Could you help a newb out? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Could you help a newb out? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
CTSgamer
10-25-07, 10:02 PM ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off?
Enmarnacu
10-25-07, 10:11 PM "This" being Dungeons and Dragons, right?

Find an experienced DM, or at least a knowledgeable person willing to teach and/or play with you. Then, combine all your pennies to buy books (Dungeon Masters Guide, Player's Handbook, and a Monster Manual to begin), d20 sets, grid paper, pencils and erasers, a computer, and numerous other things you'll discover you need along the way. Begin with a classic party (four characters, fighter-type, rogue, cleric, wizard) at first level and play a few generic, "You're sitting in a tavern when *blank* tells you about treasure at the end of a long dungeon crawl."

Then read and roll funny-shaped dice for a good six to twelve hours. Bring snacks and pop.
Mr_Seth
10-25-07, 10:55 PM Two words, my good man... "Game Shops". Or hobby shops, or comic shops, or wherever gamers congregate in your area.

Ask there about someone who would be willing to serve as a DM for a groups of newbies. Someone will, likely, take the bait - there might even be a game night set aside at the store for things like this.

That said, the November 3rd D&D Game Day events are going to be perfect for new gamers. Find out where one is in your area and get your kiester down there!
Kouk
10-25-07, 11:33 PM Don't expect a world-shattering experience your first time - be prepared for it to suck. That's not to say it will suck, just, be prepared is all... Some people start with a bad DM or group and then just quit the game for years.

The books are much cheaper if you buy them used on Amazon or eBay.
archerpwr
10-25-07, 11:56 PM ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off?

Just one thing:
Don't take yourselves too seriously.
VerdugoExplode
10-26-07, 02:05 AM Also, you may be asked to make a backstory for your characters, what they've been doing up until this point in their life. I'd advise you remember that if you're starting at level 1 its a bit unrealistic (yes, even for dungeons and dragons) to have killed hundreds of creatures. You may want to keep things fairly simple, the killing things comes during play, not prior to it.
Cobra_Commander
10-26-07, 02:16 AM Nonesence, it's their first game, go crazy with what you want your character to be/do. My friends and I started playing just after reading half the DMG and PH. I had a Sorcerer running around with a chain shirt and a scythe, raising dead, and enslaving a village, and he was only 3rd level! Of course, we also thought you could add your Attack Bonus to your Damage roll... Man, when that Fighter hit...He hit hard...Good times.

Take your time easing into the game, and don't be scared to smudge a rule here or there, you're just starting out after all. But eventually, once you've got to the point where every player and DM has their own PH, then it's time to knuckle down and learn the rules. A good investment would be DMG2, cause it gives a lot of good advice about being a good DM, and Player. Even now, I'll look back on it and brush up on a few things. Plus its got some pretty interesting stuff in there...Like any 3.5 supplement book.

Enjoy, and welcome to the game.
COOOOBBBBRRRRAAAA!!!!!
DrMorganes
10-26-07, 09:39 AM First off, everyone should be passingly familiar with the basic rules for combat and skills. Anyone playing any class able to cast spells should understand the basics of spellcasting. This does not mean that you need to be able to cite page references to various rules (that comes naturally once you've been playing for a while), but you should have a general idea of how things work and about where to find the rules in the book.

From there, I recommend your first session be a practice session. That is, get everyone together, make a character or two, and run through some "scrimmages" with various monsters, Non-Player Characters ("NPCs"), and environmental encounters. Fight, cast spells, talk to NPCs, make skill checks. Don't worry about trying to get somewhere or gain experience points (XP) for now. Your goal is to get a better understanding of the rules and to try out some of the various character classes. Nothing done here is set in stone. In fact, you should make changes to class selection, character race, ability score allocation, skill choices, feats, etc. If someone happens to end up with a Player Character ("PC") they like, great!

Once everyone is mostly happy with their characters, dive into a "real" adventure. Wizards provides several free adventures (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b) for parties of various levels. I strongly recommend you begin with Level 1 characters and work your way up.
1 ton ghost
10-27-07, 03:44 PM recommendations only, not intended for consumption. do not operate heavy machinery...

