D&D question

[Joelbanks5]

So I'm looking to get into D&D but there are so many products and the descriptions of some are confusing. I have no idea what I need to purchase to get a well-rounded experience of the game. Can someone help me here?

[kingkickolas]

If you're just starting, I'd recommend going with 5th edition, the latest version. The combat is really fun and streamlined and it focuses a lot more on motivation and backstory than previous versions, which I think is pretty cool. The main book you'll be using (as a player, not a DM, I'm assuming) is the Player's Handbook. You probably will only need that book. You can pick up a Dungeon Master's Guide for more detailed info on the game if you want. And the Monster Manual is just a listing of the different monsters that you might encounter and their stats. 

 

So basically just the Player's Handbook, and make sure it's 5th edition. Does that help?

 

edit: autocorrect typos

Edited February 21, 2017 by kingkickolas

[Joelbanks5]

Just now, kingkickolas said:

If you're just starting, I'd recommend going with 5th edition, the latest version. The combat is really fun and streamlined and it focuses a lot more on motivation and backstory than previous versions, which I think is pretty cool. The main book you'll be using (as a player, not a DM, I'm assuming) is the Player's Handbook. You probably will only need that book. You can pick up a Dungeon Master's Guide for more detailed info on the game if you want. And the Monster Manual is just a listing of the different monsters that you might encounter and their stats. 

 

So basically just the Player'should Handbook, and make sure it's 5th edition. Does that help?

 

Just that for a full well-rounded experience? And what's the DM? I plan on inviting friends over and playing it so do I need multiple?

[kingkickolas]

3 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Just that for a full well-rounded experience? And what's the DM? I plan on inviting friends over and playing it so do I need multiple?

In D&D, there are two kinds of participants: the players and the dungeon master (DM). Basically, the DM creates a world(*) for the players to inhabit and communicates the results of the players' actions to them. For example, if a player is interacting with a store owner and decides to threaten them to get a better deal, the DM decides if he is intimidating enough to succeed, and if not, the DM might judge that the room is now being flooded by the royal guard. Very bad.

 

Basically, it's Skyrim with a bunch of friends and the DM is the developer who plans out the whole world and responds realistically to what you do in the world (on the fly).

 

If you are not too familiar with the game, I'd recommend trying to find someone who is familiar with it to DM (since there can be a lot of rules to get comfortable with). Or if not, then see my note below. And if you do intend on DM'ing yourself, then yes you will need the DM Guide, Player's Handbook, and Monster Manual. Probably 1 or 2 Player's Handbooks are okay, as your friends can all share while they create their characters, and you don't really need them constantly when you're playing. (Plus they're expensive.)

 

One last thing I'd highly recommend though is that you watch some D&D in action to get a feel for what's involved. This will help you a lot to get comfortable with the rules and whatnot. There are some really good ones to watch online, namely Critical Role or Force Grey: Giant Hunters, which both feature Matt Mercer, who is an amazingly thorough and well-prepared DM. Critical Role tends to be more serious, while Force Grey is a bit loose, in my opinion at least.

 

 

 

(*) Note that generally only very experienced DMs will create the world themselves, as this is very difficult and time consuming to do right (this is usually called a "homebrew" campaign). There are supplementary adventure books with a world pre-planned that you can purchase online and walk through with your group.

[Gale]

Well, I hope that you have a very committed group of friends, because D&D is a very geeky and somewhat pricey experience. I suggest that you play using the 5th edition rules (the current edition). What you need to start your own D&D adventure:

• Group of people (I suggest 1 dungeon master, and 4 adventurers) who are willing to give up one or two nights of their week to play.
• Player's Handbook. This book contains all the basic mechanics. One per person, including the dungeon master. People can share, but it's always good to have your own.
• Dungeon Master's Guide. For whoever is going to be the dungeon master. The whole group can contribute to the cost of this thing just to not make the DM pay most of the stuff.
• Dice sets (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20). I recommend 2 sets of these per player. The brand I linked you to is quite reputable.
• A bunch of miniatures. You will use these to represent players, monsters, etc. They don't have to be "official" miniatures. If you go to a hobby shop that sells this kind of things, you can grab figures from other tabletops and use them for D&D, as long as they fit in the mat's grid. If you don't want to spend too much right away, you can use things like checker pieces for generic enemies, or chess pieces for mini-bosses.
• Grid game mats. I know I linked you to a Pathfinder mat, but it's fine. The dungeon master will draw on this mat to give players a layout of the terrain, buildings, etc. The players will move across this mat with their miniatures like a chess board.
• Dungeon master screen. This will prevent players from peeking at whatever secret the dungeon master has planned ahead for our heroes. This is not a must, you can use a random piece of cardboard, but this thing looks cool.
• Last, but not least, you will need an adventure guide (Like this, or this). The dungeon master should read one of those first in order to set up the setting, quest, characters, enemies, etc. Once the dungeon master gets experienced, he or she may even start making their own adventures without the need of these books.

