Post/Author/DateTime	Post
maltesecorsair 07-16-06, 08:05 AM	Hello everyone. I have just found out about D&D and before I ask the stores about it I would like to have a clarification.The "what you need to play" section of the site says I need a battle grid, which comes with DM guide.So,if I am to start playing I should buy a DM guide too?And I take it that the battle grid is actually the map on which to play.Well, if I buy one kinda map,I'll have to buy another map if I want a variation?I guess what I am asking here is, how are differences/variations in the map achieved?Or is it that there is just a battle grid, and the DM assigns different areas as different terrain/objects for each game played?Kindly do explain.
Planar Wanderer 07-16-06, 08:22 AM	If you are DMing then yes you'll want the DMG, if not the DM will need it but no one else will, aside from anything else it has a number of quite important rules on magic items and so forth in it so long as your group has a copy of it between them there won't be a problem. The map itself which comes with the DMG is a fairly basic thing, its divided into the standard squares (which I think are 1 inch x 1 inch) One side has various other markings to represent common room shapes beyond that you can mark stuff as needed, the other side has only the inch by inch squares so can be divided up as needed, some people like to laminate the map and use a marker pen to draw on anything that is applicable, there are some useful circular paper things in the DMG that can be placed on the map to represent some of the more common things, beyond that its really up to you, maybe use paper to mark off the edges of the room or whatever, some people like to use other maps, some companies sell them which might have various differences from the one that comes with DMG or even make their own.
Khael 07-16-06, 09:04 AM	Yes, you need a DMG (Dungoen Master guidebook). It lists the different marking used for indicating map stuff. However the grid is not needed, it is an extra part to the game, you don't have to use, or at least not all the time. There are figures of the D&D monsters etc. available and those fit on the grid so players can tell where they are in relation to the monsters. As a result you don't always have to use the grid for anything more than a combat part (which means you don't have to mark out the entire dungeon before hand.).
UndeadMouse 07-16-06, 09:18 AM	the grid is not needed to play, though if you want to use it, getting a good one from a gaming website is better then just useing what comes with the DMG.
TB 07-16-06, 09:45 AM	or you can simply create your own. I made a fairly simple section of a town that we were in much more exciting by making my own map. I used excel to create it.... much easier than drawing... it did use up a good bit of ink though... but for small 4 or 6 page projects, It's super nice.
tedopon 07-16-06, 09:47 AM	One of the best investments of three dollars I made in the last decade: $1 for a yardstick. $2 for two yards of bargain bin sheet vinyl from a craft store (I got the ugly tan color). After about a half hour of work with a Sharpie and a scissor/utility knife, you have your own reusable battle grid that you can build to your own custom size. (I made two at 32" x 32"). That was four years ago, and the only snag was I needed to retrace the lines on one of them a few months ago.
Grandpa Gamer 07-16-06, 11:06 AM	In our games, we use sheets from one of those big stand-up presentation easels, with a 1-inch-square grid. When we get to an encounter, I quickly outline the room/forest path/alleyway with a pencil, and Tally-Ho! As for a reference map, I usually give the players a printout of the town map, since I'm too lazy to roll-play "excuse me sirrah, the way to the Wizard's Privy, prithee?" :P (I usually rationalize this by saying they are handed out free by the local Chambre O'Commerce :D )
CriminalTruth 07-16-06, 11:13 AM	[QUOTE=Grandpa Gamer] Grandpa Gamer JESUS SAVES: the rest of you take damage! QUOTE] I NEED A SHIRT THAT SAYS THIS omg! that is funny!
maltesecorsair 07-23-06, 03:50 AM	Thank you to all you nice folks for taking time to reply.I am sorry if I sounded really noobish because I am new to this.I have come across D&D in various sites while looking for games to play and well, I kinda feel this might be an interesting game even though I know nothing about the basics/mechanics of the game.Do I just barge into a game store and ask for D&D?Or do I have to specify individually what things I require?I did ask a couple of places and they didnt have a clue about D&D.Actually I was asked what sorta game D&D is and frankly I dont know what genre it comes under.I just told 'em it needs a map and dice to roll, along with a rulebook.*sigh* Um, I think the gist of the replies is that I do not need a grid to play.May I ask (naively?) as to how to keep track of where a character is,what he/she is next to,etc.without the aid of a grid?
jimbo7987 07-23-06, 08:52 AM	You can just do it in your head. If you are the DM, just have a rough idea of what is going on, and tell the players. It works fine. Furthermore, your players will start seeing the battles as a role-playing scenario rather than moving miniatures around a board. In my opinion, the only reason 3.5 pushes you towards using miniatures is so you buy them. Having said that though, they are rather nice. Whatever you choose though, make sure you have fun. If pushing miniatures around gets tedious, try running it without them.
