What is reddit's opinion of
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set?
From 3.5 billion comments
created by @mouseofleaves
Popularity Score: 218
This product was mentioned in 309 comments, with an average of 2.27 upvotes
Best Comments
You can't go wrong with the starter set. I know you want it to be free, but it's not that expensive. I believe Ecuador now uses USD anyway?
And it's a good simple adventure to get kids hooked to D&D. You can simply play the first 2-3 chapters if you want to keep things simple for now.
The box contains everything you need to start playing. The adventure book, a basic rules book, pre-generated characters, and a set of dice.
Your DM is making a lot of rookie mistakes typical to brand new DM's. He's also likely to run the campaign into the ground almost immediately and turn the group off from playing.
I would like to recommend that you point out that 5e is incredibly well balanced and had an extremely long playtest before it was released. Because of this, the DM should pick up a Campaign module and run that. I would like to recommend Lost Mine of Phandelver. It's a starter module that's incredibly good at covering everything for new players to D&D, and it starts with pre-generated characters so you can all learn together (or you can roll your own if you like). It comes in the D&D Starter Set, and you can get it on Amazon for dirt cheap (I'll add a link at the bottom).
Everybody will learn and have fun with it, and then from there you can start your own campaign having had an experience that is just all around fun.
Give it some serious consideration. I can't stress enough that a DM acting ham fisted and throwing rules out the window right off the bat is just going to ruin everything.
Oh, and if you do pick up a module, do NOT pick up Horde of the Dragon Queen. It's brutally hard to begin and the balancing at the start is way off. You are almost guaranteed to lose half your party if not more. That is NOT a well balanced module at all.
I highly recommend the starter kit
It includes the basic rules, and a great first campaign. It has everything you would need and is half off! Ontop of that you can find all kinds of advice/tutorials on youtube to go with the starter kit (Lost Mines of Phandelver)
Best option for first time is to find 3-5 friends and go pick up one of these bad boys [link]
The easiest to run is The Lost Mine of Phandelver, the adventure included in the Starter Set.
Since it's meant for beginners, it outlines what you need to do and how to do it pretty well.
Grab yourself the Starter Set, which usually goes for about $15 on Amazon. It's the perfect starting place.
starter kit This starter set is a fantastic place to begin.
I always recommend Lost Mine of Phandelver. I hear it comes in the starter set now. Maybe it always did. I got it from a player.
Anyways...
It's easy to get through, has loads of side quests, and is lots of fun. I've run it twice and played it once.
Good luck!
Start with the latest edition. 5th Edition. It is VERY beginner friendly and easy enough to learn and understand for even the newest of players. The best way to start is to get the 5e Starter Set. It includes the basic rules, one set of dice, a set of character sheets (some premade and one clean for copyprinting) and the adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver, which explains the DM step by step how to run it and how the mechanics work.
If you haven't played much of the game yourself, you're essentially having to create a world and write stories for your players all while balancing encounters, designing dungeons and dealing with things like power creep, narrative flow, game balance, mood - not to mention the basic rules and what the different classes can do etc...
So why not simplify that a little? We'll take the world creation and adventure writing and we'll outsource that to a tried and true pre-written adventure. While we're at it, we can go ahead and use an adventure made specifically for new DMs.
So, what you do is you review that and go ahead and run it for your players. You can feel free to switch things around, or add your own stuff in, but for the most part you're going to play it as-is.
While you're doing that you're going to quickly learn some really crucial stuff like how to run a table, the basic rules, proper encounter balance, proper loot balance, proper adventure structure etc...
This is really important because that module is going to fly by fast, and by the end of it you want to have those things down as a good foundation as you turn to writing your own adventures.
It's not the only way to approach the issue, it's really not. What I've found, though, is that it gives you the highest chance of running an enjoyable first adventure.
Honey, where are you looking? On Amazon, new is around $20 or less.
Maybe you're looking at hardbound, which is not how the set is typically printed.
To add to that, /u/JeMangeLeButt, there's an actual starter pack which is pretty cheap.
The premade adventure is for 3-4 players, but it's possible to make it with 1 player if you scale down the amount and strength of ennemies, which might require a little experience to do properly (but that's what trying out is for, isn't it), or play multiple characters.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set (D&D Boxed Game) [link]
Other than this I don't think it gets much more basic. You don't need the DMG at all. It's awesome but not required. Understanding the PHB is imo very important. Of course, with a little creativity you can wing a lot of rules but the games will mesh better when you follow the rules provided. As you play the entire group will learn the game better and things will go smoother.
as others have recommended. i'd definitely recommend the starter's set. it includes the basic rules (which you can also download for free from WotC) and also a quality starter adventure module. since your boys are young, i'd highly recommend you learn the rules yourself and run the game for them (called Dungeon Master or DM - a person that sets up the scene/story and adjudicates the actions of the players).
the starter's set really is bang for your bucks. and if you guys enjoy it enough, you can buy the full rulebooks (player's handbook, monster's manual, and dungeon master's guide - the first two are essential. DMG is also excellent and i'd consider it essential but you don't necessarily need it to start playing - and if you're on a budget, get the player's handbook first out of the three).
Edition: It matters a ton. My recommendation is 5E, which is both excellently designed and readily available. See r/dndnext for it's home on reddit.
Grab the starter set and go. It is all you need to begin.
Lost Mines of Phandelver is an excellent start to DMing in 5th Edition. It is in the Starter Set, which is around 17 dollars on Amazon right now. It comes with a set of dice and some starter character sheets.
The advice about fucking around is only as accurate as you allow it to be. Yes, 90% of what you have planned is probably not going to go how you wanted it to, but that is something you have to expect. Offering the illusion of choice ("We want to take the right passageway"; when in fact you have it planned that both passageways go to the same 'encounter') is very effective at this without making it feel rail-roadey. If you run your group very casual a lot of chuckle-fuckery will go on, but some people like that. For instance, my group is very casual even though I do not like it that much, I go along with it. That means that yes, I may have to repeat myself, but everyone is having fun. If you want a more serious experience in your games you can do something like have everyone put their phones in the table and pay attention at least 85% of the time. It really is up to you as the DM.
The best advice I can give you is just to roll with the punches. Don't try to force people to play how you want them to play (unless it's something that is objectively bad, like party members killing/stealing from each other for no VALID reason), but do try to keep control of what is going on at your table. Remember, YOU are the one that is in charge.
Best of luck. DMing is hard but extremely rewarding.
Here is a link to the Starter Set everyone is recommending. The adventure inside of it is quite nice. It includes pre-generated characters in it as well.
Downloading the Basic Rules, or purchasing the Starter Set may be your best bet. Those are a lot less intimidating.
I would also recommend just having them create the characters with you, the DM. As they have questions, refer to the books or answer them yourself, then go through the game. This is better if at least a couple others know the rules to help along, but sometimes just playing is the quickest way to learn! It's how I learned 3.5. :P
7 or 8 people would be do-able but could get chaotic. Maybe see how often people could come on a regular basis and decide from there?
And easiest way to teach people would probably be the basic rules or just jumping into a one-shot or short module for them and walking them through. :)
Can't go wrong with the starter set. The adventure Lost Mine of Phandelver that is included is solid and has advice on how to run things for new DMs and players. Also comes with a small set of dice and premade characters with helpful info on level progression.
As with most premade adventures, it's tailored to a party of 4 PCs. It's not too difficult though, and fewer PCs can easily run it successfully with some minor tweaks to some encounters.
It's a pretty short campaign, but I'm glad I did it to help get me started. You can find it in the 5e Starter Set.
Here is the starter set with an adventure, rules, characters, and all that jazz for 5e. It's really well done, and since you seem to be a bit practiced, it's not hard to make some changes. 5e is really flexible for the DM to make calls and alter on the go when things don't go as planned. [link]
> I haven't had a chance to try DND 5e yet due to me being cheap.
You could begin by trying the 5e Starter Set. Apparently it's just $12 on Amazon and it comes with the rules, pregenerated characters, a wonderful adventure and 6 dice (So it's actually just ~$7 for the game itself)
If you're just starting out, I encourage you to try out first. Dungeon World is a great system too, but you may struggle if you're just starting out as a GM. It may not have as many rules, but it doesn't mean it's easy.
There is a DnD starter set for around $20 (CAN) available. It comes with dice, a pre-made adventure, pre-made character sheets. I used it when I first started DnD and I grew from there. It helps give you a base understanding of how to play it. Here is the link to it on Amazon if you want to see what it includes specifically or what it looks like.
D&D 5th edition has a starter kit as well. It walks everyone (including the Dungeon Master) through the game pretty easily as first timers and also comes with a set of dice. It also has pre-made characters as well, if people don't want to make their own characters (or if it feels too daunting).
Oh! You're entire group is new? Then all you need are pencils and the D&D Starter Set: [link]
If you guys complete it and had fun, THEN get a Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide. I recommend everyone getting a PHB, but have at least two for the group.
You can get the D&D starter set for about $12 on amazon right now. Comes with everything you need to start playing and the rules for the newest edition (5th) are pretty darn simple and streamlined. This is the easiest it's ever been to get into tabletop rpgs.
Appreciate your reply.
I got this box from Amazon: [link]
I don't know if that answers your question, is there anything specific I can look at the box to figure out which edition it is?
Starter Kit. It has a booklet of the basic rules, some premade characters, and a premade campaign. I bought something similar for another system I wanted to try, great way to learn without investing. I would not buy the book without trying this if none of your friends are already experienced with RPGs. The booklet should explain everything for the campaign, and all the basics. Being rules heavy, D&D might take a few times to read through.
And go to the RPG night.
It is a really fun time. 3 hours every other week, the guys come over, we tell a great story (those fuckers just took down my sith lord and his apprentice like you might swat a fly), drink, and have a good time. Do iiiiit.
Also, feel free to PM me questions or whatnot.
I would say no, but it depends on the person. If every player is a newbie, then it shouldn't be an issue, since they won't notice mistakes or bad practices and what not. If one of them isn't a newbie, then have them DM. It might also be easier if you start off with a published adventure, but since even though it tells you what to say and do, there is the constant possibility and fear that players will act different than in the book, and you will be afraid of having them do something that will throw the entire thing off. It also like doubles the amount of initial reading and cost investment.
If you do decide to go that route, this might be the best option, it is only levels 1-6 rather than 1-15 like most of the other ones (Level caps at 20), but I think that is to its benefit here.
And it also comes with the free version of the rules in paper format, a set of dice, and pregenerated characters.
If I were you I DM a game based on the free PDF online, and pregenerated characters, and if you and your friends like it, buy the three rulebooks, whoever decides to be the DM would be greatly benefited by buying the DM guide and reading it, it will set you on the right path to being good at it.
If me and my friends wanted to try D&D out, where should we start? Should we start with this?
Starting a campaign completely from scratch as a new DM can be overwhelming. It's not something I could have done, that's for sure.
The DnD 5e Starter Set costs about 14 dollars on amazon at the moment.
If you could spare it then I can recommend it.
For the rest take a look around and post in subs that help with being a DM such as /r/DnDBehindTheScreen and /r/AskGameMasters
There's an official D&D Starter Set that has everything you need to get started. It's fairly cheap but be warned, it can turn into an expensive hobby once you start buying all the books and accessories.
Is this the one you were talking about btw?
It depends on how much you want to get into it. If you and your group can settle down for a few hours and play, then it can be more fun than any board game on the market. However, it has some steep requirements- Namely, the price of the books and learning the rules.
There is a 5th edition starter set on amazon for fairly cheap. Here it is. If you can convince your friends to play and convince another to take the legendarily daunting mantle of "Dungeon Master" (Or become the Dungeon Master yourself) then you can have a lot of fun, and this can let you know if you're gonna enjoy it. It's all you need to play D&D in it's simplest form.
If you like the starter set, the only books you NEED to play the full version of D&D are the Monster Manual and Player's Handbook, just make sure you're getting the ones for 5th edition, because there are multiple iterations from different editions. Dungeon Master's Guide, while not required, can help you in creating an amazing story and campaign that your players will love.
After that, it's just branching out, seeing what you like and don't like about D&D, and learning from others. If you're into it, go to r/DnD - We're a good lot of folk who have numerous tools to help newer players.
As others have mentioned, the 5e starter set is a great way to get going. 5th edition is a great 'newbie' edition to learn, even if no one in the party has previous tabletop experience. The Starter Set comes with basic rules, some dice, some pre-made characters (and instructions on how to make your own) plus everything you need to run your own adventure (monsters and maps included).
It's $12, which is pretty cheap for all that. If you find you really like it, I would look into the three core books of 5th edition:
The Players Handbook (How to make characters, do stuff, fight things, customize your character, etc.)
The Dungeon Master's Guide (How to set up encounters, adventures, campaign settings, loot, balancing the game, items, etc.)
The Monster Manual (every monster stat block you could want for an adventure!)
But that comes later I would expect!
As others said, 5e is a really great choice for new players. There is a starter set ([link]) for 5e that comes with several pre-made characters, printed copies of the basic rules (including how to make a character from them), a set of polyhedral dice, and a pre-made campaign that walks the DM through every step of running the game.
I think the last part would be invaluable to you. Most dice sets run about $7 USD each, and a campaign book similar to the one included (Lost Mines of Phandelin) would run you about $10 new, so getting it for $12 is a pretty good deal. If you decide you like it, you can go pick up the three core books.
>First: Which edition?
This one:
>Second: AC is "Meet or Beat". Your d20 roll plus modifiers can be equal to the value, and it's still a hit.
Right. I just thought having an AC of 18 would mean it would be virtually impossible to hit them. I guess I need to pay attention to the "+X to hit".
You could run D&D as a tile-based game with dice. Obviously you would be missing out on all of the creativity and narrative, but it can be done. (Some people like board games, but don't like role playing.)
I will point you to the other people here who suggest the fifth edition starter set. You can find it here: [link]
To all those interested and want to try D&D 5e with people new to RPGs, check out the Starter Set.
It's dirt cheap at $12 and contains everything you need for new players.
Comes with all the rules, 5 pre-made characters, set of dice, and a pre-writen adventure.
All you need to add is pencils, erasers, and a notebook for at least 12 hours of fun with 1 Dungeon Master and 2 to 5 players.
It's the ideal package if you don't know where to start. The free basic rules are great but the barrier of entry can be still too high for new players and a new Dungeon Master. The Starter Set shows you the possibilities and easily guides you toward creating your own story and characters.
I highly recommend it. It's probably the best entry point for tabletop RPGs right now.
Why not pick up the starter set from amazon? It's only like $10 and has everything you need to get started. All you've got to do is get them to consent to one session and I bet they'll be hooked.
If you haven't gotten to try it yet, the newest version has starter set for about $12.
Comes with an abridged rulebook (the set is designed for characters up to level 5, so it doesn't give you any spells they wouldn't have access to, or monsters that they wouldn't be able to face), a pre-written adventure, a set of dice, and some pre-made characters (Obviously, you're free to make your own instead though)
I highly recommend it for anyone who's interested in getting started with tabletop RPGs. The newest version of D&D is designed to be very beginner friendly. This set lasted my group almost a full year, playing about twice a month for about 3 hours a session, so you'll definitely get $12 of enjoyment out of it if you can get an eager group together.
this has all you need to get started for about 12 bucks. If you enjoy it, then you can get the core books or use the free basic rules on line.
also - listen to our podcast :) Our goal is helping new people learn how to play. www.therpgacademy.com
Honestly I would recommend buying to introductory adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver in the starter set boxed set. It is designed to hold your hand through the first adventure and several character levels. Very good introduction to novice DMs and players.
I highly suggest not starting with your own homebrew world. Start with a published adventure. You'll learn so damn much on your first playthrough of it. The Starter Set is an amazing deal for the price.
My main piece of advice is expect the players to not do what you planned. That makes it important to be relatively prepared for them to go in just about any direction.
As others have said, free rules are online for 5E.
The Starter Set is also a fantastic first buy. Tons of material and great for new players. It has everything you need to start playing.