[Bleedingyamato]

25 minutes ago, Gale said:

Well, I hope that you have a very committed group of friends, because D&D is a very geeky and somewhat pricey experience. I suggest that you play using the 5th edition rules (the current edition). What you need to start your own D&D adventure:

• Group of people (I suggest 1 dungeon master, and 4 adventurers) who are willing to give up one or two nights of their week to play.
• Player's Handbook. This book contains all the basic mechanics. One per person, including the dungeon master. People can share, but it's always good to have your own.
• Dungeon Master's Guide. For whoever is going to be the dungeon master. The whole group can contribute to the cost of this thing just to not make the DM pay most of the stuff.
• Dice sets (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20). I recommend 2 sets of these per player. The brand I linked you to is quite reputable.
• A bunch of miniatures. You will use these to represent players, monsters, etc. They don't have to be "official" miniatures. If you go to a hobby shop that sells this kind of things, you can grab figures from other tabletops and use them for D&D, as long as they fit in the mat's grid. If you don't want to spend too much right away, you can use things like checker pieces for generic enemies, or chess pieces for mini-bosses.
• Grid game mats. I know I linked you to a Pathfinder mat, but it's fine. The dungeon master will draw on this mat to give players a layout of the terrain, buildings, etc. The players will move across this mat with their miniatures like a chess board.
• Dungeon master screen. This will prevent players from peeking at whatever secret the dungeon master has planned ahead for our heroes. This is not a must, you can use a random piece of cardboard, but this thing looks cool.
• Last, but not least, you will need an adventure guide (Like this, or this). The dungeon master should read one of those first in order to set up the setting, quest, characters, enemies, etc. Once the dungeon master gets experienced, he or she may even start making their own adventures without the need of these books.

I wish could play D&D but that would require friends...    ?

 

(I only have like 3 total and I'm pretty sure none have the interest in and/or willingness to commit time to playing D&D.)

[kingkickolas]

8 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

I wish could play D&D but that would require friends...    ?

 

(I only have like 3 total and I'm pretty sure none have the interest in and/or willingness to commit time to playing D&D.)

You could try roll20.net. I've never used it so I dunno how active it is, but is sounds pretty legit.

[Bleedingyamato]

1 minute ago, kingkickolas said:

You could try roll20.net. I've never used it so I dunno how active it is, but is sounds pretty legit.

Tempting but the few times I've tried online mp video games I got hardcore anxiety about doing well as part of the group so I'm not sure in my current state if I could handle this.

 

But thank you for mentioning it.  Defintely something to keep in mind.  ?

[Joelbanks5]

9 hours ago, Gale said:

Well, I hope that you have a very committed group of friends, because D&D is a very geeky and somewhat pricey experience. I suggest that you play using the 5th edition rules (the current edition). What you need to start your own D&D adventure:

• Group of people (I suggest 1 dungeon master, and 4 adventurers) who are willing to give up one or two nights of their week to play.
• Player's Handbook. This book contains all the basic mechanics. One per person, including the dungeon master. People can share, but it's always good to have your own.
• Dungeon Master's Guide. For whoever is going to be the dungeon master. The whole group can contribute to the cost of this thing just to not make the DM pay most of the stuff.
• Dice sets (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20). I recommend 2 sets of these per player. The brand I linked you to is quite reputable.
• A bunch of miniatures. You will use these to represent players, monsters, etc. They don't have to be "official" miniatures. If you go to a hobby shop that sells this kind of things, you can grab figures from other tabletops and use them for D&D, as long as they fit in the mat's grid. If you don't want to spend too much right away, you can use things like checker pieces for generic enemies, or chess pieces for mini-bosses.
• Grid game mats. I know I linked you to a Pathfinder mat, but it's fine. The dungeon master will draw on this mat to give players a layout of the terrain, buildings, etc. The players will move across this mat with their miniatures like a chess board.
• Dungeon master screen. This will prevent players from peeking at whatever secret the dungeon master has planned ahead for our heroes. This is not a must, you can use a random piece of cardboard, but this thing looks cool.
• Last, but not least, you will need an adventure guide (Like this, or this). The dungeon master should read one of those first in order to set up the setting, quest, characters, enemies, etc. Once the dungeon master gets experienced, he or she may even start making their own adventures without the need of these books.