Sarella Starshine 07-23-06, 09:09 AM	the only time you want to bring the battle grid and the minis out in a game is during combat, just for the ease of it if you are rather new to the new combat rules in D&D. once you get the hang of combat, you can try to do it gridless for a more 'roleplay-ie' feel to combat, IF that's what you and your players want. remember, this game is all about fun, and if your players find it more fun to have the minis, then by all means, have them. and i find it rather odd that your flgs (friendly local gaming store) looked at you funny when you asked for D&D stuff but it would be under PnP RPGs (as opposed to the MMORPGs or the CRPGs (pnp= pen and paper, MMORPG= massive multiplayer online roleplaying gme, CRPG= computer roleplaying game (aka baldur's gate))).
xxxsammaelxxx 07-23-06, 09:25 AM	A Good place to start Link to DnD Basic Set (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000) * 16 fully painted miniatures (4 heroes and 12 monsters) * 4 double-sided map tiles * 4 character sheets * 7 dice * Quick Start Rules * First Adventure Book * Advanced Rulebook The 'map tiles' are used for the battle grid portions. Its a great starting point to learn the rules and try a game without dropping a load of money on the 3 Core Books. If you guys like the basic (reletively inexspensive) easy to learn game, once you master that you can move on to the the Big Game (Dmg, Phb. MM), and join us here where people who have been playing for 30 years are still arguing and trying to figure out the rules ;)
GreyLord 07-23-06, 02:09 PM	A Good place to start Link to DnD Basic Set (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000) * 16 fully painted miniatures (4 heroes and 12 monsters) * 4 double-sided map tiles * 4 character sheets * 7 dice * Quick Start Rules * First Adventure Book * Advanced Rulebook The 'map tiles' are used for the battle grid portions. Its a great starting point to learn the rules and try a game without dropping a load of money on the 3 Core Books. If you guys like the basic (reletively inexspensive) easy to learn game, once you master that you can move on to the the Big Game (Dmg, Phb. MM), and join us here where people who have been playing for 30 years are still arguing and trying to figure out the rules ;) I'll second that. If you have trouble getting it, walk to your nearest Barnes and Nobles, or Books a Million (or order online from one of them, or Amazon.com) and ask for them to show you where it is (if the person at information doesn't know, they should be fired and someone who at least can look it up on the computer system should be hired) and if they don't have one in stock (probable at this point) request them to special order it for you (which most will). Addendum: Also, it used to be that you could get a battlegrid out of the miniatures starter set, with the new one out not certain if that's still true or not, but I know it used to be that way.
maltesecorsair 07-30-06, 05:15 AM	Whee!Thank you ,all you people for helping me out:) Um well,the stores I asked are not exclusively game oriented stores.They sell games,toys,books,cards,stationery etc.It's only very recently that these shops have started to stock WotC products-right now the only WotC thing available is duel masters tcg.And actually they dont stack games according to genres.I guess they dont actually look online for the good stuff they can carry.When I asked about D&D they didnt have a clue*shrugs*.And I was asked what kinda game it is and frankly I didnt know how what it is classified as.So I merely said it's played with dice,rule booklet,char sheet etc. And um, I am in asia and I havent come across any "Barnes & Noble" or "Books a Million"stores around here.As I said before, I dont think that the stores actually ask their suppliers for stuff.I think the wholesale suppliers just suggest games which the shops then order.I know that happens to an extent atleast in the computer games stores.There is one chief pc software store near me who has the wholesale rights in this region.Most of the time, their suppliers say this or that game is popular and they order it-they may not even know what kinda game it is.But the good thing about the pc game store is, if I ask for a particular title, they do send off an email to their suppliers asking for the game-not that it always produce any results but they do try. I guess the shops are scared to bring in new stuff for fear that it wont sell much*shrugs*