If you want to test the waters, I highly recommend the Starter Set. It's fairly cheap
It comes with the basic rules, a premade adventure (titled "The Lost Mines of Phandelver") and some pre-generated characters sheets (but nothing is stopping you from making ones from scratch or modifying them).
I've played through the first part and it's been great so far.
I agree. I have played 2e, 3rd, pathfinder, 4e and 5e. Plus some other games. And 5e is most user friendly.
I'd also recommend starting out with a premade module. I have not played it but everyone says lost mines of phandelver are a real favorite. And the starter set is really good deal: [link]
Your idea for session 0 is a great way to start out with new players. Get a feel for what they want and just because you use a premade quest doesn't mean you can't tweak things for the entertainment of your group.
5E, no question. It's the best edition of D&D ever made. The Starter Set is affordable and has all you'll need to start playing.
Feel free to ask questions here and at r/dndnext (if you go with 5E). You can shoot me a message, too. :)
For the record, I hate Pathfinder. It is horrible for new players.
Maybe start with a published adventure? That way, all the core work is done for you, which leaves you room/time to ad-lib, modify, and tweak to your liking.
5E's starter set is popular, and great for new, or returning, DMs. Plenty of loose ends to work with.
If someone purchases this, it will be all a group needs to get started and play for quite a while. It's a very affordable way to get into the game.
You can purchase the book supplement alone for $12.85 here if you are able to have shipping from the USA.
Are your players also new? If so I'd suggest the Starter Set It gives you more streamlined versions of what you need (PHB, Monsters, and DM guide) as well as a good adventure to get you and your players started and in the groove of things. It makes your investment a little bit less as all of that can add up VERY quickly and allows you to jump into the game and learn everything
It helped me a lot to watch video of actual play, because it gave me an idea of how a game flowed. Acquisition's Inc, Dice Camera Action, and Critical Role are all good examples. Just don't expect your game to be exactly the same, since in real life most of us aren't actors or entertainers.
I'd also recommend looking for friends who want to play and starting there. The Starter Set is the cheapest way to get everything you need to start a game in fifth edition, and the included adventure is pretty fun. I'd recommend three to five players in addition to the DM.
It's easiest to learn together IRL, but like others have said, Roll20 is a nice free platform for playing online. I use it myself because while my D&D group is made of mutual friends, we are scattered around the country. Sometimes the hardest part of D&D is getting your group together regularly, so having an online platform helps since no transportation is needed.
here is the starter set!
A good place to start is the Starter Set (link below). It has basic rules, a set of dice, and an adventure that will potentially take characters from 1st to 5th level.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set (D&D Boxed Game) [link]
I would start with updating to 5e. There is a starter kit for $12 on amazon. (Link below) This would be a better place to start and would be more forgiving to learn DMing.
Get the 5e Starter Set for $12 on Amazon. It has ALL you need including dice and 5 pregen characters.
You will do hundreds of things "wrong." Realize this now and stop worrying about it. Just keep moving and have fun.
Also, start with the starter set. It was designed for you.
I'd recommend the Starter Set if you can still get it in time. It's written specifically for people who have never played before, and goes from level 1 to about 5. After that, if you feel comfortable you can just roll into a homemade game or start a new one altogether.
So first off, if you're looking for a group: r/LFG, local game shops, or a virtual tabletop environment (roll20, fantasy grounds, etc), or lookingforgm.com are your best friend.
If you're looking to start your own group with your friends in your local area, there's tons of tips and ways to get started as both a GM and as a player! With the 5th Edition Starter Set you and your friends can dive into the current iteration of DnD and play a pre-written adventure. This includes a lot of content and a basic set of the rules. It's fast, it's cheap (like way cheaper than the other adventure modules), and it'll get you right into the game once somebody steps up to GM.
The D&D Starter Set is the best way to take players from level 1-5, and many of the other adventure paths have suggestions for tying into it. It's less than $20 and includes dice.
Do it! It takes a bit of research and planning, but, there's nothing else like it. And the newest edition is fantastic.
If you decide to, have whoever decides to DM get this:
It has literally everything you need to get started, and enough content to play for several months or more. Feel free to ask if you have questions.
Here is the D&D 5th edition starter set to see if he/you would like it. [link]
D&D is a great bonding experience and can really make you have long lasting hilarious stories you can reflect back on together and with friends.
Dungeon & Dragons Starter Set
Short, basic rules for DM and for players, pregenerated characters and campaign. If you like it, you can then expand and get the DMG, Player's Handbook and Monster Manual and start making your own adventure, or buy some of the adventure books.
I'd say get the starter set as it has a decent module and even premade characters to practice with.
Good character sheets help keep the numbers organized (practice with the premades!).
Monsters are fine, but there needs to be a story. Types of NPCs are in the MM (towards the back are some humanoid typical people types). Start with a structured module to get a feel before you jump into building a world.
And above all have fun!
If you are playing 5e then the 5e starter set provides a great adventure that covers levels 1-5. If you go through it and feel like you're getting a hang of things by the end of it you can always jump off into your own homebrewed campaign after you finish.
it's not free, and it's not really a one shot, but the Starter Set is a good place to ease into the rules.
I recommend the starter set for new players. Has stuff already setup for the DM and requires little preparation. Also has premade characters. It's a good bang for your buck.
Once you've got some experience under your belt then you can try to tackle innistrad. Can even do something like teleport them there via arcane means to keep their characters. Have any questions feel free to ask.
My advice is to start with a published adventure. This will be much easier for you, as a new DM. You'll learn tons. This is the standard starter adventure for 5E:
Hi, I'm trying to get myself (and potentially my friends) into DnD. I've seen a couple of starter kits, but I was wondering if there were any recommendations from this subreddit?
I have only read the Player's Handbook for 3.5e, but I'm looking to get into 5e.
This deal from amazon being the first I found and seemed to be good for starters, but I wanted some more experienced feedback.
In addition to roll20 which was suggested elsewhere, the starter kit is FANTASTIC for starting out in person. It has the rules you need to get going, options for custom character creation and pre-made characters if you just wanna jump right in. The adventure is a fantastic starting adventure that provides good hooks into a well established area (Faerun/Toril, also known as the Forgotten Realms), and its easy to run as a DM. I provided a link to the canadian amazon store for the product. You might not be able to pick it up from there, but that is the product to keep an eye out for.
Run a published adventure. This is far easy and will get you used to running games in general the system specifically. This is the standard for 5E and it's excellent:
Oh okay, I'll probably gonna invest then into the basic set.
Is this something that would be worth it?
Two main options:
Attempt to find someone with prior experience to DM for you/teach you as you learn by playing (Might be easier once you start but likely much harder to find/will take longer before you can start), or
One of you takes on the DM role and you start playing! (Will require more work for the DM)
If you go option 2 (which I recommend), check out the 5e Starter Set ([link])
This gives you all the rules you need to play, a complete adventure module for the DM to run, and pre-generated character sheets that go up through level 5. Oh, and a set of dice. If you and your friends split the cost it'll be less than 7 bucks a person for enough content to easily give you 20+ hours of playtime. The DM can also find plenty of videos online of people playing the included module and giving advice from a DM perspective on how to run it to get started.
Save your group months of headaches and start with 5E. It's a much better system: elegant and intuitive. Buy the Starter Set. it's less than $20 and has a complete adventure that can last you all months.
To help represent combat or unique locations mostly. Abilities, movement and positioning are easier to see if you use a grid to define where everything is. 1 square represents 5ft. It's not needed, but most of us have an easier time visualizing what's going on when we can actually see a representation. Like chess you can play it in your head, but much easier with a board set up. But they come in many varieties and at various price points.
It's also fun to collect minis to use, but those are totally optional and expensive so start with pennies or dice and buy things as you actually need/want them.
I would recommend you get the starter set for 5e. Comes with everything you "need" to get started and if you like it you can buy the players handbook and such from there.
Just like everyone else. Ima suggest lost mine of phandelvar.
But it is also sold at Wal-Mart sometimes and Barnes and noble and all gaming magic card stores.
It has phandelvar inside it. And some dice. And level 1 characters. With this and the players handbook you will be just fine..
Read what the other dude posted starting with tl:Dr and buy this box. Then profit. And kill your friends.
The Starter Set (Lost Mines of Phandelver) is like $16 on Amazon, so it's not a big investment, you don't need to shell $100 to get the PHB and MM and DMG just yet, and it contains everything you need to get started, basic rules, the adventure booklet, and some pregen characters.
Even comes with a set of dice.
Here's a thought, I might be a bit hestitant with 12 year olds, but you might be able to post about a kids game in fantasy grounds on the Looking For Group Page (fantasy grounds is an online tabletop simulator). Another option would be to go to Adventure's League at your local hobby store. It will probably be mixed ages, but it might give you some perspective on the game. The last suggestion would be to just buy the DM's guide and Order a copy of the lost mine of phandelver (available in the D&D starter set) [link]
Also, remember rule zero: "Roleplaying games are entertainment; your goal as a group is to make your games as entertaining as possible." You don't need to do the rules perfect to have fun.
I had never played before, so I bought the Starter Set, then I asked my friends and people I knew via facebook if they wanted to play. So now I DM twice a month for a guy from my church and his brother, some friends, and a woman from my gym. We're having a blast.
Es gibt auch einen Beginners Guide von Dungeons & Dragons (Amazon Link. Ist zwar auf Englisch, dafür mit vorgefertigten Charakteren und einem Leitfaden für den GM. D&D ist sicher nicht unbedingt das einfachste System für den Einstieg, aber vielleicht ist es ja etwas für eine spätere Runde.
It's not too expensive, only $17 on Amazon (if you're in the US). If everyone chips in for it, it may only end up being $4-5 per person. That's cheaper than seeing a movie.
The Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide are pretty essential, you can make due without a monster manual for a bit but one of those is highly recommended (you can get them new but they are all a bit pricey so you may want to hunt around a bit for good deals)
Just Google: 5e Player Handbook 5e Dungeon Masters Guide 5e Monster Manual You'll find links immediately to places you can buy them
If you are a creative person and want to be the dungeon master (aka what Abed does) coming up with your own world to play in is very fun and very rewarding but if you feel you could use some help or want to get into the game very quickly and not spend to much time developing your own world you can use some campaign books that have a story set up for you (my favourite so far has been Hoard of the dragon queen but there are tons of others)
Wizards of the coast (current producers of dungeons and dragons) has an official starter set as well that comes with pregenerated characters, dice, and a short story you could try out
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
The 5E "box set" is an adventure from levels 1 to 5, called the Starter Set.
It was only called "Next" in playtesting. Just Fifth Edition now.
I suggest with the starter set. It has everything you need to play. It comes with a premade adventure, set of dice, and an abbreviated Player's Handbook. Might take you around 30 hours to complete. Once you finish the adventure build your world from the adventure, or you can purchase another adventure book and continue with your current characters.
Also, you can search this subreddit for beginner DM advice because this question is asked multiple times a day. Then you will get more tips then five or six replies here.
This is the Starter Kit I own. Apparently it is the best way to get started as you get the basic rules and an adventure.
I assume if I ever get into it I will buy the player's guide, but apparently everything you need to run that adventure (which should take an age. Some people say about 6 months of play sessions) and there is no filler i.e. stuff you do not need to know yet.
The starter set, of course. it was designed for you. It easily transitions into a very strong adventure, Storm King's Thunder, as well.
I would recommend the Starter Set: [link]
It comes with a set of basic rules (you have them online for free too), a good premade adventure for you to run, a set of dice and some pregenerated characters.
Usually the local game stores have them or can order it for you if they don't have them in stock.
They are also available on online stores such as amazon [link] but I don't know how much they cost with shipping (if free shipping is over 20 or 25$ some minis or extra dice always come in handy and also you don't have to pay the shipping fee)
> Hello There.
Master Kenobi!
Jokes aside, get the 5th edition starter set. It is the best way to start out getting a grasp of the rules, and offers a great adventure to boot. There is no better way, hands down!
That's exactly what i did. This starter set teaches you how to play and DM
It comes with a premade characters, a small adventure, rules booklet and one set of 7 polyhedral dice.
As a beginner DM you'll mess up. You'll certainly wont get many rules right and thats ok. As long as you have fun. If you need help just head on to r/DnD or you can find tutorials on YouTube.
So the D&D 5e Starter Set adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver is actually pretty great and lines up with what you're looking for rather well.
Starter Setis usually about $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It takes the party from level one to about level five depending on what they do.
It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
It also leaves the group near Neverwinter, at level 5, and sets them up perfectly to start off Princes of the Apocalypse, Storm King's Thunder, or a homebrew campaign because anything you want to do you can find on the Sword Coast or catch a boat out of Neverwinter and be off.
The starter set is available at bookstores like Barnes & Noble or even at Target. (I wish they had them at Walmarts because they're more ubiquitous.) Also if you have Amazon Prime it's $12 right now: [link]
You don't actually need to speed money on anything else but a set of dice (and even then you can use an app for the rolls). The basic rules can be found online. Otherwise I would recommend the starter set. It has pre made characters, some dice, rules, and an adventure (if I remember correctly). Plus, it's currently on sale.
No worries, also you and I could just run something small. But with a decent amount of preparation and watching those videos, you should have at least a basic grasp of things.
Did you get the starter set? It comes with a GREAT beginner DM friendly adventure: Lost Mines of Phandelver.
The Starter Set was designed for you and is excellent.
I got really addicted and bought the players handbook, monsters Manuel, and Dungeon master guide probably the first week of playing and read them like crazy. I’m not suggesting that everyone does that, it can hit the bank account pretty hard. There is a cheaper starter set;
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
It has the basic rules and a quick campaign to run with character sheets for a few people.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
The D&D starter set is a great place to start. For slightly more than a set of dice you get rules, premade characters, dice, and a starting adventure for you and your friends.
I like the expansion called "Dungeons & Dragons" since it adds both more dungeons, and also dragons. The dragons are really a nice touch. They've got a nice box set that's usually under $20, and for people who get really into it, you can play the "advanced" rules. Also, mind flayers. Seriously; if you enjoy Dungeon!, and you haven't already given D&D a shot, consider it.
Not legally no. This sub is very non-piracy.
$20 should be pretty doable. Maybe have everyone chip in $4-5.
You can see what the cost is on www.dndbeyond.com/sources/lmop
But I think it's cheapest on Amazon ($16 + shipping or free if you have Prime): [link]
Going to dinner or a movie is significantly more expensive.
Do I need to know every rule? I just found a link on Amazon to buy a starter set, but would that be enough?
Is this the right one?
> So me and my friends want to get into D&D but we don't really understand how/where to chose an adventure to begin with and also confused on some aspects of character creation, such as skill point allocation.
I mean the best place to start is with the D&D starter set because it comes with everything you need to start - an introductory adventure, character sheets, the basic rules, and dice. Since the Lost Mine of Phandelver is a published adventure, your DM can find a lot of YouTube videos of groups running it (I think DM'ing is one of those things that it's hard to understand from just the rules, it's really helpful to see someone do it.)
You say "skill point allocation" which makes me think you have 3rd Edition sourcebooks right now, or that you're mixing sourcebooks between 3rd and 5th edition. This doesn't work terribly well - it's better to start with only 5th edition stuff to begin with, and you can investigate earlier editions of the game later on. The D&D Starter Set is 5th edition, as is the current Player's Handbook.
Good luck, have fun!
Hey there, there are a couple of ways to get started. It really depends on how much money you want to spend. It can range from free, to around 20 bucks, to maybe like 100.
For the free start go to this website and it has basic rules and character sheets; [link]
For the around 20 bucks option buy the starter set. Here it is on Amazon; [link]
For the more expensive option you can buy the players hand book, a pre-made quest, some dice, and some miniatures. I hope this helps. It's my favorite hobby so if you have any more questions I'll try and answer them =)
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode covers a lot of the rules new players need.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
If you want to start your own group with friends or other newbies, I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun. You can always swap in custom characters once the group is comfortable with the basics.
You can also grab the free Basic Rules PDF though which will have a little more in it than the Starter Set including some core character generation options.
