Completly knew to D&D what do i need?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Completly knew to D&D what do i need?? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
human_target
01-16-06, 09:48 PM Hello everyone, i am completly knew to the d&d role playing, ive collected the miniatures for a few months now, but really wann try out the roleplaying. I want to pick up the basic game, if not for the simplistic rules than just for the minis, but what else do i need. I know th DM Guide, players handbook, and monster manuals are a must, but what about all these supplements, ebberon stuff, forgotten realms, races series. its all a little overwhelming so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to any that can tke the time to help, sorry im a newbie but i just wanna play so bad!!
CryoSilver
01-16-06, 09:56 PM You absolutely must have just the Player's Handbook, a lot of scrap paper, a few pencils and a set of dice. You should have all three core books, though the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual are not a requirement to play.

Everything else is optional, though you may need to buy certain books like campaign settings if the groups you find use those books or play in those settings. I have heard mixed things about the Basic.

Personally, I started out by reading my firnd's 3.0 Player's Handbook cover to cover until I had it down cold, and then moved on to get a basic understanding of the other 2 core books. When the 3.5 switch came around, I was the only one in my group to quickly master the changes, and thus became DM. This increased the intensity of D&D for me, so I got a lot of new sourcebooks, 3.0 and 3.5 both.

But I feel confident in telling you to first get the PHB, the other 2 if you have the money. Everything else at your leisure.
bakomusha
01-16-06, 09:58 PM are you the same human target from newgrounds? any way, all you realy need is the core three, the others are for more advaced play. thats all i play with, im going to pick up oreintal adventures thought, i like to play monks, so it has alo of good info there.
The_Stormfather
01-16-06, 10:18 PM Get the starter pack boxed set, first and foremost. If you and your friends enjoy the game, then you're ready to move on to the next step.

Edit- Plus, the starter set comes with dice.

A Player's Handbook is an absolute must, at this point. It will contain a slew of new information for you and your friends to digest. You can keep working off of the monsters and DM's guidelines provided in the starter pack for a while. Additionally, log onto the System Reference Document, whose URL is at the bottom of this post, to get some free stats for more monsters, as well as any information you may need from the Dungeon Master's Guide. Just use a search engine and search images to get pictures of those monsters you find stats for on the System Reference Document.

Once you've played a few more times, and if you like what you've seen by this point, go get the Monster Manual. It's worth every penny.

The third book on your shopping list should be the Dungeon Master's Guide. It's not as important as Player's Handbook or Monster Manual, but it completes the set of core rulebooks and contains a lot of info you'll need (however, the majority of this can be found on the system reference document, and since money doesnt grow on trees you can put this one off a bit longer than Player's Handbook or Monster Manual.)

I've heard the Dungeon Master's Guide II has some good info for new DMs, I've never seen one so I'm not sure.

Monster Manual II, III, and Fiend Folio contain more monsters. They're nice, but non-essential. The original Monster Manual can keep you entertained for hundreds of adventures.

'Races of...' and 'Complete...' contain new races, classes, and lots of additional information. I'd avoid them, at first, later on down the line they may be wise investments, but for your first campaign they're really just going to make the game needlessly complex.

Eberron and Forgotten Realms are both campaign settings, they're premade worlds that you can place your campaign in. They're incredibly detailed, and each one has a really unique flavor, but once again, I advise you keep it small and simple. Too much too fast can be a bit overwhelming, plus, I advise developing your own tastes in the game rather than buying them. Once you're more familiar with the game, get a campaign setting if it appeals to you and your friends, otherwise, don't bother.

See if you can find 'The Sunless Citadel' and 'The Forge of Fury.' They're a pair of old adventures, and while they're 3.0 and not 3.5, you can run them as is without worrying about converting rules (the systems are that similar.) Your players will love them, and best of all they're paperback and cost only ten bucks a pop. I think they're out of print, but they're by no means hard to find.