ChaoticGood 07-30-06, 10:52 AM	Aha! Now we are beginning to see the problem... Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million are American bookstore chains. I doubt if you would find either one in Asia. It sounds as though your best option right now is to look online for the Basic Set (see the link in xxxsammaelxxx's post) and buy it that way. The Basic Set summarizes the "real" rules, leaves out some of the more complicated skills and combat maneuvers, and basically makes the game manageable for someone with no prior experience or experienced mentor from whom to learn the game. To clarify a few things: First, D&D is considered a role-playing game (RPG), and specifically a tabletop or "pencil-and-paper" (PnP) role-playing game (as opposed to a computer RPG or a Massively Multiplayer Online RPG such as World of Warcraft or City of Heroes.) Secondly, I just want to make sure that you know that D&D is a social game, not a solitary one. It takes a group of people to play with, and a single adventure (storyline) will take several game sessions to finish. One person in your group will be the "Dungeon Master" and will be responsible for either creating the storyline or buying one of the many published adventure modules (such as City of the Spider Queen or Heart of Nightfang Spire). There are also some free adventures found here. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b) Finally, a battle grid is not a pre-printed map. It is a vinyl surface with a grid printed on it so that you can draw your own maps with washable markers. You can buy one, make your own (see tedopon's suggestion above), or get a big tablet of 1-inch-grid graphing paper from an office supply store. It's entirely possibly to play D&D without either a battle grid nor miniatures. They really only help in combat scenarios, and even then, they aren't necessary. You can just as easily use coins, pawns, or spare dice to mark the positions of characters and monsters in combat, and use a ruler to determine distances. (Just establish a scale - one inch equals five feet, for example - and stick to it when determining the reach or range of polearms, arrows and spells.) Once you decide that you are comfortable playing the Basic Set, you will want the Core Rulebooks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786934107/102-6319526-4409739?v=glance&n=283155). Most of these rules are also found for free in the System Resource Document (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35) , but the SRD lacks the "fluff" - non-rules material that helps you understand the logic and use of the rules. Hope that helps... there are many more things that I could say here, but I need to fix my car today! :D
maltesecorsair 08-06-06, 04:45 AM	Ty for explaining in so detailed a manner, sir.I've been haunting my local game/toy stores and well, one shop's trying to get D&D.Apparently they've asked their distributors to check on it's availability*keepin' fingers crossed* Mhm from what you have said, sir, I guess to play D&D I'll have to get a few other people interested in it too. Ty for the link to the SRD document.I'll be d/l it right off. Off-topic, sir, are you an automobile engineer?(Just asked coz you were gonna repair your car yourself) Hope that helps... there are many more things that I could say here, Sir,when you have time, do chip in and teach me:).Always happy to learn more! Umm, could someone kindly tell me what the difference between D&D and D&D miniatures is?In the website, both seem to use miniature figures?
Sarella Starshine 08-06-06, 08:43 AM	D&D minis can be used in the D&D PnP game, or they can be used by themselves for tatical combat-style games (sorta like the warhammer stuff).
maltesecorsair 08-13-06, 05:02 AM	um I am a bit confused here.If d&d uses miniatures to play, why bring out a d&d set?I mean,even in normal d&d you use the minis to mark your char/enemies right?So someone who buys d&d would anyway buy the mini figures?And why should anyone buy minis if not for the d&d game?Or is there actually two games here, with the d&d minis using another set of rules?
Neerie 08-13-06, 09:06 AM	You don't actually need the miniatures to play D&D. Wizard of the Coast released a skirmish game in paralell to regular D&D and since D&D 3.5 combat rules revolve around the use of a grid, they said that you needed to play with miniatures too (marketing 101). But in fact, the minis are just there to help you visualize where everything is. I personally just use paper cutouts of of required monster/PC size that I place on the grid... much cheaper and just as effective.
maltesecorsair 08-20-06, 03:10 AM	Ah ty:) So d&d doesnt need miniatures.I seem to have read somewhere that d&d is a game for a number of players playing together and d&d mini is just a 2 player version of d&d?Does that imply that the mini figures can be used for playing the D&Dmini game using one set of rules and can also be used on standard D&D using another set of rules inherent to normal D&D?
Sarella Starshine 08-20-06, 09:42 AM	yes, you are correct :) each mini has a stat card, one side has the info for the skirmish game, the other side has info for the 'regular' D&D game.
