I have never played a game of DnD, but I am very interested in getting started. So, I am wondering what the basics are. I know for sure that I need a dice set and one of the books, from the little bit that I have read around, but that is about it. Thank you for any help.
You can actually play (a somewhat simplified version of) the game with just that, the character sheets and campaign pages on DDB, some dice (or online dice roller), and 1 to 6 friends or randoms.
Additional niceties in order of importance (my opinion) are:
Tabletop or virtual tabletop
PHB
A master tier subscription to share player options unlocked in PHB.
A published adventure good for beginners like lost mine of phandelver (a lot of people just homebrew adventures, that is fine too)
MM
DMG
XGtE
Kind of opens up from there. (Make sure you use coupons often, but the biggest savings possible is to buy the legendary bundle with a coupon and/or on sale as soon as possible. It is a big investment either way.)
Very cool. What does PHB, MM, DMG and XGtE stand for?
PHB = Player's Handbook, that contains all the rules, classes, races, subclasses etc. you need to play the "full" version of the system
MM = Monster Manual, as the name implies, a manual full of monster stats, mostly useful to whoever is going to be the DM (Dungeon Master) to create their own adventures and populate them with baddies
DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide, expansion on the rules, additional optional mechanics and guidelines on how to create new content for the system, mainly geared towards DMs (as the name implies); this one also contains the bulk of the codified magic items available through official releases
XGtE = Xanathar's Guide to Everything, a sourcebook greatly expanding choices and options for player characters, with new subclasses, feats, equipment, quality-of-life options and in general a very good resource for new ideas an option for your character
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Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Along with the Basic Rules (available for free on this site), I would strongly recommend starting with The Lost Mine of Phandelver, an adventure specifically designed to help first-time players and dungeon masters learn the game.
Along with the Basic Rules (available for free on this site), I would strongly recommend starting with The Lost Mine of Phandelver, an adventure specifically designed to help first-time players and dungeon masters learn the game.
Do you have a group to play with? Or are you still searching? All of these are excellent suggestions for stuff you can get, so I'll focus on finding an adventuring party!
- Ask your friends and family. People you like hanging out with, even if they've never expressed interest in D&D. Considering how popular and well known D&D is now chances are good lots of your friends are at least interested.
- Check your local game store for game nights. Many run games, often Adventurer's League which is the official organized play session. See if you can sign up for one of those!
- Are you a fan of any D&D livestream shows or podcasts? Most of those shows have communities filled with people who want to play D&D. Check their forums/discord/reddit for looking for group areas. Also check out our forums LFG section!
Do you have a group to play with? Or are you still searching? All of these are excellent suggestions for stuff you can get, so I'll focus on finding an adventuring party!
- Ask your friends and family. People you like hanging out with, even if they've never expressed interest in D&D. Considering how popular and well known D&D is now chances are good lots of your friends are at least interested.
- Check your local game store for game nights. Many run games, often Adventurer's League which is the official organized play session. See if you can sign up for one of those!
- Are you a fan of any D&D livestream shows or podcasts? Most of those shows have communities filled with people who want to play D&D. Check their forums/discord/reddit for looking for group areas. Also check out our forums LFG section!
Have fun!
Thank you for the extra info. And thanks to all the others as well. I am not part of a group, yet. I also watch Critical Roles live stream upload on Youtube.
Along with the Basic Rules (available for free on this site), I would strongly recommend starting with The Lost Mine of Phandelver, an adventure specifically designed to help first-time players and dungeon masters learn the game.
Cool, thank you for showing letting me know. Although I am not entirely surprised, I didn't realize that there was a starter kit.
I just wanted to add that, in addition to the Starter Set, which as noted contains the awesome adventure The Lost Mines of Phandelver, and really is probably the best place for a new player to start, Wizards of the Coast has just announced that they're releasing a brand new Essentials Kit, which is kind of like a revamped starter set with some additional stuff. It will be available in about four weeks at the U.S. retailer Target. For people who don't have a Target store, it won't be available until about September, though. So depending on your timeframe, this may be an option. But really the Starter Set is fantastic, so if you're looking to pick something up to get started soon, I highly recommend that.
