Want in.

[Thundagard]

I'm new to this whole thing... what I know about DnD type games is limited to what I could work out from OOTS and Unforgotten Realms...

... but I like what it sounds like, and I want to know...

... where the hell do I start?

[shadow_archmagi]

Just a sec, I'll find you the relevant informations.


*this* is the SRD, a free source of all the information you'll really need.

http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm

*this* is a character maker, it'll make the process quite simple although it is missing a lot of options from the more obscure splatbooks.

http://www.pathguy.com/cg35.htm


Now you just need to either convince your friends to try it, or head over to our "recruitment" forum and find a game.

[Thundagard]

Thank you so much!

[Graymayre]

We don't like yelling on this server.

[Hunter Noventa]

Also a good idea would be to check the yellow pages/internet and find your local gaming stroe. Most major cities have one, and you can probably find a group at any one of them. If you're lucky enough to live near a college, check them out too, most will have a gaming-oriented club you might be able to find a group at.

[Thundagard]

Oooookaaaaay, I think I get the basics. Er, with the character-maker thingy, I got stuck at the first step - what're all the little click circles and stuff? Also... I didn't notice I was shouting.

EDIT: So, I had a shot at a character using the aforementioned character-maker. Should I post it here or something? I don't know if I did it right.

[bosssmiley]

*this* is a character maker, it'll make the process quite simple although it is missing a lot of options from the more obscure splatbooks.

http://www.pathguy.com/cg35.htm

Cheers for the link repost Pathguy. I was sure I had it, but it appears not.

@Thundagard: Post away mate. It's what we're here for.

[monty]

I'd say that the best way to learn more is to find a group that plays near where you live (or an online one, if you can't find any). They can help you with your character and answer any questions you might have when they come up.

The forums can help with more complicated stuff (obscure rules questions and so on), by virtue of the number of people who post here, but playing in a game is the best way to actually learn.

[Fenix_of_Doom]

I think pathguy gives far too many options, especially for new players, isn't there a simpler alternative?

[Starbuck_II]

Oooookaaaaay, I think I get the basics. Er, with the character-maker thingy, I got stuck at the first step - what're all the little click circles and stuff? Also... I didn't notice I was shouting.

EDIT: So, I had a shot at a character using the aforementioned character-maker. Should I post it here or something? I don't know if I did it right.

Sure, or a link to character if able.

It is pretty simple though:
First rolls:
you get 6 numbers, and the circles are the statistic/ability score chosen for that roll.

Like if you rolled 16, 10, 11, 18, 5, 10 (like I just did): you can choose 18 to Str, 16 to Con, 10 as Int, 11 Wis, and 5 Charisma (niot a well liked guy in this example).

Choose a Race.

Click aligment/gender.

Give him a level: then a class for this esample I sayt Barbarian as it is simple for someone new to play (bash em good with a two handed weapon like Thog).

Choose 1 feat. (2 if human)
Skill points, then equipment and done.

[Blackfang108]

I'm new to this whole thing... what I know about DnD type games is limited to what I could work out from OOTS and Unforgotten Realms...

... but I like what it sounds like, and I want to know...

... where the hell do I start?

Depends on the Edition.

The links above are for 3.5 D&D. Plenty of people still play it, myself included, even though 4e came out last year.

for 4e, I would recommend going here. It's a website dedicated to 4e, and has a good excel character sheet. You'll still need the Player's Handbook to play (and possibly others, depending on class and options chosen.)

I would also look here for 4e RPGA play. Think, league play D&D. The current Campaign is the Living Forgotten Realms(LFR). This link has relevant information on character gen for RPGA play.

This is where you can search for LFR games in your area.

That said, if you're in the Chicagoland area, I have more specific info for that region. (Chicagoland Gaming groups, etc.)

Edit: I forgot the most important thing: good luck.

And, Ditto on the local college scene. That's where I got started.

[Egiam]

Start playing this with friends.

[Zaq]

Once you find a handful of friends to play with, I'd recommend playing a few games before reading much more on these forums. As a rule, we tend to forget how complex D&D can be when you're first getting started, not to mention that very few people are capable of thinking in terms of core-only. (Just read any thread here in which someone says "I'm playing core-only and I want to do X, what should I do?" and invariably half of the responses will mention expansions and splatbooks), so I imagine it would be really easy to be overwhelmed when you're first starting out. Experience really is the best teacher.

Oh, and remember, one of the key things in D&D is to not take it personally when bad things happen to your character. You'll miss the key roll, your enemy will get a lucky shot, you might even die. But that's okay. That's part of the game, and you can't let it get you down. It's easy to take it personally, but don't. I had that problem when I was starting out, and I know a lot of other people who did too. (I mean, occasionally you'll get a psycho DM who really wants your character dead, but you'll know that when you see it.)

[Thundagard]

Right. Uh... I'm australian, and... in high school. So, I don't really... know... what that means, but I figured it would always come down to "buy the sourcebook".

[Reinboom]

http://forums.gleemax.com/forumdisplay.php?f=603
You could try sifting through there to find a group.

[Colmarr]

So, I don't really... know... what that means, but I figured it would always come down to "buy the sourcebook".

That's usually a safe first step

Generally speaking, you need to:

1. Pick which edition you want to play (4th edition is the newest - it came out last July - but 3.5 edition still has a reasonable following so you should be able to find a group for it. 4th edition is generally simpler to learn and master, while 3.5 edition is more "realistic" and offers more options at the expense of simplicity). Older editions will be harder to find players for.

2. Buy the Player's Handbook for whichever edition you choose. Make sure you have the right one (the 3.5 book says 3.5 on the cover).

