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Kelb_Panthera
2018-05-10, 12:31 AM
Which edition?

You can get started on 3.5 with this (http://www.d20srd.org/index.Htm) website. 5e is also accessible at d20srd.org

Both do slightly better if someone in the group owns a copy of their respective Dungeon Master's Guide.

d20pfsrd.com has 90% of the material for Pathfinder but navigating it is a little rough, IMO.

Angel Bob
2018-05-10, 12:55 AM
I have always been of the opinion that D&D is as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be. If you're aiming for cheap, you can find a lot of books online in PDF form (although the legality of this is questionable), as well as dice rolling tools, and after that point, all you really need is paper, pencil, and imagination. If you're going for expensive, you can go out and buy all your decoratively bound books, hand-painted miniatures, dungeon tiles, you name it.

That said - for a group that's just starting out, I would recommend making a few basic purchases. In pretty much all editions, the DM will need the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual(s), and, in an ideal world, the group should have 1 Player's Handbook for every 1 or 2 players, for ease of reference. Manufactured battle grids and miniatures are unnecessary, but you may get some use out of a physical representation, to help consolidate everyone's envisioning of the scene. And you'll want to print off character sheets, the more streamlined the better, to help people remember their bonuses and options.

Kaptin Keen
2018-05-10, 01:55 AM
I'm sure you can find a used Players Handbook used for 20 bucks. Everything else you will ever need is available online for free.

Nifft
2018-05-10, 03:04 AM
If money is an issue, then I'd suggest looking at a retro-clone, many of which are high-quality and free.

One example would be Dark Dungeons, which you can get (for free / pay-what-you-want) here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/177410/Dark-Dungeons

There are other great retro-clones, too, if you're looking for a low-cost D&D game.

2D8HP
2018-05-10, 08:37 AM
How I first got 5e D&D rules for "free":


1) Had a Library card

2) Checked out the PHB, DMG, MM, and the Princes of the Apocalypse adventure to show my than ten-years-old son (the same age I was when I first read D&D rules)

3) Read them myself (yes I later bought them, I'm not that much of a tightwad!)


If you're in the United States (especially California), if your local public library doesn't have them, I'd be surprised if you can't get an inter-library loan.

Public libraries are AWESOME!

You can get the Starter Set pretty cheap from half-price books, and use the
free Basic rules (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules),

and the

Systems Reference Document (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/systems-reference-document-srd)

which are enough for a great game, read 'em, run Lost Mine of Phandelver from the Starter Set, and your pretty good to go!

You can also look at the free "retro-clone" Labyrinth Lord,

(sample pdf (http://goblinoidgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/GBD1001_no_art.zip))

And there's:

You are on a budget: My recommendation.
1. Buy the Players Handbook.

2. If you can afford, buy the Dungeon Masters Guide. If not immediately, make this your next purchase.

3. Download the SRD Version 5.1 from WoTC. It has loads of monsters and is a good digital resource.

4. Use the MM from the library (do some research) when you need to take notes or introduce another monster.

Running the Starter Set/Lost Mines of Phandelver is a good way to work your way into being a DM. The guidance from the DMG on how to build encounters is something you need to play with a bit.

Also download form WoTC:
Errata for PHB (http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/PH-Errata-V1.pdf)

http://dnd.wizards.com/sites/default/files/media/MM-Errata_0.pdfhttp://dnd.wizards.com/sites/default/files/media/MM-Errata_0.pdf
Errata for DMG (http://dnd.wizards.com/sites/default/files/media/DMG-Errata.pdf)

Spell List (http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/DnD_SpellLists_1.01.pdf)
Monsters by CR (http://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/DnDMonsterLists.pdf)
Magic item list (http://media.wizards.com/2014/downloads/dnd/MagicItemsRarity_printerfriendly.pdf)

Lastly, I suggest also that you download the pregenerated character files from WoTC. It gives you a load of pre made characters of each class that you can plug in as NPC's at the appropriate level.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/character_sheets

The above are free and very much useful. The Errata provide corrections to the rules.

Sage Advice:
Download the latest Sage Advice Compendium from WoTC (also free (http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/SA-Compendium.pdf)). You don't have to follow or agree with all of the rulings, but it gives you some good insights into the ideas behind the various rules, and how to resolve some of the rules interactions that sometimes crop up.

Best wishes.

Anonymouswizard
2018-05-10, 10:04 AM
If money is an issue, then I'd suggest looking at a retro-clone, many of which are high-quality and free.

The one I tend to point people towards is Basic Fantasy. In theory it's just good old BECM except without races a class or descending AC, but with all the optional races and classes characters are as diverse as AD&D1e. All free, with PoD copies sold practically at cost (which is really tempting to somebody like me.

Also Lamentations of the Flame Princess, but that's because it essentially panders to my tastes (I like races as classes). Although LotFP is much more of a commercial product, print copies are not sold near cost.

Vhaidara
2018-05-10, 10:18 AM
I got into DnD 4e about a year and a half ago through The Guild (https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/17445/guild-living-campaign), and they have provided all the content I needed. I became a DM for them a bit over a year ago, and only recently put my first bit of money into it (upgrading my roll20 account so I could upload more images to use for things like monster tokens)

exelsisxax
2018-05-10, 12:11 PM
I want to play D&D game so, any paid equipments required to pay that game, kindly provide some information about that

Pathfinder is $0, though physical dice would have an actual cost. Everything is available online.

