefit from as someone who hasn't played it before.

I'm fairly inclined to agree with Urpriest here. I don't mean to be negative or cast aspersions on your system aptitude, but before running a game in any system, you really ought to start on the player side of the screen, to get a feel for it. 3.X has just so much material, there's a vast quantity of mechanical widgets and moving parts. Unless you have some experience with it - generally the kind you get from actually playing the game, not just reading about it - you're going to find the game pausing every several minutes while you check on the skill DCs, or the difference between touch AC and flat-footed AC, or the grappling rules, or caster level checks... There are lots of parts of which to keep track.

If you do insist on playing 3.5, I'd suggest a few key points. Read your materials. Whatever books you're using - PHB and DMG, MIC, whatever - read them. You don't have to memorize them, but you need to be sufficiently familiar with them that you can refer to them in a pinch, quickly. Keep the campaign short. A one- or two-shot campaign, just to let everyone get a feel for the mechanics, allows you to learn the system without anyone shooting themselves in the foot for a long campaign. If you screw up royally, a one- or two-shot ensures that the repercussions will be limited, and when you start your next campaign, you can do so with a bit more wisdom and experience. Limit your materials. Darrin gave a great list of useful sources and their complexities. Do not start by using all of them. The mechanics for regular spellcasting are hard enough. Throwing powers, vestiges, and soulmelds on there will make it impossible for someone who has barely mastered spells to keep track. Know your limits as a DM. Frankly, you might consider banning even certain core classes or spells. Read your materials. I'll say it again. You need to have the general familiarity with the most commonly used rules and rolls to not need to refer to the books. For anything more obscure - such as grapple rules - you'll want to keep a list of quick-reference notes on your DM screen, with books and page numbers, for ease of access. Don't be too ambitious. Keep your first adventure simple. You don't give a three year old a Kawasaki motorcycle; you give them a tricycle. You need training wheels. Your players probably need training wheels. Don't be ashamed of that. Keep things simple - a few combat encounters, some social encounters, maybe a puzzle or a skill check or two. Read your materials. If nothing else, take this one away. You, as the DM, are the final arbiter on rule questions. So know the rules.

[Darrin]

I'm fairly inclined to agree with Urpriest here.

I disagree, as I like to think I'm more of a "jump in, have fun" kinda guy (which I think comes from my favorite system, Feng Shui). If you have a group of friends you know pretty well and have a basic Gentleman's Agreement on how to treat each other in an interactive storytelling environment, I don't see how you can do too much lasting harm with flailing around a bit in an unfamiliar system that you can't go back later and fix with some retcons and houserules. However, I really liked Oddman80's suggestion about the Pathfinder Beginner Box. Amazing product, absolutely fantastic way to get started. And you can jump from that into any SRD/3.5/d20 game without too much trouble.

If there were a way to do a "Beginner's Box" for 3.5, I'd probably start with something like "PHB plus Duskblade and Warlock", because those two classes fill important niche roles with straightforward mechanics that are easy for beginners to grasp.

[Amphetryon]

If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. A big part of the appeal of 3.5 is how well it responds to system mastery, and the depth of the content, things that you won't benefit from as someone who hasn't played it before.

How in the world did anyone ever start playing 3.5, with this as a caveat?

[Blackhawk748]

Ok Quest Recommendation: The Forge of Fury, ya its 3.0, but dont worry just change all instances of the words Wilderness Lore with Survival and youll be fine. It starts at 3rd level and ends around 5th and its a nice Dungeon crawl through an old Dwarven settlement, even ends with a Dragon as the Dungeon boss.

Books: Get Core (PHB, DMG, MM) after that i recommend PHB 2 as its got lots of good stuff as well as the Complete Series(Adventure, Arcane, Champion, Divine, Mage, Scoundrel, and Warrior). I call that my "Core books" everyone has a lot of options and should be ok. After that you grab whatever sounds fun, i recommend the various "regional" books, Cityscape, Dungeonscape, Frostburn, Stormwrack and Sandstorm, as these all have a lot of fun flavorful things.

Advice: Dont sweat it, get the Module read through it a few times (i recommend ditching the Roper in the basement since its your first time) and be prepared to wing it, as all parties are equipped with a +1 Plotbane Monkeywrench. Also dont be afraid about asking for 10-15 minutes to figure out what to do when they throw you a curveball, this is a perfect time to go get food. So good luck and you got this

[nyjastul69]

... sort of wish 3.5 had a quick start guide.

There is the D&D Basic Game (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_Basic_Game).

