I haven't played DND before and I'm interested in giving it a go. I thought I would check out what it would set me back to get access to some of the tools required to do so.

Looking at the marketplace page, I have no idea where to start. What do I actually need? What are the core components? As a player, do I need the adventures? 

The Essentials Bundle does not contain seem to contains essentials for playing the game. The Guide to Everything doesn't seem to actually be a guide to everything. Why doesn't the New Player Guide actually tell you what you'll need as a player? 

It's just so frustrating to think "Yes, I would like to try this" and then not have any idea what to do because of poor labelling.

I'm sure some helpful people will now try to guide me to what the right things are. But that's not the point.

The point is that the UI, UX, and copywriting don't help you make decisions if you aren't already familiar with the material.

There doesn't seem to be an easy and accessible place on DND Beyond that I can go and it tells me "If you are a player you will need, at minimum, X and Y. If you are a DM, you will need X, Y, and Z." 

You've got a point i think the reason is that the free rules are really all you need to get started and see if you like it.  I think there is an assumption (right or wrong) that dndbeyond isn't the first thing you find but what you find when you are looking for easier ways to play.  The dnd homepage does a much better job even https://dnd.wizards.com/ look under products.

I completely agree with you and would love to see a page like the getting started page on the new players guide.

Hi there JoshGrey

First off, I'm sorry that you've had a bad experience navigating the marketplace. I understand the frustration. However, the titles of the books is not within D&D Beyond's control as it is Wizard's of the Coast who decides. The Essentials Bundle is a bundle of adventures found within the Essentials Kit, and Xanathar's Guide to Everything, while not a literal guide to everything, is just how WotC has decided to name their product.

With regards to the New Player Guide, it does indeed tell you what you need as a new player; if you work your way through the guide it takes you through the basics of gameplay, what kind of dice you need, how to make a character and also where to find the (free) Basic Rules which are the fundamentals to getting started.

If you're unsure what the books contain or if they're suitable to your needs, I recommend checking out the blurb provided on each product page. For example the Dungeon Master's Guide says:

Entertain and Inspire Your Players

The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides the inspiration and guidance you need to spark your imagination and create worlds of adventure for your players to explore and enjoy. This core D&D book gives Dungeon Masters the world building advice, tips, tricks, and tools to create your own dungeons and adventures.

• New optional game rules to create unique and memorable sessions for your players
• Unlocks brand new monsters to use in the Encounter Builder to create & run organized battles for your party
• Adds 2 subclasses and over 50 magic items in the guided Character Builder.
• Get the tools to run your own campaignandcraft your own homebrew monsters, items, traps, and more.

I hope this helps

Quote from JoshGrey >>

 

I haven't played DND before and I'm interested in giving it a go. I thought I would check out what it would set me back to get access to some of the tools required to do so.

Looking at the marketplace page, I have no idea where to start. What do I actually need? What are the core components? As a player, do I need the adventures? 

The Essentials Bundle does not contain seem to contains essentials for playing the game. The Guide to Everything doesn't seem to actually be a guide to everything. Why doesn't the New Player Guide actually tell you what you'll need as a player? 

It's just so frustrating to think "Yes, I would like to try this" and then not have any idea what to do because of poor labelling.

I'm sure some helpful people will now try to guide me to what the right things are. But that's not the point.

The point is that the UI, UX, and copywriting don't help you make decisions if you aren't already familiar with the material.

There doesn't seem to be an easy and accessible place on DND Beyond that I can go and it tells me "If you are a player you will need, at minimum, X and Y. If you are a DM, you will need X, Y, and Z." 

I strongly recommend trying out all the free resources first to get a good taste of D&D before you spend any money. The Basic Rules and Elemental Evil Player's Guide are available for free. Unearthed Arcana content are also available for free, although access to that is limited on D&D Beyond. D&D is not for everyone, and I do not think it is worth it to spend $30 on a book that you will only use once if D&D does not turn out to be your cup of tea.

If you are a new player, in my opinion, there is absolutely nothing you need to purchase to start playing D&D. There is already a lot of new information to absorb from just the Basic Rules alone, and I think new players would have a better experience by not getting bogged down by decision paralysis from being bombarded by so many options in the Player's Handbook.

If you are a new GM, you do need to be a lot more prepared, but you do not need to spend money either. While it might be tempting to get all three core rules books and reading through the Dungeon Master's Guide is definitely helpful, you can get similar and generally much better information by watching YouTube videos. For your first campaign, I recommend running something short and simple that you can complete in one or two sessions, and there are plenty of free adventures to choose from online that you can complete in an evening or two.

I find this criticism of the marketplace to be utterly strange. Like hurts my brain level of confuddlement.

It's a store. It just sells books. Amazon doesn't tell you how to become a chef, even though it sells cookbooks. A game store doesn't tell you how to become an expert gamer. It's just a place to buy what you need. The expectation is on you, as the customer, to know what you need to buy. It's not the responsibility of this site to teach you how to play or tell you what you need to get (I mean, it actually does as Davedamon points out, but it shouldn't have to).

Just like wanting to become a chef - you need to read what the books offer to see which one is relevant. Personally, I'm surprised "Player's Handbook" didn't catch the eye that this book is probably good for people wanting to play (and become players). Especially since it says "Everything a player needs to create heroic characters for the world’s greatest roleplaying game." (emphasis mine). It even then goes on to say "The Player’s Handbook is the essential core reference for every Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer. " (again, emphasis mine).

I literally don't understand your view here. It's like going into an arts and crafts store, standing in front of books with titles like "How to be a Painter!" and then complaining about the store not telling you how to be a painter.

And then, to top it off, the site actually does have a guide on how to be a player and specifically details what you will need, and you reference this guide and still say the site doesn't say. Like, wut? The guide specifically, neatly and clearly describes how to play, how to get started, what you need, links to free rules and literally gives you everything you could ever possibly need to start playing the game. Absolutely everything. Right there. Easy to read. Easy to understand. Impossible to miss.

My advice for all your future endeavours, for this and any future websites: actually read the page before you complain. It saves so much time and hassle for you and for everyone else.

This has genuinely given me a headache. O.o