D&D For Noobs

[NoobOntheSlide]

Hi,

So I've been interested in D&D for a while, but never got started (not even 0). I've been reading OOTS since I stumbled across the kickstarter campaign and it has reignited my interest.

But I don't know what to do or how to start or anything at all.

You guys seem like a great and knowledgable community and I wanted to ask a few questions

1) How do I start? What should I read or what guide should I follow?
2) Are there places to play the table game online? I don't think I'm going to have an easy time finding table games where I live...

Thanks for the Help!
NotS

[Spacewolf]

http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm
This is a site with all the rules for D&D 3.5 as for finding a game go to the bottom of the forums page and theres a recruitment thread section that you can post in asking for a newbie game or one already runing

[Eldan]

http://www.d20srd.org/index.htm
This is a site with all the rules for D&D 3.5 as for finding a game go to the bottom of the forums page and theres a recruitment thread section that you can post in asking for a newbie game or one already runing

Only part of hte rules, sadly. It doesn't tell you how to make a character, or how to advance him once you have him.

First, you should think about which edition you want to play, as editions are very different from each other. Third is the most popular on these fora, but there's also 2nd which still has some players and might be familiar from Baldur's gate and other computer games, and fourth, which is the newest and can perhaps still be found in stores.

After that, every edition of D&D has usually three "Core" books, which explain the basic rules. The Player's Handbook, which explains the building of characters, the Dungeon Masters Handbook, which details the building of challenges, adventures and worlds, and the Monster Manual, which contains pre-made antagonists.

[GRM13]

Well first thing first, you would need to decide which version of D&D you wish to try. OotS uses the 3.5 rules and there is also teh 4.0 system (as well as the previous ones but those are the most talked about ones. There is also Pathfinder which is considered as 3.75 or 3.P.

after that you will need to get the source. the site previously stated for 3.5, and the book material for 4.0 and pathfinder. read up on the rule, methods and execution, your not expected to memorize everything as your starting but get a good idea, one learns best actually trying stuff out.

As for finding a group, I wish you the best of luck. I've been looking for a game for the past 2 1/2 years with no success, both online and offline. This is probably going to be your hardest obstacle really, and even if you find it your not out of the woods. this could be made easier by you finding people instead and being GM but this would make it a bit harder for you to learn things as you have a bit of extra pressure.

I can assure you though that once you find a stable group you'll be having a blast.

[Yora]

Pathfinder has a beginners box, which has been reviewed very favorably and is 95% the same thing as D&D 3rd Edition.

Also, it's currently produced and sold. If you don't know where to start, that's what I would get.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Well first thing first, you would need to decide which version of D&D you wish to try. OotS uses the 3.5 rules and there is also teh 4.0 system (as well as the previous ones but those are the most talked about ones. There is also Pathfinder which is considered as 3.75 or 3.P.

Pathfinder's not called 3.P. 3.P is either PF with 3.5 material, or 3.5 with PF material. It is also much better than straight PF.

[hamlet]

You may also consider some of the previous editions of D&D including their clones in Labyrinth Lord and OSRIC and Adventures Dark and Deep and Swords and Wizardry.

[Cookiemobsta]

Are there any gaming stores (including general "nerd" stores, like comic book stores) in your area? I know you said you might have a hard time finding a game in your area, but dnd is WAY easier to learn if you can join a game with experienced players. After one or two sessions playing a game, the rules will make a TON more sense to you.

[Skyrunner]

^^^That.

As in, 'playing with experienced players' who don't mind much.

I just started GMing in January, and (despite only having a vague idea of DnD gleaned from OotS) am now a competent GMer :3

Having the books really helps. d20srd.org is a great place for quick look-ups, and the Javascript 3.5e D&D advance helps you make a character w/o the book.

[Slipperychicken]

Are there any gaming stores (including general "nerd" stores, like comic book stores) in your area? I know you said you might have a hard time finding a game in your area, but dnd is WAY easier to learn if you can join a game with experienced players. After one or two sessions playing a game, the rules will make a TON more sense to you.

This. You can probably find a game at a nearby gaming shop.


Playing dnd, you'll likely hear a lot about "optimization", if you plan on visiting these forums very often. Don't worry about that sort of thing, just play the game and have fun.

If you decide to play 3.5 edition, D&D Tools is a really nice site, which comes in handy if you want to look up feats or spells but don't want to book-dive for it.