Thanks! Oh wow, looking at the prices, this stuff is expensive. Is it a good idea to buy these used? Kind of like college books? Or are there any sites that have frequent sales or something on D&D? Also what about those starter kits? What are those?

[Joelbanks5]

9 hours ago, kingkickolas said:

In D&D, there are two kinds of participants: the players and the dungeon master (DM). Basically, the DM creates a world(*) for the players to inhabit and communicates the results of the players' actions to them. For example, if a player is interacting with a store owner and decides to threaten them to get a better deal, the DM decides if he is intimidating enough to succeed, and if not, the DM might judge that the room is now being flooded by the royal guard. Very bad.

 

Basically, it's Skyrim with a bunch of friends and the DM is the developer who plans out the whole world and responds realistically to what you do in the world (on the fly).

 

If you are not too familiar with the game, I'd recommend trying to find someone who is familiar with it to DM (since there can be a lot of rules to get comfortable with). Or if not, then see my note below. And if you do intend on DM'ing yourself, then yes you will need the DM Guide, Player's Handbook, and Monster Manual. Probably 1 or 2 Player's Handbooks are okay, as your friends can all share while they create their characters, and you don't really need them constantly when you're playing. (Plus they're expensive.)

 

One last thing I'd highly recommend though is that you watch some D&D in action to get a feel for what's involved. This will help you a lot to get comfortable with the rules and whatnot. There are some really good ones to watch online, namely Critical Role or Force Grey: Giant Hunters, which both feature Matt Mercer, who is an amazingly thorough and well-prepared DM. Critical Role tends to be more serious, while Force Grey is a bit loose, in my opinion at least.

 

 

 

(*) Note that generally only very experienced DMs will create the world themselves, as this is very difficult and time consuming to do right (this is usually called a "homebrew" campaign). There are supplementary adventure books with a world pre-planned that you can purchase online and walk through with your group.

Watching rooster Teeth's heroes and halfwits, pretty good so far. Do you know all the products they're using?

[kingkickolas]

2 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Thanks! Oh wow, looking at the prices, this stuff is expensive. Is it a good idea to buy these used? Kind of like college books? Or are there any sites that have frequent sales or something on D&D? Also what about those starter kits? What are those?

You can probably find the books used on amazon. It shouldn't matter if it's used or not as long as all the material is there. I'm not sure in what context you're talking about starter kits, but the adventure guides that @Gale mentioned are the pre-planned adventure books that I mentioned in my second post. Those and the Player's Handbook + DM Guide + Monster Manual (+ lots of dice!) are a great way to start. And I mean, that's pretty much all there is too, whether you're just starting or very experienced. You can get fancy with mats and miniatures (which do help the atmosphere) but you can use bits of paper to the same practical effect.

 

2 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Watching rooster Teeth's heroes and halfwits, pretty good so far. Do you know all the products they're using?

From what I gather, they play 4th edition, and with a very loose (and frankly somewhat boring) style. I'd encourage you to check out Critical Role. Matt Mercer is an amazing DM, and all the players demonstrate great style and interactions (even though not all of them have played before).

[dalekphalm]

4 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Thanks! Oh wow, looking at the prices, this stuff is expensive. Is it a good idea to buy these used? Kind of like college books? Or are there any sites that have frequent sales or something on D&D? Also what about those starter kits? What are those?

A side note, you don't actually need the miniatures, play mat, etc. You can totally just play with friends and the guides themselves, and maybe a stack of paper for the DM to draw on when needed.

 

As long as you have the players guides, an adventure guide, and the DM books (DM book, monster guide, etc), you're good for the basics. I personally wouldn't bother at all with the miniatures, and would just use paper or a white board to illustrate when necessary.

 

You can buy the books new or used - doesn't matter.

[Misanthrope]

I used to play 3.5 (later Pathfinder) with minis. Great fun but we could never play for less than 6 or 7 hours it took 1 or 1.5 hours just to resolve a single encounter.

 

Hopefully this is better and more streamlined on 5th? In any case I always liked the White Wolf storyteller games a lot more but my groups usually hated the more politically oriented and confrontational take of those games.

[Joelbanks5]

6 hours ago, kingkickolas said:

You can probably find the books used on amazon. It shouldn't matter if it's used or not as long as all the material is there. I'm not sure in what context you're talking about starter kits, but the adventure guides that @Gale mentioned are the pre-planned adventure books that I mentioned in my second post. Those and the Player's Handbook + DM Guide + Monster Manual (+ lots of dice!) are a great way to start. And I mean, that's pretty much all there is too, whether you're just starting or very experienced. You can get fancy with mats and miniatures (which do help the atmosphere) but you can use bits of paper to the same practical effect.