2D8HP
2018-05-10, 12:27 PM
The one I tend to point people towards is Basic Fantasy. In theory it's just good old BECM except without races a class or descending AC, but with all the optional races and classes characters are as diverse as AD&D1e. All free, with PoD copies sold practically at cost (which is really tempting to somebody like me.

Also Lamentations of the Flame Princess, but that's because it essentially panders to my tastes (I like races as classes). Although LotFP is much more of a commercial product, print copies are not sold near cost.


I have a print copy of LotFP as well, it's less of a "clone", and more of a "variant", but pretty damn cool.

"Google" "LotFP PDF" and you'll find some free rules to download (I did).

Rhedyn
2018-05-10, 04:16 PM
If you own a smartphone or computer, it is free to play.

Some of each edition is locked behind books.

If you Google (book title).pdf, you'll probably find a direct link to a PDF of that book.

Aside: Savage Worlds core book paper back is $10 from Amazon. I only mention it because it plays traditionally even though it's a classless wound system and the legally free content for it is massive.

Anonymouswizard
2018-05-10, 04:52 PM
I have a print copy of LotFP as well, it's less of a "clone", and more of a "variant", but pretty damn cool.

"Google" "LotFP PDF" and you'll find some free rules to download (I did).

Oh, the free rules of LotFP are very much worth downloading, as it's literally the core rulebook without the art, as many retroclones do. It's my favourite of the bunch because of the fact it's a variant, I like that must attack spells have been taken out and Magic Missile beefed up (showing high level casters to dedicate their first level slots to offence and prepare more interesting spells in higher level slots). I like races as classes. I like that only fighters get a scaling attack bonus, and that the system is designed with this in mind (ACs mainly ranging from ten to twenty, with twelve as the average unarmoured human). But many of the things I love will scare off your average 'modern' gamer. Bah! We used to walk through the snow to our dungeons, uphill both ways, and with limited rations. None of this newfangled 'plot contrivances' or 'no tracking' or 'GM fudging the Balor's attack rolls so your third level fighter survives'.

I was just mentioning that it's one of those games where you do have to pay for the creator's dinner, unlike Basic Fantasy where even the print books are essentially sold at 'what it costs to make'.

Oh, and OP, beware. Pretty much all free pdf copies of D&D books on the internet are illegal. WotC is really stingy with D&D, last time I checked there were still no official PDFs of 5e despite quite a number of people being to stump up the cash for them (apparently to stop piracy, and let's leave it at that). If you're interested in older editions most retroclones are either available for free or have a free 'no art' version, and are available in OD&D (Swords & Wizardry), BD&D (Dark Dungeons), AD&D1e (OSRIC), AD&D2e (For Gold & Glory), and D&D3.5 (Pathfinder), as well as variations on any of the above editions (like Basic Fantasy and Lamentations of the Flame Princess, both based on BD&D). The games mentioned above are only a small number.

And, of course, there are many non D&D based games available for free, one of the most popular being Fate. If you can give us some more specifications we might even be able to suggest a game.

Note: Anonymouswizard is 23, and has no right to be moaning about 'kids these days'. Especially as many of those 'kids' are older than him. However he is a stubborn sort, and refused to be talked out of it.

Nifft
2018-05-10, 04:56 PM
Note: Anonymouswizard is 23, and has no right to be moaning about 'kids these days'. Especially as many of those 'kids' are older than him. However he is a stubborn sort, and refused to be talked out of it.

There is no age requirement to be a curmudgeon.

As the old saying goes: if there's grass on the field, then get the hell off my lawn.

Tanarii
2018-05-10, 07:29 PM
$10/player for 6 players to run a 3 hr session is about right.

HalezYeah
2018-05-11, 11:28 AM
since I have been asked to run a game decades after I last played. I have found that most everything you need can be obtained online at no cost. DNDBeyond can create a character so you don't need a PHB and the basic rules are online for free. I have purchased several items but I didn't have to to get the game started.

Mutazoia
2018-05-12, 08:39 PM
Anywhere from free-fitty to a hundred or so, depending on how you want to go about it. These days, people rarely have to go "all in" when it comes to buying rules. Eventually a group of players will be able to crowd source a full set of books. That being said....

Used book stores usually have a few copies of various edition rules floating about and most game stores that have room/tables for in store play will have copies for use there.

Eventually, by hook or by crook, you'll want to get the PHB and DMG for your chosen edition. Everything beyond that is just extra padding (an argument can be made for a Monster Manual being semi-required). Oh, and dice...your going to want to collect a few sets of dice. (Because you'll get sick of your D20 always rolling low and need to switch out after you chuck it across the room.)

Kalashak
2018-05-12, 09:29 PM
I've probably spent less than a hundred dollars in the 8 years I've been playing, and could have gotten away with spending less but I like dice.

2D8HP
2018-05-12, 11:30 PM
I'm curious ramsai, how was it easier for you to find this Forum than it is for you to find the retail price of
The Starter Set (http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset)?