Getting Started (D&D)

tehgr8supa

So awhile back (before 3.5 came out), I became interested in the game and bought a PHB and MM. After poring over the PHB I came away with a pretty decent understanding of the rules, and then proceeded to play... once. I moved, had to make new friends etc etc... Didn't have anybody to play with, and my tomes sat in a box. Over the years, various other books have come into my possession (Psionics, Magic of Faerun, Complete Divine) but none of them recaptured me.

Until recently, when I moved into my own apartment and found my PHB. Now I know I need to buy some new books, but my question for you gentleman is this: What's the best way to get started, from the ground up?

hardxcore_conservative

You don't necessarily need to buy new books. If you want to play 3.5 and are concerned about the rules changes, you can consult the System Reference Document for a good idea of the new ruleset. (Can be found here in text format, and here or here in hypertext.)

DevoutlyApathetic

Honestly, if you and nobody you're playing with has played before nothing in 3.0 is stupidly bad. Haste is very good but not stupidly bad. You could just stick with what you've got.

tehgr8supa

I'm fine with buying new books (my PHB is in bad shape anyway). I'm just wondering, should I get a MM and DMG, too? And what starting pre-made campaigns would be good?

Reynolds

You could just stick with 3.0, the books for that should be cheaper if you find them used. You really don't need a DMG if you're just starting to play. Just need the MM for bad guys. The DMG becomes more useful if you play more than one or two games.

I've always made my own campaigns. But, I'm sure anything that Kenzer and Co. puts out is awesome.

DevoutlyApathetic

tehgr8supa wrote: »

I'm fine with buying new books (my PHB is in bad shape anyway). I'm just wondering, should I get a MM and DMG, too? And what starting pre-made campaigns would be good?

How Campaigny are you looking for? Do you want a detailed world the PCs can interact with and manipulate (This is much tougher to run) or do you want some modules that flow into each other?

For the later, The Sunless Citadel is the quintessential 3.x intro modules. It also doesn't suck, so it's worth a look.

For the former, the Dungeon Adventure Paths are pretty good, the Shattered City has some iffy balance at some point though.

Fallout

Isn't there a 3.5 D&D starter kit out there somewhere nowadays? I swear to god I saw one of those at a local game shop.

arclite

It's true, 3e (3.0) is fine. The core rules work very well, and in many ways 3.5 started as a tweaking of the 3.0 rules. If you want to "test the waters" so to speak, you can run with the 3e books and see if you and the people you play with enjoy it. If you do, I'd recommend getting the 3.5 core set (PHB, DMG and MM), only because the new material is all 3.5, and there are some new spells/feat/classes/options that wouldn't mesh with 3e.

SanderJK

If you are organizing, I would stick with your current books, but stay away from 3e psionics. 3.5 psionics should work well enough with 3.0, but 3.0 psionics is a broken mess that is almost guaranteed to be unfun.
(You do not make clear which book you own, 3.0 or 3.5)

If you are joining someone elses game, you'd probably want the 3.5 PHB to avoid rule differences. If you enjoy it, you can ask later on additional books that enhance whatever you want to play, but core only, while weaker then all the newest stuff, leaves enough room for a fun character.

tehgr8supa

Thanks a lot guys. (I have the Expanded Psionics, so I'm guessing it's 3.5)

Also, is there any kind of IRC DnD thing that you guys know of?

Reynolds

I think every D&D game we've tried to start here, to play over IRC, has failed for one reason or another. Strange.

Keamien

So, I'm out here in the middle of 'Mess'opotamia (HAHA it's funny because it's not original. No.. Wait, it's not) Anyway, a bunch of us soldiers want to run some D&D. None of us have ever played before, but we recently ordered a set of the basic three, plus we picked up a copy of the Eberron campaign setting. Unfortunately (Or fortunately, my imagination runs WILD) I am going to be DMing. Is there anything you folks should let us in on. We've got a basic first-level adventure to start us out on, but from there: nothing but a few plot hooks and campaign ideas.

EDIT: Also, we have a limited-ability to get things here. Online shopping takes <i> weeks </i> to show up, and the store (for whatever the reason that it sells DnD products, doesn't sell adventures or campaigns, just supplements. (Why is this in parentheses?))

Reynolds

You should prettymuch use the first adventure, if that campaign setting has a pre-made one, to see what your players like to do and how they approach problems. Then you're going to have to figure something out on your own.

There should be a page in the DMG that is just 101 random plot hooks. Skimming that usually inspires me. You can also probably search online and find a few homemade adventures.

I know I already said their name once, and I don't want to sound like I work for them or something...but I've seen the KoDT people, Kenzerco.com, send out free stuff to people in the armed forces that are stuck over there. Might want to go to their website and ask on the forums...the people in charge actually post there, and I sent the person who actually writes the comic a PM and gotten a responce the next day. So you've got a good chance at getting some help through them.

MrIamMe

I always sort of had a few plots here and there and a few ideas, but the group of friends I used to play with didn't like being led around by the nose.

So they struck off on their own, and I'd write stuff down as it came to me.

Basically they ended up screwing up badly, and being labeled as criminals, so they decided thats what their new goal was - greatest criminals ever!

There is no way to plan for campaigns where the players think outside the box a lot, so basically run with them, just keep notes, and throw them horrible surprises. Like modified decks of many things, where every card is bad....