-get at least your core books: 1/2 price books, most comic/gaming stores and the like are having killer sales now cuz' of the 4th ed stuff coming out. i advise against 4th ed, especially since the market is good now for guys like you. Amazon is always a good deal, price is right.
you can download alot of pdf's (watch your ass though)
keep it simple at first, don't get crazy w/ the details, just the basic books. graduate to higher details as you learn
peruse them in your downtime constantly; during lunchbreaks, commericials, reading before bed, etc. you don't have to be obsessive, but it helps.
-dice: get cheap ones, they all roll the same. it's just chance/fluke
-locale (real world): who's hosting? make sure it's spacious w/ a bigass table; encourage everyone to sit at a table as lounging around the room fosters aloofness/alienation. big distraction. team sport so to speak
-locale (in game): vote on a campaign setting after reviewing some of the sample ones. i like Forgotten Realms, others like Eberron or Ravenloft. if the shoe fits, where it...
-map: get a grid map (1' dimensions only) and dry/wet erase markers. failing that, lots of graph paper. make sure everyone has an icon and remembers it. visual aids help immensely.
-check the boards frequently: don't be afraid to ask ?'s. everyone is green at first, takes a while to be a veteran and if someone gives you $hit for it, they're probably a fool in the real world w/ a bad homelife and no social one.
those problems often sort themselves out w/out any effort on your end
-get mini/icons: i prefer to paint my own and all, but you have to consider $, time, etc. plastic ones are ok, you can pillage other household games, aquarium pieces, chess sets, etc. use spare dice numerically for large encounters
-peripherals: food; get non-messy easy to eat crap. greasy foods kill your books and f-up paint on minis. all drinks OFF THE TABLE (don't risk your laptops, maps, books). stress caffeine over alcohol if you must. music; suggest instrumentals/soundtracks (lyrics are distracting). smoke/bathroom breaks; keep them tidy and quick, others are waiting on you, don't be a dick
-communication: compare school/work schedules, find a time that works best and STICK TO IT. do not deviate. forward if you'll be late, don't 1/2 ass it as others are depending on you. e-mail groups, text, whatever. plan ahead, don't wing it cuz' you're talking about many hours

cheaper than a movie, lasts much longer. enjoy.
Ultima0071
10-28-07, 05:06 PM As long as you find an experience Dungeon Master (1+ years of experience), you should be fine. My only real concern is that you guys will take things to seriously. One of my groups takes things way too seriously. I mostly DMed for that group but the one time I didn't was when I found out. I joked around a tiny bit (2-3 sentences) and they decided to gang up and kill me. Don't make the same mistake they did. It just ruins the game. Also, make sure you guys know all the rules for your classes. Otherwise some things will be unbalanced.

Hope I could help ;)
Ultima0071
mycroftb
10-29-07, 01:50 AM Welcome to an exciting world!

One of the major disadvantages of D&D (and tabletop roleplaying in general) I've seen is that it's somewhat of an oral tradition. You need someone who's already playing it to teach you, at least most effectively.

The rules will be extremely confusing at first. I'm not going to candy-coat that. But you'll learn, and soon the basics will be second nature.

If you guys are going to go it alone, I'd recommend finding a boxed D&D Basic Game. It gets you some dungeon tile maps, some minis, a set of dice, and simplified rules. It's got a mini Dungeon Master's Guide, four mini Character Sheets with all the actions and things explained (one for each of the iconic party members: cleric, fighter, rogue, wizard), and a sample adventure that lets the players advance from complete greenhorns to halfway through level 2, by battling goblins, orcs, zombies, a dragon, and other iconic fantasy monsters.

After you've outgrown the Basic Game kit, or if you want to dive headfirst into it, you'll want the three core books mentioned above. Other books might look enticing, but I'd highly recommend not trying those out until you've mastered, or at least gotten very familiar with, the core books.