3. Find someone to play with. In Australia, your best bets are usually to ask the owner of a game shop or check your local university (which almost always have gamer associations).

Good luck!

[RTGoodman]

Right. Uh... I'm australian, and... in high school. So, I don't really... know... what that means, but I figured it would always come down to "buy the sourcebook".

Take a gander at the Wizards of the Coast Store Locator. Just follow that link, put in your town/country/whatever, and see which gaming store is closest. Once you've got that, see if there are any groups you could join or at least sit in with for a few sessions. Maybe take a friend/relative with you, and that way you'll have a couple folks learning how to play in case you want to start your own group.

[Lappy9000]

Welcome to the wonderful world of D&D, Thundagard. Now that everyone has posted very useful and practical links that will greatly enhance you play (good stuff up there), it is time for me to break in with the obligatory sub-cultural shennanigans

If you attend a game and the players are in dark robes: Back out of the room.

Essential Snacking Foods: Cheetos and Mountain Dew.

D&D Came Before Tolkein: It's true.

[Ravens_cry]

Take a gander at the Wizards of the Coast Store Locator. Just follow that link, put in your town/country/whatever, and see which gaming store is closest. Once you've got that, see if there are any groups you could join or at least sit in with for a few sessions. Maybe take a friend/relative with you, and that way you'll have a couple folks learning how to play in case you want to start your own group.

That's how I got in. I went in and asked the guy at the front desk if he knew of any groups around town that were looking for people. I knew about Dungeons and Dragons through Cultural Osmoses and from taking the source books out from the local library. That's a good idea by the way. It will allow you to absorb the books, see if you like the look of things, without having to buy them, while been more friendly then the SRD.

[d13]

Right. Uh... I'm australian, and... in high school. So, I don't really... know... what that means, but I figured it would always come down to "buy the sourcebook".

I'd round it up at "Pay a visit to your local gaming store, find a group willing to teach. Try the game and, if you like it, buy the sourcebooks and start the real learning" xD

[Fhaolan]

Hrmmmm. Before you go spend money, there's a few options first. You're better off finding a group first, to find out what game they're playing. D&D isn't the only option, and even with D&D there are serveral editions that are not compatable with each other, so if you pick up a rulebook cold, you will likely find it's the wrong one later. :)

Also note that you will likely have to try several different groups before you find one you like to play games with. Some groups will go heavily into the 'playing the character', others are more into the tactics and wargaming aspects, and others use the game more as an excuse for getting together and socializing.

I'm not sure how it works in Australia, but in Canada there are game stores in most cities that carry all sorts of games, including D&D. Sometimes the game stores are combined with comic book stores, independant book stores, computer game stores, and/or manga/anime stores. Sometimes they have bulletin boards that will advertise open games or people looking for players, or even upcoming tournaments, conventions, and more organized clubs.

Another option is to play online, but I don't recommend that for your first try at this.

As you're in High School, it's very likely there are people in your classes who are playing already. If you're a brazen sort, you could just stand up after a test yelling "Natural 20! Critical Hit!" and fall over. You'll immediately know who are the fellow gamers by their reactions.

[Thundagard]

Unfortunately... I've been asking around... and no-one likes tabletop RPGs. The closest I have is a couple of Warhammer 40k addicts, and... *shrug* I don't like 'em much.

[Ravens_cry]

Warhammer has some fun stuff, heck the series Warcraft was basically based on it. But yeah, it's expensive. And time consuming. And expensive.

[Sebastian]

And just because it is worth mentioning, D&D it is not the only RPG out there, there are many other different games (If they are better is open to debate ;) ) like GURPS, HERO, World of darkness, to name a few.
Much more important, some of them are even free. that you can download from the internet easily and legally, like JAGS, fudge, Ars magica, Witchcraft, etc, etc. You can google for them if you are interested, or just ask for the links.

But I agree that the best thing would be to find someone that already play and join them. As an alternative you could try a play-by-forum, it is not the same thing but can ease the cravings.

[Thundagard]

So... how does it work in a forum?

[Sebastian]

So... how does it work in a forum?

Just look in the play-by-post section of this forum to get an idea. But essentially, you pick a game in the recruitment section and ask to join. once you have the OK and have created the character (following the specifics given by the GM) you can play in the ongoing games forum. There the GM post a description of the situation and every player post what their character do, once all the players have posted (or it is clear that they will not) the GM describe what happen and so on.

I'm sure other will explain it better.

[Blackfang108]

Unfortunately... I've been asking around... and no-one likes tabletop RPGs. The closest I have is a couple of Warhammer 40k addicts, and... *shrug* I don't like 'em much.

Warhammer. Crack is Cheaper

The Wizard's Store Locater is a good tool, too.

I found my second group through the event calander I posted earlier. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a local group. I actually had the option for a game within a couple of weeks.
You can search by country(Probaly not a good idea. I understand Australia is huge.), Region, (probably your best bet, but it's a colossal list), City, or within a specified distance of a postal code. (actually, the last one is probably the best.)

The nice thing abotu 3.5 is that the core books are all avaliable online here.

Start with this if you plan on using 3rd edition.

[Waspinator]

I really would not recommend learning the rules from the SRD. It's a great reference once you are familiar with the basics, but a really bad way to learn them from scratch.

[Lappy9000]

I really would not recommend learning the rules from the SRD. It's a great reference once you are familiar with the basics, but a really bad way to learn them from scratch.

Quoted for truth. Trust me, I say this from experience: You're better off buying the core sourcebooks. SRD is really reference only (although a great reference it is).

[monty]

Also, Warhammer is really expensive. I don't know if anybody mentioned that yet.