Try your hand at making a few adventures of your own, start small. Detail a small region, drop in two towns, a big forest, a river, put some mountains on the edge of the map. Jot down a few names, and you've got a a region for your heroes to adventure in. Maybe on the night of a full moon, zombies rise from the town's graveyard and begin to wander the streets, looking for prey. Or the party hears rumors about a ruined keep that is now home to a band of hobgoblins and their goblin lackeys. Deep in the swamp stands an old forboding temple, home to a tribe of bloodthirsty lizardmen who raid distant farmsteads under the cover of darkness.

And here's the URL to the system reference document (SRD):

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35
human_target
01-16-06, 10:23 PM well heres my problem, i plan to be the DM, hopefully thats not crazy or impossible, but i dont have a group, its something me and my bothers are looking into so, me being the oldest i decided i would try to be dungeon master, so i wasnt sure what all i might need to get started, so is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch, i sure hope so. And also just to add in my looking at other supplement material, what are these deluxe DM screens, ive been reading about them but dont really understand what they are, again thanks for the help.

PS: im not from newgrounds sorry.
human_target
01-16-06, 11:03 PM and also what maps do you play on, do you have to buy the fantastic locations books, or are there actual fold out maps included with any of the core books?
Baned
01-17-06, 12:47 PM I agree with everything The_Stormfather said. I'll probably end up repeating a little bit, too.

...is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch...You can't learn everything from scratch. But if you use your free time to look over the 3 core books (which can be had fairly cheap on Amazon), you could get started fairly easily.

The 3.5 DM Guide has a fold map (a simple dungeon on one side, blank white squares on the other) that I laminated and use dry-erase markers on. You can buy clear laminate & dry-erase markers at any office supply store.
(The bolded words go hand-in-hand together. You can permantly ruin the map if you don't laminate it first)

I've never used the Basic Game, but if it's like 3.0's Adventure Game, I highly reccomend it, then. This comes with a set of dice, which is fine to start with, but after one or two sessions, you'll want to invest in a few more sets. Any local hobby shop should have some. Everyone can pick a set in the colors they like.

Going back to the subject of maps, I imagine the Basic Game comes with some suitable maps. But, like I said, I've never used it.

On to the topic of purchasing. You can support your local gaming/hobby shops, which I reccomend, but if that's not an option, like for me, then your only option is to order them.

3 Core Books Gift Set (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786934107/sr=1-2/qid=1137519708/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8) - $57 (Free Shipping!)
Current Basic Game (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786934093/sr=1-2/qid=1137519956/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) - $25
Upcoming Basic Game (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786939443/sr=1-1/qid=1137519956/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8) - $17 (Released in June 2006)

(Mods, if these links violate the ToS on the grounds of advertising, I apoligize.)

From my own experiance, don't be afraid to craft a campaign around a certain piece of published work. In my case, I used (and I'm still running) a Final Fantasy I campaign world. None of my players have played it before, so I don't have to worry about them already knowing the storyline. It was also an incredibly game to translate to D&D, because it was based somewhat on classic D&D (1st or 2nd Edition, not sure).
Molitor
01-17-06, 06:59 PM If you are interseted in playing 3rd edition, I'll send you my 3 core books FREE. Player's handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's guide all for just the cost of shipping. Send me a personal message if you are interested...................
vilebyrd
01-17-06, 07:03 PM i just had the same problem your having the problem is i couldnt buy the basic game set anywhere i ordered it online from four different sites all after waiting days only to find out they are out of stock and wizards arnt shipping anymore ever. so i bought the three core books. but the basic game would have been really helpful for us newbies those core books are difficult for newbies i mean you have to really want to play there are no walkthroughs its just bam in your face with alot of difficult rules but if you keep reading and keep playing it so worth it
Tuah
01-17-06, 07:08 PM After you have played for a while and understand the rules in and out, try:

Arms and equipment guide
Complete Adventurer
Complete Arcane
Complete Divine
Complete Warrior
Unearthed Arcana
DmofAlterak
01-18-06, 03:56 PM Hello everyone, i am completly knew to the d&d role playing, ive collected the miniatures for a few months now, but really wann try out the roleplaying. I want to pick up the basic game, if not for the simplistic rules than just for the minis, but what else do i need. I know th DM Guide, players handbook, and monster manuals are a must, but what about all these supplements, ebberon stuff, forgotten realms, races series. its all a little overwhelming so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to any that can tke the time to help, sorry im a newbie but i just wanna play so bad!!

