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Getting Started in D&D
Raikiri no Kris
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm new here so I'm not 100% sure if this belongs here.
For a while now I've been contemplating getting into D&D. Then I went online and did a bit of research and found that it was pretty crazy when it came to getting started, having to buy all the books and dice for it (I only have the one D20 but about 30+D6) and of course, the bane of all nerdkind, socialising with others in the real world. Then after getting over the socialising thing (it still haunts my nightmares though), I had the problem of choosing what edition to get, I understand that currently 4th edition is the currently supported version, but then I start reading about how 4th ed has made D&D stupid. After much searching online, reading through flame wars from 3.5 players and 4th ed players, I decided to do the smart thing and ask the people here, as I've only been a member for about 5 mins and seen about 20 D&D threads already, so I've got a little suspicion that you guys know what you're on about.
So my question is, how should I get into D&D and what edition should I get if I like it?
(Please no flame wars over editions, it just makes things more confusing + they're annoying for everyone else)
For a while now I've been contemplating getting into D&D. Then I went online and did a bit of research and found that it was pretty crazy when it came to getting started, having to buy all the books and dice for it (I only have the one D20 but about 30+D6) and of course, the bane of all nerdkind, socialising with others in the real world. Then after getting over the socialising thing (it still haunts my nightmares though), I had the problem of choosing what edition to get, I understand that currently 4th edition is the currently supported version, but then I start reading about how 4th ed has made D&D stupid. After much searching online, reading through flame wars from 3.5 players and 4th ed players, I decided to do the smart thing and ask the people here, as I've only been a member for about 5 mins and seen about 20 D&D threads already, so I've got a little suspicion that you guys know what you're on about.
So my question is, how should I get into D&D and what edition should I get if I like it?
(Please no flame wars over editions, it just makes things more confusing + they're annoying for everyone else)
Raikiri no Kris on
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Buy the Player's Handbook.
Go to any comic book store/card shop/gaming store and buy a set of dice (they are cheap!).
Buy a one month subscription to DDI (www.dndinsider.com)
Download the Character Builder and all its updates.
Unsubscribe to DDI, at least for now.
You now have everything you need to play D&D for years. Total cost is probably around $50.
Check the Wizards.com forums to find D&Ders near you.
Edit: DDI gives you rules for all the classes and powers added to the game after the first Player's Handbook. If you are a player (as opposed to a DM), there really is not reason to buy a physical book.
Honestly im trying to get some of my friends interested aswell, so should i buy the DMs Guide and monster manual aswell, that way we can all start off the same and then work up?(DMs need the monster manual, right?)
I'm going to have to order the books off amazon as no shops seem to sell them in my part of the UK, so it helps to know before I order. Dice aren't a problem because i can get them in my local wargames store. I think the one thing i wont be able to get ahold of is DDI because I'm not sure if it ships to the UK.
DMs should have the Monster Manual and DM Guide, yes. I'd actually also recommend the Dungeon Master's Guide 2, but now we're getting kind of pricey.
If you want to DM, the Adventure Tools program is extremely helpful (also available at dndinsider.com). It lets you easily modify monsters from the Monster Manual and create new monsters from scratch.
And the fluff is helpful for coming up with campaign ideas.
DDI has saved me a lot of money this year.
Even as a DM, I really like the Compendium for using monsters, even if it is lacking fluff and tactics suggestions.
Owning the DMG covers basic tactics for monster types well enough to get me started on an encounter setup... as do the adventure modules available with the Dungeon subscription.
Heck, now that I think about it the modules in Dungeon do me pretty well as a DM too, and there's enough content there that even the 1 month subscription + download errthing is a great option.
In Star Wars, too.
"It's not a dungeon guys. It's clearly an old jedi temple."
(or a cave... or sometimes a ship if it's boxy enough).
I see DDI is purely optional, just buying one monster manual has enough monsters for months if not years of play, and I like having physical books when actually playing.
Just go download Keep on the Shadowfell (it's free), that alone is all you need, besides the phb, for the first couple months of play. And some dice, yeah.
Any other advice for me before I buy?
It's basically 3.5 Advanced, and was designed for compatibility with the old 3.5 rules, while still fixing the broken parts and streamlining existing rules (See: Skill system).
The major advantage is the ability to use the gigantic library of 3.0 and 3.5 books with a minimal amount of conversion. You can also find them on the cheap in general, instead of paying $40+ for every new 4th Ed book.
Alternatives include the Dungeons and Dragons 4E Introductory Kit, which is only £7.46, or the Core Rulebook Set at the pricier £42.49, which gets you the PHB1, DMG1 and MM1. I would suggest getting the Introductory Kit to try it out and see if it's your thing, though I've never looked at it myself.
Also, if you want the Player Handbooks (for example, if you're not going to be a DM), you might want to look at the Player's Handbook Collection for £18.86, which gives you the PHB1 and PHB2. (or other players may want this if you end up DMing.)