[Urpriest]

How in the world did anyone ever start playing 3.5, with this as a caveat?

At the time its competitors were pretty crappy.

[Chronos]

There are two things a DM must know: The system, and how to DM. When 3rd edition came out, there were already DMs who knew how to DM from playing older versions, so they only had one thing to learn. Similarly, someone who's played before but hasn't DMed also has only one thing to learn. Trying to learn both at once is much harder.

As for books you should allow on your first time, I'd recommend you limit it just to the core three. This is not because those three are more balanced, or inherently superior in any other way, but just because they're essential: Everything else will refer back to those three, so you need them. You don't, however, need any other books, so save those until after you've mastered the core.

[Amphetryon]

At the time its competitors were pretty crappy.

That does not appear to avoid the issue that folks who hadn't played the (brand new, never before seen) game shouldn't run a game that, clearly, they'd never played before.

[Gwachitallemall]

There is the D&D Basic Game (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_Basic_Game).

Where halflings aren't people, right?

[PaucaTerrorem]

How in the world did anyone ever start playing 3.5, with this as a caveat?

The creators ran their games?

[Urpriest]

That does not appear to avoid the issue that folks who hadn't played the (brand new, never before seen) game shouldn't run a game that, clearly, they'd never played before.

It doesn't avoid that issue because the post you quoted didn't entail that issue.

There are two separate issues, which I addressed in two separate posts:

First, when choosing 3.5 over other systems, its main advantage is how well it rewards system mastery. While it wasn't necessarily the case at the time it came out, at this point pretty much every other advantage of 3.5 has been improved on by other games, including the "it's that D&D thing everybody is talking about" one. That's what that post was talking about.

Second, as I addressed when Rolemaster's flaws were brought up, is the fact that in general, you shouldn't run a game you haven't played before. Yes, this seems to invite a chicken-and-egg problem, but as I suggested in that post the rule doesn't really hold when the game is new. At that point, you cobble together expertise from other games with your understanding of the rules and whatever pieces of developer hype you've picked up, and try to do the best with what you've got. Since the game hasn't evolved any "epigenetics" yet, you're not missing out on much. But once the game has developed a culture of its own, that culture becomes as important to getting a good experience out of the game as the rules themselves, and it's irresponsible to bypass it.

[Amphetryon]

It doesn't avoid that issue because the post you quoted didn't entail that issue.

There are two separate issues, which I addressed in two separate posts:

First, when choosing 3.5 over other systems, its main advantage is how well it rewards system mastery. While it wasn't necessarily the case at the time it came out, at this point pretty much every other advantage of 3.5 has been improved on by other games, including the "it's that D&D thing everybody is talking about" one. That's what that post was talking about.

Second, as I addressed when Rolemaster's flaws were brought up, is the fact that in general, you shouldn't run a game you haven't played before. Yes, this seems to invite a chicken-and-egg problem, but as I suggested in that post the rule doesn't really hold when the game is new. At that point, you cobble together expertise from other games with your understanding of the rules and whatever pieces of developer hype you've picked up, and try to do the best with what you've got. Since the game hasn't evolved any "epigenetics" yet, you're not missing out on much. But once the game has developed a culture of its own, that culture becomes as important to getting a good experience out of the game as the rules themselves, and it's irresponsible to bypass it.

You said:

If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. You've followed it up with "you shouldn't run a game you haven't played before." I am not putting words in your mouth. I am asking how any new game gains any traction given that rule, and suggesting that adding some vague "doesn't really hold up when the game is new" is an example of special pleading (https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/special-pleading) that excuses those of us who got in on the ground floor of a given new edition from having to follow these rules you've put forth.

I see nothing in the OP that indicates that everyone else at the table will be familiar with any of the "epigenetics" or "culture" that you're claiming is "important to getting a good experience out of the game," and think that calling those who choose to play without familiarity beforehand with the "epigenetics" or "culture" of a given game smacks of elitism that indicates that anyone who chooses to do otherwise is having fun wrong.

[jjcrpntr]

There are two things a DM must know: The system, and how to DM. When 3rd edition came out, there were already DMs who knew how to DM from playing older versions, so they only had one thing to learn. Similarly, someone who's played before but hasn't DMed also has only one thing to learn. Trying to learn both at once is much harder.

As for books you should allow on your first time, I'd recommend you limit it just to the core three. This is not because those three are more balanced, or inherently superior in any other way, but just because they're essential: Everything else will refer back to those three, so you need them. You don't, however, need any other books, so save those until after you've mastered the core.

