a pile of noobish questions...sorry [Archive] - Wizards Community

a pile of noobish questions...sorry [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
olliehighzero
07-19-04, 04:45 PM Hello. I've been playing the other WoTC game, Magic, for years now. I've decided that I'd like to start to play this one. My request is simple, would you kind people please email or post me some places that I can read up on the rules, and a store search that can find one near me that sells DnD. Thanks in advance.
Dave
Seeker95
07-19-04, 05:11 PM You'll do much better to look in your local yellow pages, go to the counter at a local gaming store, and chat it up with a few folks there.

As for a store locator: www.yahoo.com
Click on yellow pages.
Search away.
Chaos_Blade
07-19-04, 06:42 PM Search the main wizards DND website for both :cool:
airhead
07-19-04, 08:41 PM Before you lay out the cost of books, perruse the SRD (open-gaming licenced) It does not have all of the rules and none of the examples, but it gives you an idea of what you are in for.

By far, your best bet is to find a favorite local gaming store and see if anybody is playing there or nearby where you can sit in on a game or two.
His Majesty
07-20-04, 06:52 AM I think these Qs and As (From the FAQ) will help, and you can also check out UberBanshee's Absolute Beginner's Guide to D&D and the D&D boards (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?threadid=131545).

Originally posted by chonjurer
D&D On the Net and General D&D Questions

Q: What is D&D (Dungeons and Dragons)?
A: D&D is many different things to many different people, but at its root it is a P&P (pencil and paper) game. It is based upon roleplaying and war gaming, and incorporates aspects of both worlds - so there is no "right" way to play D&D.

Q: What do I need to play?
A: For players - a Player's Handbook (PHB), dice and a character sheet (which can be photocopied out of the book or found online in many places... I still use ruled paper personally).
For the DM - a Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), a Monster Manual (MM), a PHB and dice.

Q: Is there an online version of the PHB, DMG, etc.?
A: Sort of. Everything that has been released under the OGL (open gaming licence) is located here (including the classes, spells, monsters and lots of other stuff):
SRD (Systems Reference Document) (http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html)
Full versions are copyright infringement and are illegal.

The official WOTC version can be found here:
Official WOTC 3.5 SRD (http://www.wizards.com/D20/article.asp?x=srd35)

Q: What is roleplaying?
A: The basic premise behind roleplaying is an old one, and has been used in the treatment of psychiatric patients for longer than D&D has been around. The idea is to adopt some aspects of another persona and to pretend that you are that person (this is the well-known adage "walking a mile in another man's shoes") while exploring the world through their eyes and trying to understand their dilemmas and reactions to external stimuli.
Historically it was used as a method to help a person gain understanding of others (empathic development), to explore an alternate lifestyle choice or many other possibilities. In D&D, it is primarily a method of escapism from reality and dream-enactment, wherein people become some super-character that they cannot be in real life (and that's as far as I'll take the analysis).

Originally posted by Doppleganger
Introduction to Roleplaying (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=welcome/rpgswhatis)

Another option, is that if you can wait till September, there will be a "simpler" version of the D&D game coming out; called D&D Basic Game (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000). It's probably an easier way to learn, since it will have less of all the complicated numbers and all that. Then after you understand (and master) the rules in the Basic game, you can move up to the regular one.The best way to learn of course, is to find a group to play with. The easiest thing is to learn from some friends that already know how to play. But without that, maybe try going down to the local hobby shop / gaming store, and see if they have a bulletin board with ads of DMs looking for new players. It's easy to learn by playing, you basically could just copy what everybody else is doing, then occasionally roll some dice and let the DM explain what happens. :)
Zherog
07-20-04, 07:43 AM Cog has a pet project to compile a list of gaming stores. You can find a read only version here (http://www.hothalflings.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=138), and a version you can post to here (http://www.hothalflings.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=15). It might help in finding a store. Or it might not.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
olliehighzero 07-19-04, 04:45 PM	Hello. I've been playing the other WoTC game, Magic, for years now. I've decided that I'd like to start to play this one. My request is simple, would you kind people please email or post me some places that I can read up on the rules, and a store search that can find one near me that sells DnD. Thanks in advance. Dave
Seeker95 07-19-04, 05:11 PM	You'll do much better to look in your local yellow pages, go to the counter at a local gaming store, and chat it up with a few folks there. As for a store locator: www.yahoo.com Click on yellow pages. Search away.
Chaos_Blade 07-19-04, 06:42 PM	Search the main wizards DND website for both :cool:
airhead 07-19-04, 08:41 PM	Before you lay out the cost of books, perruse the SRD (open-gaming licenced) It does not have all of the rules and none of the examples, but it gives you an idea of what you are in for. By far, your best bet is to find a favorite local gaming store and see if anybody is playing there or nearby where you can sit in on a game or two.
His Majesty 07-20-04, 06:52 AM	I think these Qs and As (From the FAQ) will help, and you can also check out UberBanshee's Absolute Beginner's Guide to D&D and the D&D boards (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?threadid=131545). Originally posted by chonjurer D&D On the Net and General D&D Questions Q: What is D&D (Dungeons and Dragons)? A: D&D is many different things to many different people, but at its root it is a P&P (pencil and paper) game. It is based upon roleplaying and war gaming, and incorporates aspects of both worlds - so there is no "right" way to play D&D. Q: What do I need to play? A: For players - a Player's Handbook (PHB), dice and a character sheet (which can be photocopied out of the book or found online in many places... I still use ruled paper personally). For the DM - a Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), a Monster Manual (MM), a PHB and dice. Q: Is there an online version of the PHB, DMG, etc.? A: Sort of. Everything that has been released under the OGL (open gaming licence) is located here (including the classes, spells, monsters and lots of other stuff): SRD (Systems Reference Document) (http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html) Full versions are copyright infringement and are illegal. The official WOTC version can be found here: Official WOTC 3.5 SRD (http://www.wizards.com/D20/article.asp?x=srd35) Q: What is roleplaying? A: The basic premise behind roleplaying is an old one, and has been used in the treatment of psychiatric patients for longer than D&D has been around. The idea is to adopt some aspects of another persona and to pretend that you are that person (this is the well-known adage "walking a mile in another man's shoes") while exploring the world through their eyes and trying to understand their dilemmas and reactions to external stimuli. Historically it was used as a method to help a person gain understanding of others (empathic development), to explore an alternate lifestyle choice or many other possibilities. In D&D, it is primarily a method of escapism from reality and dream-enactment, wherein people become some super-character that they cannot be in real life (and that's as far as I'll take the analysis). Originally posted by Doppleganger Introduction to Roleplaying (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=welcome/rpgswhatis) Another option, is that if you can wait till September, there will be a "simpler" version of the D&D game coming out; called D&D Basic Game (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000). It's probably an easier way to learn, since it will have less of all the complicated numbers and all that. Then after you understand (and master) the rules in the Basic game, you can move up to the regular one.The best way to learn of course, is to find a group to play with. The easiest thing is to learn from some friends that already know how to play. But without that, maybe try going down to the local hobby shop / gaming store, and see if they have a bulletin board with ads of DMs looking for new players. It's easy to learn by playing, you basically could just copy what everybody else is doing, then occasionally roll some dice and let the DM explain what happens. :)
Zherog 07-20-04, 07:43 AM	Cog has a pet project to compile a list of gaming stores. You can find a read only version here (http://www.hothalflings.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=138), and a version you can post to here (http://www.hothalflings.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=15). It might help in finding a store. Or it might not.