 

From what I gather, they play 4th edition, and with a very loose (and frankly somewhat boring) style. I'd encourage you to check out Critical Role. Matt Mercer is an amazing DM, and all the players demonstrate great style and interactions (even though not all of them have played before).

Huh, I thought they were mentioning the 5th edition in the play test video. I mean the 5th edition can out in 2014 and they released their videos in 2016-2017. Also I personally think their comedy and stupidity makes up for how slow they go (that's typically the reason why they're goi slow lol)

 

Also doesn't vin diesel play D&D? If so does he have any videos? That would be a sight to see lol

[Joelbanks5]

7 hours ago, kingkickolas said:

You can probably find the books used on amazon. It shouldn't matter if it's used or not as long as all the material is there. I'm not sure in what context you're talking about starter kits, but the adventure guides that @Gale mentioned are the pre-planned adventure books that I mentioned in my second post. Those and the Player's Handbook + DM Guide + Monster Manual (+ lots of dice!) are a great way to start. And I mean, that's pretty much all there is too, whether you're just starting or very experienced. You can get fancy with mats and miniatures (which do help the atmosphere) but you can use bits of paper to the same practical effect.

 

From what I gather, they play 4th edition, and with a very loose (and frankly somewhat boring) style. I'd encourage you to check out Critical Role. Matt Mercer is an amazing DM, and all the players demonstrate great style and interactions (even though not all of them have played before).

 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dungeons-dragons-starter-set-wizards-rpg-team/1119566157?ean=9780786965595&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP62465#productInfoTabs this is the starter kit I was talking about. Not sure what it is

[RocketFarmer]

If you're just wanting a roleplaying game, then there are free options available.  D&D isn't the only game out.  Games either free or much less expensive than D&D.  

 

Most of the games tend to have a basic set that lets you play more or less an introduction with streamlined rules.  I'd suggest that if you and your friends aren't that familiar with the system. 

 

Turn-based tabletop RPGs are going to have about an hour long combats.  That's just the way they are.  D&D, Pathfinder, etc. all have this in common.

 

Before investing hundreds of dollars in an RPG system, I'd take advantage of getting as much info on the system you're interested and even see if there are demos or in store game days going on to sit in on some sessions and possibly even play.

 

You get into a game like D&D or Pathfinder, and you will start buying product.  Those games are made to sell books. 

[kingkickolas]

58 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dungeons-dragons-starter-set-wizards-rpg-team/1119566157?ean=9780786965595&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP62465#productInfoTabs this is the starter kit I was talking about. Not sure what it is

Oh cool, I didn't know that existed. If this is your first time, then yes, forget everything else and just buy that! (You probably still need dice though.) When you finish that and you decide you want to continue, then yeah get the stuff recommended in this thread. But the starter set seems to be the right thing for beginners. 

[Joelbanks5]

44 minutes ago, kingkickolas said:

Oh cool, I didn't know that existed. If this is your first time, then yes, forget everything else and just buy that! (You probably still need dice though.) When you finish that and you decide you want to continue, then yeah get the stuff recommended in this thread. But the starter set seems to be the right thing for beginners. 

 

I think I'm just gonna go all in, forget the starter set haha. so are there miniature sets that are specifically for one adventure guide?

 

Also on heroes and halfwits do you know the specific products they're using? (dice, miniatures, etc)

[kingkickolas]

4 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

I think I'm just gonna go all in, forget the starter set haha. so are there miniature sets that are specifically for one adventure guide?

 

Also on heroes and halfwits do you know the specific products they're using? (dice, miniatures, etc)

Well damn son, you must be made of money! That's okay, but just know that all the rules can be pretty daunting for first-timers, and the starter set looks like a great way to get familiar with it.

 

Regarding miniatures and stuff, not really. There's just minis for types of player characters (ie. this one's a big dude with 2 axes, this one's a small dude with pointy ears and a sword, etc...). Although there are miniatures of monsters that might be nice to have for a particular adventure, but the DM would have to read the adventure ahead of time (which they should do anyway) and buy all the possible monster minis of things the players might fight. 