For your first few times, you'll mess up. That's okay. It's expected. Keep in mind that the goal of tabletop roleplaying games isn't to "win", it's to keep everybody entertained and having fun. In computer games, more often than not, you're punished for doing the "wrong" thing, usually in the form of withholding story elements for longer times until you get back on the "right" track. Not so here, you can do anything, even tragedies for the player characters advance the story you collectively tell. D&D is much more like a box of LEGOs than it is a model airplane kit.

If you're having fun, then you're playing the game as intended, and don't let any rules lawyers tell you different.

(Though once you learn the rules, try to stick to them. They're pretty well thought-out and there's a reason behind everything. Feel free to change anything, but try to have a good reason for doing so.)
Derren S.
10-29-07, 06:36 AM My advice is that you ignore all stuff except the core rules. No Splatbooks, and no fancy non standard races you might hear about on this board. And stick to low level adventures at first.

There is also a new Edition of D&D comingout in some months (Don't know the date) so you might want to wait for it till you really start with RPG gaming.

And much of the fun you can have in an RPG depends on how the other players and especially the DM behaves. So if you don't enjoy your first D&D games don't give up but try a different DM.
Etarnon
11-10-07, 03:52 PM Look on Ebay or the used shelf at your local game store, and start with 1st ed or second Ed, lot simpler, easier to deal with, untill you get the feel of it, then tackle 3rd ed in 6 months or so.

Good luck.
Axiomatic_vampire
11-11-07, 02:16 AM ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off?

A lot of people are assuming (and I hope they're right) that you guys can find an experienced DM. Not always that easy, sad to say. Is one of you going to take on that responsibility? If so 4 main pieces of advice come to mind.
1. Understand the challenge rating system for combats. It's extremely intuitive that a CR 1 monster is a good challenge for a party of 4 level 1 characters. After that, it's a mess. Take some time getting to know that one, or the game goes kablooey.
2. Understand the wealth per character guidelines. If characters are under or over equipped, the CR system goes kablooey.
3. Work in layers. Implement parts of the game as the previous stuff becomes intuitive. I'm going to get flamed for saying this, but particularly, the whole "skills" system can wait. In my opinion, skills are the least cost-effective part of D&D when it comes to mastering the system weighed against how much it adds to the game. You can really do without them to start. Sometimes the rules demand they be there, just wing it. Wizards can automatically learn new spells without making spellcraft checks, for now. Players can swim just fine, for now. Maybe don't play a rogue yet, since they're all about skills. No traps yet, no hiding monsters to spot. Encounters can just start without initiative without worrying about spots and listens. Just something to consider.
4. Start small. One small village and the surrounding areas are plenty big to get going, without having to worry about the headaches of running a whole world.

Always feel free to post questions here if things don't make sense. Hope you guys have a great time.
NordicBirch
11-11-07, 11:08 AM If you can find a DM whose already playing or you have an rpg-community at a gaming store near you, great. If you can't, take it easy, have fun, don't mind if the rules weren't quite the way you first understood etc. (actually, the later sentence applies even if you do find an experienced DM)

D&D 4th edition is coming next year and it might be a good idea to think a moment. Either make do with www.d20srd.org, maybe start with another rpg (there are plenty and with a lot of variance in style, setting and mechanics) and get back to d&d a bit later or do what I probably should advocate as the only reasonable choice since we're on D&D forums...

Meaning that now is the perfect time to get into D&D!

Already you can get used books cheap and the price is going to drop next year. So you should get the basic books (DMG, PHB, MM) and once you've got the hang of (and had enough fun with) those, all the supplements should be dirt cheap as others are changing to 4E. Then when you've gone through most of the 3.5 material and are finally starting to feel like something new (do also play other systems, gives you a wider understanding of the hobby) you can jump head-first into 4E which has by then outgrown its birthpains and has a decent amount of material out. Best of both editions in a 3 year plan :)

