But I have absolutely no clue where to start, what to buy (book wise) or anything... my friend lives about 3000 miles away and we correspond by post so I kind of need help from people here too :-)
Thanks in advance...
Tammie
Are there version numbers for those three books? My friend has Players Handbook 2 but I've read that Players Handbook 3 is out now?!?
Um, no I'm afraid I have no clue on "editions war, 4.5 and flame wars"
Second, there are sequels/expansions on the books, which is what you're seeing with the Player's Handbook 2 and 3, but they're purely optional (they give more options for making characters, but aren't necessary to the game). All you need to play is the first one, [link]. Everything else (the DMG2, the MM3, so-on) is optional, truth be told, though the DMG and MM are highly recommended for a first-time GM4.
There's also the recent "Essentials" line, but I don't know anything about that one.
________
1Wizards Of The Coast
2Dungeon Master's Guide
3Monster Manual
4Game Master
Just kidding
You can find the aforementioned books at your gaming store, most hobby stores, or Barnes & Noble (if the B&N store has a Starbuck's in it, watch out for the double chocolate chip blended creme, it will send your blood sugar through the roof!).
You can start with the original 4E books (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual) and build up from there. I like the additional core rulebooks as they give me ideas on where I can take my stories. Player's Handbooks 2 and 3 have additional classes, powers and feats (3 has rules on making hybrid characters, which are a mix of two different classes). Dungeon Master's Guide 2 has more ideas on plot hooks, such as the Grand Master. Monster Manual's 2 and 3, of course, have more monsters in them.
There are also supplements, based on the various power sources:
Arcane Power
Divine Power
Martial Power
Martial Power 2
Primal Power
Psionic Power
There is also D&D Insider, which give you access to much more than what can be had in the books. New articles come out nearly every weekday, and compilations (Dungeon and Dragon magazines), happen once a month, as well.
The Essentials line is a slightly different form of 4E, but still very interesting, imho. It's well worth looking into.
The best thing about D&D is that you can make your own house rules for your particular world, making it your own.
Above all, have fun with it!
i'm trying to find locally if anywhere has the books, it's proving difficult lol. but i will probably find somewhere online!goldomark - aah thank you for the explanations
iqwinn - thank you also for the info and the supplement info. the D&D Insider is where i pay so much a month/year to access it? are the Dungeon and Dragon magazines available in print, or are they just online as part of the D&D Insider subscription deal?
EscherEnigma - thank you for the info
goldomark - aah thank you for the explanations
iqwinn - thank you also for the info and the supplement info. the D&D Insider is where i pay so much a month/year to access it? are the Dungeon and Dragon magazines available in print, or are they just online as part of the D&D Insider subscription deal?
You can find the books on Amazon.com. DDI (D&D Insider) is a pay service that provides access to all the books and articles in addition to some other tools (Character Builder, Monster Builder). It is strictly electronic but does allow you to print stuff. You also can stop paying for it at any time and still keep access to the stuff you've already paid for. You just won't be able to update it. Dungeon and Dragon have been folded entirely in DDI and are no longer available in print.
I've now ordered the Core "set" which includes the three basic books that everyone suggested.
I'll have a think about the subscription thing... it might be too soon for me to do that as I won't have a clue about any of it lol. It's a shame the magazines went out of print, I prefer having something physical to read rather than online
Oh well, that's the Internet age for you!!!Thanks again everyone
Will be eagerly awaiting my postman in the morning in the hope my books arrive tomorrow!!! Obligatory if you want to take part in official D&D events. The DDi tools are also up to date with it.
I have started "working" on a character - making notes etc going through the rules on making a character.
I'm very much aware that I'm on my own doing this, I mean I'll be "playing" on my own. I'm just not in a position to be part of a group. Is that okay? I don't know how my friend does it, because he's playing it by himself also... I will be asking him more questions when I write next
Does anyone else here play on their own?
I've ordered dice and I've got character sheets. What else do I need?
I got my "core set" with the Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook and Monster Manual.
I have started "working" on a character - making notes etc going through the rules on making a character.
I'm very much aware that I'm on my own doing this, I mean I'll be "playing" on my own. I'm just not in a position to be part of a group. Is that okay? I don't know how my friend does it, because he's playing it by himself also... I will be asking him more questions when I write next
Does anyone else here play on their own?
I've ordered dice and I've got character sheets. What else do I need?
A willing group of friends would be ideal, playing on your own is a bit like talking to yourself... maybe it is the most intelligent conversation/playing partner you'll ever get, but that's not what it was invented for.
You may want some visual aids to help you represent combat. Ideally tiles and miniatures. D&D is constructer around an inch-grid with 1' = 5ft (1,5m) scale, with a medium (human sized) character filling one square.
I'm very much aware that I'm on my own doing this, I mean I'll be "playing" on my own. I'm just not in a position to be part of a group. Is that okay? I don't know how my friend does it, because he's playing it by himself also... I will be asking him more questions when I write next
Does anyone else here play on their own?
I've ordered dice and I've got character sheets. What else do I need?
Playing by yourself is possible, but you'll only get to experience part of the game. The DMG has suggestions for "playing without a DM" or something in the back. It'll be a bunch of random encounters and you'll be able to get feel for the tactics and mechanics involved in the game. I think generating a character is very enjoyable and playing through combat can be satisfying.
But you'll be unable to experience more of the roleplaying aspects of delving into your character and interacting with other people's characters. So starting by yourself could be fine, but I'd suggest trying to find a group, even if its with the dreaded "strangers".
And for material, you might want to get some sort of map or grid for positioning of markers (mini or whatever you have around) representing the combantants.
Ok I will have a look for a map/tiles of some kind, even if I copy what's in the bank of one of the Core books, that should do for now!Scypio - I'll take a closer look at the DMG, so far have only really delved into the Player's Handbook!
Now to print out the info my penpal needs on races, classes and particular monsters