BRAND NEW To D&D! HELP! [Archive] - Wizards Community

BRAND NEW To D&D! HELP! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
PolarIceChip1
03-17-04, 03:48 PM Hey everyone, Im brand new to this "D&D" thing.

One of my friends told me about this game. They said its not like a card game, board game, computer game, and thats when I got confused.

So, I decided to visit here to see what its like.

AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THIS IS!!!!

Can anyone PLEASE pretty PLEASE tell me what this is, and how I can join you guys!

Im SUPER interested! (as long as it doesnt cost money maybe, lol)

Thanks a ton!

-PolarIceChip1:D
ehrin
03-17-04, 03:51 PM The thing is, this board isn't the game.

the game is held in your living room, basement, school, wherever, and is basically, a journey through one person's imagination. THat person is the DM, he designs a world with magic and monsters, and you design a character to adventure in that world.

What you see here on these boards are a bunch of players chatting, asking questions, etc.. THe game is out there in their homes, not here.
Thorak
03-17-04, 04:15 PM Imagine a computer RPG like the Baldur's Gate series, or Neverwinter Nights (since those are based on the D&D system). Now, add the ability to literally be anything you want. And the ability to literally DO anything you want. To create and play the character how you choose, not how the game makes you choose. Tired of only having three options for dialog? How about "say whatever your character would like to say"? Instead of choosing the Good, the Bad, or the Neutral dialog choice, you can make up whatever you like. If you want to walk into a bar and start a knife-fight or chatting up bar-maids, go ahead.

Combine this freedom with the fact that there's a living, breathing person controlling the game, rather than a stupid, somewhat arbitrary computer program. The calculations are the same, but no more will you be able to do things like, say, murdering everyone in Baldur's Gate just because you're a psychotic twit. The DM will see you being a psychotic twit and stop you, something the CRPG doesn't do, because it wasn't designed with that possibility in mind.

These two elements make the D&D game both about utter player freedom to make choices, and make the game utterly able to react to whatever choices you might make. In theory at least; certain Dungeon Masters aren't as capable as others, but that's something you'll learn and get a feel for over time.
Schmendrick
03-17-04, 04:17 PM Just think of it like playing Cops'n'Robbers or Cowboys'n'Indians or whatever when you were a kid, only all the movement is done in imagination -- you don't run around the room or yard, unless you're LARPing ("Live Action RolePlaying") -- and there's a bookshelf full of rules that are interpreted by a referee (the Dungeon Master or DM) and dice rolls to resolve conflicts like

"Bang! I shot you!"

"Nuh-uh! You missed!"

"No I got you!"

"You missed!"

"You're dead!"

"No I'm not!"

etc.
PolarIceChip1
03-17-04, 05:33 PM Im still not getting this!

So basically, you dont have to buy anything at all, and you just think about it? Thats all?

If so, then this is the worst game I think I've ever seen in gaming HISTORY.

I play games online and for game systems, but this is wacked.

I NEED SOME MORE INFO!!!!!!!!
DivineHammer
03-17-04, 05:38 PM *sniff*

*sniff*

Is that troll?
Beamup
03-17-04, 05:41 PM Start reading this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35) to get a good idea what's going on.
Heron_Marked_Blade
03-17-04, 05:45 PM The best thing you can do is talk to those friends of yours who play D&D and watch one of their sessions. Just observe for the first hour or so, and then if they don't mind you asking questions quietly, ask your friend or the DM to explain what the dice rolling is about.

Then make a sample character (or two) of your own to get the hang of creating characters. Then ask to join in your friends' game, or perhaps they can take a break from their regular game to run a newbie session (everyone at 1st level) to help you grasp the basics of the game.

Until you're certain you want to play D&D for the long haul (and once you start, you very rarely stop), check out the System Reference Document (link in my signature). The SRD (as it's commonly known) contains all the basic information you need to play D&D, all the core material. You technically never have to buy a single D&D book if you use the SRD.