The Players Handbook contains the full rules and will run about $30. You can wait to see if D&D is for you and get by with the Starter Set or Basic Rules though. Of you have the funds or plan to stick with it though snagging at least one PHB up front will do you wonders.
Absolutely any questions you have at any point you can just respond to one of my comments and I'll gladly help out.
Great news! You don't need to buy anything. You can play D&D as soon as you want without spending a dime.
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources:
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
You can find the basic rules for free here.
Find a group of 3-5 friends who are also interested and get together to buy the Starter Set.
Play through that, and by the end you should
a) Know if you actually like D&D or not
b) Know enough about the rules to continue playing
Great news! You don't need to buy anything. You can play D&D as soon as you want without spending a dime.
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources:
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
Check out this video series on Youtube for some basics.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
Not having the Player's Handbook isn't gonna slow you down on the Starter Set... it has all the core rules you need to play... but you wont have character creation rules and a few other things. You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF though which will have a little more in it than the Starter Set including some core character generation options.
If you don't have the full group of five players you might want to check out this tool that lets you know a decent way to rebalance some of the Starter Set fights.
I made a little video for brand new DMs who will be looking to run the Starter Set. It does have spoilers so the players shouldn't watch it, but there are some decent pointers and important rules explanations in there (in my biased opinion). I'll be making one for the player's side of things when I have time.
> Runebound, Legacy of Dragonholdt and Descent are very good looking RPGs
They are damn fine games, but they aren't rpgs - they are boardgames. Fantasy Flight Game does produce rpgs though, like Genesys, Legend of the Five Rings, End of the World, Edge of the Empire, etc.
> Are those good starts to dwelve into tabletop RPGs? Or do you recommend classic suited Pathfinder, D&D, and/or Shadowrun games?
D&D5e has a dirt cheap Starter Set and the basic rules available for free on their official website. That's a good place to begin, but many other games have cheap or free starter sets and adventures too.
> Will probably start playing solo for a time (it will take time to convert my wife into RPGs).
There are very few tabletop rpgs that are meant to be played solo - mostly because they usually rely on the interaction between a Game Master and one or more players. You might want to give Fighting Fantasy books like The Warlock of Firetop Mountain a shot in the meantime, or look for a group you can join (there is a sub for that called /r/lfg), since getting your feet wet is the best way to learn playing and even running rpg sessions.
Nope. You can play with a brand new DM if you want. The Starter Set adventure is especially made for this.
The Starter Set is designed for 1 DM and 4-5 players. More on that below.
D&D is what you make of it. If your table wants it to be all in character talking, with voices, and super serious...knock yourself out. If you want it to be have a few beers, roll some dice, and have Jack In the Box tacos with your friends while making dick jokes... have at it. No one can tell you how to play RPGs.
Due to a time crunch and the fact that I've been playing for decades, I'll skip this for now in favor of copying some other information for ya:
Here is my info dump for DMs wanting to run the Starter Set:
Tutorials
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode covers a lot of the rules new players need.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
I made a video for brand new DMs who will be running the Starter Set. It does have spoilers so the players shouldn't watch it, but there are some decent pointers and important rules explanations in there (in my biased opinion).
Tools
Don't have five players? This tool shows you how to rebalance the fights.
These cheat sheets are really handy for some folks.
Maps & Handouts
I made an Actions In Combat handout that I print out for each player.
This album of Maps for the campaign are free use. If you want high quality versions of the ones from the book, Mike Schley sells the entire bundle for $10. Includes high-res versions for both the DM and players.
[This thread]([link] has lots of user made maps you can look through as well.
Interesting Reading
This post is absolutely fantastic at describing a good way to roleplay Venomfang.
Pact of the Tome has a decent little blog about setting up a group and running them through the Adventure.
Sly Flourish has a blog post about running the adventure as well.
NeuronPhaser has an interesting blog post and links to some likewise neat stuff.
My Realms has decent reading on the lore of the locations used in the adventure. If you're unfamiliar with Sword Coast this can be a good way to make the locations feel more real.
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
Welcome back to the hobby!
D&D 5e is pretty streamlined and easy to get into for new players and returning players alike. It harkens back to some of the older editions in ways and isn't as drastically different as D&D 4e was.
Reading the basic rules, checking out some of the tutorials, and jump right into it is the best way honestly. Don't focus on trying to learn what changed, learn it like a new system and when things up being the same they'll be easier to pick up.
I can't see that link at work, but if it's the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure, its the Basic Rules and Starter Adventure for D&D 5e. I greatly recommend it for new folks looking for an adventure to learn in.
The "Basic Rules" document from the WotC site is all of the combat, skill, etc rules with a few core class/race options, and the basic spells. Its basically "Players Handbook Lite"... enough to get you playing the game, but leaving enough in the PHB to make it worth buying.
I teach new folks all the time and will gladly help how I can!
Copy/Pasting bits from previous posts that might assist you:
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
- You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
- Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
((You might already have this, I can't check the link))
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode covers a lot of the rules new players need.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you want to start your own group with friends or other newbies, I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun. You can always swap in custom characters once the group is comfortable with the basics.
You can also grab the free Basic Rules PDF though which will have a little more in it than the Starter Set including some core character generation options.
Absolutely any questions you have at any point you can just respond to one of my comments and I'll gladly help out.
For the very low price of 0 (yes, zero) monetary units, you can get the free basic rules and roll your own epic story and characters. Need dice, a premade adventure and perhaps some premade characters to just start playing right away without all the hassle of making your own adventures and characters? For as low as 12 dollars, you can get the Starter Set (players not included). Did you enjoy it and want to keep playing? Get the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide for around 20 dollars each.
> most starter sets are usually 100 dollar or more boxes
Not sure where you get this info from.
D&D Starter Set is $20
upcoming Warhammer FRP Starter Set is $30
And those are just the two with "Starter Set" in the name.
Historically, yes, that has been the case. The core rulebooks will currently set you back $150 unless you get them on sale (they're basically always on sale on Amazon).
BUT
You have cheaper options:
The Starter Set is roughly $20. It comes with a pre-written adventure, simplified rules, dice, and 5 pre-made characters that you can play from levels 1 to 4 with just the stuff in the box.
If you're not ready to spend money, Wizards of Coast published the "Basic Rules" for free. It's everything you need to play except dice (and you can get a free mobile app for that) and people. It doesn't have all of the content of the core rulebooks, but it has the most iconic monsters and character options, and you could still play for years using just what's in the basic rules.
Like I said: It has literally never been easier to play.
tl;dr: Get the Starter Set, get the Player's Handbook, get some Dice and go wild. Don't worry about asking for advice on here as well.
There's actually a Getting Started Guide in the Sidebar of this Subreddit; it's a very nice comprehensive list of what to do.
For home games, I would heavily encourage you to get the 5e Starter Set which comes with a Quickstart Rundown of the Rules, Pregenerated Characters, Dice and a really great Adventure. It really is a perfect start.
As for "Adventurer's League", that is the Official D&D 5e game-style; it uses specific adventures and a certain set of rules that is consistent between stores and events so you can theoretically take a character from one Store/Event and play it at another place without problems. It follows a couple of specific rules, and is mainly a way for people to play that don't have a consitent home group to play with. It's fun, and if the Store does have an AL table for Children specifically, that is great; without much knowledge of the rules yet, AL may be overwhelming though.
If you are serious about starting, get the Starter Set, an extra Set of Dice (usually called a "Polyset"), and maybe the Player's Handbook, this will last for the first couple of Months I'd wager. Getting the Player's Handbook is great for when your Boys want to make their own Characters instead of using the Pregenerated ones, as it has all the standard Race and Class options, equipment for characters, and all the other things you need for playing.
The other books, like the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual are nice to have, but not a necessity. The DMG goes into a lot of detail on how to make your own worlds and adventures and lists a lot of magic items; good to have, but not a necessity I'd say.
The MM has the stastics and information on Monsters; a lot of those can be looked up via the 5e System Reference Document or the Roll20 Compendium. More monsters are always nice to have, but again, not necesarry for when you're starting out.
There's other books as well - Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Volo's Guide to Monsters, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes..., but all those are Supplement Books that offer Information on Campaign/World Settings, have new Monsters or more Player Options in terms of Races and Classes, but they are also entirely optional and a little more "advanced" content, so to speak, so I wouldn't pick them up right away.
Okay. You really don’t need much. My Group of idiots had the DnD starter set, seen here. And that’s it. You can go onto DND BEYOND and make characters easily.
As a new starter, I'd highly recommend the D&D Starter Set - Comes with a lot of what you need without over loading you with information.
I would then recommend if you want to create a character taking a look at dndbeyond who allow for creating up to 6 characters for free, gives you a tonne of helpful info and helps calculate stats. Especially helpful for leveling up.
And if you just want to chill, see how the game works and unfurls, take a look at Critical Role who have episodes from their campaigns.
If you shop online, likely amazon is a competitive price.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
If shopping local find a local game store or even target now sells the starter.
If nobody else has supplies, you’ll want to buy a pack of dice. Something like this for players to share:
6x Sets of 10 Polyhedral Dice: Half a Pound of RPG / D&D Dice! [link]
Stay laid back and enjoy it.
Here's the correct (cheaper/official) link. Don't know what's up with that other one. $15.
So i saw this is it the book and set or just the book?
(Starer Set)
Like I said, I can't say enough about how great the starter set is...and at only $12 with a set of dice, it's basically $6 and will last you a few months depending on how often you play (like I said, you 'll get to lvl 4 or 5)
If you use this then don't even think about buying the monster manual until after, it won't be used at all
The dungeon master's guide isn't needed either, but your DM reading it might get some ideas about how to DM better, but I think just watching critical role on youtube is a better way.
I'm assuming that the Starter Set in question is this one.
There's 5 pre-generated characters that come with this starter set. Assuming that your friend's brother still has those on hand, that means that 5 of you can play as characters and maybe one or two people can be the Dungeon Master. If it's likely that you'll have more people coming that want to play/you've already got a Dungeon Master, you're going to need to generate characters. This is a long and convoluted process, especially for first-timers. The first character that I ever generated was A) not at all following the rules and B) took a couple hours, IIRC. Ask your friend if her brother has a Player's Handbook; this will allow you to create a character that's different from the pre-generated ones, although the increased amount of options may lead to more time taken in generating characters, and you may get bogged down in too many choices.
You could learn and play the game in 8 hours, but probably at LEAST the first half of that is going to be spent learning the rules and generating characters if none of you have ever played before. The general stuff isn't that difficult; for most actions, you state what you want to do, and it's either done or you have to roll a 20-sided die and add some relevant modifier. You then tell the Dungeon Master whatever you rolled and they rule on if you succeeded or failed. The specific stuff (grappling; fall damage; actions in combat that aren't just attack; saving throws; any kind of magic) will get very complicated very quickly.
I'd recommend that you give the Basic Rules a read-through to have some familiarity with what you're doing before just jumping right in. If you want to actually enjoy yourselves and not get bogged down, I'd recommend not digging through the rules when you're actually playing. The DM should just make a ruling about how things should happen, and things should just happen that way, even if the rules say that they don't.
There's no way to finish the campaign that comes with the Starter Set in eight hours, even if you knew exactly what you were doing. Such an adventure that you can sit down and do in the course of one game session would be described as a "one-shot", whereas a longer campaign will span several game sessions. If you and your friends enjoy D&D, you may be able to find another time to continue where you left off, but you won't be able to finish the whole thing in eight hours. The campaign that comes with the starter set is relatively short, as campaigns go. It only goes through fifth level (for perspective, the highest level your character can be in D&D, at least following the rules, is 20th level) and even that takes quite a while to get through. My group and I have played ten sessions of a different campaign now, each lasting about eight hours apiece, and we're only at fourth level so far - granted, my group consists of seven people, so things get bogged down really quickly, as each person out of the seven has something different that they want to be doing in many scenarios.
If you are going to do this, I'd look on it not as a "hey let's do this and it'll be fun for this once" but as a "hey let's try this and maybe it'll be fun and we can continue doing this going forward." D&D's a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of time to get acquainted with things, and it's not something that you can easily encapsulate into a day.
Start with the Getting Started / Learning to Play link from the sidebar for some resources. I would highly suggest getting the Starter Set. It does a decent walkthrough without needing to purchase any of the core rulebooks.
One set of dice comes with the Starter set. if everyone enjoys it and you want to continue then each person should have their own set of dice (d4, d6, d8, d12, d10, d20, and percentile dice which is often just a second d10 numbered with 10s instead of 1s).
I think there is a simplified ruleset beyond the basic Rules designed as a "monster hunter" type game aimed at younger players too but I don't have the link handy.
EDIT: Found it! Monster Slayers: Champions of the Elements
- Sly Flourish, The Lazy Dungeon Master is a great place to start for session prep so you are not preparing incorrectly.
- Watch some DMs perform their craft like WotC do the beginning of The Lost Mines of Phandelver. With these types of adventures where you can get access to the module, I like to read the module and pay attention to the DM and ask myself, why did he/she do that that way.
Watch Wizards of the Coast play the Lost Mines of Phandelver. If you have the Starter Set then read along and watch what the Dungeon Master does. It will be a good example of what you need to do. Stop often and ask yourself, why did he do that?
Starter set link: [link]
Welcome! D&D can be great fun, but it can also be a challenge to get into if you don't have someone showing you the ropes. Fortunately, the internet makes it a lot better:
1) What You Need
You can start D&D for free with just the <strong>Basic Rules</strong> for Players and DM (PDF). However, the Basic Rules don't give you enough to truly get started unless you've already learned how to play, IMO. It doesn't give you an adventure to run, it doesn't give you characters to play, etc. You can, of course, make all of that on your own (and eventually most people do), but for your first time it is so much easier to run pre-made characters on a pre-made adventure that I consider it pretty much mandatory.
To that end, I recommend the <strong>D&D Starter Set</strong>. It comes with rules, pre-made characters on their own sheets, a pre-made adventure for the DM to run, and a set of dice.
That plus some pens/pencils is all you really need to get started. Extra dice will be helpful (and they're very cheap), but since you typically just roll one die at a time, you can make do with the single set in the Starter Set. There are also online die rollers you can use, though many feel the experience of online dice somewhat lacking in comparison to physical dice.
2) Getting Started
Unfortunately, the people who write D&D aren't terribly good at teaching D&D, so even the basic materials above might be overwhelming. It's much easier to learn if you can see it and follow along first.
To that end, this (and part 2 here) is the most basic video I have found that briefly walks you through how to play the game. If you've never really seen it played before, this is the kind of thing you will be doing. And this is a stream of rather funny people playing the pre-made adventure from the Starter Set.
Between these videos, you should have a pretty good idea of how the game is generally played. (Note: the Escapist stream does not use maps or miniatures, and this is both quite common and totally fine. Just imagine it the best you can and don't worry about it; the maps and minis are often helpful, but they're not necessary).
And with that you should be able to play your own adventure with the Starter Set!
3) That was fun! What next?
There's one final skill you'll need as a new player: making your own character. This video walks you through it very nicely (his channel has more videos for many different classes, check it out).
At this point you'll need to pick up at least some of the core books. The <strong>Player's Handbook</strong> (PHB), the <strong>Dungeon Master's Guide</strong> (DMG), and the <strong>Monster Manual</strong> (MM) are the three core rulebooks. The Basic Rules cover some of what is here, but I still recommend buying all three if you can. Now you're ready to go out, make characters, make your own adventures, and jump right into the full breadth and depth of the D&D experience!
Be sure to check out /r/dnd, /r/DungeonsAndDragons, /r/dndnext (for 5e in particular), and /r/dndBehindTheScreen (about DMing).
4) Advanced Resources
Once you've got at least a bit of a grasp on the core rulebooks, there is a ton of helpful advice on the internet, but much of it won't make sense until you've had at least one session under your belt. I'll just share my two favorite resources, that I think every DM should read at least once:
A) The Angry GM's essays on <strong>How to DM</strong> are some of the best on the web. Start at the bottom of that page ("5 Simple Rules...") and work your way forward. He takes the nuts and bolts of running a D&D game (which the DMG never covers very adequately) and breaks it down into a method that is extremely effective.