[NoobOntheSlide]

Awesome thanks for the help!

Yea.. game store in my area... I moved to Istanbul 6 months ago and I don't speak Turkish.

IT may be tough to find a game. Thats why I was hoping there were good online places to play.

[Eldan]

Online, I know two main possibilities:

There's Play-by-Post (PbP), played on a forum. There's a large forum here, but I wouldn't honestly recommend it, especially for someone new. It tends to move very slowly on this forum, and most games die before they really start. You could try more dedicated Roleplaying sites, like Myth-weavers.

The second possibility, and the one I'd recommend, is chat games. There are games played over IRC, messenger or Skype. These move considerably faster, usually have more dedicated players, and they are real-time, so coaching is a lot easier. They also tend to be harder to find, though.
I'd recommend going over to the Finding Players subforum and making a post like "Would someone consider introducing me to the rules over a chat program?" That should help.

[ClothedInVelvet]

I'd just like to confirm that we are both great and knowledgeable.

Also, I can sympathize somewhat with your situation. I recently moved away from my group to a part of the world where D&D is not played much. For a while I ran a solo campaign for a good friend via email, and now I'm in a play-by-post. I'd be happy to jump into either of those if you'd like, just send me a PM.

[Spacewolf]

Online, I know two main possibilities:

There's Play-by-Post (PbP), played on a forum. There's a large forum here, but I wouldn't honestly recommend it, especially for someone new. It tends to move very slowly on this forum, and most games die before they really start. You could try more dedicated Roleplaying sites, like Myth-weavers.

The second possibility, and the one I'd recommend, is chat games. There are games played over IRC, messenger or Skype. These move considerably faster, usually have more dedicated players, and they are real-time, so coaching is a lot easier. They also tend to be harder to find, though.
I'd recommend going over to the Finding Players subforum and making a post like "Would someone consider introducing me to the rules over a chat program?" That should help.

I havent seen any chat based games on the finding players one, otherwise i would of tried to get one.

[Eldan]

I havent seen any chat based games on the finding players one, otherwise i would of tried to get one.

I did say they are rare. I have been DMing one successfully for nearly one and a half years now, and I'm a player in another.

[Spacewolf]

I did say they are rare. I have been DMing one successfully for nearly one and a half years now, and I'm a player in another.

Ah well i was hoping you would say something like, no there not look heres one now thats recruiting. I guess i shall have to hope the current pbp keeps goes strong rather than having a chat one as well

[some guy]

There's Constant-Con for people who want chat-games. They're usually a bit more old school and one-shotty though (but not all). And most support flail-snail characters (meaning you can transport your character between different games of different GM's).

Most people running it will probably find no problem in explaining rules as well.

[TheThan]

Well first off you need to decide which system you are going to try out. The three current systems are DnD 3.5, DnD 4th edition, and Pathfinder. They all have their merits and their drawbacks. So the best thing to do is to do some studying. See if you can rent a book from the library, borrow one from your friend or sit down with the rules in the book store. You don’t have to read it all, just get a bit of a taste.

Once you’ve done this and have decided on which system to play, you need to get a copy of the core rule books. Primarily the player’s handbook, dungeon master’s guide, and the monster manual (there’s several get the first one). Now you get to read the books. The one you HAVE to read is the player’s handbook, so read it first. If you wish to be a DM (the player that runs everything), then you can move onto the dungeon master’s guide and then the monster manual. Read through these at least once. After that we move onto the next part.

Now you get the task of finding a group. You have two basic options, form your own group, or join an existing one. Forming a group can be fun, if you can get your friends to join you, but you’re probably going to be stuck as the DM for a while, so get studying. It may take a while to get your friends interested but they’ll probably come around eventually.

If you don’t want to Dm and think you can find a group. Then you’ll need to find one that’ll have you. most people are pretty cool with new players, as long as they’re not already full (warning there are jerks out there, you’re likely to bump into at least one group of them, ignore them they’re the minority of players out there). There are a lot of good places to inquire about dnd groups are local game shops, especially if they meet up at the shop, it’s a nice natural location. Let’s see, there are college and high school clubs, you might be able to find a flier or something at the local library. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a group.

Unless you’re stuck in the (mostly unlikely) position where nobody is accepting new players, or there are none near enough to you. Then you can always go online, there are plenty of forums as well as live games over chat services like Skype. If anything you can get a forum game here, down in the forum section. You can also use the net to search for games in your area, as well as advertise your own game.