You won't be alone either, while the majority will of course change immediately quite a number of people are talking about keeping with 3.5 for a year or so still and using the cheaper price to their advantage while letting others "betatest" 4E.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
CTSgamer 10-25-07, 10:02 PM	ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off?
Enmarnacu 10-25-07, 10:11 PM	"This" being Dungeons and Dragons, right? Find an experienced DM, or at least a knowledgeable person willing to teach and/or play with you. Then, combine all your pennies to buy books (Dungeon Masters Guide, Player's Handbook, and a Monster Manual to begin), d20 sets, grid paper, pencils and erasers, a computer, and numerous other things you'll discover you need along the way. Begin with a classic party (four characters, fighter-type, rogue, cleric, wizard) at first level and play a few generic, "You're sitting in a tavern when blank tells you about treasure at the end of a long dungeon crawl." Then read and roll funny-shaped dice for a good six to twelve hours. Bring snacks and pop.
Mr_Seth 10-25-07, 10:55 PM	Two words, my good man... "Game Shops". Or hobby shops, or comic shops, or wherever gamers congregate in your area. Ask there about someone who would be willing to serve as a DM for a groups of newbies. Someone will, likely, take the bait - there might even be a game night set aside at the store for things like this. That said, the November 3rd D&D Game Day events are going to be perfect for new gamers. Find out where one is in your area and get your kiester down there!
Kouk 10-25-07, 11:33 PM	Don't expect a world-shattering experience your first time - be prepared for it to suck. That's not to say it will suck, just, be prepared is all... Some people start with a bad DM or group and then just quit the game for years. The books are much cheaper if you buy them used on Amazon or eBay.
archerpwr 10-25-07, 11:56 PM	ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off? Just one thing: Don't take yourselves too seriously.
VerdugoExplode 10-26-07, 02:05 AM	Also, you may be asked to make a backstory for your characters, what they've been doing up until this point in their life. I'd advise you remember that if you're starting at level 1 its a bit unrealistic (yes, even for dungeons and dragons) to have killed hundreds of creatures. You may want to keep things fairly simple, the killing things comes during play, not prior to it.
Cobra_Commander 10-26-07, 02:16 AM	Nonesence, it's their first game, go crazy with what you want your character to be/do. My friends and I started playing just after reading half the DMG and PH. I had a Sorcerer running around with a chain shirt and a scythe, raising dead, and enslaving a village, and he was only 3rd level! Of course, we also thought you could add your Attack Bonus to your Damage roll... Man, when that Fighter hit...He hit hard...Good times. Take your time easing into the game, and don't be scared to smudge a rule here or there, you're just starting out after all. But eventually, once you've got to the point where every player and DM has their own PH, then it's time to knuckle down and learn the rules. A good investment would be DMG2, cause it gives a lot of good advice about being a good DM, and Player. Even now, I'll look back on it and brush up on a few things. Plus its got some pretty interesting stuff in there...Like any 3.5 supplement book. Enjoy, and welcome to the game. COOOOBBBBRRRRAAAA!!!!!
DrMorganes 10-26-07, 09:39 AM	First off, everyone should be passingly familiar with the basic rules for combat and skills. Anyone playing any class able to cast spells should understand the basics of spellcasting. This does not mean that you need to be able to cite page references to various rules (that comes naturally once you've been playing for a while), but you should have a general idea of how things work and about where to find the rules in the book. From there, I recommend your first session be a practice session. That is, get everyone together, make a character or two, and run through some "scrimmages" with various monsters, Non-Player Characters ("NPCs"), and environmental encounters. Fight, cast spells, talk to NPCs, make skill checks. Don't worry about trying to get somewhere or gain experience points (XP) for now. Your goal is to get a better understanding of the rules and to try out some of the various character classes. Nothing done here is set in stone. In fact, you should make changes to class selection, character race, ability score allocation, skill choices, feats, etc. If someone happens to end up with a Player Character ("PC") they like, great! Once everyone is mostly happy with their characters, dive into a "real" adventure. Wizards provides several free adventures (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030530b) for parties of various levels. I strongly recommend you begin with Level 1 characters and work your way up.