Take it from me: you do not need any supplements to play D&D in my experience you can play even better games without them I personnaly make up my own campaign settings, characters, monsters, magic items, and all kinds of stuff (I still use the stuff from the books though).

I find it tougher to run store bought modules than made up ones mostly because you have to read them all and understand them before hand.

So this is my advice: Get a really really good DM, make up your adventures, don't worry about not having supplements, and use your imagination. :)
DmofAlterak
01-18-06, 04:00 PM well heres my problem, i plan to be the DM, hopefully thats not crazy or impossible, but i dont have a group, its something me and my bothers are looking into so, me being the oldest i decided i would try to be dungeon master, so i wasnt sure what all i might need to get started, so is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch, i sure hope so. And also just to add in my looking at other supplement material, what are these deluxe DM screens, ive been reading about them but dont really understand what they are, again thanks for the help.

PS: im not from newgrounds sorry.

Being the Dm is tough but once you get the hang of it it's fun if you need any advice just ask me on my website which you can find on my user profile.

I use a note pad set in front of me as a 'Dm screen' mainly it is used to hide dice rolls and notes.
DmofAlterak
01-18-06, 04:02 PM Well I tended to say that there were monsters in a room and liked to control the game so it worked out as planned? maybe? it's been a while.
DmofAlterak
01-18-06, 04:03 PM Some friends, Creativity, Imagination, some dice, and a book. :)
autumnleaf
01-18-06, 05:58 PM It can be overwhelming when you first start. But start simple get the basic stuff to become use to the game play. plan the game out before anyone comes over that will help the game run smoothly. Also if you can find someone who has played awhile they would be great to learn from.
DmofAlterak
01-20-06, 01:08 PM It can be overwhelming when you first start. But start simple get the basic stuff to become use to the game play. plan the game out before anyone comes over that will help the game run smoothly. Also if you can find someone who has played awhile they would be great to learn from.