I can't echo this enough. When i started dming Pathfinder I had only been playing dnd for about 4 months. I limited things to core and apg. I had a player that wanted to take something out of Ultimate combat and I told him no because I didnt own the book ( I have a thing about owning the books, rule is if I don't have the book it's not allowed). After about 4 months of dming I picked up Ultimate combat, about 4 months later ultimate magic. After I got a book I'd study it for a few weeks before I'd allow them to draw from it. I don't know everything in all the books but introducing things slowly as you get more and more comfortable with it makes being a new dm easier.

[Urpriest]

You said:
You've followed it up with "you shouldn't run a game you haven't played before." I am not putting words in your mouth. I am asking how any new game gains any traction given that rule, and suggesting that adding some vague "doesn't really hold up when the game is new" is an example of special pleading (https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/special-pleading) that excuses those of us who got in on the ground floor of a given new edition from having to follow these rules you've put forth.

I see nothing in the OP that indicates that everyone else at the table will be familiar with any of the "epigenetics" or "culture" that you're claiming is "important to getting a good experience out of the game," and think that calling those who choose to play without familiarity beforehand with the "epigenetics" or "culture" of a given game smacks of elitism that indicates that anyone who chooses to do otherwise is having fun wrong.

Again, I think that the OP should definitely not play 3.5 specifically without having played it before, because these days there are plenty of games out there that suit virtually any demographic besides the "has already played a lot of 3.5" one better.

It's not elitism to say that you'll enjoy a game more if you're playing with someone who knows the pitfalls and how to avoid them. That's all I'm saying: cultures develop that figure out how to make a raw game into something sustainably fun, and if you're going in without those cultures you're going to have a rough time. No reason to have that rough time if you don't have to.

[Chronos]

Oh, and since nobody else has answered the question in the title yet:

In a tavern.

[PaucaTerrorem]

I say give it a shot. It sounds like you have experience running a game, albeit not 3.5. Read through the PHB, DMG, and MM. Then print out tons of character sheets. People are gonna die. As long as the people you're playing with are of reasonable minds (that it's gonna be sloppy at first)there should be no problem. Just have fun learning the game together.

+1 to starting in a tavern. Nothing like the classics.

[atemu1234]

If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. A big part of the appeal of 3.5 is how well it responds to system mastery, and the depth of the content, things that you won't benefit from as someone who hasn't played it before.

Why not GM a Rolemaster game instead?

Hey, as I have said before, I was a DM long before I was a player. Hell, I still haven't played an IRL game as a character. Instead, I learned from the books and online. It's entirely possible, and I now have a great deal of system mastery.

That being said, I still don't recommend it :smallbiggrin:. It was a long and painful process, but I got through it because of these forums.

[Afgncaap5]

I second the advice to start small. The Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook and Monster Manual are the core, of course, and they'll communicate the basic rules and assumptions about playing.

I think I read somewhere that it takes three hours of prep work to make a good hour of gaming, but I forget where I read that (the number might be more than three.) I don't know if I feel like it's necessary to give yourself so long, but it really is a good idea to plan out the first session so that you know what you're getting into. A really basic story can actually feel pretty amazing if it's well prepped.

I don't have much to recommend as far as adventures go. I'm always tempted to recommend The Forgotten Forge since it's a decent level 1 adventure, but that's specific to a setting that's not exactly what I'd call "regular D&D." (Plus it's only in the Eberron Campaign Setting book.)

[Chronos]

The amount of prep time will vary widely from one DM to another. Some prefer to wing it, and play everything on the fly, in which case very little prep time is needed (though it depends on an uncommon skill at improvisation). Others like to plan out every possible contingency the players might try, and so need very little improvisation, but much preparation. Others plan out static details like stats for various important NPCs, but don't plan their actions in advance, instead improvising around that framework.

And then, of course, there are the DMs who painstakingly plan out everything conceivable their players might do, and then the players go and do something inconceivable, and they end up having to fly by the seat of their pants anyway.

[Walk Hard]

Thanks everyone for the replies I think I have a bit of a direction to go in now.

For some clarification..


If you've never played 3.5, you shouldn't DM it. A big part of the appeal of 3.5 is how well it responds to system mastery, and the depth of the content, things that you won't benefit from as someone who hasn't played it before.

Why not GM a Rolemaster game instead?

No I have not sat at a table and played 3.5 before, I do appreciate the warning you are giving me, however my question was where to start - not should I start...

Between my players there is a variety of DnD experience, no there is no one that has system mastery but we are all fairly comfortable with the basics of it and have played in similar games - Fantasy Craft for one.

