How do you play D&D

[migo]

Exaclty how it sounds.
I'm interested in this board game, but I can't find someone to give me the basic details at least.
How do you play it, What can you do while playing, Wich of those books do I need?
I mean the Monster Compendium, and all others, what I do understand is that I need character sheets also?
Someone needs to pull me out from under the rock I've been living , I feel like a total NOOb as MMORPG-ists would say.

OK, so if you go with D&D 4th edition, board game sort of does describe it. The main portion of the rules focuses on combat which happens on a grid of squares. You have a personal character which you control who has various abilities to use in combat, and as you fight you gain experience and acquire more abilities (and swap some out too). There's also a second component which is often just as important but has much fewer rules and involves actual roleplaying.

As for the books you need, go to Wizards.com and look for D&D Encounters - they happen on Wednesdays at 7PM, and last for 2 hours. You get to go down, have a pre-made character and play. It's a great way to find out about the game and see if you like it.

Also, soon, the red box will be released, which is a $20 product that has everything you need to get started for 5-6 players, and covers either levels 1-2 or 1-3. You'll get a taste for the play and be able to go for more books after that if you like it.

The current core books, PHB, DMG and MM are all out of date. There has been so much errata that you'll be penciling everything in. Wizards has increased the rate of errata to be able to get it all done before the Rules Compendium is released as part of the D&D Essentials line.

That's actually what you'll want to go for come September, and just hold off on everything else.

There's also the D&D Insider which has all the rules and character creation and monster creation tools with all errata included, but it's a subscription fee ranging from $6-$10/month. That's what Wizards would actually like you to be paying for, and if you have that you can do without the core books.

Bottom line though, play some D&D Encounters, get a feel for it there. Then you'll get a better picture of what questions to ask and where you want to go.

 

[socialtangent]

I started playing D&D with some buddies from school a few months back, and I have to say, it's a pretty fun game. What I love about D&D is how it's flexible. There's a good variety of campaigns to choose from, and how you play exactly is entirely up to you. If you want to narrate your character's actions, that's fine. And if you want to speak as your character, you're well within your right to do so.

 

[Seldon2639]

I may be breaking from the code of the nerd here, but I'd suggest not using D&D as your first RPG. Everything you can use D&D to play is doable in another, simpler, better system. If you want to just run around a vaguely medieval world and kick ass, you can pick up Exalted. Dungeon-crawling is possible either through GURPS, or any number of other universal systems.

I dunno, I think D&D is just a bear of a system. I prefer L5R, the World of Darkness universal system... Hell, Bliss Stage is a less overbearing numbers game.

 

[Hiphophippo]

How to play is pretty well covered already, but I would like to say congratulations on what may come to be the most fun game you'll ever play. A good group of friends, some funny shaped dice, and a little imagination is responsible for some of my fondest memories.

For example, we film our games and have for years.

http://www.youtube.com/user/QuiltCityOGREs