B) The Alexandrian's essays on <strong>Adventure Design</strong>. This is one level up from the Angry GM's focus, and it gives you some powerful techniques to apply as you prepare adventures that give your players the freedom to explore and keep plots moving at a good pace. I just picked one of the articles, in this case Node-Based Adventure Design, but he references many more. They're all very educational.
That's all I have for you. I apologize for the long-windedness, but I wanted to be thorough. It's easy to be overwhelmed in D&D, but I guarantee if you take everything one step at a time you can master it and have a great time.
Good Luck and Happy Gaming!
TL;DR -
Buy the Starter Set, watch this and this, and maybe this. Play the Starter Set.
Then buy the PHB, the DMG, and the MM. Watch some of these. Play some more.
If you and the bois haven't ever played before, one of you should pick up either the D&D Starter Set or the D&D Essentials Kit. They're each $12 on amazon and have a beginning adventure, basic rules set, and pre-gen characters to play. Solid place to start. The Starter set has the adventure "Lost Mines of Phandelver", which is a classic.
If you get through one or both of those, the next step would be for the group to decide who'd be the DM. That person should pick up the Core Rule Set books (Players Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual). It'd help if the other players picked up their own copy of the Players Handbook.
I'd recommend getting the D&D starter set and finding a couple friends that would like to try it out with you. Read the advice in the starter set, look at the other comments in this thread, and maybe check out Matt Colville's running the game series to get ideas, but don't worry if you can't effectively implement their ideas at the very start: Your players have probably never seen or played D&D before, so they aren't comparing you to anything.
In my first D&D game, we had to restart the first combat twice before we interpreted the rules well enough to make it anywhere near fair. The DM told me all the secrets that most DM's would keep to themselves, and was figuring out the rules at the same time I was, but despite his inexperience, the game was amazing.
Here's the link to the starter set on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2TIOTZP3J4VBK&keywords=dnd+starter+set+5th+edition&qid=1567873487&s=gateway&sprefix=dnd+star%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-3
You can use these free basic rules from the company that makes D&D to start designing your own adventures once you finish the one in the starter set: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules
I would pick up one of the starter sets and playing through the adventure included in it. There are a few options, like the D&D Starter Set or the Stranger Things D&D Starter Set, you can find both online and at either your local gaming store or even at stores like Target or Walmart.
Wizards of the coast do a starter set for DnD, which is relatively inexpensive (and probably even cheaper second hand) comes with basic rules premade characters dice and a campaign for player’s level 1-5. That’s where I started. Everything you need to know to start is there.
The free basic rules PSG is here: [link]
The other thing you need to remember is you’re the DM! You don’t ‘have’ to follow any rules. You can wing as much or as little as you like
Have fun
>ah, I suppose trying to talk to my players for ways I can improve. As for the local shop thing, probably gonna have issues with that personally cuz I've not got a license and live in the country just outside a town with a population of 500 (no license due to near-paralysis level fear being behind the wheel). So I guess it'll be trying to observe other DMing styles, though just seeing that doesn't give me much measure for how much prep to do. My instincts scream at me to overprepare, but that mentally burns me out within hours of getting to work to the point I'm barely coherent for anything but simple conversation, and the burnout lasts for weeks. So even preparation leaves me heavily conflicted and so I push everything back until the last second whe
Has your group run LMoP (Phandelver)? it runs itself and is very player/DM friendly (especially for new players/dm's). https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592
​
Target also has another starter adventure coming on June 24 https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/essentials-kit (edit: added links)
​
You're a new DM, its gonna be bumpy at first, just accept it, confidence in your abilities will come in time. Every DM started bumpy, skipped players, missed initiative rolls, etc. Like anything it takes time in actually doing it to get proficient, and don't psych yourself out (easier said than done, I'm aware).
​
I try to do just a little bit here and there. Set up a couple encounters, (HP and stat blocks for various rooms), bullet point some conversation points with NPC -> PC's. Then close my notes and go do something else and not think about it until im ready to come back to it.
Trying to set up an entire 5 hour session all at once is kinda rough and will absolutely burn you out.
Look at your start and end of where you want the session to be, prep for that over a couple days / weeks, if your group gets to the end great, if not, no worries and you have prepwork done for next session.
If your group blows through where you wanted to end, see what they want to do/where they want to go and head there. Take a short break, look ahead a bit (which is why the premades work well to hone skills). Your party will have to travel and travel = random encounters so you get a bit of a buffer while they fight some bandits or some goblins or whatever, this might give you some breathing room.
Play d&d instead, its cheaper, much more freedom and literally infinite content: anything you can imagine.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
I would recommend picking up this box set
​
For a long time I had digital copies of the books, but I think having the physical character sheets and documentation really adds to the experience. This box set has everything you need to get started and is very straightforward to run and play.
Technically speaking, you don't need anything. You can literally make it all up as you go. "The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don't need any rules.” -Gary Gygax
But for consistency, you want the Players Handbook, followed by the Monster Manual, and then the Dungeon Masters Guide. But the Starter Set has everything you need to get started.
Wizards of the Coast has pregenerated characters you can use for free.
But really it's up to you.
Go with the Starter Set. It's only about $15 USD
Good luck! And welcome to the realm of Dungeons and Dragons!
Here are some resources to start you on your path:
You could also pick up the D&D 5e Starter Set. ((Target just had it on sale for $10 too)) It has a quick start version of the rules, pre-made characters, and a really good adventure that will last you around six sessions. If running the Starter Set is something you consider, just let me know and I'll shoot you all my resources to brand new DMs looking to run it.
Pretty much everyone, including me, recommend the Starter Set which comes with LMoP (Lost Mines of Phandelver). It's designed for first time DMs, which means it has extra explanation suggesting how to run the encounters and is fleshed out in more detail than most adventures. It's also a little bit more linear than most adventures... But has a good open-world section in the middle where the party is traveling where they choose sniffing up clues on the location of the penultimate dungeon and generally finding trouble along the way.
If this is to be believed, it's $10 on Amazon right now: [link]
Usually I'd expect it to go for $20+, I think? I'm not sure.
The only caveat is that it's level 1-5, so if you're levelled up and don't want to restart you'll have to rescale all the loot/encounters which is half the prep you're trying to avoid. I recommend not doing that. Transition if you're level 1 or 2, reset if higher... Or pick another adventure. Skim the synopsis of some adventures on the WotC site, check reviews quick, and pick one. They're mostly decent.
The Basic Rules are available for free online- that should give you a start until you're able to get more resources. For dice, there are phone apps and online dice rollers available for free (not as satisfying as actually rolling, but it'll work).
Balancing for 2 PCs might be difficult, but it's possible. Best case would be if you can find 1-2 more people interested. Otherwise, perhaps they could each have 2 characters? It might be a bit more difficult to learn at first, but if you take it slow and everyone helps each other, it could work.
Matt Colville has a good series on YouTube about learning to DM. If you want a shorter adventure to start out and get the feel of playing, he has a video where he creates a small dungeon called the Delian Tomb. It's a great small introductory dungeon and he walks you through the creation so you can run it as-is or create your own spin on it. A lot of new DMs have run that dungeon with their groups.
I haven't run any of the published adventures, so unfortunately I can't give you advice there if you're looking for something that lasts several levels. I have heard very good things about the Starter Set (on Amazon for $10 right now), which comes with the basic rules, a set of dice, some pregenerated characters (you don't have to use them if you don't want), and a starter adventure that takes characters from level 1-5. It's recommended for a group with 3-5 players plus the DM, so you may want to try getting another friend involved.
Best of luck!
with this and 3 to 5 friends
Someone already gave you a good answer. Here's how I would rank priority if you just want to start by dipping your toes. Honestly with $440 you could buy a ton of stuff, but no reason to buy stuff you may not end up needing.
[5e starter set]([link] (enough to get a group through levels 1-5 over maybe 7 or 8 sessions; comes with one set of dice)
Everything else: There's quite a few adventure modules now; Volo's guide gives more player races, more monsters, and some lore; Xanathar's has a lot of player options and extra rules; Tome of Foes has a lot of lore, a lot of monsters, and a few player options; Ravnica and Sword Coast give you full campaign settings
Buy the Starter Set (less than $20) and invite a couple of friends over. The starter set has the basic rules of how to play (also available for free download on Wizards of the Coasts website); has pre-generated characters (so you can get right into a game without fussing with rolling characters first); and includes a great introductory module (that will run for several game sessions). It's a fantastic bargain for new players and I can't recommend it enough."
*I'm not a rep for Amazon or WotC
All 5E adventures are built for parties of 3-5, so you'll need to beef up encounters and hazards. For a shorter campaign, I recommend the starter set: [link]
Here are some resources to start you on your path:
You could also pick up the D&D 5e Starter Set on sale right now for $12. It has a quick start version of the rules, pre-made characters, and a really good adventure that will last you around six sessions. If running the Starter Set is something you consider, just let me know and I'll shoot you all my resources to brand new DMs looking to run it.
>"I’m thinking of transferring to 5e due to there being more resources,it’s simpler, and more affordable books."
There are 10x more 3.5 books than there are 5e books. Also, on eBay, you can get the three core books for 3.5 for $15 each.
That being said, 3.5 is a lot more complex with not enough return on investment to justify that; especially for players who are new and have no desire to read the books.
Pick up the 5e Starter Set. Run that for your players. See which one they have more fun with. Make your decision then.
It's about to be Halloween, when campaigns get to their darkest moments. Season aside, much of the value of dramatic arts is the threat of darkness; Villains or Tragedy to overcome. As long as good guys win, it shouldn't get too dark.
Really, it all depends on what you consider dark. My campaign currently reads like the exploits of Samson, but if you prefer a more Noah-style adventure, consider the "Lost Mines of Phandelver" adventure.
This'll sound odd, but I have also enjoyed Tails of Equestria, which discourages combat and is utterly bloodless. The stakes can still feel high without even a touch of darkness; Rather than save the world or fight for your life, you'll be using diplomacy and tact to stay afloat.
The starter set was designed for you.
Welcome to the game! To start you'll need a few things, and can expand from there.
Here is the basic rules, as well as basic Dungeon Master (DM) rules. They are available in a web based or printable format.
Here is player sheets and some premade characters if you don't feel like going through the process of creating a character to begin with.
You'll also need some dice. Chessex makes some cheap dice to start with.
Here is a nice DM screen/cheat sheet that has information you'll probably need at a glance while running the game.
Think about getting the Starter Set. It comes with a pre-written adventure module, basic rules, premade characters and a single set of dice for a reasonable price.
After that watch Matt Colville on YouTube. He has a very nice series called "Running the Game" that is filled with information and tips, and starts off with a complete beginner in mind.
If you want to start getting serious I would recommend each player getting a Players Handbook. This has information for creating a character, rules for playing the game and other useful information.
As a DM you'll need the Dungeon Masters Guide and the Monster Manual. This has information and rules on running the game, and stat blocks for monsters. You can get all three of these mentioned books in PDF format if you wish, but I find physical copies to be easier to quickly reference.
Here is a website that has infromation I've previously mentioned in a nice web format. It is not a replacement for the books I have mentioned, as some of that information isn't on here.
After all of this you may want to get Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathars Guide to Everything. This has even more monsters, player races and variant rules you can add into your game. These are not mandatory but I find them to be a nice addition to the game.
You may decide to start using battle mats and miniatures, these add a lot to the game by making combat more visual and tactical. To start you could do something as simple as printing off squares on paper and using anything to symbolize creatures. You can also get miniatures or make your own monster tokens and a battle mat. This last part can add a lot of expense to the game and isn't mandatory, but most people prefer to use them.
That's a good introduction. There's resources on Reddit to learn the game, including /r/DnD, /r/DMAcademy and /r/DNDBehindTheScreen as well as YouTubers such as Matt Colville, Matt Mercer/Critical Role, Nerdarchy and Web DM.
This is a prewritten message that may not completely apply to you, but it summarizes a lot of the information that a beginner player or DM could use.
Welcome to the game! To start you'll need a few things, and can expand from there.
Here is the basic rules, as well as basic Dungeon Master (DM) rules. They are available in a web based or printable format.
Here is player sheets and some premade characters if you don't feel like going through the process of creating a character to begin with.
You'll also need some dice. Chessex makes some cheap dice to start with.
Here is a nice DM screen/cheat sheet that has information you'll probably need at a glance while running the game.
Think about getting the Starter Set. It comes with a pre-written adventure module, basic rules, premade characters and a single set of dice for a reasonable price.
After that watch Matt Colville on YouTube. He has a very nice series called "Running the Game" that is filled with information and tips, and starts off with a complete beginner in mind.
If you want to start getting serious I would recommend each player getting a Players Handbook. This has information for creating a character, rules for playing the game and other useful information.
As a DM you'll need the Dungeon Masters Guide and the Monster Manual. This has information and rules on running the game, and stat blocks for monsters. You can get all three of these mentioned books in PDF format if you wish, but I find physical copies to be easier to quickly reference.
Here is a website that has infromation I've previously mentioned in a nice web format. It is not a replacement for the books I have mentioned, as some of that information isn't on here.
After all of this you may want to get Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathars Guide to Everything. This has even more monsters, player races and variant rules you can add into your game. These are not mandatory but I find them to be a nice addition to the game.
You may decide to start using battle mats and miniatures, these add a lot to the game by making combat more visual and tactical. To start you could do something as simple as printing off squares on paper and using anything to symbolize creatures. You can also get miniatures or make your own monster tokens and a battle mat. This last part can add a lot of expense to the game and isn't mandatory, but most people prefer to use them.
That's a good introduction. There's resources on Reddit to learn the game, including /r/DnD, /r/DMAcademy and /r/DNDBehindTheScreen as well as YouTubers such as Matt Colville, Matt Mercer/Critical Role, Nerdarchy and Web DM.
This is a prewritten message that may not completely apply to you, but it summarizes a lot of the information that a beginner player or DM could use.
If you are feeling a bit daring you could run your own game with the DnD 5e starter set. Its a complete campaign with premade characters, maps, monsters, and plot. It comes with an abridged version of the rules so you don't get overwhelmed right away. The best part is it's only $15 and it comes with a nice set of dice. It's how I started and its an excellent place to start.
Only downside is that someone would have to be the DM. Its quite a bit more work than being a player, but its twice as rewarding. And there is a TON of material out there to help a new DM. Matt Colville's Running the Game YouTube series comes to mind. Honestly, its a lot easier than it looks.
Feel free to PM me if you have questions (about DnD 5th Edition, I've only played that edition, haha)
Hi there /u/Haas-ta .
Luckily you're in an era where there is DMing advice aplenty.
Go download the free basic rules sets from Wizards' website. Grab a few pre-generated character sheets too. Then go watch the first few episodes of Matt Colville's Running the Game series. He talks you through basic DMing tricks as well as how to create your first adventure. By the end of Episode 3 you'll have an adventure designed by Matt that he has talked you through and that you can run in one session.
After that one session you could plan all your future games by yourself, but as a new DM that's quite the daunting task. Instead, I would highly recommend getting the D&D Starter Set. It costs less than $20 - I'm sure amongst you all you can collect that much. The adventure in there is great and is designed for new DMs. That adventure should last for 60-70 hours worth of play time.
Welcome to the game! To start you'll need a few things, and can expand from there.
Here is the basic rules, as well as basic Dungeon Master (DM) rules. They are available in a web based or printable format.
Here is player sheets and some premade characters if you don't feel like going through the process of creating a character to begin with.
You'll also need some dice. Chessex makes some cheap dice to start with.
Here is a nice DM screen/cheat sheet that has information you'll probably need at a glance while running the game.
Think about getting the Starter Set. It comes with a pre-written adventure module, basic rules, premade characters and a single set of dice for a reasonable price.
After that watch Matt Colville on YouTube. He has a very nice series called "Running the Game" that is filled with information and tips, and starts off with a complete beginner in mind.
If you want to start getting serious I would recommend each player getting a Players Handbook. This has information for creating a character, rules for playing the game and other useful information.