VrecknidjX 08-20-06, 10:26 AM	D&D is a role-playing game. The participants are the DM (dungeon master) and the players. The players all take on the roles of characters that, using the Player's Handbook as a guide, they create from their imaginations. The DM creates a fictional world for these characters, and populates that fictional world with allies and enemies, monsters and challenges. There are many published fictional worlds, with everything a new DM might need, in case the DM doesn't want to do all the hard work of making up a whole world by himself (Eberron and Forgotten Realms are the biggest two that are currently well-supported). D&D Miniatures is a competitive game, like chess, that takes place with figures on a grid. The figures themselves are modeled after many of the iconic heroes and monsters of the D&D role-playing game. The two games, however, are completely different--as different as a theater group is from a chess club. The D&D game often uses a mat for play, and there have been many good suggestions for what kinds of mats to use here and in other threads. The game also often uses miniatures to represent the characters and their allies and enemies. None of these are mandatory, however. For years I've used dice to represent monsters and characters, and when I didn't have a grid, I just used a table-top, and kept track of locations on a piece of graph paper on the side. If you'd like to read some fiction on D&D, see my sig for the Knowledge Arcana magazine (it's free!). There are also articles about other games in there. There are D&D players, and D&D minis players, all over the world. Where in Asia are you? I know some players in the Philippines; there are some board members from Hong Kong; and if you're nearer Europe, I know that there are thousands upon thousands of players there (from the UK to Poland, to Serbia, to Greece). Dave
maltesecorsair 08-27-06, 03:58 AM	Thanks to everyone for sending in explanations:).Gawd,the game seems to have an awfully tough learning curve(for me anyways).I guess I will have to play with an experienced player and learn aye?The play mat comes with the game I thought?sigh!I guess I'll have to get me greedy hands on a basic set and find things out from there
Master of the Daemon Tide 08-27-06, 09:48 AM	The Core Game box doesnt come with a full-sized battle grid. However, it comes with 8 (4, 2-sided) map tiles about 10x10 inches that are used for the included scenario and can even be rearranged relatively easily to throw together a few other dungeons. The Battle Grid comes packaged in the D&D minis starter sets of Abberrations and Harbinger (if you can find them). I don't know if they're available in the newer starters. It should also be noted that the Core Game uses a simplified version of the D&D Rules outlined in the SRD and core books. It takes out lot of the more advanced feats, skills, character classes and races, making for a much simpler game that is easier to start with. Once you've mastered those basic rules, you can move on to the full version. Think of it as one of those downloadable demos for a PC game. You get the demo (the Core Game box) to see if you like how the game plays. If you do like it, you can pay out the cash for the full version of the game (The PHB, and If you want to DM, The Monster Manual and DMG). Along those same lines, most of the other books, (ie. The "Complete" series), are like expansion packs for the game, adding more options not covered in the base game.
bytor4232 08-28-06, 12:35 PM	I have two battlemats that I use. At home I have a four foot by four foot piece of plexiglass sitting on a piece of pegboard with giant 1" square graph paper taped to it. The graph paper was picked up at an office supply store for a little less than 20 bucks. I use dry erase markers to draw terrain and other features. When traveling I have the same type of graph paper cut into 8x11 pieces and put in sheet protectors. I use the same dry erase markers, however they don't wipe completely away. I have to use dry erase cleaner to get the remnant off the sheets. I have a 1" three-ring binder filled with the sheets, about 50 double sided, so I never run out.
maltesecorsair 09-24-06, 03:07 AM	Thank you everyone, for taking the trouble to explain things.Very much obliged.Sorry for being late with my reply post.
Cincinnati 09-25-06, 03:35 PM	The Battle Grid comes packaged in the D&D minis starter sets of Abberrations and Harbinger (if you can find them). I don't know if they're available in the newer starters. The War Drums starter set (still available) comes with 2 large double-sided full-color maps to play on...
pmurray@bigpond.com 09-25-06, 11:32 PM	Make your area effect templates out of wire which you can lay down over the grid. Using transparencies, while pretty, is a pain because you can't them it down on the grid without lifting everything else up.
Thwyvylyn 09-26-06, 12:42 AM	I just convert squares to inches on a 1:1 ratio and go at it Warhammer style. No grid needed.
Chainsaw 09-26-06, 03:15 AM	The Wizards of the Coast main site has a "what is D&D" link that you can use. It's kinda cheesy but it does indeed help you learn about the basic movement/combat rules. Check it out here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/whatisdnd) it talks about the game and if you click on the big "play the demo" you can get an interactive thing you can mess around with.
maltesecorsair 10-01-06, 03:05 AM	Thank you guys for the replies and giving me pointers and the links:) I guess the basic movement/combat rules must be in the 'core mechanics' section?Or is that in"Basic D&D game" section?I havent found a downloadable file yet though-seems like I'll have to buy a PHB or basic game?