Dungeons and Dragons...?

Question

I was thinking about playing D&D, but I have no idea what to buy, how to get started, or how to play. Your advice will help greatly! By the way, I want to play the kind where you roll the dice and move your character, not the online kind.

Answer 1

Don't buy anything to start, except perhaps a set of gaming dice. The hobby can get expensive very quickly, and more often then not you won't use much of what you buy. For example, there are several versions of D&D (they just release 4th edition), as well as many 'house rules. Find a group first, learn the rules, and then ask them what you need.

If I were you, I would start by looking for a local gaming store (that sells RPGs, comics, board games, etc). These usually have lists or postings of gaming groups looking for players. They can also sell you dice and perhaps give you some advice specific to your area.

You could also search online for gamer yahoo groups or web sites in your area. There are several Yahoo groups dedicated to gaming in my city, I am sure there is at least one for your area. I belong to several of them and posts from people looking for a group is pretty common.

Answer 2

There's a starter set that has dice, a simplified rule book, and some adventure ideas that you can pick up at online or at a retailer. See the link below:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000

Once you have this you need a couple friends (3 to 4 more is a good group). One of you will be the Dungeon Master and the others will play one character each.

To get going use a pre-rolled one. The DM should read the adventure in advance (make any chances he/she sees fit) and you're ready to go.

If you like playing, you can buy the core-books (Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide) as well as other supplements. You can either buy or invent your own adventures. The best way to keep it interesting is to have an on-going story line (called a campaign). This ties a series of adventures together.

Have fun.

Answer 3

Okay... risking the wrath of the combined munchkin army, I'd say: Don't buy anything right now.

The current edition (3.x) is a munchkinism mess, and the new, 4th Edition Player's Handbook is coming out in May 2008. That will be a good starting point, and it can only get better (well, okay, I'm not entirely sure about that - but probability says it can hardly get worse.)

In the meantime, just get yourself a set of dice and try to find a playgroup through school, college, or the local hobby store. Convince them to give you a chance to try the game, get a feel for it, decide whether you really enjoy the experience before starting to throw your own money the WotC way.

Answer 4

Well, my advice is to wait until next summer when the 4th edition books go on sale (the previous answer was mistaken, 4th edition was just announced recently...it won't be for sale til next year so people who have current 3.5 games can wrap them up and start fresh with 4th edition)

If you don't want to wait that long then I'd recommend finding a group of people that play the game (gaming stores are good places to meet these kinds of people) and see if you can join an existing game.

If that won't work and you still can't wait til next year, I'd recommend buying only the basic core rules: The Players Handbook, The Game Master Guide, and The Monster Manual. With those 3 books and a few friends you can start playing almost immediately... well after you read through the books of course ;)

Of course then you'll either have to buy the 3 core books again next year or keep playing 3.5 (I'm liking what I see for 4th edition though)

Answer 5

Try it before you buy it.

Wait on purchasing any books. First, a new edition will be coming out that will change the current rules. Second, the books can be expensive and even moreso if you find out you don't like the game!

Hit up your local gaming store, buy some gamer dice (d4 through d20), and see if you can't sit in with another group.

As a caveat, not all groups play the same type of game. You may have to run with a few groups before you find a group of people that you feel comfortable gaming with. Enjoy!