I agree that you should start out with the basics but make up your own stuff to really have fun and I would say that the DMG, players handbook, and monster manual are all pretty good.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
human_target 01-16-06, 09:48 PM	Hello everyone, i am completly knew to the d&d role playing, ive collected the miniatures for a few months now, but really wann try out the roleplaying. I want to pick up the basic game, if not for the simplistic rules than just for the minis, but what else do i need. I know th DM Guide, players handbook, and monster manuals are a must, but what about all these supplements, ebberon stuff, forgotten realms, races series. its all a little overwhelming so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to any that can tke the time to help, sorry im a newbie but i just wanna play so bad!!
CryoSilver 01-16-06, 09:56 PM	You absolutely must have just the Player's Handbook, a lot of scrap paper, a few pencils and a set of dice. You should have all three core books, though the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual are not a requirement to play. Everything else is optional, though you may need to buy certain books like campaign settings if the groups you find use those books or play in those settings. I have heard mixed things about the Basic. Personally, I started out by reading my firnd's 3.0 Player's Handbook cover to cover until I had it down cold, and then moved on to get a basic understanding of the other 2 core books. When the 3.5 switch came around, I was the only one in my group to quickly master the changes, and thus became DM. This increased the intensity of D&D for me, so I got a lot of new sourcebooks, 3.0 and 3.5 both. But I feel confident in telling you to first get the PHB, the other 2 if you have the money. Everything else at your leisure.
bakomusha 01-16-06, 09:58 PM	are you the same human target from newgrounds? any way, all you realy need is the core three, the others are for more advaced play. thats all i play with, im going to pick up oreintal adventures thought, i like to play monks, so it has alo of good info there.
The_Stormfather 01-16-06, 10:18 PM	Get the starter pack boxed set, first and foremost. If you and your friends enjoy the game, then you're ready to move on to the next step. Edit- Plus, the starter set comes with dice. A Player's Handbook is an absolute must, at this point. It will contain a slew of new information for you and your friends to digest. You can keep working off of the monsters and DM's guidelines provided in the starter pack for a while. Additionally, log onto the System Reference Document, whose URL is at the bottom of this post, to get some free stats for more monsters, as well as any information you may need from the Dungeon Master's Guide. Just use a search engine and search images to get pictures of those monsters you find stats for on the System Reference Document. Once you've played a few more times, and if you like what you've seen by this point, go get the Monster Manual. It's worth every penny. The third book on your shopping list should be the Dungeon Master's Guide. It's not as important as Player's Handbook or Monster Manual, but it completes the set of core rulebooks and contains a lot of info you'll need (however, the majority of this can be found on the system reference document, and since money doesnt grow on trees you can put this one off a bit longer than Player's Handbook or Monster Manual.) I've heard the Dungeon Master's Guide II has some good info for new DMs, I've never seen one so I'm not sure. Monster Manual II, III, and Fiend Folio contain more monsters. They're nice, but non-essential. The original Monster Manual can keep you entertained for hundreds of adventures. 'Races of...' and 'Complete...' contain new races, classes, and lots of additional information. I'd avoid them, at first, later on down the line they may be wise investments, but for your first campaign they're really just going to make the game needlessly complex. Eberron and Forgotten Realms are both campaign settings, they're premade worlds that you can place your campaign in. They're incredibly detailed, and each one has a really unique flavor, but once again, I advise you keep it small and simple. Too much too fast can be a bit overwhelming, plus, I advise developing your own tastes in the game rather than buying them. Once you're more familiar with the game, get a campaign setting if it appeals to you and your friends, otherwise, don't bother. See if you can find 'The Sunless Citadel' and 'The Forge of Fury.' They're a pair of old adventures, and while they're 3.0 and not 3.5, you can run them as is without worrying about converting rules (the systems are that similar.) Your players will love them, and best of all they're paperback and cost only ten bucks a pop. I think they're out of print, but they're by no means hard to find. Try your hand at making a few adventures of your own, start small. Detail a small region, drop in two towns, a big forest, a river, put some mountains on the edge of the map. Jot down a few names, and you've got a a region for your heroes to adventure in. Maybe on the night of a full moon, zombies rise from the town's graveyard and begin to wander the streets, looking for prey. Or the party hears rumors about a ruined keep that is now home to a band of hobgoblins and their goblin lackeys. Deep in the swamp stands an old forboding temple, home to a tribe of bloodthirsty lizardmen who raid distant farmsteads under the cover of darkness. And here's the URL to the system reference document (SRD): http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35
human_target 01-16-06, 10:23 PM	well heres my problem, i plan to be the DM, hopefully thats not crazy or impossible, but i dont have a group, its something me and my bothers are looking into so, me being the oldest i decided i would try to be dungeon master, so i wasnt sure what all i might need to get started, so is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch, i sure hope so. And also just to add in my looking at other supplement material, what are these deluxe DM screens, ive been reading about them but dont really understand what they are, again thanks for the help. PS: im not from newgrounds sorry.
human_target 01-16-06, 11:03 PM	and also what maps do you play on, do you have to buy the fantastic locations books, or are there actual fold out maps included with any of the core books?