As a DM you'll need the Dungeon Masters Guide and the Monster Manual. This has information and rules on running the game, and stat blocks for monsters. You can get all three of these mentioned books in PDF format if you wish, but I find physical copies to be easier to quickly reference.
Here is a website that has infromation I've previously mentioned in a nice web format. It is not a replacement for the books I have mentioned, as some of that information isn't on here.
After all of this you may want to get Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathars Guide to Everything. This has even more monsters, player races and variant rules you can add into your game. These are not mandatory but I find them to be a nice addition to the game.
You may decide to start using battle mats and miniatures, these add a lot to the game by making combat more visual and tactical. To start you could do something as simple as printing off squares on paper and using anything to symbolize creatures. You can also get miniatures or make your own monster tokens and a battle mat. This last part can add a lot of expense to the game and isn't mandatory, but most people prefer to use them.
That's a good introduction. There's resources on Reddit to learn the game, including /r/DnD, /r/DMAcademy and /r/DNDBehindTheScreen as well as YouTubers such as previously mentioned Matt Colville, Matt Mercer/Critical Role, Nerdarchy and Web DM.
This is a prewritten message that may not completely apply to you, but it summarizes a lot of the information that a beginner player or DM could use.
I should mention in case you don't know that there is a free version of D&D 5E called the Basic Rules that can be viewed or downloaded from the Wizards of the Coast website. There is also a System Reference Document or SRD which many people have converted into user-friendly websites such as www.5esrd.com. The SRD contains some additional material not found in the Basic Rules such as additional character classes
You can also buy the D&D Starter Set, which many people say is a great way to start a campaign. It contains a slimmed-down version of the Basic Rules, an adventure, dice, and pregenerated characters, so you should be able to pick it up and play with a little preparation.
Hey you, random person from /r/all. Anyone can start playing Dungeons & Dragons, for free, right away!
Grab the basic rules, maybe pick up the starter set, grab some friends (at a table or on a virtual table like Roll20), and kill some damn illithids!
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (5th Edition) [link]
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources: > If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Check out the mobile app GameFor
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * Adventurer's League G+ Community
> * Adventurer's League Facebook Group
> * D&D Online Facebook Group
> * RPG Discords: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
The physical version of the Starter Set is what you'll want if you and your friends are sitting down around the table to play in person.
Roll20 is a great tool for anyone playing online (though some folks use it for maps and stuff for in-person games) so don't worry about purchasing that version of it currently. Its super awesome that all the maps and monsters are prebuilt and ready to go, but if you're not planning on using Roll20 as part of your game it will only complicate sitting down to play based on your current experience.
The Starter Set box has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
Here is my info dump for DMs wanting to run the Starter Set:
Tutorials
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode covers a lot of the rules new players need.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
I made a video for brand new DMs who will be running the Starter Set. It does have spoilers so the players shouldn't watch it, but there are some decent pointers and important rules explanations in there (in my biased opinion).
Tools
Don't have five players? This tool shows you how to rebalance the fights.
These cheat sheets are really handy for some folks.
Maps & Handouts
I made an Actions In Combat handout that I print out for each player.
This album of Maps for the campaign are free use. If you want high quality versions of the ones from the book, Mike Schley sells the entire bundle for $10. Includes high-res versions for both the DM and players.
[This thread]([link] has lots of user made maps you can look through as well.
Interesting Reading
This post is absolutely fantastic at describing a good way to roleplay Venomfang.
Pact of the Tome has a decent little blog about setting up a group and running them through the Adventure.
Sly Flourish has a blog post about running the adventure as well.
NeuronPhaser has an interesting blog post and links to some likewise neat stuff.
My Realms has decent reading on the lore of the locations used in the adventure. If you're unfamiliar with Sword Coast this can be a good way to make the locations feel more real.
Great news! You don't need to buy anything. You can play D&D as soon as you want without spending a dime.
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources:
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode in particular covers a lot of the rules new players need.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
Your local game store is a great place to start whether you eventually plan to play in-person or online.
More than likely they've encountered others like yourself wandering in and expressing interest and can connect you to them. More often than not they also have calendars or bulletin boards and you can look for folks hosting events or post your own to find some folks.
A lot of the times they also host organized play events like Adventurer's League. While not quite the same as a home game, it would let you sit down at a table and play the game which is the best way to learn. Using that foundation you would then be better armed to seek out recruiting groups or start forming your own.
If you end up building a fresh group, I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can also grab the free Basic Rules PDF though which will have a little more in it than the Starter Set including some core character generation options.
Absolutely any questions you have at any point you can just respond to one of my comments and I'll gladly help out.
Great news! You don't need to buy anything. You can play D&D as soon as you want without spending a dime.
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources:
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
Great news! You don't need to buy anything. You can play D&D as soon as you want without spending a dime.
You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
But even so, D&D 5th Edition is streamlined and easy to learn and there are tons of people willing to help teach you. Its not a game you need to sit and read the rules from cover to cover before playing, you can very much sit down to a table as totally fresh and learn by playing--I teach people this way all the time.
Consider checking out your local gaming store and see if they do any tutorials, have Organized Play, or know of groups looking for any members.
You can also use these resources:
> If you're looking to play in person:
> * Check in with your local gaming store.
> * Local board game/RPG Facebook Groups
> * Local board game/RPG Meetup Groups
> * Post in the subreddit for your town / area
> * Search /r/LFG for posts or make one.
> * LFG tools on Obsidian Portal and PenAndPaperGames > * Sites like FindGamers, NearbyGamers, GamerSeekingGamer
> * Check WarHorn for local postings
> If you're looking to play online:
> * /r/LFG and /r/Roll20LFG
> * Roll20's game finder and LFG forums
> * Fantasy Grounds has a LFG Forum
> * Play via Tabletop Simulator
> * RPG Discord servers: Dungeons & Downvotes, Pair O' Dice, etc...
If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
If you decide D&D is the hobby for you, your first purchase goal should be the Player's Handbook. Its the core rulebook with all of the default character options, spells, etc.
Hey there and welcome to the wonderful hobby of D&D! We were all new once, there's no shame in it.
Check out this video series on Youtube for some basics.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
The Basic Rules are free. They dont have everything but can get your started before spending any money.
You can also head to your local gaming store and see if they host any tutorial events or if an organized play table has an open slot.
I'd highly recommend the Starter Set if you can find some friends who are also interested in playing. It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so.
It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
Aside from the Starter Set the priority should be on getting a Players Handbook. From there it depends on what sort of game you want to play.
You dont actually need anything at all. You can check out your local gaming shop or start looking for a game online and sit in as a player with no money spent. I would suggest doing a little big of homework first so you understand some of the basics:
Check out this video series on Youtube for some basics.
Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
The Basic Rules are free. They dont have everything but can get your started before spending any money.
You can also ask your local gaming store if they host any tutorial events or if an organized play table has an open slot.
I'd highly recommend the Starter Set if you can find some friends who are also interested in playing. It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so.
It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
Aside from the Starter Set the priority should be on getting a Players Handbook. From there it depends on what sort of game you want to play.
There are two good options.
The first would be to pick up the Starter Set and talk to your friends and family to see if they'd be interested in playing.
The other option would be to pick up a Player's Handbook (which you'll want eventually even if you pick up the Starter Set first), read through it a bit, and then look for a group on r/lfg, your local game store, Roll20, Meetup or some other site. A lot of groups will be welcoming to new players.
The subreddit's sidebar has more information. If you have any other specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask.
Your specific questions have been answered so I'm just gonna drop information you might find useful and resources you might want to check out.
I recommend this video series. The Combat Episode in particular might interest you.
I highly recommend the Starter Set for new players.
It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
There are two types of spells that require rolls. Ones that use Spell Attacks and ones that use Spell Saves.
A spell attack requires the person using the spell to roll 1d20 then add proficiency bonus and the spell casting modifier (INT, WIS, or CHA depending on their class).
A spell save requires the person being affected by the spell to roll 1d20 and add their save modifier. This number must be the Save DC of the person who cast the spell.
Example:
A wizard with 16(+3) INT casts Firebolt on a goblin and rolls his attack. 1d20 plus 2 from proficiency, plus 3 from INT. Lets say he rolls a 16. The DM now looks at the Goblin's AC and sees that 16 is equal or higher the goblins 15 AC and the attack is a hit.
A cleric with a 16(+3) WIS uses Sacred Flame on the same goblin. Sacred Flame requires the goblin to make a Dexterity Save or take the damage. The DM rolls 1d20 and adds the goblins DEX modifier ... lets say he rolls a 12 so total is 14. The cleric's SAVE DC is 8 plus 2 from proficiency, plus 3 from WIS...so 13. The goblin rolled equal to or higher than the DC so the attack is a miss.
Thanks for the reply. Is this the one you are talking about (it says "book supplement" so maybe it's the wrong one)? $16 seems like a steal, but I saw someone somewhere mention that the 5th edition really streamlined things for new players and there is separate listing on Amazon that specifically says 5th edition and costs twice as much.
hello, I am a bit late, but here is my copy/paste response, which in particular, will solve your first issue/question
> The price range.
you can checkout the game for absolutely free. here are some links for you. this is all you will need to play or run the game.
- basic rules online for free.
- or here in pdf format
- plenty of free dice-roller apps on your mobile device of choice.
- character builder including a 3-choice-option (race-class-name).
- here you find the starter set character sheets in one pdf, and many other characters with progression from lv 1 to 10.
- admitedly, the adventure part is the hardest to find:
- create your own, there are guidelines in the free rules,
- look for one online,
- or (my recommendation) Matt Colville's Running the Game youtube playlist has a good starting one, just watch the first 4 videos (one hour total) and you are good to go for a good 2-4 hour session.
after this, if you ike the game, do get the starter set, I've heard nothing but good things about the adventure (I own it, but havaen't ran it yet). it is around 20bucks for a game that can give you countless hours of entertainment.
Running the Game by Matt Colville - A very helpful video playlist that explains the basics of being a DM in the first few videos, and then goes on to other, more specific stuff later. In the first episode he basically makes your first session for you. (Also a bunch of useful stuff in the description)
Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set - Has everything you need to get started. Rules, dice, character sheets, all that jazz. This as well as the video I mentioned above are super useful.
Critical Role - I recommend watching people play the game to get a feel for how it works. This series is a bunch of voice actors playing the game, so I find it pretty entertaining. Don't be intimidated by the length of the video or the audio issues. You could watch pretty much a little bit of any of the videos in this series and get the idea. You can also find other examples with different groups and see how the playstyles differ. Not every DM has to be a professional voice actor to be entertaining after all.
Did you specifically wait until my vacation to challenge the "Must relate to Dungeons & Dragons" rule?
Fuck it. It's staying up. Though the answer is obviously, "use her ring as a spell component".
::EDIT:: If anyone is coming here from /r/all, you know you've thought about playing D&D. You know that was your favorite episode of Dexter's Lab. Well download the FREE Basic Rules from the WotC website, grab some friends, maybe pick up the Starter Set, and start playing!
I'll make a couple suggestions. The first is this video series. This is a great rundown of the game and how it works and it really helped me understand how to play. It will take you an hour or two to get through the videos but it's so worth it. I would recommend having your players watch the first 10 minute video before they show up for the first session or watch it as a group once you're all together (not the whole series, just the intro video.) This will give them an idea of what D&D is all about and what to expect, at least a little bit.
The second resource I'm going to recommend is the D&D Starter Set. This contains a great first adventure for you to run as a DM, as well as pregenerated characters to use and one set of dice. The adventure that the set comes with is The Lost Mine of Phandelver and it literally walks you through everything as you start to DM. It will tell you what to do and hold your hand as you get off the ground. The first session is sort of a tutorial session for you as DM and for the players.
I'd recommend getting some extra dice for your players as well so everyone can play with their own set. If you watch those videos and start off with the Starter Set you should be good to go.
Here is about it: [link]
Free basic rules (mostly included in Starter Set but IIRC do contain character generation rules): [link]
And on Amazon: [link]
The Starter set and basic rules are a cut down of the player's handbook. They only go to level 5 and have a subset of classes and archtypes.
Certainly enough to see if this game is for you and your friends. If you like it, go buy the PHB.
Cheers!
It's dirt cheap: [link]
I really only know 5e, so I can't say what's available for other editions or Pathfinder.
Here's a link to the Starter Set on Amazon: [link]
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set
^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly&nbsp;bot
/r/gametales
✣ Top Posts of All-Time ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
✣ Top Posts of Last 30 Days ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
Game Sessions
About This Subreddit
Epic sagas, dastardly backstabbing and emergent metagaming. This subreddit is not about describing prescribed game plots. It is a place to recount unexpected, significant, or humorous events that have happened in-game. Creative problem solving. Unexpected interactions. Sweet revenge.
Both computer gaming stories and pen & paper RPG stories are welcome here.
You may also like…
Tabletop game event stories
4chan's Traditional Games - Some of our top rated tabletop stories are from 4chan
funnydndstories.com - Collection of stories from D&D and roleplaying sessions
/r/DnDGreentext > Great RPG Stories
> In the greentext style
> Mostly
Thisisnotatrueending Giant /tg/ archive. (Use the options on the left and tags to search)
/r/rpghorrorstories - Tales of things going terribly wrong around the tabletop
Video game event stories
/r/GamersRevenge - Stories of revenge, both cold and sweet, in multiplayer games
/r/storiesofwar - Heroic gaming war stories with an emphasis on FPS games
Let's Play Archive - Video game playthroughs in a huge variety of formats and styles
/r/creepygaming - The creepy, unintentional things that can happen in video games
Creative writing
/r/LifeasanNPC - Stories written from the perspective of computer controlled characters
/r/3d6 - Help tabletop gamers to create interesting characters
Reddit-based text adventures
/r/WayfarersPub - Reddit's online tavern for player characters to meet and interact
/r/YouEnterADungeon - Group adventure writing featuring lengthy descriptive posts
/r/textventures - A more concise version of the above. Old school text adventures, against a real person
Rules
- Include the game name at the start of your title:
[EVE Online] One of the biggest scams ever
[Dwarf Fortress] A dwarf with an agenda
It may help readers if you can explain any specialist terminology that is in your story
After posting, please flair your post
This is a place for readers - TLDRs are discouraged
Supportive comments that add nothing to the conversation are encouraged!
Post and User Flair
'Story' flair vs. 'Tabletop' or 'Video Game' flair Most tales explain the game mechanics or refer to the game and players. 'Story' flair is for tales written as a narrative account - if a post reads as if it's from a novel and you cannot tell it's a game, then it's a 'Story'.
User Flair You may choose a suggested flair or edit your own flair.
These tabletop RPG tales are great - how do I get into it?
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a cost-effective introduction to the well-received latest edition of the archetypal RPG (Free PDFs)
Pathfinder is a modification and extension of D&D 3.5. The Pathfinder Beginner Box is widely regarded as a great RPG introduction.
If you find it hard to get 3+ people around a table for a session, Roll20 is the place to play online. If you need players to join you there, visit r/roll20lfg
★ Weekly Tale Topic ★
In the past, we ran a feature asking for suggestions for community contributions around a theme:
List of Weekly Tale Topics
^(Bot created by /u /el_loke - )^Feedback
/r/gametales
✣ Top Posts of All-Time ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
✣ Top Posts of Last 30 Days ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
Game Sessions
About This Subreddit
Epic sagas, dastardly backstabbing and emergent metagaming. This subreddit is not about describing prescribed game plots. It is a place to recount unexpected, significant, or humorous events that have happened in-game. Creative problem solving. Unexpected interactions. Sweet revenge.
Both computer gaming stories and pen & paper RPG stories are welcome here.
