how do i get into dnd?
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Only a little bit, though. And you pay for some of that lightness with painful ambiguity. There are much lighter systems around that require less hand-wringing about the rules -- including some of the old-school D&D knock-offs that are seeing a resurgence today. Also, "new" World of Darkness is better than "old" World of Darkness in this regard.nilcypher said:
-- Alex
I agree, not to tar everyone with the same brush, but that is a fair assumption (at least for some) to make. I play Warhammer 40,000 and also many different RPG's and although I personally have not only been with a girl but also have a decent social life, plenty of people in that situation (particularly people I see in Games Workshop where Warhammer models are sold) obviously don't have any sort of life beyond the game they are playing, tabletop or otherwise. Best thing to do is what I did, i.e. play this sort of thing with some friends, don't get involved in the whole obssessive DnD scene, just do it for fun with a few friends who have similar interests. You'll be all the better for it and it's a decent way to socialise with your friends while also having fun, and you can put it away and forget it when you're finished playing. SimplesKukul said:
The standard D&D formula is "Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, and some polyhedral dice". A group will generally want one of each around. People say each player should have his or her own Player's Handbook but it's really not required -- that is the book that generally sees the most use at the table, however, so if there's any book the group should have more than one of, it's that one. Having your own small set of dice is a good idea.seydaman said:
This is good advice:
I think it's best to find some friends, grab a few books, and try to figure things out yourself. Experienced players will have good advice but asking them to teach you outright is a good way to end up picking up random playstyle quirks of theirs that don't actually work well for you (although there are inspections to this rule, I'm sure).Kukul said:
Also, at the bottom of the page here [http://gregstolze.com/downloads.html] there are two short general guides to running and playing RPGs. I like them way better than the "how to play RPGs" section of any game book I've read.
-- Alex
1: Find Games&Hobbies shop, purchase rulebooks (I recommend 3rd/3 1/2 Edition to start if your are completely new to the Pen and Paper RPG)
2: Find people to play with, be they friends that are already into it or people in a group found at aforemetioned games shop.
3: Have fun!
2: Find people to play with, be they friends that are already into it or people in a group found at aforemetioned games shop.
3: Have fun!
Honestly, the only reason to recommend D&D for beginners is that a lot of other people play it.
Beyond that, there isn't actually a lot to recommend it as "my first RPG". It's not the easiest or friendliest of game to pick up (not the hardest, either). Nor does it really stand head-and-shoulders above everything else in terms of the quality of play.
But the popularity and brand recognition makes it easier to find other people to play with you. (The down side is that you end up with a lot of people who play D&D and only D&D and are pathologically afraid of touching anything else.) That's really the only thing that makes it a good introductory choice.
-- Alex
Beyond that, there isn't actually a lot to recommend it as "my first RPG". It's not the easiest or friendliest of game to pick up (not the hardest, either). Nor does it really stand head-and-shoulders above everything else in terms of the quality of play.
But the popularity and brand recognition makes it easier to find other people to play with you. (The down side is that you end up with a lot of people who play D&D and only D&D and are pathologically afraid of touching anything else.) That's really the only thing that makes it a good introductory choice.
-- Alex
pretty much parroting what has already been said here but yeah if you can find a group of friends that are interested that is a solid approach. Barring that, ask around at a game/hobbyshop.
Just putting it out there, I got laid through DnD, I got a girlfriend who was playing in my group, and she was hot too.Kukul said:
That said, DnD sucks, you don't want it. Get something better, like Cthulhu, or WoD or Noir. Or even better, get Paranoia. Then you'll really have fun.
simply say it out loud that you wanna play D&D. we're in 2009 now: you will NOT feel ostracised as we players are everywhere and generally friendly to newcomers.
As for teaching how the rules work: i have a favorite way of mine: the tavern brawl.
A bunch of rowdy dwarfs get drunk next to your table and things degenerate quickly. If the DM knows his stuff, you'll learn to improvise quickly in a fight without weapons (because those dwarves are all local buddies, like a local hockey team, they might fight on ice but it's all cool after a few beers. and they'll all be back the morning after to repair what tables they broke and such).
I always started new campaigns with the tavern brawl, that way i can easily show in an easy, yet frantic way how the mechanics work:
"a chair gets thrown your way: what do you do?
-Dodge it? (reflex save) easy to explain in that context if the newbie is a rogue.