Baned 01-17-06, 12:47 PM	I agree with everything The_Stormfather said. I'll probably end up repeating a little bit, too. ...is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch...You can't learn everything from scratch. But if you use your free time to look over the 3 core books (which can be had fairly cheap on Amazon), you could get started fairly easily. The 3.5 DM Guide has a fold map (a simple dungeon on one side, blank white squares on the other) that I laminated and use dry-erase markers on. You can buy clear laminate & dry-erase markers at any office supply store. (The bolded words go hand-in-hand together. You can permantly ruin the map if you don't laminate it first) I've never used the Basic Game, but if it's like 3.0's Adventure Game, I highly reccomend it, then. This comes with a set of dice, which is fine to start with, but after one or two sessions, you'll want to invest in a few more sets. Any local hobby shop should have some. Everyone can pick a set in the colors they like. Going back to the subject of maps, I imagine the Basic Game comes with some suitable maps. But, like I said, I've never used it. On to the topic of purchasing. You can support your local gaming/hobby shops, which I reccomend, but if that's not an option, like for me, then your only option is to order them. 3 Core Books Gift Set (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786934107/sr=1-2/qid=1137519708/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8) - $57 (Free Shipping!) Current Basic Game (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786934093/sr=1-2/qid=1137519956/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) - $25 Upcoming Basic Game (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786939443/sr=1-1/qid=1137519956/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2451693-7943827?%5Fencoding=UTF8) - $17 (Released in June 2006) (Mods, if these links violate the ToS on the grounds of advertising, I apoligize.) From my own experiance, don't be afraid to craft a campaign around a certain piece of published work. In my case, I used (and I'm still running) a Final Fantasy I campaign world. None of my players have played it before, so I don't have to worry about them already knowing the storyline. It was also an incredibly game to translate to D&D, because it was based somewhat on classic D&D (1st or 2nd Edition, not sure).
Molitor 01-17-06, 06:59 PM	If you are interseted in playing 3rd edition, I'll send you my 3 core books FREE. Player's handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's guide all for just the cost of shipping. Send me a personal message if you are interested...................
vilebyrd 01-17-06, 07:03 PM	i just had the same problem your having the problem is i couldnt buy the basic game set anywhere i ordered it online from four different sites all after waiting days only to find out they are out of stock and wizards arnt shipping anymore ever. so i bought the three core books. but the basic game would have been really helpful for us newbies those core books are difficult for newbies i mean you have to really want to play there are no walkthroughs its just bam in your face with alot of difficult rules but if you keep reading and keep playing it so worth it
Tuah 01-17-06, 07:08 PM	After you have played for a while and understand the rules in and out, try: Arms and equipment guide Complete Adventurer Complete Arcane Complete Divine Complete Warrior Unearthed Arcana
DmofAlterak 01-18-06, 03:56 PM	Hello everyone, i am completly knew to the d&d role playing, ive collected the miniatures for a few months now, but really wann try out the roleplaying. I want to pick up the basic game, if not for the simplistic rules than just for the minis, but what else do i need. I know th DM Guide, players handbook, and monster manuals are a must, but what about all these supplements, ebberon stuff, forgotten realms, races series. its all a little overwhelming so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to any that can tke the time to help, sorry im a newbie but i just wanna play so bad!! Take it from me: you do not need any supplements to play D&D in my experience you can play even better games without them I personnaly make up my own campaign settings, characters, monsters, magic items, and all kinds of stuff (I still use the stuff from the books though). I find it tougher to run store bought modules than made up ones mostly because you have to read them all and understand them before hand. So this is my advice: Get a really really good DM, make up your adventures, don't worry about not having supplements, and use your imagination. :)
DmofAlterak 01-18-06, 04:00 PM	well heres my problem, i plan to be the DM, hopefully thats not crazy or impossible, but i dont have a group, its something me and my bothers are looking into so, me being the oldest i decided i would try to be dungeon master, so i wasnt sure what all i might need to get started, so is it even possible to learn everything and pick up being the Dm from scratch, i sure hope so. And also just to add in my looking at other supplement material, what are these deluxe DM screens, ive been reading about them but dont really understand what they are, again thanks for the help. PS: im not from newgrounds sorry. Being the Dm is tough but once you get the hang of it it's fun if you need any advice just ask me on my website which you can find on my user profile. I use a note pad set in front of me as a 'Dm screen' mainly it is used to hide dice rolls and notes.
DmofAlterak 01-18-06, 04:02 PM	Well I tended to say that there were monsters in a room and liked to control the game so it worked out as planned? maybe? it's been a while.
DmofAlterak 01-18-06, 04:03 PM	Some friends, Creativity, Imagination, some dice, and a book. :)
autumnleaf 01-18-06, 05:58 PM	It can be overwhelming when you first start. But start simple get the basic stuff to become use to the game play. plan the game out before anyone comes over that will help the game run smoothly. Also if you can find someone who has played awhile they would be great to learn from.
DmofAlterak 01-20-06, 01:08 PM	It can be overwhelming when you first start. But start simple get the basic stuff to become use to the game play. plan the game out before anyone comes over that will help the game run smoothly. Also if you can find someone who has played awhile they would be great to learn from. I agree that you should start out with the basics but make up your own stuff to really have fun and I would say that the DMG, players handbook, and monster manual are all pretty good.