You may also like…
Tabletop game event stories
4chan's Traditional Games - Some of our top rated tabletop stories are from 4chan
funnydndstories.com - Collection of stories from D&D and roleplaying sessions
/r/DnDGreentext > Great RPG Stories
> In the greentext style
> Mostly
Thisisnotatrueending Giant /tg/ archive. (Use the options on the left and tags to search)
/r/rpghorrorstories - Tales of things going terribly wrong around the tabletop
Video game event stories
/r/GamersRevenge - Stories of revenge, both cold and sweet, in multiplayer games
/r/storiesofwar - Heroic gaming war stories with an emphasis on FPS games
Let's Play Archive - Video game playthroughs in a huge variety of formats and styles
/r/creepygaming - The creepy, unintentional things that can happen in video games
Creative writing
/r/LifeasanNPC - Stories written from the perspective of computer controlled characters
/r/3d6 - Help tabletop gamers to create interesting characters
Reddit-based text adventures
/r/WayfarersPub - Reddit's online tavern for player characters to meet and interact
/r/YouEnterADungeon - Group adventure writing featuring lengthy descriptive posts
/r/textventures - A more concise version of the above. Old school text adventures, against a real person
Rules
- Include the game name at the start of your title:
[EVE Online] One of the biggest scams ever
[Dwarf Fortress] A dwarf with an agenda
It may help readers if you can explain any specialist terminology that is in your story
After posting, please flair your post
This is a place for readers - TLDRs are discouraged
Supportive comments that add nothing to the conversation are encouraged!
Post and User Flair
'Story' flair vs. 'Tabletop' or 'Video Game' flair Most tales explain the game mechanics or refer to the game and players. 'Story' flair is for tales written as a narrative account - if a post reads as if it's from a novel and you cannot tell it's a game, then it's a 'Story'.
User Flair You may choose a suggested flair or edit your own flair.
These tabletop RPG tales are great - how do I get into it?
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a cost-effective introduction to the well-received latest edition of the archetypal RPG (Free PDFs)
Pathfinder is a modification and extension of D&D 3.5. The Pathfinder Beginner Box is widely regarded as a great RPG introduction.
If you find it hard to get 3+ people around a table for a session, Roll20 is the place to play online. If you need players to join you there, visit r/roll20lfg
★ Weekly Tale Topic ★
In the past, we ran a feature asking for suggestions for community contributions around a theme:
List of Weekly Tale Topics
^(Bot created by /u /el_loke - )^Feedback
I see what you mean totally, yeah. I've been playing the game so long, I forget that people need to try it out to see if they even like it. Duh. My bad! <3
Specific for 5E. Each edition has vastly different core rules. 5E is beautiful system, and its starter set is excellent. Tons of us have played it.
Feel free to PM me with questions if you have any. I like helping new players and DMs.
Called the Starter Set, by the way.
The Starter Set has a simple rulebook and a simple adventure (but a fun one).
If you have people interested, grab the 5e starter set, pick one of you to be the dm, and then pick a day to play. You guys already have the hardest part done (finding other people to play with). When you have specific questions feel free to post here. :D
the starter set: [link]
Basic rules online: [link]
Along with a few friends, that's all you need to get going!
Cold you afford $15ish for the Starter Set? It has what you need for months of play.
The starter set is fairly cheap. It contains a module and the basic rules as well as a (really cheap) set of dice. [link]
Another way to do it is this: [link]
This is the basic rules, monsters, and items. You can get character sheets off here: [link]
If your roommates enjoy it then I would recommend the PHB and Monster Manual at the very least, I imagine you are DMing since you are the only one with experience.
Amazon does sell the core books for much cheaper than retail: [link]
/r/gametales
✣ Top Posts of All-Time ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
✣ Top Posts of Last 30 Days ✣
Tabletop | Video Games | Stories | LARP
About This Subreddit
Epic sagas, dastardly backstabbing and emergent metagaming. This subreddit is not about describing prescribed game plots. It is a place to recount unexpected, significant, or humorous events that have happened in-game. Creative problem solving. Unexpected interactions. Sweet revenge.
Both computer gaming stories and pen & paper RPG stories are welcome here.
You may also like…
Tabletop game event stories
4chan's Traditional Games - Some of our top rated tabletop stories are from 4chan
funnydndstories.com - Collection of stories from D&D and roleplaying sessions
/r/DnDGreentext > Great RPG Stories
> In the greentext style
> Mostly
Thisisnotatrueending Giant /tg/ archive. (Use the options on the left and tags to search)
/r/rpghorrorstories - Tales of things going terribly wrong around the tabletop
Video game event stories
/r/storiesofwar - Heroic gaming war stories with an emphasis on FPS games
Let's Play Archive - Video game playthroughs in a huge variety of formats and styles
/r/creepygaming - The creepy, unintentional things that can happen in video games
Creative writing
/r/LifeasanNPC - Stories written from the perspective of computer controlled characters
/r/3d6 - Help tabletop gamers to create interesting characters
Reddit-based text adventures
/r/WayfarersPub - Reddit's online tavern for player characters to meet and interact
/r/YouEnterADungeon - Group adventure writing featuring lengthy descriptive posts
/r/textventures - A more concise version of the above. Old school text adventures, against a real person
Rules
- Include the game name at the start of your title:
[EVE Online] One of the biggest scams ever
[Dwarf Fortress] A dwarf with an agenda
It may help readers if you can explain any specialist terminology that is in your story
After posting, please flair your post
This is a place for readers - TLDRs are discouraged
Supportive comments that add nothing to the conversation are encouraged!
Post and User Flair
'Story' flair vs. 'Tabletop' or 'Video Game' flair Most tales explain the game mechanics or refer to the game and players. 'Story' flair is for tales written as a narrative account - if a post reads as if it's from a novel and you cannot tell it's a game, then it's a 'Story'.
User Flair You may choose a suggested flair or edit your own flair.
These tabletop RPG tales are great - how do I get into it?
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a cost-effective introduction to the well-received latest edition of the archetypal RPG (Free PDFs)
Pathfinder is a modification and extension of D&D 3.5. The Pathfinder Beginner Box is widely regarded as a great RPG introduction.
If you find it hard to get 3+ people around a table for a session, Roll20 is the place to play online. If you need players to join you there, visit r/roll20lfg
★ Weekly Tale Topic ★
In the past, we ran a feature asking for suggestions for community contributions around a theme:
List of Weekly Tale Topics
^(Bot created by /u /el_loke - )^Feedback
The starter set is a great intro to the game. All you would need are additional sets of dice.
The best advice I can give anyone who doesn't have a group to play with and doesn't have "nerdy" friends is become the DM for 5e and invite your friends to a game. They will most likely say "I don't know how to play", tell them it's fine. It's a game you learn as you go. You as the DM will be making a ton of mistakes early on but everyone will still have fun. Everyone will get better as they go. You want to read the Basic Rules, or the part in the PHB called "running the game". It's the small section in the middle between the race/class options and the spells. I did this very same thing when I first started watching Critical Role (I had played before but not 5e) and now we've been playing since 2015 and the problem I have now is too many people want to play. I currently have a full group of 5 and an extra player who plays the character of whoever doesn't show up. We're at the end of a campaign where it doesn't make sense introducing a new character but they should get to make one soon. 5e is the definitive edition to get new people into the game. If you can get them to show up for the first game, most of them will stick around, and they will be the best advertisements you have for the game since because they may not be "nerdy" they will convince other people more easily to try the game.
I recommend to start buy purchasing the starter set and playing through that (It has the basic rules and it starts easy for DM and gets more complicated as it goes to train you). You don't need anything besides this until you finish the campaign in it if you don't want to. [link]
Optional but recommended, at least once you get your group started:
A copy of the PHB and MM, available from Amazon for less than in stores. [link] [link] A bag of dice so you have enough to share. I recommend the easy-roller dice bag, it's about $25 on Amazon but they guarantee the dice are not defects which is the case with many of the other big bags of dice. The bag contains 15 full sets of 7 dice in various colors. [link]
They made a D&D 5e version of Middle Earth, called Adventures in Middle Earth. It's pretty good, but even more work than base D&D.
My recommendation is always the Starter Set. It's a great way to get into the game.
Please, heed the advice of others in the thread. Trying to turn D&D into Middle Earth is... not even slightly easy.
The basic rules are helpful ([link]). I would recommend the starter set though. It comes with a smaller set of rules that can be played with a premade campaign and even comes with some premade character sheets. If your friends enjoy this and want to keep playing you can always pick up the Players Handbook, DM guide, and Monster Manual. Start with the starter set though and ease into the rules. There is a link at the bottom for the starter set.
They have the "book supplement" from the starter set for thirteen bucks. I think that'd be it.
There is a public D&D Discord that might be able to help. [link]
If you want to start out with something basic, easy to understand and a rulebook that's not almost 300 pages long, i can reccomend picking up the D&D 5th edition starter set. It's a great adventure that eases in all the neccesairy mechanics bit by bit. [link]
Your best bet it to get your hands on the 5th edition starter set. You can order it on Amazon or buy it from your local game/comic/book store (even Barnes & Nobel carries it). That set has everything you need to get started (even for a several months of play), and the books inside introduce the game in a pretty straightforward way.
For a general introduction, check out this video.
There isn't really a "concise" resource that will teach you how to play, but watching other people might be a good place to start. One great series to check out is Force Grey: Giant Hunters.
You actually have a lot of options when it comes to price.
If you want to just get started then I would suggest trying out the D&D 5th Edition Starter Set for ~$17 on Amazon. I haven't used it before, but I've heard very good things about it. The Starter Set has everything you need to run a short game for 4-6 players including a shortened rule book, pre-written adventure, and character sheets.
If you want to dive right into the full game then you can pick up the 5th Edition Player's Handbook for ~$30 on Amazon which has all the rules and instructions necessary to make a character and run a game of D&D. If you decide that you will be the one running the game the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide will be helpful, but still optional.
You also have the option of finding an already existing group and joining with them. One of the best ways to learn D&D is to have a patient veteran take you through everything you need to know step-by-step. If you do not personally know anyone who plays then you could always try checking local game stores and hobby shops to see if there are any games. You can also check r/lfg to find games near you or online. Obviously if the group already has the rulebooks then the cost is potentially free.
Finally if you have anymore questions about the game you could check the D&D 5th Edition subreddit r/dndnext or the non edition specific r/DnD.
I would say print out the basic rules from D&D 5e and try it:
Also, the "Beginner Box" for 5e is great also. It includes premade characters, a set of dice and a really cool starting adventure:
It's $17 on amazon prime and a great place to start.
Personally, Pathfinder has some neat stuff but combat takes too long. 5e simplifies combat and also focuses a lot on RP which I personally enjoy.
This is a really cool starter set, I really enjoyed the story. You cant really go wrong with this one!
the starter set is 13 dollars and the rulebooks are 30... that is very reasonable. This particular starter set is more expensive because its out of print and considered to be collectible nowadays, not really through any fault of WotC
You can get the PHB, a set of dice, a note book and a pen for less than a new AAA game.
The only thing to make it even more reasonable would be to have a 15-20 dollar softcover option... but im not going to push it.
First time? Lost Mine of Phandelver:
Storm King's Thunder is fucking fantastic as well, and well-suited for newer players and DMs.
Assuming 5e??
What are you looking for, do you want to DM and look for a one-shot adventure?
If that is the case, I am a big fan of this adventure. It is made by WotC, originally for the Adventure's League. But it is well written and accessible for a new DM, and consists of 5 short missions with a good mix of fighting and roleplaying.
If you find out that you enjoy the game and are ready for a somewhat regular schedule, you should definitely check out the Starter Set. It is cheap and a very good introduction to longer campaigns.
The Starter Set has everything you need to begin playing, including the rules. Great deal.
If you're willing to DM, get this:
It has everything you need to start playing the game. PM if you like.
Link or anything? Never heard of it.
The Starter Set is built for new players and is quite good.
Lots of folks are wanting to run Night Below (NB) in Collabris but sadly it is rather difficult to find. I think running NB is so focused on the Underdark that you miss out on a chance to let the players explore the world at large.
Against the Cult of the Reptile God is a great starter adventure - does require some adjustment for 5E but that sort of stuff is simple.
Lost Mine of Phandelver from the 5e Starter set is a good place to begin as well.
The Sunless Citadel from 3.0 I recall as being an interesting and fun adventure
Don't make the first game that complex - Matt's Starter Dungeon is perfect for getting things going ... if your friends want more THEN expand. I recommend getting the Starter set with Lost Mines of Phandelver as other have mentioned.
If you like D&D 5, I'll throw out the idea of using it, but starting with either the Basic Rules (free) or the Starter Set (cheap). Both of these reduce the rules to something relatively easy for new players to quickly grasp and are easily expanded later with great full rules. (An added benefit of the Starter Set is that the included adventure is surprisingly good)
Basic Rules: [link]
Starter Set: [link]
Just bought it!
Do you mean this guy? If this is all I really need to start a game, that would be awesome.
I would get this:
It's all you need to play with a group for several months. Perfect introduction to playing and very affordable.
I'll second the Starter Set. It's all you need to begin playing.
I'd suggest going all in and just playing D&D. If you've never played before you can get the basic rules for free from here. Alternatively there is a Starer Set that you can buy which contains similar rules, a short adventure and some pre-made characters. From there you can move to the Basic rules (which are a step up) or even all the way to the full rules (which give you more options. You'll need the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual too).
The only other things you'll need are some dice, some paper and a few pencils.
Of course if you've played before then you know what you need.
D&D Starter Set is cheap and has everything you need to run a game from 1st to 5th level in fifth edition of D&D.
Horror on the Orient Express is expensive but comes with a ton of player handouts along with booklets of detailed NPCs with backgrounds and motivations. The photo lower down on the page shows what's in the box. You can also buy the campaign in PDF format for about half the price.
There is the award-winning campaign for Night's Black Agents called The Dracula Dossier. You can pick up the Director's Handbook and see if you want to pick up the extra bits.
Another award winner is Maze of the Blue Medusa, a massive place to explore that can easily be adapted to any fantasy ruleset you like. A Red & Pleasant Land is another product from the same artist/author that mixes Alice in Wonderland with vampires. Both are available in gorgeous hardback or cheaper PDF.
Eternal Lies offers campaign in the Trail of Cthulhu system, which uses the Gumshoe system for investigations.
Titansgrave: The Ashes of Valkana is a campaign that was run by Wil Wheaton using the Fantasy AGE system.
This list is not ranked in any particular order. I have not played or read all of these products, but this should be a good place to start for campaigns using different rulesets.
Purchase and read this. It has everything you need to begin.
Keep in mind that there's been several incompatible versions of the rules released. The original edition (sometimes called 0e), AD&D 1st Edition, AD&D 2nd Edition & the original "Basic Dungeons and Dragons" were all largely the same mechanically. There was a major rewrite for 3rd edition, another major rewrite for 4th edition and another major rewrite for the current 5th edition.
If you're looking to play 5th edition, one option is to look at the free Basic rules which are sort of a stripped down version of the current rules. This is completely unrelated to the old "Basic D&D". There's also a starter set that only costs $15. It gives you a stripped down version of the rules, some pre-made characters, an adventure (supposedly pretty good) and a set of dice (which normally cost about $8 on their own).
If you're interested in older editions, you can get free/cheap "retro clones" that are basically rewrites of the rules. Swords and Wizardry is one very popular one that captures 0e - making it fairly basic & minimal. Basic Fantasy captures the spirit of the old Basic game with some slightly updated & streamlined rules - and a printed copy is only $5. Both of these are far simpler than the current edition.
Beyond that, if you're saying "Dungeons and Dragons" in the sense of it being a roleplaying game in general, there's countless free and low cost RPGs available.
Aw, no! Sad to see the results of both fights from yesterday. Every song at this point is great, but I really liked both I Am Lapis Lazuli and Sugalite Returns.
As for today's battles, both could go either way. I voted Lion's Ocean over Opal because I'm still a little salty about Amalgam, but it could go either way. And though both are great, I'm Still Here is simply more emotional than Alone Together.