The PHBCollection comes with a money-off offer on the Dungeons and Dragons Insider, though I've not tried that yet. The advice to subscribe for a month and get all the freebies and Keep on the Shadowfell is a good one though, that's a full (free!) adventure, and you'd have access to all the rules, though I'd want the PHB1 at least, as it's easier to learn the core rules from that than it is browsing the Compendium.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
If I were to just order the rulebook set, and then subscribe to DDI and download KotS, will I have to have my computer on to be able to play KotS, or can I just print the stuff off?
If its a matter of having my PC with me to be able to play I might go with the bundle and then subscribe to DDI for the Character Builder and Adventure Tools.
Can't answer the stuff on the free version of KotS, but I'd plan on having my netbook around anyhow, and printing out a map sounds like it'd definitely be possible. Or you could just use RPTools or something similar, and move everyone around on a computer screen. We were thinking of using this method for gaming in the living room, by installing all the software on our media center PC, for maps etc. It takes away the tactile nature of minis and/or counters, but the software's pretty good and keeps track of everything, and even has dice macros if you don't have dice.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
Just go get it right now, it's free. And it's just a pdf, so yeah, you can print it.
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/TryDnD.aspx
You can download enough stuff to get you started and not spend a dime. You only really need dice and if you own any kind of smartphone you can get a free dice rolling app.
Don't get me wrong. I love D&D and especially 4th edition but the books aren't cheap. This will give you and your players a taste before you start dropping a lot of money.
As for minis, I have a super cheap alternative I talked about on my blog
http://bnunes.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/of-maps-and-miniatures/
You can basically use anything for tokens.
Anyway I really hope you enjoy the game but I would recommend trying the quick start rules first or finding a local gaming group and seeing if you can play for a bit first using their stuff. I hope this helps.
- Blog: http://bnunes.wordpress.com -Twitter: @Nimrod108 -Wave bnunes@googlewave.com
Thanks for the links, I'll print the rules off and give it a go that way.
At least this way it means that I've not wasted £60+ if I don't like it, I ended up wasting about the same amount a few years back when I got the starter set for the LOTR tabletop wargame from games workshop. Worst waste of money ever.
How does one start DMing?
I met a guy who is like me, always been interested in playing DnD, but never actually knew how to get into it or knew anyone that was into it.
I've been in a few PbP games here on the boards, but aside from that my RPing experience is limited to video games. I'm sure his is as well.
Obviously if we're going to start off playing some DnD, one of us is going to have to be the DM. I don't mind doing this, but I need to know how to get into it. What's some good basic ideas to start with when getting into it with a new player? Or am I just over analyzing it. I'm sure we'll get into 4th ed.
I would start by reading the pre-published adventures Wizards puts out. You can download a free copy of Keep on the Shadowfell. Next go over and read some of the featured campaigns on Obsidian Portal. That should give you an idea of how a 4th edition game comes together. If you aren't playing D&D then look for fan websites of other RPGs and read what other people have put together.
Next, get a copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG) and the Monster Manual (MM). The DMG has all the rules and balancing options for building encounters and the MM has the monsters to fill them up.
Now start telling a story. It can be anything but start telling it using the encounters and skill challenges as scenes. In a shameless plug you can check out the D&D section of my blog. It has a poorly written recount of how my campaign is going but it may give you an idea of what is going on.
- Blog: http://bnunes.wordpress.com -Twitter: @Nimrod108 -Wave bnunes@googlewave.com
And if a player asks you 'what do I do next?' try to help them frame it in terms of their character. It can help immensely to make sure their characters are actually members of the world around them, and not just brooding loner orphans which just travelled to wherever the adventure is.
Right, I downloaded the free pdfs, and did a little bit of DM'ing for the keep on the shadowfell campaign. My group has currently got through the 3rd main encounter (just beat irontooth), and now we're just a little bit stuck because none of us have the patience to draw the mat for the first level of the keep (we DIY'ed a mat for encounters on the road and the lair).
So far the group is only me and 2 friends, both of them are using 2 pre made characters, the dragonborne paladin, half elf cleric, human wizard and the halfling rouge.
For the main hook quest we decided to go with the ruins of an empire quest, which really starts off a few questions now.
How does the ruins of an empire quest resolve? (I know the missing mentor results in seeing the phantom Kalarel thing, and then there is another that I've forgot.)
What mats come with the keep on the shadowfell book? (I know its definitely the road and the kobald hideout, and possibly the dragon burial site, but I'm not sure about the other 3 sides. All I know is that the keep itself is 3 levels, but not if all the levels are included on mats)
After having a stab at DM'ing, i need to try and make the game a bit more intriguing for players, and at the moment I suck at making an in depth experience, I'm just like "Kobald minion number one attacks the cleric, misses, your go", so how do I make the experience more in depth or become a better DM?
So far we're all enjoying the game, and while we might not know all the rules properly, we're all new to it so we'll all get better at the same pace.
