Hello!
I'm really really really new to whole Dungeon and Dragons concept, I've player RPGs with computers and consoles though I think they dont have much to do with this matter. Just letting you know that I'm not a total stranger though I am a newbie 
The basic question would really be: "How to get started?" I got interrested in this a while ago when I kinda felt that HeroQuest (the board game) didn't really have much depth in it, tho it was fun to play. Recently I started to watch at videos where people create dungeon tiles and other stuff for D&D and I think that looks fun and I'd like to give it a go. But there is just sooooo much stuff in this game (well, at lest it looks like it) that I don't really know where to start. I've been looking some rules of different editions and all but I don't know which one should I use or mix and match features from different editions and go with those. I have a friend group of mainly videogamers who are also interrested in D&D in some way. I red somewhere that the 4th edition rules could fit better for the videogame players and the new 5th edition rules are kinda going back to the roots of the game...?
And should I even try to create a campaign of my own or just pick up some premade beginner campaigns and roll with those for a while until I know a bit better how the game works and what can and can't be done and so on?
I tried to do research for a while on my own but I thought that maybe the forums could help me out a bit and therefore I could save some time with the research.
Thanks and sorry in advance!
Alderen
First of all, welcome to Dungeons & Dragons!
The best advice here is to start simple and learn to enjoy the game. So, how?
- First, I would suggest the Starter Set. It gives you what you need to start the game: basic rules, dice, an adventure for the Dungeon Master to run, and enough from there to think up your own adventures.
- Second, download the (free!) Basic Rules. They, along with the free DM Guide, will give you everything you need to play the game. Actually, the Basic Rules is really all you need, but the DM Rules will be very helpful for the Dungeon Master. With these, you could create your own adventures, and you would be able to make "official" characters if you wanted to play any Adventure League Games
Really, that's it! However, I would encourage a third thing:
- Go to a local gaming store and join in any open games, whether the D&D Adventurers League or just some local folk playing a game. What's nice about AL games is that you can generally drop in, and as the latest books are quite new, everyone will be used to players new to the game. I strongly urge this because much of how the game works will become very clear just by playing it (as opposed to moving from the written rules to play). There's nothing wrong with figuring it out on your own. You'll make "mistakes" (i.e. read a few rules incorrectly), but you'll have fun and figure it out! Still, a lot of us, and especially the old timers here, remember when basically everyone learned how to play D&D from someone else who already knew how to play, and that's a really great way to get into the game.
I hope you have a great time playing D&D!
Hello! Welcome to the hobby.
If you're just starting out, I highly recommend 5th Edition. It's easy to learn and runs very quickly, and you can download the Basic rules for free right here:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
Beyond the Basic rules, you can find more advanced rules in the additional books you can buy (Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide). You don't need any of these books to enjoy a D&D campaign, though. So, decide if you like the game first.
4th Edition is a lot more complex and complicated, especially if you're new to the hobby. People who claim the edition was built for "video game players" are actually attempting to be insulting. It's not something I agree with, though I will say that 4th Edition was my least favorite edition of D&D.
Once you have the rules, you will need the following: Some players to play with. Character sheets. Dice. A place to play. And a whole lot of imagination.
You can make up your own games, buy pre-built modules or adventures, or download something off the Internet (though, any free modules you find on the Internet will probably be built for previous editions, but you can still use them as a baseline for understanding how adventures are put together).
The most important aspect of the game is this: As long as you and the other players are having fun, you're doing it right. If you remember that, you will love D&D.
^ I really can't add anything to what is above. I have been away from the game since the late 80's - my family recently bought the Starter Set and I am DMing for them. It makes it so easy to just jump in and start playing.
Regarding the versions of DnD.
Very few people still play first edition. Its too old for most of us.
Second edition is very complicated, and illogical. Not a great way to start. It has the Taco0 system, and that bizarre reverse armor class thing. It is mostly a game that old time players cherish. It has a lot of depth to it though, which some players felt was edited out in third edition. Personally, I was glad when I moved away from this version. Classic computer games such as Baldursgate and Icewind Dale still use the second edition system.