1 ton ghost 10-27-07, 03:44 PM	recommendations only, not intended for consumption. do not operate heavy machinery... -get at least your core books: 1/2 price books, most comic/gaming stores and the like are having killer sales now cuz' of the 4th ed stuff coming out. i advise against 4th ed, especially since the market is good now for guys like you. Amazon is always a good deal, price is right. you can download alot of pdf's (watch your ass though) keep it simple at first, don't get crazy w/ the details, just the basic books. graduate to higher details as you learn peruse them in your downtime constantly; during lunchbreaks, commericials, reading before bed, etc. you don't have to be obsessive, but it helps. -dice: get cheap ones, they all roll the same. it's just chance/fluke -locale (real world): who's hosting? make sure it's spacious w/ a bigass table; encourage everyone to sit at a table as lounging around the room fosters aloofness/alienation. big distraction. team sport so to speak -locale (in game): vote on a campaign setting after reviewing some of the sample ones. i like Forgotten Realms, others like Eberron or Ravenloft. if the shoe fits, where it... -map: get a grid map (1' dimensions only) and dry/wet erase markers. failing that, lots of graph paper. make sure everyone has an icon and remembers it. visual aids help immensely. -check the boards frequently: don't be afraid to ask ?'s. everyone is green at first, takes a while to be a veteran and if someone gives you $hit for it, they're probably a fool in the real world w/ a bad homelife and no social one. those problems often sort themselves out w/out any effort on your end -get mini/icons: i prefer to paint my own and all, but you have to consider $, time, etc. plastic ones are ok, you can pillage other household games, aquarium pieces, chess sets, etc. use spare dice numerically for large encounters -peripherals: food; get non-messy easy to eat crap. greasy foods kill your books and f-up paint on minis. all drinks OFF THE TABLE (don't risk your laptops, maps, books). stress caffeine over alcohol if you must. music; suggest instrumentals/soundtracks (lyrics are distracting). smoke/bathroom breaks; keep them tidy and quick, others are waiting on you, don't be a dick -communication: compare school/work schedules, find a time that works best and STICK TO IT. do not deviate. forward if you'll be late, don't 1/2 ass it as others are depending on you. e-mail groups, text, whatever. plan ahead, don't wing it cuz' you're talking about many hours cheaper than a movie, lasts much longer. enjoy.
Ultima0071 10-28-07, 05:06 PM	As long as you find an experience Dungeon Master (1+ years of experience), you should be fine. My only real concern is that you guys will take things to seriously. One of my groups takes things way too seriously. I mostly DMed for that group but the one time I didn't was when I found out. I joked around a tiny bit (2-3 sentences) and they decided to gang up and kill me. Don't make the same mistake they did. It just ruins the game. Also, make sure you guys know all the rules for your classes. Otherwise some things will be unbalanced. Hope I could help ;) Ultima0071
mycroftb 10-29-07, 01:50 AM	Welcome to an exciting world! One of the major disadvantages of D&D (and tabletop roleplaying in general) I've seen is that it's somewhat of an oral tradition. You need someone who's already playing it to teach you, at least most effectively. The rules will be extremely confusing at first. I'm not going to candy-coat that. But you'll learn, and soon the basics will be second nature. If you guys are going to go it alone, I'd recommend finding a boxed D&D Basic Game. It gets you some dungeon tile maps, some minis, a set of dice, and simplified rules. It's got a mini Dungeon Master's Guide, four mini Character Sheets with all the actions and things explained (one for each of the iconic party members: cleric, fighter, rogue, wizard), and a sample adventure that lets the players advance from complete greenhorns to halfway through level 2, by battling goblins, orcs, zombies, a dragon, and other iconic fantasy monsters. After you've outgrown the Basic Game kit, or if you want to dive headfirst into it, you'll want the three core books mentioned above. Other books might look enticing, but I'd highly recommend not trying those out until you've mastered, or at least gotten very familiar with, the core books. For your first few times, you'll mess up. That's okay. It's expected. Keep in mind that the goal of tabletop roleplaying games isn't to "win", it's to keep everybody entertained and having fun. In computer games, more often than not, you're punished for doing the "wrong" thing, usually in the form of withholding story elements for longer times until you get back on the "right" track. Not so here, you can do anything, even tragedies for the player characters advance the story you collectively tell. D&D is much more like a box of LEGOs than it is a model airplane kit. If you're having fun, then you're playing the game as intended, and don't let any rules lawyers tell you different. (Though once you learn the rules, try to stick to them. They're pretty well thought-out and there's a reason behind everything. Feel free to change anything, but try to have a good reason for doing so.)