There's actually very little we can tell you here. You need to physically watch the game being played with someone who can explain skills, combat, and magic to you. Good luck.
Heron_Marked_Blade
03-17-04, 05:48 PM Err, another thing. Writing in all capital letters is the message board equivalent of shouting. It doesn't make people want to help you if you're shouting at them. Use a calm and less in-your-face approach, and you'll be taken much more seriously.
Heron_Marked_Blade
03-17-04, 07:38 PM The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Starting D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131545)
ehrin
03-17-04, 07:53 PM I find it humourous that someone will take a queue of electrons into some programmers imagination, live, breath, win or lose for points, and then look at the DnD world and call us "whacked".

At least, in our "whacked" world, we meet other real human beings, and we can change the outcome of our adventures. Can't do that with your electrons and programmers.
Hengwrt Ellesmere
03-17-04, 11:21 PM Playing D&D is like telling a story:

Each player has a character and decides what that character is like and what he or she is going to do. There is one player, called the Dungeon Master or Game Master, who doesn't have a character but decides everything else. The DM says what the player's characters (PCs) see etc., and they tell the DM what their characters do. They roll dice to determine the outcome of events that could have an element of chance (like whether you hit someone with a sword in combat).

It's possible to play the game entirely in your mind just by talking to the DM and other players. A few material resources will help though:

Character sheets: Each player fills out a form with the vital statistics of his character. This includes what the character's abilities are, what his current condition is, and what he's carrying.

Maps and notes: The DM can either buy a published adventure to play, or make one up on his own. This involves mapping out the area that the PCs will explore, and making notes about what they will encounter. If they will be meeting any other characters in the story, the DM fills out a form like a character sheet for that non-player character (NPC).

Battle grid and miniatures: Some of the rules require you to keep track of positions and distances between characters and objects, and the easiest way to do this is is to get a big grid that you can draw terrain on, and have a plastic or metal miniature for each character. The plastic ones are collectible and sold randomly assorted like Magic cards; the metal ones are bought individually and are fun to paint.

Doritos and Mountain Dew: Ultimately the goal of the game is just to have fun and hang out with your friends. If your character achieves his goal, great. If he dies, fine as long as it was fun and exciting to tell the story. While most computer RPGs are based on the concept of D&D, the computer game most like it is actually the Sims. The only goal is what you decide to make it, and you win by just having fun.
bahamut_0
03-18-04, 04:29 AM Think of like Baldurs Gate or Neverwinter Nights. Now D&D is basically like them, except you roll dice to see if you attack, succeed at certain things, how much damage you do etc.
The computer does this for you in those games, but in D&D you roll the dice physically.
Also, you can do pretty much anything you like, so long as your DM (Dungeon Master - the storyteller/referee) approves.

Welcome to D&D, hope you have fun :)
Naeron
03-18-04, 05:38 AM As far as how much D&D costs to play it is hard to quantify.

As a Player you will need some dice and could probably get by with downloading the Free System Resource Document from the WotC website. However I would strongly recommend that you go for the Players Handbook Instead. A group would also need a Dungeon Master Guide and a Monster Manual.

That is the minimum that you need to play the game. To that you can add various expansion books (often referred to as Splatbooks) and world setting books as well as a miniatures. You could spend hundreds of dollars on D&D as a hobby quite easily or you can spend less.
DMsDelight
03-19-04, 12:39 PM Originally posted by Thorak
Imagine a computer RPG like the Baldur's Gate series, or Neverwinter Nights (since those are based on the D&D system). Now, add the ability to literally be anything you want. And the ability to literally DO anything you want. To create and play the character how you choose, not how the game makes you choose. Tired of only having three options for dialog? How about "say whatever your character would like to say"? Instead of choosing the Good, the Bad, or the Neutral dialog choice, you can make up whatever you like. If you want to walk into a bar and start a knife-fight or chatting up bar-maids, go ahead.

Combine this freedom with the fact that there's a living, breathing person controlling the game, rather than a stupid, somewhat arbitrary computer program. The calculations are the same, but no more will you be able to do things like, say, murdering everyone in Baldur's Gate just because you're a psychotic twit. The DM will see you being a psychotic twit and stop you, something the CRPG doesn't do, because it wasn't designed with that possibility in mind.

These two elements make the D&D game both about utter player freedom to make choices, and make the game utterly able to react to whatever choices you might make. In theory at least; certain Dungeon Masters aren't as capable as others, but that's something you'll learn and get a feel for over time.