 

I have no idea what they use on H&H, but specifics on those products don't really matter. I'm not super big on miniatures, but there are a lot of companies that make them and they more or less all look the same to me (though I'm sure quality differs and such). That would probably be a good thing to check out at your Local Gaming Store^TM. Dice are pretty much the same. Chessex is a good brand, but a lot of the d6 bundles and stuff that they ship are 12mm, which are a bit too small for me, and I prefer the 16mm. But I wouldn't worry about it. You can buy like a bag of 100+ dice for under 20 USD on Amazon, just check the reviews to see if they're good quality (although that's not always reliable). In those bundles you usually get something like 14 or 15 full sets (d4, d6, d8, d10, d%, d12, d20), which is more than enough. Although it's worth noting that I think the starter set comes with some dice. 

[LAwLz]

Honestly, you don't need to buy the player's handbook or DM guide either. You can find the core rules on WoTC's website for free.

 

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

 

Dice? Use an app.

Minis, mats and other stuff like that? Not needed.

 

 

All of a sudden you can play D&D without spending a single cent. All the other stuff, like the player's handbook, dungeon master guide, DM screens, minis and so on all enhances the experience, but are not crucial.

 

What I do recommend however is try and find at least one person who has played it before. New players always have a lot of questions, and having one person with some ideas how things should/will work is good to speed things up. That person will probably also have a set of books that everyone can share for your first meeting.

 

 

Don't spend a small fortune on books, dice, minis and so on before you know you actually like the game.

Hell, this might get my post deleted but I think you should download (as in, pirate) the pdf version of the core books (player's handbook, dungeon master guide and monster manual) and use that for the first meeting. That way you can try it out, and if you get hooked then you will most likely end up buying a book sooner or later anyway (because it is a lot nicer to read, and has that authentic feel to it).

[Joelbanks5]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Honestly, you don't need to buy the player's handbook or DM guide either. You can find the core rules on WoTC's website for free.

 

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

 

Dice? Use an app.

Minis, mats and other stuff like that? Not needed.

 

 

All of a sudden you can play D&D without spending a single cent. All the other stuff, like the player's handbook, dungeon master guide, DM screens, minis and so on all enhances the experience, but are not crucial.

 

What I do recommend however is try and find at least one person who has played it before. New players always have a lot of questions, and having one person with some ideas how things should/will work is good to speed things up. That person will probably also have a set of books that everyone can share for your first meeting.

 

 

Don't spend a small fortune on books, dice, minis and so on before you know you actually like the game.

Hell, this might get my post deleted but I think you should download (as in, pirate) the pdf version of the core books (player's handbook, dungeon master guide and monster manual) and use that for the first meeting. That way you can try it out, and if you get hooked then you will most likely end up buying a book sooner or later anyway (because it is a lot nicer to read, and has that authentic feel to it).

 

too late, already going balls deep ha. I don't mind I spend a fortune on tabletop games in general. spent near $100 last year on various party games (one-night ultimate werewolf was the best out of the bunch) so I guess this year I will be spending that much on a single game.

 

6 hours ago, kingkickolas said:

Well damn son, you must be made of money! That's okay, but just know that all the rules can be pretty daunting for first-timers, and the starter set looks like a great way to get familiar with it.

 

Regarding miniatures and stuff, not really. There's just minis for types of player characters (ie. this one's a big dude with 2 axes, this one's a small dude with pointy ears and a sword, etc...). Although there are miniatures of monsters that might be nice to have for a particular adventure, but the DM would have to read the adventure ahead of time (which they should do anyway) and buy all the possible monster minis of things the players might fight. 

 

I have no idea what they use on H&H, but specifics on those products don't really matter. I'm not super big on miniatures, but there are a lot of companies that make them and they more or less all look the same to me (though I'm sure quality differs and such). That would probably be a good thing to check out at your Local Gaming Store^TM. Dice are pretty much the same. Chessex is a good brand, but a lot of the d6 bundles and stuff that they ship are 12mm, which are a bit too small for me, and I prefer the 16mm. But I wouldn't worry about it. You can buy like a bag of 100+ dice for under 20 USD on Amazon, just check the reviews to see if they're good quality (although that's not always reliable). In those bundles you usually get something like 14 or 15 full sets (d4, d6, d8, d10, d%, d12, d20), which is more than enough. Although it's worth noting that I think the starter set comes with some dice. 

 

Do you know what those dice roller things are and the dice holders?

[kingkickolas]

5 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Do you know what those dice roller things are and the dice holders?

Sorry I've got no idea. I've always just used the rollers that I got for my birthday (ie. my hands).

 

Although I have heard that Wyrmwood Gaming makes some high quality, pricey dice holders. But I've never used them or anything, just seen em on Critical Roll.