Lastly I am currently running a Rolemaster game - I am looking to change things up for next years gaming hence my interest in 3.5



The Red Hand of Doom appears to be a huge favorite. Starts at 5th and runs up to 10th.
I will look into this as I have seen a few campaign journals around (never read them though...) for this.



disagree, as I like to think I'm more of a "jump in, have fun" kinda guy
This... this is me and my group - happy to give things a go :)



SNIP - everything Blackhawk748 said
I will have a good look for The Forge of Fury


Bearing in mind that I have a full year to get my planning under way so far I have the following that I will be doing.

1. Obtain copies of as many books as possible - jump in have fun :)
2. Get as much understanding of the 3 CORE books - DMG, PHB & MM
3. I will put together a series of 2 - 3 session mini campaigns to help understand the system and game better before diving into anything long term
4. I will be referring back to Darrin's first post as my mini bible.


With those steps now in place is there any advice on anything else??? - I am mainly looking for peoples recommendations for adventure modules that I can use as good examples of what a 3.5 experience should be

[Thatwarforged]

I know your asking about 3.5 but pathfinder is completely free online at d20pfsrd. It has a lot in common with 3.5 since it is based on it but several things like classes now get things every level so there are alot less dead levels. It also has most of the subsystems that were in d&d it also is still get support from the creators and 3rd party stuff. I personally suggest it over 3.5 but again this is my own opinion.

[Walk Hard]

I know your asking about 3.5 but pathfinder is completely free online at d20pfsrd. It has a lot in common with 3.5 since it is based on it but several things like classes now get things every level so there are alot less dead levels. It also has most of the subsystems that were in d&d it also is still get support from the creators and 3rd party stuff. I personally suggest it over 3.5 but again this is my own opinion.

My understanding was that with a bit of effort 3.5 & patherfinder could be used together also???

[Thatwarforged]

It can but the base system you use is important. If you do 3.5 as base you have to remove things from classes since pathfinder monsters are stronger then 3.5 monsters to off set the extra bonus you get. You could ask the playground for which you should use as the base and you will get a large fight but will get your info, i believe there is already a recent thread asking about the base.

the thread is called. Picking up pathfinder.

[atemu1234]

My understanding was that with a bit of effort 3.5 & patherfinder could be used together also???

Yep; conversion either way is largely straightforward. Though, on a budget (both for books and for lawyers) Pathfinder is better. Though I use 3.5, it's largely because of habit.

[Lerondiel]

Thanks everyone for the replies I think I have a bit of a direction to go in now.

For some clarification..



No I have not sat at a table and played 3.5 before, I do appreciate the warning you are giving me, however my question was where to start - not should I start...

Between my players there is a variety of DnD experience, no there is no one that has system mastery but we are all fairly comfortable with the basics of it and have played in similar games - Fantasy Craft for one.

Lastly I am currently running a Rolemaster game - I am looking to change things up for next years gaming hence my interest in 3.5



I will look into this as I have seen a few campaign journals around (never read them though...) for this.



This... this is me and my group - happy to give things a go :)



I will have a good look for The Forge of Fury


Bearing in mind that I have a full year to get my planning under way so far I have the following that I will be doing.

1. Obtain copies of as many books as possible - jump in have fun :)
2. Get as much understanding of the 3 CORE books - DMG, PHB & MM
3. I will put together a series of 2 - 3 session mini campaigns to help understand the system and game better before diving into anything long term
4. I will be referring back to Darrin's first post as my mini bible.


With those steps now in place is there any advice on anything else??? - I am mainly looking for peoples recommendations for adventure modules that I can use as good examples of what a 3.5 experience should be

The fastest way for a first campaign to get bogged down or out of hand is with spellcasting - the options, interactions, limits etc are the first things that even us tragic fans can have to pull up play to check on.

Personally I'd recommend PCs create a sorcerer rather than wizard, a favoured soul (complete divine) rather than cleric. They're classes that cast a higher quantity of just as powerful spells per day but a limited variety. Otherwise by the time your party is 7th level you could have numerous PCs daily casting 20 different spells each. Offering ranger rather than druid can also be a handy experience step.

[endur]

I am going to run a 3.X campaign at some point in the future - possibly before the end of this year.


Good Luck. Lots of great advice in the posts above.

Since you haven't run a 3.x game before, I'd recommend starting with the PHB, DMG, and MM (book 1 of each). I'd only add additional books once I was fully comfortable with the other books.

I like Red Hand of Doom. But you should probably start with a smaller adventure that starts at level 1.