Question of the Day: It's pretty well known, but maybe not to this audience - Dungeons & Dragons. If you like games like Skyrim or Dragon Age, D&D is pretty much the progenitor of all computer RPGs. However, it's a quite different experience sitting around a table with your friends. There's an actual person, the Dungeon Master, managing the game rules and world, so you'll often end up with a unique story that incorporates whatever characters you and your friends have created. The Fifth Edition of D&D was recently released and it's great, with fairly straightforward rules and a cheap entry point. The Starter Set is $13 on Amazon (includes rules, premade characters, a great starter adventure, and dice), and the Basic Rules are free to download if you just want to take a look.
yes
Yeah, that would definitely be a problem. For the core set you really max out at around 6 people -- 1 DM and 5 players. It's just hard to deal with more players than that, as a new DM. If you can just get a group of 3-5 other people who would stick with you and maybe do it just one day every other week, you'd be totally fine. You can always add people in later, or drop people if you need to. And sometimes you can have a player who just isn't around for a session or so.
But, the more consistent the group, the more fun you'll have. You'll have more inside jokes, they'll follow the story better, and they'll have more experience and know what they're doing more. It'll just genuinely be more fun.
Here's some advice in case you, or anybody reading, wants to get into it:
I'd encourage you to buy the starter set here, along with a pound of dice on Amazon so that you have more than enough die, and so do your players. After that, the starter set comes with premade characters, with instructions printed on the back as to how to level them up.
As the DM you'll need to read the basic rules here, and have a decent working knowledge of them. You'll also want to print this out, because players are going to need to reference the spells and class stuff in here. I found D&D was easy to introduce to people because 90% of the rules only have to be known by the DM. It's very easy to be a player in D&D. You're almost always just rolling a 20-sided die and adding a number from your character sheet. Apart from that, the players only really have to know how their abilities on their sheets work. It made it very easy to introduce and teach to people, since they didn't have to learn a ton of rules, which was great.
If you get really into it you'll want to purchase the player's handbook first, followed by the monster manual and the dungeon master's guide, but you won't need the latter two until you're done with the core set, which will most likely take you around 3 - 6 months at a brisk pace.
If your players want help managing their spells (the most annoying part about D&D in my opinion), they can buy spell card decks for pretty cheap for their classes. This is up to them though.
A good subreddit to read is www.reddit.com/r/dndnext which is the 5th edition D&D subreddit.
If you have any questions, let me know. D&D really isn't that hard, and it's a complete blast. I got my friends, who I'd consider not very nerdy, to play it, and they got completely addicted.
This is what I used to learn to DM, I found it really helpful.
If you have a group of friends who all want to get into it... get the D&D Starter Set and that's all you need at first.
Then, as a player (or if you want to join an existing group, online or local), pick up The Player's Handbook
If you think you might want to be a Dungeon Master, then you'll also want to get The Dungeon Master Guide and Monster Manual.
If you or your friends have done the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure from the Starter Kit, or want a starting premade adventure, WotC have a number of official ones such as The Rise of Tiamat, Hoard of the Dragon Queen, the most recent Curse of Strahd, and many more.
As a side note, I'm also toying with the idea of running regular online games on roll20 with brand new players to teach them how to create characters that are meaningful to them and then to run through Lost Mines of Phandelver in order to get their feet wet for when they find a real, long term group. Message me if that interests you, or if you have any questions.
Sounds like a classic case of the war of Extroverts vs. Introverts.
5e is hugely easier to learn than 3.5. Easier to run, too.
You can access the Basic Rules for players and DMs and the SRD now. If you don't mind spending a little bit of dosh, there's a 5th Edition Starter Set that comes with the basic rules, a premade adventure, pregen characters, and a set of dice for good measure.
Totally up to you. Maybe give them the option of choosing which they'd prefer.
Completely new. I saw a similar question in this thread (and actually made a separate post before realizing this thread exists, sorry. I just copy pasted and added a little), but my situation is a bit different:
>My group of friends recently threw around the idea of trying out DnD. Prior to this I only knew the very basics of the game: there was a DM who controlled the 'dungeon' and players who went through it. Nothing of the intricacies. My default setting for learning new things is to query reddit so I came to this sub and went through your resource guides. Since then I read the basic player rules for 5e and I'm starting the DM one. To say I'm overwhelmed is a bit of an overstatement, but it's a lot of information to take in (and it's only the basic!). Also, I ordered this starter set to hopefully get gently introduced.
>Since I'm doing the groundwork, if we do end up playing I'll be the DM, and since my group will probably not be willing to put in the initial effort to learn the rule book 100% (basic or otherwise) I feel as DM I'd need to guide them through. My concern is that I'd probably forget/be slow on determining what to say/request from the players. I know this probably comes with practice, but again, nobody has ever played. I'd like to have our first play a great success so it doesn't turn out to be our last.
>Is there any way to gain experience as a player first? I've seen there are solo campaigns, but those seem like I have to pay for a published book I'm trying to limit my budget until I establish this as something we do regularly. I might be open to going outside my friends to get experience, but I'm a bit apprehensive about being a complete novice in other groups (I'm assuming I could join a club or something). Possibly playing online? Not sure how that works entirely.
>Thanks
If you and your friends want to give it a go from zero experience, grab the 5e Starter Set on Amazon. The starter set has a pre-built campaign and everything you need to lead it. It's even got some pre-rolled characters if your friends aren't comfortable rolling their own yet, though 5e is pretty user friendly. If you don't want to use the pre-rolled characters grab the Player Handbook and roll away! There is a ton of useful stuff in there anyway and it's fun to just thumb through.
My roommate's girlfriend is one of those people who's on the periferia of nerd culture, she likes the Marvel movies, enjoys watching him play Fallout, has never read a comic in her life but knows the characters by proxy, thinks geeky stuff is cute, etc. She was vehemently against playing DnD when my roommate and I were talking about it one day. Her reaction was the closest thing to disgust I'd ever seen from her. The idea of playing a role playing game was so nerdy to her that it was gross. Then we showed her the handbook and gave her some examples of scenarios we've seen/played through and she was a little more on board. A few weeks later she brought it up again and I helped her roll a character and a back-up in case her main character dies; now she's more excited to play again than any of us. It's really that newbie friendly and you can play with whatever level of seriousness you want for the group to stay into it.
Grabbing the Player Handbook and the Sterter Set seems a bit expensive for "just a couple of books" but it's a lower entry point than most of the good modern board games by a long shot.
If anyone can buy these: [link]
That would be amazing. They aren't on the wish list right now (they are asleep over there, so I haven't had a chance) but you can send them to:
Mundgod Public Library C/o Chief Representative Office No.7, Sampangiramaiah Garden, Srinivagalu Tank, Viveknagar Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560047 India Phone: 9816684664
The "Pin Code" is India's version of a zip code and it would the "560047"
I'll check it out, thanks.
Also if anyone can buy these:
That would be amazing. They aren't on the wish list right now (they are asleep over there, so I haven't had a chance) but you can send them to:
Mundgod Public Library C/o Chief Representative Office No.7, Sampangiramaiah Garden, Srinivagalu Tank, Viveknagar Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560047 India Phone: 9816684664
The "Pin Code" is India's version of a zip code and it would the "560047"
Hi. So I don't really have the time to sit an talk with you (I'm in EU and going to sleep soon). But I'll try to point you in the right direction for information to get started.
So first off, if you really have no idea what D&D is I'd suggest watching some youtube videos. There are videos of people explaining the basic concepts and videos of groups playing which can be quite entertaining and will help you get a grasp of how the game works. In particular I'd recommend the "Acquisitions Incorporated" live shows.
So amusing you now understand the basic idea and want to get a game going with your friends here's what you need. you can get the 5th edition basic rules for free on the D&D website. 5th edition is the latest edition and I'd recommend it for new players. Don't feel like you need to read the entire thing or memorise the rules, just get a feel for it.
For your DM I would personally recommend the 5th edition starter set. It's only 20 bucks (your group could pitch in together making it like 5 each) and is designed specifically for new players and new DMs. It has everything you need to run a game; a story module for the DM to run, a set of dice, several pre-made character sheets for you and the other players to use, and a paper copy of the basic rules. It will be able to explain most of the answers to the questions you have, and if not feel free to come back here and ask more specific questions and I'm sure people will be happy to help.
If you have more questions now feel free to ask me now. Otherwise I hope this was helpful and good luck on your new adventure :)
- To echo everyone else, I would also say start with the starter set because it has everything you need to start, including a pretty nice set of dice. You could get away with this for your first session, but you will probably want some
- dice This may be your most cost effective way of having a set for everyone, and enough spares for people to grab from for crits and spells like fireball. Everyone will eventually get nicer sets they like more, but this is a good way to start with matched sets. Depending on how happy people are with the player options in the starter set, your next investment will either be the
- PHB for more player options, spells, items, and guide lines for how things should work. This is far and away the most import of the three books. As most people have said, you will probably get to the point where everyone wants access to this book. During play, you will probably want 2-3 of these at the table.
- Battle Mat D&D can be played in Theater of the mind, but grid combat makes a lot of rules easier to implement and officiate with a grid. The one I linked is pretty big without being overly huge (there are larger ones), and it is vinyl which makes it durable, and it erases pretty well with good wet erase markers.
- Miniatures is something else entirely. Most of the groups I play with have more than enough for me to ever have to buy any. Some players will make or buy a mini for his/her character. There are the round cardboard tokens that you could use for cheap. I run a D&D game on Fridays at the school I teach at and have the students use one of their dice as their mini. Monsters are usually balls of playdoh.
- After finishing of the LMOP (the adventure in the starter's set) you will either want to pick up one of the other adventures like Out of the Abyss or Princes of the Apocalypse. You might need a Monster Manual to go with it. PotA has a digital supplement with the extra monsters, while OotA does not.
- The DMG is optional really. It is great for magic items, alternative rules you could use, and world building strategies. You'll want a copy eventually, but like the MM, you wont need more than 1.
- Other things. Look around for things like the Elemental Evil Player's Guide and Unearthed Arcana articles. They have a bunch of free content you could use in your games. They are usually rough drafts so they might be imbalanced, but you might find something you really like in there. There are also tons of homebrew monsters, classes, races, and items if you wanted to expand your game that way.
angel14995 has a great summary of all the books. This list is more useful as a logical purchasing progression guide.
$12 starter set for the win! This is 5th Edition, the most recent.
Edit: oops, didn't see you didn't want the starter set. Out of curiosity, why not?
Start with the Getting Started / Learning to Play link from the /r/dnd sidebar for some resources. I would highly suggest getting the Starter Set. It does a decent walkthrough without needing to purchase any of the core rulebooks.
One set of dice comes with the Starter set. If everyone enjoys it and you want to continue then each person should have their own set of dice (d4, d6, d8, d12, d10, d20, and percentile dice which is often just a second d10 numbered with 10s instead of 1s).
Not sure what board you are thinking of...unless you are thinking of the D&D board game which is an entirely different product. pen and paper D&D does not require a game board.
Yes, you need to read the core rules.
Here you go.
Start with the Getting Started / Learning to Play link from the sidebar for some resources.
I would highly suggest getting the Start Set for whomever is going to DM. It does a decent walkthrough without needing to purchase any of the core rulebooks.
Oh, you notice that the party was trying to go crazy with it. In 5e, I think that sums up my reddit experience. [link].
As someone who has played every edition of Dungeons & Dragons, I'd definitely recommend 5th Edition to a group of new players. It's the most streamlined and easy to learn version of the game to date. You can download the free basic rules here so you risk nothing giving it a try. Alternately, you can get the basic rules along with a starter adventure and a set of dice with the Starter Set for less than $15. It also includes some pre-generated characters so you can pick one and jump in without having to learn all of the rules of character creation.
I really did quite enjoy running the starter set but I would check to make sure nobody has ran it yet.
There's enough in there to last a bunch of sessions (designed to take you from 1-3) but can also be used as a one-shot using the ambush & cave from the beginning.
That plus the two free PDFs should serve you well.
thanks a lot for the help. is this what i should get? [link]
Copied from my comment on another thread:
If you want to see where you can play near you, check out the Adventurers League page. The Comic Book Shoppe on Bank, Fandom 2 on Laurier, and a few of the suburban game/comic shops have weekly D&D on Wednesday. As far as I know, they're all free. Not all shops follow the official events and timeline, so some shops might run their D&D nights more loosely.
If you want to try running it with/for your friends, the basic rules for players and dungeon masters are available for FREE here. Not every race and class and spell are in here, but it should be enough to get your feet wet and get an understanding of the rules. If you want to have everything (premade story, rules, dice, premade characters) in one package, I suggest picking up the D&D 5th edition Starter Set for about $20.
If putting on pants and leaving your home isn't your jam, there are services like Roll20 that will let you meet people to play online. Kind of like a Meetup.com and Google Hangouts hybrid made specifically for finding people to play RPGs with. You will definitely need a mic and maybe a webcam.
And finally, you can reply to one of the regular "looking for people to play D&D with" posts on this subreddit. If going to a stranger's house to play games seems kinda sketchy to you, bring a friend and tell other people where you're going. Most of the time these groups will be arranged over email or Facebook, so a bit of light online stalking and Googling isn't a terrible idea too.
All you'll really need to get started is the Free Basic Rules From the WOTC website.
Additionally, you can pick up the Starter Set for about $20 total from amazon, which provides pre-made characters as well as a ready-made adventure for you to run with friends or family.
Finally, Check out Adventurer's League, which are weekly official events at local comic shops. You'll be able to sit down and play right away with experienced DMs that will help you out get a feel for the game.
Find some money between the couch cushions and pick up Dungeons and Dragons
Not quite a board game, but a tabletop game that you almost can't go without. D&D 5th edition starter pack. A pound of dice would go well with it too. [link]
Alright well there's one. :) Lets see if we can get a couple more folks. Hopefully the OP will reply soon and we'll get the ball rolling. If not I'll message him. :)
To get started Ketoplasia, check out the free rules pdf. It contains all the basic rules you'll want to know, as well as some (though not all) of the races & classes available in the game.
Sign up to Roll20, it's totally free. Create a temporary game, watch the tutorial video, get familiarized. Once your on there, message me here your info and I'll invite you to the game. :)
Download a character sheet and try your hand at making a character or two, just to get a feel for it. Don't worry about dice, we won't need them. If you need to roll during character creation just search google for a D&D dice roller. There's tuns of em on the web.
Once you have a basic idea of things, you might want to invest in the D&D Starter Set which contains much more information than the basic rules. If you purchase this, do not read the adventure as we may play it. After a few sessions if you really find you enjoy the new hobby, or if you think you want more character options from the get go, pick up the full Player's Handbook.
"Red Box" pretty much has everything you need to get into playing.
It's less then 20 bucks. You limited to level 5 but depending on how long you play and frequently and if you are prone to restarts this could take months.
If you want it new with dice, dungeon panels and card stock etc it's 60. However you can play with just dice and the manual pretty easily you just need to draw out the maps.
The D&D Starter Set, which is a campaign called "The Lost Mine of Phandelver". [link]
It really isn't much of an investment
This starter set has the basic rules as well as a starting adventure.
This Player's Handbook has in-depth rules for player that includes all the races and classes as well as an expansion of basic rules, spells etc.
Both would be great options for an aspiring D&D player. I don't experience with editions other than 5E, but it's my understanding that it is more streamlined than some past editions. Additionally, it is the newest addition, so it is more likely that other players will be familiar with it.
EDIT: Dice are good too.
This is the best place to start.
This is everything you need to keep going :D If everyone who is playing has this handbook, it's optimal. But not required.
The DM handbook and monster manual are much more optional. I have been running my 5e campaign for about three months and have used the monster manual twice. The DM manual once.
Pathfinder is a slightly better version of D&D 3.5. A lot of the resources are available free on an app called masterwork tools and here. It'd still reccomed getting a hard copy of the core book since these places are only really good for reference.
You could also check out the beginner box for 5th and Pathfinder it's a good way to start on a budget. DMing takes practice above all else so your best bet is to dive in! good luck
You two should definitely try it out! I have only been playing since DnD Next (sort of the beta for 5e) came out, but the people I've been playing with are all vets of the game and they say that 5e is really good so far. I think you guys playing on 5e will be perfectly fine. As for finding a group, I recommend looking on Roll20 ([link]). There's always people looking for groups there. If you find a group of people to play with at your location, I recommend looking into the starter set on Amazon ([link]). It provides the Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign and some starter characters to help you get used to the game.