You have very well given me the words I can use to get people to join my campaign for DnD, because people get this negative connotation when they hear the words Dungeons and Dragons. Thank you, Thorak!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
PolarIceChip1 03-17-04, 03:48 PM	Hey everyone, Im brand new to this "D&D" thing. One of my friends told me about this game. They said its not like a card game, board game, computer game, and thats when I got confused. So, I decided to visit here to see what its like. AND I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THIS IS!!!! Can anyone PLEASE pretty PLEASE tell me what this is, and how I can join you guys! Im SUPER interested! (as long as it doesnt cost money maybe, lol) Thanks a ton! -PolarIceChip1:D
ehrin 03-17-04, 03:51 PM	The thing is, this board isn't the game. the game is held in your living room, basement, school, wherever, and is basically, a journey through one person's imagination. THat person is the DM, he designs a world with magic and monsters, and you design a character to adventure in that world. What you see here on these boards are a bunch of players chatting, asking questions, etc.. THe game is out there in their homes, not here.
Thorak 03-17-04, 04:15 PM	Imagine a computer RPG like the Baldur's Gate series, or Neverwinter Nights (since those are based on the D&D system). Now, add the ability to literally be anything you want. And the ability to literally DO anything you want. To create and play the character how you choose, not how the game makes you choose. Tired of only having three options for dialog? How about "say whatever your character would like to say"? Instead of choosing the Good, the Bad, or the Neutral dialog choice, you can make up whatever you like. If you want to walk into a bar and start a knife-fight or chatting up bar-maids, go ahead. Combine this freedom with the fact that there's a living, breathing person controlling the game, rather than a stupid, somewhat arbitrary computer program. The calculations are the same, but no more will you be able to do things like, say, murdering everyone in Baldur's Gate just because you're a psychotic twit. The DM will see you being a psychotic twit and stop you, something the CRPG doesn't do, because it wasn't designed with that possibility in mind. These two elements make the D&D game both about utter player freedom to make choices, and make the game utterly able to react to whatever choices you might make. In theory at least; certain Dungeon Masters aren't as capable as others, but that's something you'll learn and get a feel for over time.
Schmendrick 03-17-04, 04:17 PM	Just think of it like playing Cops'n'Robbers or Cowboys'n'Indians or whatever when you were a kid, only all the movement is done in imagination -- you don't run around the room or yard, unless you're LARPing ("Live Action RolePlaying") -- and there's a bookshelf full of rules that are interpreted by a referee (the Dungeon Master or DM) and dice rolls to resolve conflicts like "Bang! I shot you!" "Nuh-uh! You missed!" "No I got you!" "You missed!" "You're dead!" "No I'm not!" etc.
PolarIceChip1 03-17-04, 05:33 PM	Im still not getting this! So basically, you dont have to buy anything at all, and you just think about it? Thats all? If so, then this is the worst game I think I've ever seen in gaming HISTORY. I play games online and for game systems, but this is wacked. I NEED SOME MORE INFO!!!!!!!!
DivineHammer 03-17-04, 05:38 PM	sniff sniff Is that troll?
Beamup 03-17-04, 05:41 PM	Start reading this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35) to get a good idea what's going on.
Heron_Marked_Blade 03-17-04, 05:45 PM	The best thing you can do is talk to those friends of yours who play D&D and watch one of their sessions. Just observe for the first hour or so, and then if they don't mind you asking questions quietly, ask your friend or the DM to explain what the dice rolling is about. Then make a sample character (or two) of your own to get the hang of creating characters. Then ask to join in your friends' game, or perhaps they can take a break from their regular game to run a newbie session (everyone at 1st level) to help you grasp the basics of the game. Until you're certain you want to play D&D for the long haul (and once you start, you very rarely stop), check out the System Reference Document (link in my signature). The SRD (as it's commonly known) contains all the basic information you need to play D&D, all the core material. You technically never have to buy a single D&D book if you use the SRD. There's actually very little we can tell you here. You need to physically watch the game being played with someone who can explain skills, combat, and magic to you. Good luck.
Heron_Marked_Blade 03-17-04, 05:48 PM	Err, another thing. Writing in all capital letters is the message board equivalent of shouting. It doesn't make people want to help you if you're shouting at them. Use a calm and less in-your-face approach, and you'll be taken much more seriously.
Heron_Marked_Blade 03-17-04, 07:38 PM	The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Starting D&D (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131545)