Now that you’ve accomplished all of this, you’re now into playing dnd. welcome to the hobby!

[M.c.P]

Eh, don't sweat the small stuff, especially in terms of Editions. Get right down to it, the most important part of a good Tabletop game is the players.

WoTC runs public games as well, D&D Encounters and Living Forgotten Realms. Those will often take place in game stores and allow you to meet other local players. Also, get all your friends, ask if they would be interested in trying it out! Best way to have a good group is to get people you already know learning it with you.

This will also be the best way to learn the game itself, just by playing it for a bit. Ask for a pre-built starting off, oftentimes the character building part is the most difficult and involved part of the game.

And if you ever have questions, go ahead and post them at any of the relevant GiTP forums. Plenty of people here more than happy to help out.

[eggs]

I start real life players off with retroclones (reconstructions of older AD&D editions released by 3rd party sources, often for free; see OSRIC for an example) or alternate games in the genre with lighter rulesets, like Warrior Rogue and Mage, Dungeon World or Old School Hack. They're much easier to learn and play, and they won't cost you $100+ or require you to read 300-500 pages of game rules to know what's going on (unlike buying current-edition books). If you're planning on teaching some friends in person, I'd recommend one of those.

If you're planning on playing on forums, D&D 3e seems like it's still the most popular system, so it would probably be worth getting your hands on a 3.5 edition Player's Handbook (NOT the Player's Handbook 2) and reading up on how the game works. The SRD linked above is a much better reference for rules you already know, but it's difficult to use as a learning tool.

And if you want to try playing by post, be sure to check how lively and responsive a forum environment is before getting too involved. The mythweavers site that's already been linked is the only forum I've had a positive experience with pbp. (If anyone else knows any others, I know I'd appreciate a link.)

[ClothedInVelvet]

I tell my newbies that the best thing they can do before a gaming session is to put down the rulebooks and watch an Indiana Jones movie or an episode of Dr. Who. My point is that, when you're learning the rules, it's often easy to get tunnel vision: "I know the rules for bull-rushing, so I can bull-rush." Sometimes it's better to let the DM worry about the rules, and let the players imagine.

That said, it's definitely best to know your character well and be familiar with the powers and abilities it has.

[NoobOntheSlide]

Thanks again.

I've been reading the handbook now.

In terms of character creation, how do I do that? How do i carry my character from game to game? Or do I create a new character with each new game?

[ClothedInVelvet]

Thanks again.

I've been reading the handbook now.

In terms of character creation, how do I do that? How do i carry my character from game to game? Or do I create a new character with each new game?

You'll typically create a new character for each game (typical DMs will want you to roll or buy attributes their own way). But until you get more familiar with the game, those characters may all look very similar. Later, you'll probably have different concepts that you want to try out.

At some point, you may have a hundred great characters swarming around in your head, all of which you want to play. That's when you become a DM.

[Yora]

That's the big problem with 3rd Edition. Despite the awful math, AD&D was a lot more laid back about it and designed to come up with solutions for unusual ideas on the spot a lot.

[Eldan]

Thanks again.

I've been reading the handbook now.

In terms of character creation, how do I do that? How do i carry my character from game to game? Or do I create a new character with each new game?

You usually create a new character for each game. However, be aware that games can generally go on for as long as you like, there's no set end point. Getting to level 20 can take you many months of weekly sessions, and nothing is stopping you from continuing after that.

Don't be initimdated by the size of the books. Yes, there's some 600 pages of rules just in the first three books. That doesn't matter much: most of them won't ever show up in many games, especially for a beginner.

Many are just there on the off-chance that you'll need to know how to forge a passport underwater with your left arm tied behind your back while an angel riding a giant shark is attacking you.

[NinjaStylerobot]

DND4e

4e is a good starter edition.

[Eldan]

Could we please not have an edition war here too? This has been a quite friendly thread so far.

A word of warning for the new player: never ask online which edition is "better" than another. You will produce a dozen pages of heated arguments.

[NinjaStylerobot]

No im serious. 4e is a great starter edition. Its great for new players.

[Yora]

I've been reading the handbook now.

Which one? That's quite important to answer any further questions.

[NoobOntheSlide]

Players Handbook 3.5 Edition.

I think I get the main concept.

My first character will be a neutral half-elf rogue. :)

The rest I will figure out while I'm playing I guess