Okay, well I have wanted to play D&D for a very long time but I personnely have no friends that have any interest in any type of board rpg games. That being said I jumped at the chance when I heard there are online map programs and character generators. However as stated above I have no idea where to start and what to do to be honest its overwhelming. I do want to try and play though but I have no illusions regarding my total ineptness.
To be honest I have no idea where to start or what to do I downloaded the openrpg board map. However I have been overwhelmed by the magnitude of the game and well just everything. I opened it up and well to be honest i dont even know where to begin nor do I know how to approach anyone. Before i bore you on about my failures. I have many questions and if this thread picks up I will constantly be asking more I have a strong will to play this game.
First, well where do I begin what should i do what things do I need to buy? What do I have to aquire to play in the sense of programs and files? Example being as I looked inside openrpg it has maps and minis. Im really excited and I just do not know where to begin. Those are my first too questions and I believe they are the most appropriate for the moment being so basic.
Thanks again folks and again I beg forgiveness for any transgressions I may have caused either from posting in the wrong area or just generaly because of my ineptness or just general post edicate errors!!!
Now about the map and stuff. I don't use minis, yet, and I don't use those fancy pants maps. I use a battlemats for my maps. They are nice because you can draw a map on the table and edit as ya go and erase once done. Rather than using minies my group uses d12s for PCs, since almost nobody uses them, and use little glass/marble beed things (like those things ya might put in yer fish tanks) for monsters. We mark them with numbers and have a few different colors so they serve fine enough for use for the monsters. The other thing is dice, paper, a pencil and some imagination.
There are some places to find gamers in your area. There is a place on these forums to find local gamers and there are other sites such as meet.com, or somethin' like that, where you can find gamers in your area. I can't remember the place on these forums for trying to find local gamers so hopefully someone else can point it out.
For the most part I'd suggest while you're still doin' it alone is to make something like 4 lvl 1 characters and run a simple and easy encounter against them to get a hold of the mechanics of the game. Once the mechanics make since then everything else should start making sense and start falling in place.
-Sarena
Playing with a group is fine but not necessary. It is OK to play with one's self. It can be just as fun doing it alone as it is with friends or strangers. Don't be afraid to play it by yourself behind closed doors.
I assume this to be intentional. Still funny.Playing with a group is fine but not necessary. It is OK to play with one's self. It can be just as fun doing it alone as it is with friends or strangers. Don't be afraid to play it by yourself behind closed doors.
Good, I'm not the only one.
To the OP, I would recommend MapTools (www.rptools.net/). Its fairly simple to get started with, and as you learn more you can do quite a bit with it. I started off with minis moving on an unimpressive map, and now I'm using light sources, vision blocking layers, stat sheets, macros, and I still am fairly amateurish with the program. The website also has video tutorials that are very helpful in getting started with it, as well as forums full of knowledgeable individuals willing to help you out.
Also, with MapTools or any other virtual tabletop, the game goes a lot smoother with voice chat. A lot of people use Skype, but even something as simple as using Yahoo messenger with voice chat will go a long ways.
As for other materials, as stated above all you really need are the core books--Player's Handbook (PHB), Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG), and the Monster Manual (MM). Other stuff, like the various "power" books, PHB2, DMG2, etc. are all just extra. I would recommend working with the core 3 first until you get the hang of the rules so you don't overwhelm yourself. Then once you're comfortable you can start picking up supplements. This goes for any edition of the game.
I think 4e is one of the easiest editions to learn (except maybe for 1e or OD&D) and (in my own opinion of course) the most fun. However, your mileage may vary. If you are already familiar with a previous edition, then the massive changes that were brought about in 4e might be hard to grasp at first (in fact its best to look at it as a new game entirely instead of trying to figure out what's changed). If no previous editions are already ingrained in your head, however, 4th edition is my recommendation.