Derren S. 10-29-07, 06:36 AM	My advice is that you ignore all stuff except the core rules. No Splatbooks, and no fancy non standard races you might hear about on this board. And stick to low level adventures at first. There is also a new Edition of D&D comingout in some months (Don't know the date) so you might want to wait for it till you really start with RPG gaming. And much of the fun you can have in an RPG depends on how the other players and especially the DM behaves. So if you don't enjoy your first D&D games don't give up but try a different DM.
Etarnon 11-10-07, 03:52 PM	Look on Ebay or the used shelf at your local game store, and start with 1st ed or second Ed, lot simpler, easier to deal with, untill you get the feel of it, then tackle 3rd ed in 6 months or so. Good luck.
Axiomatic_vampire 11-11-07, 02:16 AM	ok. so 4 of my friends and i are thinking about starting to play Dungeons and Dragons... so does anyone have any advice on how to start off? A lot of people are assuming (and I hope they're right) that you guys can find an experienced DM. Not always that easy, sad to say. Is one of you going to take on that responsibility? If so 4 main pieces of advice come to mind. 1. Understand the challenge rating system for combats. It's extremely intuitive that a CR 1 monster is a good challenge for a party of 4 level 1 characters. After that, it's a mess. Take some time getting to know that one, or the game goes kablooey. 2. Understand the wealth per character guidelines. If characters are under or over equipped, the CR system goes kablooey. 3. Work in layers. Implement parts of the game as the previous stuff becomes intuitive. I'm going to get flamed for saying this, but particularly, the whole "skills" system can wait. In my opinion, skills are the least cost-effective part of D&D when it comes to mastering the system weighed against how much it adds to the game. You can really do without them to start. Sometimes the rules demand they be there, just wing it. Wizards can automatically learn new spells without making spellcraft checks, for now. Players can swim just fine, for now. Maybe don't play a rogue yet, since they're all about skills. No traps yet, no hiding monsters to spot. Encounters can just start without initiative without worrying about spots and listens. Just something to consider. 4. Start small. One small village and the surrounding areas are plenty big to get going, without having to worry about the headaches of running a whole world. Always feel free to post questions here if things don't make sense. Hope you guys have a great time.
NordicBirch 11-11-07, 11:08 AM	If you can find a DM whose already playing or you have an rpg-community at a gaming store near you, great. If you can't, take it easy, have fun, don't mind if the rules weren't quite the way you first understood etc. (actually, the later sentence applies even if you do find an experienced DM) D&D 4th edition is coming next year and it might be a good idea to think a moment. Either make do with www.d20srd.org, maybe start with another rpg (there are plenty and with a lot of variance in style, setting and mechanics) and get back to d&d a bit later or do what I probably should advocate as the only reasonable choice since we're on D&D forums... Meaning that now is the perfect time to get into D&D! Already you can get used books cheap and the price is going to drop next year. So you should get the basic books (DMG, PHB, MM) and once you've got the hang of (and had enough fun with) those, all the supplements should be dirt cheap as others are changing to 4E. Then when you've gone through most of the 3.5 material and are finally starting to feel like something new (do also play other systems, gives you a wider understanding of the hobby) you can jump head-first into 4E which has by then outgrown its birthpains and has a decent amount of material out. Best of both editions in a 3 year plan :) You won't be alone either, while the majority will of course change immediately quite a number of people are talking about keeping with 3.5 for a year or so still and using the cheaper price to their advantage while letting others "betatest" 4E.