-Duck it or cartwheel out of harm's way (skill:tumble check) very visual and easy to explain.
-Raise your hand and try to deflect it? (Armor class check) regardless if the guy has armor on.
-Thrust out your chest, let the chair hit you and grunt it away at the risk of HP loss?
(if the guy is a tough barbarian then i'd add an intimidation check for added roleplay opportunities)
-Dash under a table and start casting or praying? (depending on the situation, it will be either a reflex save or a concentration check)
Take your time and point out on their character sheet where to look for which ability (or character trait) to use in this situation.
And you soon will have a possibly really good entertainer of a D&D player into our Sune Worshipping fold hahahaha
Most importantly: have fun... it IS quite easy to get into D&D because we all have imagination, it's a genetic trait
As for teaching how the rules work: i have a favorite way of mine: the tavern brawl.
A bunch of rowdy dwarfs get drunk next to your table and things degenerate quickly. If the DM knows his stuff, you'll learn to improvise quickly in a fight without weapons (because those dwarves are all local buddies, like a local hockey team, they might fight on ice but it's all cool after a few beers. and they'll all be back the morning after to repair what tables they broke and such).
I always started new campaigns with the tavern brawl, that way i can easily show in an easy, yet frantic way how the mechanics work:
"a chair gets thrown your way: what do you do?
-Dodge it? (reflex save) easy to explain in that context if the newbie is a rogue.
-Duck it or cartwheel out of harm's way (skill:tumble check) very visual and easy to explain.
-Raise your hand and try to deflect it? (Armor class check) regardless if the guy has armor on.
-Thrust out your chest, let the chair hit you and grunt it away at the risk of HP loss?
(if the guy is a tough barbarian then i'd add an intimidation check for added roleplay opportunities)
-Dash under a table and start casting or praying? (depending on the situation, it will be either a reflex save or a concentration check)
Take your time and point out on their character sheet where to look for which ability (or character trait) to use in this situation.
And you soon will have a possibly really good entertainer of a D&D player into our Sune Worshipping fold hahahaha
Most importantly: have fun... it IS quite easy to get into D&D because we all have imagination, it's a genetic trait
A-fucking-men, brother. Wizards of the Coast stuck its dick in the pudding that was D&D. It's still good pudding but nobody wants to eat it because they STUCK THEIR DICK IN IT!LewsTherin said:
Finding some hardcore 2nd Edition holdouts means pencil-and-paper fun ahead.
I was recently poundering the same thing and it seems to me you need 3 things to start D&D:
1. Friends an easy or hard thing to acquire the difficulty I find is easily caluable by the amount of time you spend on the internet.
2. An imagination an easy way to check if you have one is to close your eyes and invision something epic if you get a scene directly form a movie video game or picture you fail if you get something original only vaugly inspired from other things you have seen thats a pass
3. About 120$ canadian to buy the players handbook dungeon masters guide and the monster guide if 120$ seems like an impossible barrier a suggest getting a job.
That being said i failed at the first hurdle and promptly gave up mostly because Im an asshole and have no friends.
1. Friends an easy or hard thing to acquire the difficulty I find is easily caluable by the amount of time you spend on the internet.
2. An imagination an easy way to check if you have one is to close your eyes and invision something epic if you get a scene directly form a movie video game or picture you fail if you get something original only vaugly inspired from other things you have seen thats a pass
3. About 120$ canadian to buy the players handbook dungeon masters guide and the monster guide if 120$ seems like an impossible barrier a suggest getting a job.
That being said i failed at the first hurdle and promptly gave up mostly because Im an asshole and have no friends.
Cecil Adams said it best: "Here we have a game that combines the charm of a Pentagon briefing with the excitement of double-entry bookkeeping. I don't get it."Alex_P said:
(edited because I was able to chase down the article in question [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/278/whats-the-deal-with-dungeons-and-dragons] with the correct quote.)
You've obviously never met my group, as about a third of it is female.Erana said:
Then again, we're more than decently learned in the ways of hygiene and manners, so I suppose we're an outlier.
DnD is the most popular pen and paper games but there are others i would recommend over that. if you want an ultra realistic game go for Runequest; very realistic combat. if you want humour with your friends go for paranoia. i've never had so much fun with my friends; almost collapsed laughing. in my personal opinion DnD is a bit too simple.