I wouldn't say it's needed. But the first quest that comes with it is pretty simple and helpful. Our group is made of all first timers. Here is a link for the product
not sure sorry, but i bought this [link]
which may be an indication
As no one has mentioned it yet. If you want to play the newest edition, you could also get the StarterPack for 12 bucks.
It contains a booklet with the basic rules, a choice of premade character sheets, a set of dice and a pretty decent adventure for lvl 1-5. I and my friends started this way a few months ago. It is great for the price you pay.
A logical place to start would be the starter set. ☺ [link] It's nice if everyone has their own dice (7 die polyhedral dice set), but there's plenty of dice rolling apps if you just want to get your feet wet and see if you like it.
I highly recommend getting the Starter Set. It's really well priced, I got mine delivered for about £10. Here it is on Amazon.]
In that you get the basic rules, sample characters, character sheet to photocopy, dice, and an adventure that'll get your character to about level 5.
It's worth ~£10 for the adventure alone - it's a really good deal.
You can also get the Basic Rules for free here. Have a read through them while you're waiting for your starter set to arrive!
Here it is for $11.99. Grab it now and get that dank price, bruh!
This explained it to me the best. [link]
The way my favorite shop is setup they get a shipment of the 'folios' and if someone wants to organize a game they can host it in the store the clerks might also already be hosting and you can get in on one of those. You can find one of the stores here and probably get more specific information there. [link]
I don't think you can just take to play at home but if you wanted to play the 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' campaign it's included in the 5e starter set. [link]
And finally my understanding is that the characters you play with are in the pre-gens from the folios but obviously the DM has final ruling over that.
5e is more streamlined and I would consider it the most noob friendly. The group I DM for is totally new to D&D and they picked up 5e quickly. Consider getting the 5e Starter Set and see how you like it.
My online group uses Roll20 and Skype. I was really overwhelmed with the Roll20 interface at first as well, but its easy to learn once you start playing with the tools. Create a test campaign on the site and tinker around.
Yes, I'd definitely recommend the starter set for the (relatively new) 5th edition - $12 delivered if you're in the US.
Outside of the US, it should still be quite widely available though. and gets you:
- the dice you need to play
- 5 pre-made character sheets to start with (you can always create your own later)
- a 32-page rulebook for everyone to read and learn the rules from
- a 64-page book for the Dungeon Master, explaining how to run the game for the players (you'll probably be the one taking on this role). This includes a short campaign with story and scenarios for you all to play through.
Everything else, figures & mat included, is optional! Most people, even if they use actual figures, tend to use plain 1-inch grids with the outline of scenery/buildings/rooms drawn on them. You can either just print these out, or use vinyl sheets which you draw on with non-permanent markers.
For figures, you'll have many options. But at the "cheap" starter end, you have pre-painted ones like the official D&D line:
If you're okay with them being unpainted (or want to eventually paint them yourself!) and want to get more for your money, I'd recommend Reaper Bones - they're harder to get outside of the US though.
I'd recommend staring with 5 for simplicity, try the Starter Set then if you all had a good time get the players hand book. If after a while you all want to give it a go,I'd also suggest you try out Pathfinder or other 3.5e stuff, the amount of customization and player-created content is immense
5e is the newest version out there. The basic rules can be found here. Your players will each control a player character (PC), and you the Dungeon Master (DM) will control all of the non-player characters(NPCs), and environments. Together you tell a story of adventure.
I recommend getting the starter set. It contains a few pre-made characters and an adventure for you to run. If you like it and want to do more, then look into getting the rest of the books. PHB, MM, and DMG.
Find some friends & start a game. You can find free rules for all sorts of RPGs around.
Shadowrun Quickstart - not technically D&D but it's based on the standard 6-sided dice you already have around the house (ie - no funny RPG dice needed). It's a combination of elves, dwarves & magic with a dark sci-fi setting. Free basic rules & an included adventure to get you up and running quickly.
Dragon Age Quickstart - again, not realy D&D but it gives you everything you need to play a quick game (rules + adventure) and it works with the six-sided dice you already have.
Swords & Wizardry Quick Start - S&W is a free clone of the oldest version of D&D. This is a stripped down version of the rules (only 10 pages for the rules) and includes a dungeon for you to explore. You'll need to get a set of 'funny' RPG dice but you can pick them up at your local game store or online (ie - Amazon) for $5-10 a set.
Honorable mention goes to Basic Fantasy RPG - another free clone of old-school D&D using simplified new-school rules, this one has tons of adventures & stuff available online. One of the most noteworthy things about it is that PDFs of the rules are free & you can buy all the printed books online at cost. The full rule book & a set of adventures (like "AA1") will cost you less than $20.
...and if you're willing to spend a few bucks there's the:
- Dungeons and Dragons Starter set - It's cheap & it comes with dice, pre-generated characters, printed basic rules & a starting adventure that will probably last you and your friends a few sessions of gameplay.
You can get more info by reading the the sidebar in /r/dnd and /r/rpg (both have decent "newbie" guides). There's also websites like [link] that have articles targeted at new players.
Hey man, happy that you came here. First and foremost, we have a good sidebar full of useful info, so be sure to check that out. Here is the basic rules for 5th edition. [link]
You can buy a players handbook for 50 dollars, but it just ellaborates, and I reccomend you read the basic rules first to see if you like it.
D&D is a role playing game, where you can play any race or class your heart desires in any setting you want. YOU have control of your character. The DM controls everything else. The key to being a good player is to make a character (which the rules walk you through), and doing your best to role play the character without meta-gaming (using player knowledge instead of character's knowledge).
Other editions are still popular (3.5 and 4th edition are still commonly played). I would look up your local game store for a copy of the starter box (or check amazon here [link]). This comes with a pre made adventure, some rules, pre-made characters for the adventure, and everything you need to know to run a game (And a free set of dice! woo!)
You'll need a polyhedral dice set (d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, and a d4) or you can use a dice rolling app (but those aren't as fun!)
You can find new players most likely at your local game shop, or just ask your friend if he knows other people who game, since you don't get along with the other players. There is no shame in that.
Also, ask random friends if they are interested in learning D&D with you. Worst case scenario, check out roll20 (link is on the side bar). Roll20 is a website that allows you to play D&D online via skype and chat, along with hosting maps. I would reccomend this if you can't find anyone to game with.
If your game shop has Adventurer's League, that is campaigns made by the makers of D&D that are officially run, and are a great way to meet people.
Also, check out /r/LFG or your local subreddit to see if there are any people interested! You can make new friends that way too! and once you know some people, they can introduce to others who play.
Best of luck, and if you have any questions, check the side bar, use the search function, and if those fail, feel free to ask us here!
Another good forum-based website is Giant in the Playground. They are the host of the popular D&D webcomic Order of the Stick, and they have a good forum for discussing D&D. if you like 4chan, /tg/ is a board for traditional games, where D&D is discussed on occasion (but not always well recieved).
Good luck and happy gaming!
As far as I know, there is only one starter set, and that's for 5e.
I assume the one you're referring to is this? If so, then yes, it's 5e.
is this the starter set? it doesnt say anywhere which edition is, i just wanted to make sure before pre ordering it. im a complete noob :P
just ran this as a first time DM and it worked great! also its only 12 bucks
Wait a week and get it from Amazon. 37% cheaper than the brick stores. [link]
D&D 5th Edition (5E) is the newest edition that is quite newbie-friendly compared to other editions (slightly simpler rules).
Past comments of mine:
What the Official Rule Books are each about
If you don't want to become too invested in D&D 5E immediately: There's the Starter Set. In a previous comment I also mentioned, Roll20 also allows you to not spend money on miniatures, grids, dice and the like since it's all free on the in-site app. There's also the free Official Basic Rules.
I think the new D&D Starter Set, out July 15th, is a great place to start. Less than the price of Monopoly/Ticket to Ride/etc, it includes 5 pregenerated characters, an adventure with about 10 hours of playtime, dice, and 5 miniatures that match the pregens. Match that up with the Basic D&D download that should be available from www.wizards.com around that same time and you should be set for a while.
I was going to make a link post linking to this, but I made a text post instead and forgot to link it.
He's talking about the Starter Set.
Less than $20 from Amazon....
Starter set is worth the money, especially if your players are new to the game as well.
Hey! I've decided to go for the Starter Set, but how do I make sure it is 5e? I found this product on Amazon, don't know if this was the one you were talking about.
I would recommend getting the latest D&D Starter Set, which contains a good introduction to the game, including a little bit of information on being the DM.
Then get the free basic rules for D&D here, which includes more rules for play and character creation.
In addition, you might want an additional set of dice or two..
(With the latest edition, a battle mat and figures are optional. I usually opt not to use them.)
I can't comment on the board games. The only one I really enjoyed (and still do) is Lords of Waterdeep, but that doesn't come with minis and it's more a game based on D&D lore than a D&D game.
My first suggestion is to pick up the Starter Kit that comes out in July. It will have everything you need to get started. Make sure you get the right one!
As others have said, pick up a laminated grid and a bunch of dry erase markers. Here's a good one to start you off.
Get a lot of colors of dry erase markers. You'll find the more you have the better your play area will look. I like dungeon tiles, but I found that occasionally I wasted a lot of time looking for the right tile (we had all of the sets and some doubles in my old group).
Get yourself some dice. Everyone is going to need one set, and will probably want two or three. [Chessex](www.chessex.com) are my preferred brand.
For cheap minis, there aren't a ton of options. You can try ebay, or you can buy the ones you want from [miniature market](www.miniaturemarket.com), [troll and toad](www.trollandtoad.com), or [cool stuff inc](www.coolstuffinc.com). There are people who make tokens if you want to start off cheap while you build up your mini collection. I'll let you google that yourself. Just pick the ones you like and print them out.
A couple of months ago I was making the exact same sort of post on rpggeek.com (a rpg related website pretty good to have a look at their forums if you are just starting out as well). The advice I got was to just bite the bullet, buy myself a D&D 5e Starter Set, let my friends read the starter rules and just DM my own first game. If you're interested in how the night went you can check out the session report I wrote for it on rpggeek here.
If I'm honest the first night was, from a "following the rules" and running the game etc. sort of point of view it was a train wreck we got a lot wrong. However, it was also a shed load of fun and has kicked my friends and I off on our D&D journey. At the end of the day us getting the rules wrong just helps us to learn the rules properly when we go back to look them up it's all part of the fun I guess. It's too early to tell if it will be a long lasting interest in the hobby but we have a second night planned, so one step at a time I guess.
I don't have nearly as much experience as the other people who might answer your question here but from one newbie to another I will echo to you the advice I got. Just do it, man. Sure my first night flew in the face of the rules but its all a learning experience and the fact is speaking with a GM first isn't going to stop you from making those mistakes anyway. The starter set is so cheap as well, I know I've spent more on other things "just to give them a go".
Whether you decide to take the plunge as I suggested above or continue with your search to find a DM to host your game I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy yourself as much as I have so far.
$13
Honestly, there is more then enough options for 5e right now with the Player's Hand Book. Specially since you are just starting out. 5e is very easy to pick up and runs smooth. I would pick up the brand new 5e starter set if I were you and then decided from there if you enjoy the game. From there you can use the free Basic Rules online and the Players Hand Book to continue playing.
In short - you absolutely can you'll just be a bit limited. It's a playtest, not the final rule set.
For under $13 you can get this on/around July 15th: [link]
Or if you are willing to pay $19.99 at your local game stop ask them if they'll have it there in the first week in July (they should).
/r/NewDM
D&D 5e. Start with the Starter Set. Easy to follow rules, a great campaign called The Lost Mine of Phandelver, and it can be used with or without the Essentials kit.
Good luck!
I don't know if I've ever bothered to look at seller reviews... Let me share a real example.
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
Or
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set: Fantasy D&D Roleplaying Game 5th Edition (RPG Boxed Game) [link]
These are the same products, with two different listing. I'd buy the one that didn't say it had moldy pages....
Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set [link]
This is perfect, if you're playing 5E.
D&D 5E Starter Set. It's a great intro product and it's all you need for about 3 months of gaming. It has pregenerated characters, so your players can just jump in on that first session. Plus, it's $13 US. Cheap as free. ([link])
After you're done with the Starter Set, the PHB is a good investment (usually about $30 US online).
Dungeons and Dragons is not a "board game". you will need several important books, some character sheets, lots of dice, and lots of creativity to get going, plus lots more optional stuff.
you can play using a grid map and miniatures to represent characters & their position but it is not necessary.
The first place I would look would be at a brick and mortar local game store. They will enjoy your business and should be pretty helpful in getting you started (there are lots of D&D books, supplements, guides, monster books, adventure modules, etc etc to pick through. you might need some help!).
Online, my first stop would be Amazon [link] but here's a smaller retailer as well [link]
Note there are other alternatives as well, many people also play Pathfinder, a similar game from another publisher (Pathfinder is compatible with the beloved D&D 3.5, unlike official D&D 4th and 5th editions). If you want an actual fantasy board game you'll have to keep looking.
I thought the exact same thing. It's the Boxed Set that comes out in July.
There are a lot of entry points. Which one is best will probably depend on your level of gamerness (if that's a word?).
If you don't do much tabletop gaming (or your only boardgames are from Hasbro), the D&D fifth edition starter set is a great place to start. Eventually, your group will have to get the DM Guide,, Player's Handbook, and maybe the Monster Manual after you finish the sessions from the starter set.
If you're more of a gamer, and you like min/maxing, let me recommend Pathfinder. It's an offshoot of the 3.5th edition of D&D (considered by many to be the heyday of D&D's systems. Here's their beginner box - the great thing about pathfinder is that after you finish that box, you don't need to buy anything. Ever again. there are resource pages all over the internet where all of the source material is available for free. (premade campaigns, you'll have to buy if you want to use them, though, but that's the same as D&D).
Another option if you're a starwars fan, is the new Star Wars RPG by fantasy flight. There are different source books and begginer boxes depending on if you want to focus your adventures around smugglers and normal folk on the edge of civilization or members of the rebellion
D&D Starter Set. I'm not a fan of their release schedule myself, but surely $13 isn't too bad, right?
Edit: Misunderstood, ignore me.
[link] has all the basic rules for free. Also the "Starter Set", designed for new players with everything you need to dive into rpgs quickly, can be found at Amazon for $12. Given that the dice alone can run $6-$12, this is a good deal, and it's highly recommended for getting brand new players into tabletop RPGs quickly.
If Pathfinder looks more interesting to you, then you should look into the Beginner Box. It's a steeper buy-in (about twice as much on Amazon), but it does come with more content.
Both choices are good values, but you should read about D&D (5e) and Pathfinder a bit first before making a decision (if you decide to go this route at all). You'll find many people have "taken sides", so look for opinions from a variety of sources. (Me personally: Having only gotten back into RPGs in the past year, I have not played Pathfinder. But I'm absolutely enamored with 5e. There's no doubt they're both good, and anyone who says otherwise should not be trusted.)
I fully suggest the currently-releasing fifth edition. The Starter Set contains some pre-made characters, a set of dice, and a pre-written adventure that teaches the DM and players a lot about playing the game. It's a great place to start.
Basic 5e is available for free on Wizards website. Basic contains all the rules you need to play, but presents only a small portion of the options available to make characers (Only 4 of the 12 classes, no feats[optional ways to customize character], only some of the spells available, not all the monsters that will be available in the Monster Manual). It's a full game, but with a very narrow amount of choices.
You can play D&D with just the free Basic rules, but each book will give more options. The Players Handbook offers the full selection of choices for player characters. The upcoming Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide will give you more baddies to fight and alternate, optional rules as well as advice on running the game, respectively.
I would suggest taking a look at the Basic rules online and buying the Starter Set. It has everything you need to play except some pencils. If more character choices, bad guys to fight, optional rules appeal to you; get the corresponding books.
Start with the starter set. Duh!
The person who most enjoys world building should be the DM.