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I have never played a game of DnD, but I am very interested in getting started. So, I am wondering what the basics are. I know for sure that I need a dice set and one of the books, from the little bit that I have read around, but that is about it. Thank you for any help.
The basic rules are free: https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules
You can actually play (a somewhat simplified version of) the game with just that, the character sheets and campaign pages on DDB, some dice (or online dice roller), and 1 to 6 friends or randoms.
Additional niceties in order of importance (my opinion) are:
Kind of opens up from there. (Make sure you use coupons often, but the biggest savings possible is to buy the legendary bundle with a coupon and/or on sale as soon as possible. It is a big investment either way.)
You should check out this thread before going overboard on purchases: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/13989-a-buyers-guide-for-d-d-beyond
Very cool. What does PHB, MM, DMG and XGtE stand for?
PHB = Player's Handbook, that contains all the rules, classes, races, subclasses etc. you need to play the "full" version of the system
MM = Monster Manual, as the name implies, a manual full of monster stats, mostly useful to whoever is going to be the DM (Dungeon Master) to create their own adventures and populate them with baddies
DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide, expansion on the rules, additional optional mechanics and guidelines on how to create new content for the system, mainly geared towards DMs (as the name implies); this one also contains the bulk of the codified magic items available through official releases
XGtE = Xanathar's Guide to Everything, a sourcebook greatly expanding choices and options for player characters, with new subclasses, feats, equipment, quality-of-life options and in general a very good resource for new ideas an option for your character
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
Yeah, what LeK said. The DMG is mostly needed to run your own adventures.
Along with the Basic Rules (available for free on this site), I would strongly recommend starting with The Lost Mine of Phandelver, an adventure specifically designed to help first-time players and dungeon masters learn the game.
https://cast-party.com/
Number 4.
Links are always helpful.
Welcome to the wonderful world of D&D!
Do you have a group to play with? Or are you still searching? All of these are excellent suggestions for stuff you can get, so I'll focus on finding an adventuring party!
- Ask your friends and family. People you like hanging out with, even if they've never expressed interest in D&D. Considering how popular and well known D&D is now chances are good lots of your friends are at least interested.
- Check your local game store for game nights. Many run games, often Adventurer's League which is the official organized play session. See if you can sign up for one of those!
- Are you a fan of any D&D livestream shows or podcasts? Most of those shows have communities filled with people who want to play D&D. Check their forums/discord/reddit for looking for group areas. Also check out our forums LFG section!
Have fun!
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
Thank you for the extra info. And thanks to all the others as well. I am not part of a group, yet. I also watch Critical Roles live stream upload on Youtube.
Cool, thank you for showing letting me know. Although I am not entirely surprised, I didn't realize that there was a starter kit.
If you do end up using Lost Mines, you might also want to grab these pre-gen character sheets for the adventure, which WoTC makes available for free. I'm not sure they're available on DNDBeyond: http://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/StarterSet_Charactersv2.pdf.
Those characters have backgrounds that tie in specifically to the adventure, and include helpful instructions for leveling up.
https://cast-party.com/
Wow, cool. Thank you.
I just wanted to add that, in addition to the Starter Set, which as noted contains the awesome adventure The Lost Mines of Phandelver, and really is probably the best place for a new player to start, Wizards of the Coast has just announced that they're releasing a brand new Essentials Kit, which is kind of like a revamped starter set with some additional stuff. It will be available in about four weeks at the U.S. retailer Target. For people who don't have a Target store, it won't be available until about September, though. So depending on your timeframe, this may be an option. But really the Starter Set is fantastic, so if you're looking to pick something up to get started soon, I highly recommend that.