For making the game interesting, consider narrating more in-character for creature actions, and encourage the players to do the same. Instead of "Kobold misses cleric," it would be more, "The impish creature jabs wildly at the cleric, but the blows have no force and glance off his chainmail doing no damage."
They're quite fantastic. The alternative is a chessex battle mat, which would also have to come from the states but can be much larger - you can only write on it with wet-erase markers though.
http://paizo.com/store/gameAids/gamingMats/steelSqwire/v5748btpy83yx
They're not quite as nice as a Chessex vinyl mat, but they are a fraction of the price. Also, you can use a wider range of markers on them.
The dice rolls are the mechanics, but you want to use those as the foundation to erect a 'temple of flavor' around. For example, if your kobold rolls poorly you might say 'Kruk (the kobold) is still off balance from your last strike, and swings wildly, missing you'. Now if he rolled solidly, but his roll was still lower than the players AC (probably because of the bonus from the players armor) you might instead say 'Kruk thrusts at you, but you manage to parry his attack and take no damage' or 'His swing grazes you, but your armor absorbs the force of the blow.'
Now if someone is casting a direct damage spell and misses, then you'd want to say something more like 'Kruk attempts to sear you with Scorching Burst, but you dodge out of the way just in the nick of time' because direct damage spells usually attack the Reflex defense. The same is true of attacks that target Fort, Willpower, etc.
With skill checks like Perception, remember that players might be alerted to something by any of their 5 sense - Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, and Taste (well, hopefully not taste!!
Ultimately adding that layer of flavor takes improvisation, familiarity with the rules of the game, and probably most importantly - practice.
One thing that may help is listening to other experienced DMs as they ply their trade... I'd highly recommend listening to the D&D/PA/PvP podcasts if you haven't already, I believe they are linked in at the bottom of the first post in the large sticky thread at the top of this forum.
I've found that if players really want gory descriptions of their own awesomeness, they'll probably provide them. Giving the enemies a little bit of personality can go a long way to keep players engaged in fights, and you can do it without pausing after each attack to do it.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
So tonight I plan on picking up the player's handbook 1 and 2 (if they still have the holiday bundle at Books-A-Million.
I know I'm going to need quite a bit of dice, so what do I need and how many? I know I'll need a d20 and probably some d10s and d6s.
What else should I get for starting out? I plan on keeping it pretty basic for now, and maybe work into more complex things if everyone actually gets into it.
Well I'm only just starting out and don't have loads of dice, but i do have one set of polyhedral dice, which includes a d20, a d12, 2 d10s, a d8, a d6 and a d4, but i have an extra d20 and about 36 extra d6s.
Some people prefer to play with their own set of dice but I've found that just passing dice around and sharing is good as well. If you're wanting to DM and have the screen up I'd suggest having your own set of dice just so its easier for the players.
If you want to keep things basic for the time being just get one set of polyhedral dice, which can probably be bought at your local hobby/war games store, and pass those around.
Maptools has a dice system in there. An idea I wanted to try out was to install the Maptools software on the media PC in the living room, and have all the maps, action and combat up there on the big screen where everyone could see it, and have all the dice rolled there to keep clutter on the coffee table to a minimum. Everyone said they wanted to pick the dice up and throw them, and move miniatures on a battlemat, however.
Downsides to my plan involved the Line of Sight system in Maptools, which is awesome, but it only works if each player is logged into the map individually, and has a pog/counter allocated to them (their character), so that it shows that player ONLY what that character can see. It even takes vision modes into account, like Darkvision, lightsources, and the like into account. We were looking into a way that would allow us to 'take turns' on the big screen on the one client so each round, the next character up is highlighted (it has an integrated initiative system, too) the mouse is passed to the right player, they make their rolls, move their counter, and can only see what their character could see, but we've not puzzled that out yet.
But yeah, Maptools is a possibility for a diceless alternative if you want to go that way.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
I would like to get a preset adventure/campaign to start them off with. Hope to keep things going smooth as well as give me ideas for the future. Also get them thinking about how they want to play the game with their characters and what to consider for the future when we make more "permanent" characters.
Yeah, check out the try D&D link in the main 4E thread's OP. You will need (and, honestly, want) the DMG for the treasure and encounter tables, eventually. This isn't 3.5's DMG and really does have a good amount of actual, real, and helpful advice regarding how to DM.
I've ordered the core rulebook set, KOTS and the DM's screen off amazon, but now theres one thing I need to know:
What Maps are included in Keep on the Shadowfell?
The reason I'm asking this is that on the wizards website it doesn't state which maps are included, I know that there are 6 maps included, but not which specific maps. Needless to say if they've only included 6 maps, and there are at least 8 maps in the book, then they've left 2 out (please tell me they aren't the main keep maps, they were the main reason my group stopped once we reached the first level of the keep, its far too annoying to draw out).
So, basically yeah, few/none of the main keep maps.