ehrin 03-17-04, 07:53 PM	I find it humourous that someone will take a queue of electrons into some programmers imagination, live, breath, win or lose for points, and then look at the DnD world and call us "whacked". At least, in our "whacked" world, we meet other real human beings, and we can change the outcome of our adventures. Can't do that with your electrons and programmers.
Hengwrt Ellesmere 03-17-04, 11:21 PM	Playing D&D is like telling a story: Each player has a character and decides what that character is like and what he or she is going to do. There is one player, called the Dungeon Master or Game Master, who doesn't have a character but decides everything else. The DM says what the player's characters (PCs) see etc., and they tell the DM what their characters do. They roll dice to determine the outcome of events that could have an element of chance (like whether you hit someone with a sword in combat). It's possible to play the game entirely in your mind just by talking to the DM and other players. A few material resources will help though: Character sheets: Each player fills out a form with the vital statistics of his character. This includes what the character's abilities are, what his current condition is, and what he's carrying. Maps and notes: The DM can either buy a published adventure to play, or make one up on his own. This involves mapping out the area that the PCs will explore, and making notes about what they will encounter. If they will be meeting any other characters in the story, the DM fills out a form like a character sheet for that non-player character (NPC). Battle grid and miniatures: Some of the rules require you to keep track of positions and distances between characters and objects, and the easiest way to do this is is to get a big grid that you can draw terrain on, and have a plastic or metal miniature for each character. The plastic ones are collectible and sold randomly assorted like Magic cards; the metal ones are bought individually and are fun to paint. Doritos and Mountain Dew: Ultimately the goal of the game is just to have fun and hang out with your friends. If your character achieves his goal, great. If he dies, fine as long as it was fun and exciting to tell the story. While most computer RPGs are based on the concept of D&D, the computer game most like it is actually the Sims. The only goal is what you decide to make it, and you win by just having fun.
bahamut_0 03-18-04, 04:29 AM	Think of like Baldurs Gate or Neverwinter Nights. Now D&D is basically like them, except you roll dice to see if you attack, succeed at certain things, how much damage you do etc. The computer does this for you in those games, but in D&D you roll the dice physically. Also, you can do pretty much anything you like, so long as your DM (Dungeon Master - the storyteller/referee) approves. Welcome to D&D, hope you have fun :)
Naeron 03-18-04, 05:38 AM	As far as how much D&D costs to play it is hard to quantify. As a Player you will need some dice and could probably get by with downloading the Free System Resource Document from the WotC website. However I would strongly recommend that you go for the Players Handbook Instead. A group would also need a Dungeon Master Guide and a Monster Manual. That is the minimum that you need to play the game. To that you can add various expansion books (often referred to as Splatbooks) and world setting books as well as a miniatures. You could spend hundreds of dollars on D&D as a hobby quite easily or you can spend less.
DMsDelight 03-19-04, 12:39 PM	Originally posted by Thorak Imagine a computer RPG like the Baldur's Gate series, or Neverwinter Nights (since those are based on the D&D system). Now, add the ability to literally be anything you want. And the ability to literally DO anything you want. To create and play the character how you choose, not how the game makes you choose. Tired of only having three options for dialog? How about "say whatever your character would like to say"? Instead of choosing the Good, the Bad, or the Neutral dialog choice, you can make up whatever you like. If you want to walk into a bar and start a knife-fight or chatting up bar-maids, go ahead. Combine this freedom with the fact that there's a living, breathing person controlling the game, rather than a stupid, somewhat arbitrary computer program. The calculations are the same, but no more will you be able to do things like, say, murdering everyone in Baldur's Gate just because you're a psychotic twit. The DM will see you being a psychotic twit and stop you, something the CRPG doesn't do, because it wasn't designed with that possibility in mind. These two elements make the D&D game both about utter player freedom to make choices, and make the game utterly able to react to whatever choices you might make. In theory at least; certain Dungeon Masters aren't as capable as others, but that's something you'll learn and get a feel for over time. You have very well given me the words I can use to get people to join my campaign for DnD, because people get this negative connotation when they hear the words Dungeons and Dragons. Thank you, Thorak!