So A Group of Friends and I Are Really Interested in Starting to play D&D. So Where To Start?

[Johnny Reb]

so here's the problem we face; we're all giant nerds ie; All played and beaten every single Elder Scrolls Game, can lip-sync with the extended director's cut of the LOTR Trilogy, and we all read fantasy books all the time. And now as of late we've all started talking about D&D. We all want to start playing together but we have no idea where to start. we're all 16 and D&D was a little bit before our time but i think we're all ready. Now i know there are several versions of the game and such so here is my main question: How should a group of noobs get started with the game? any and all tips that are given will be extremely appreciated.

 

[Craorach]

Get the basic book, some dice, etc and photocopy character sheets.

That's really it. Whoever wants to be DM should probably pick up one of the starter adventure modules.

Avoid creating your own worlds/adventures until you've gotten the hang of it. Take turns being DM to find out who enjoys the role most, and remember it's about everyone having fun.

 

[Johnny Reb]

Get the basic book, some dice, etc and photocopy character sheets.

That's really it. Whoever wants to be DM should probably pick up one of the starter adventure modules.

Avoid creating your own worlds/adventures until yoYouu've gotten the hang of it. Take turns being DM to find out who enjoys the role most, and remember it's about everyone having fun.

thanks man, I appreciate it

 

[BrassButtons]

The beginner boxes can be good as well. They come with everything needed to start right away (including pre-made character sheets and a short adventure) so you can jump right in and see if you really want to get into this or not. The Pathfinder one comes with a dry-erase map/grid, which is really handy.

 

[Adultism]

I really wish I could find D&D players near me that just want to have fun. Too much seriousness near me.

 

[Johnny Reb]

Well playing D&D is a lot like sumo wrestling, your opponent simply will never take you seriously so long as you remain at a generous weight or less, you must pack on pounds like never before. A world class D&D player will weigh anywhere from 400-700 pounds. Advantages gained from your weight gain would be obscuring the board by overlapping your fat flaps onto the playing field and allowing you to manipulate the gameplay as a result, being capable of vomiting all over the board when things are not going to your liking, and most importantly, nobody likes to enrage behemoths like you could be, resulting in a very timid opponent, ripe for the taking.

Adverse effects include, heart attack, sudden death, failing to dodge traffic in time, and scraping used needles on the ground by your dragging fat sacks, thus contracting HIV. It is all worth it though, you must endure, you must become of greatness, only then can you become the Highlander.

woah buddy uncalled for. We're all in tip top shape marine corps bound. Just because we wanna play a little DnD doesn't mean we're going to turn into sloths.

 

[poisonedcon]

I've had quite a few campaigns stop because of the lack of communication with people's jobs and school. Try getting together at least once per week and keep it going

 

[Sam Eskenazi]

DO NOT BUY 4E

This is very important. Buying 4E may be fun to begin with, but it will very suddenly spiral into rules insanity.

Play 3.5e. Trust me on this. The handbooks are out of print, but you can download the 3 core books (Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide) online for free if you look right (wink) and the rules and advice given in them is a lot more helpful in making a game.

I'm setting up a new game at my Uni at the moment; it's a pain trying to get people to read the rules books what with exams...

 

[Zantos]

As said above, just get hold of the books and dice, and get started. It's a lot of fun and fairly easy to get the hang of. Do short pre-made encounters at first to start and see who likes DMing, then you can do longer campaigns DMed by whoever fancies leading.

 

[Erana]

DnD specifically?
I'm not trying to knock DnD at all, but there are tons of great pen and paper games out there. It does sound like DnD is right up yall's alley, but I wouldn't hesitate to suggest that you and your friends browse around at other settings and game systems, as well.

But also, I have to echo the "Meet regularly" thing. Meet at least once a week, if not more, or it'll prolly fall apart. Also, at yall's age, your families are prolly also a large part of your life, so it wouldn't hurt to get your family comfortable with the idea of DnD. Parents are more willing to take the time to let their friends have weekly meetings when their kids come home with a smile on their face, and their creativity flowing.
This [http://blip.tv/the-dnd-experience-on-ice/let-s-play-dnd-episode-4-act-i-3534225] might help make DnD less threatening.

Oh, and with having just brought up that video, everyone agreeing on a tone for the game would be a very good idea. Are yall looking for a hard-core fantasy experience, or are y'all going to be OK with someone abusing a glue cantrip and attaching bells to everything for the Hell of it?

Also, if you're going DnD, have everyone get comfortable and research the class they want to play and google around for prestige classes and interesting builds. A lot of websites have lists of prestieges, and it isn't too hard to find friendly people on the internet who would give you the lowdown on them without actually buying an entire book for one class. >.>