Third edition is more accessible, and due to the open gaming license there is a wealth of books to support it. You could easily import Pathfinder stuff, and things from other publishers into a third edition campaign. Without a doubt this is the DnD version with the most material to support it. The MMO Dungeons & Dragons Online also uses third edition rules.
Fourth edition was not very popular, and considering that we've already moved on to a fifth edition, there is really no reason to pick it up. People disliked it for feeling too much like a computer game, amongst other things. I've never played it myself, so I can't say if this is justified. What I can say, is that there are limited books available for it, so that is enough reason to skip it.
Fifth edition is the latest version, and those books are definitely the easiest to get a hold of. The rules are more accessible, with a bit of the best from the second and third edition thrown in. Its a return to the roots. The version is definitely not without its criticism, but then again, what version is? The artwork looks stunning though, and I like what I've seen of it so far. If you are starting new, you might as well start with the newest version, right?
Regarding building your own campaign
Creating your very own campaign, and/or setting, can be a daunting task for first time Dungeon Masters. I started playing DnD shortly after playing Hero Quest, which was also my gateway into tabletop roleplaying. But my friends started with short premade modules. I'd recommend trying a premade adventure first, just to get the hang of how campaigns are made. There is already a lot of stuff that a DM needs to worry about, and learning to be a DM is a challenge all of its own. So start simple, play a premade campaign, and if you get the hang of DM'ing, then make your own.
Some Dungeon Masters stick to playing premade modules entirely. But I suspect most eventually move to making their own. I think the best way to learn how to be a Dungeon Master, is to be a player for a while in the campaign of a more experienced DM. Most DM's start out being players first, before moving on to writing their own adventures.
Thanks for the answers so far!
Since the 5th edition is kinda new, are those pre-made campaigns that we're created with other editions still playable with the 5th edition? I bet some changes needs to be made but are they overall playable?
For some reason I like to play with a game board and miniatures, I blame my nostalgy for Heroquest for this. Like I mentioned, I've been watching crafting videos now and I think those are pretty cool, visualizes the environment for the players. I understand that cardboard is the weapon of choise in here and seems like its rather cheap to make, which is nice. But there are sooooo many monsters in this game that buying miniatures for those would be a huge pain. Thats why I was asking about creating own campaign since I have bunch of goblins and orcs fron Heroquest that I could use if I were to create a campaign of my own. Tho I have to check out somewhere if I could find some campaign that has a tight range of monsters so I woudn't need to buy any miniatures yet.
I don't know if this went off topic or something, sorry if it did :D There is just so much to think and ponder. And thanks for the tip of looking for local folks whose game I could join. I don't really know if I am brave enough for that but we'll see
Uh.... you *can* use the old ones, but they need to be converted, which I would not recommend for a starting player. The Starter Set comes with an adventure that should last your group for a pretty long time, and give you a much better idea of where you want to go with future adventures.
Alderen wrote:
Alderen wrote:
Alderen wrote:
I sent an email to my local game shop and asked if you hold D&D games because I didn't see any events in their calender. There was just a bunch of Yu-Gi-Oh games held there. So I'd need to look for a random group who plays and ask if I could follow the game or even join to try it out. But I live in Finland so people might find that odd if someone random wants to join the game or even just observe. We are a grumpy nation (joke). One of my friends has played the game couple times (dunno which edition) and has been interrested in RP way longer than I, sowe might try to read the new rules together and maybe buy that Starter kit for the pre-made quests. Do you guys know how many players are those starter kit quests for?
The adventure with the starteer kit is best suited for 4 or 5 characters. I didn't look at them myself, as my group wanted to create their own characters.
Check message boards and classifieds. Post something there too. Post something in your game shop. There might be others looking to get a group going or looking/willing to add another to their group.
Alderen wrote:
It kind of depends on the players really. I've introduced new players to DnD before with a one-off session. In which case, premade characters were handy, because I didn't want to go through the whole character creation process with them. It left more time to play the actual game.
If you are going for multiple sessions, then character creation is recommended.