(lemme know if this is the wrong place to post this and I'll delete it)
I'm 14 yr olds and love the concept of dnd. I listen to podcasts occasionally. love the stories and adventures but don't understand a lot of the game concept. Is it too early for me to learn? Is there any free easy to understand guides? Will I be able to find other players around my age to play with online?
Edit: I am unable to do face to face due to COVID-19 which prevents me from staying after school, but I'll try something out. Thanks to everyone for the feedback, helped me out a lot.
If you can understand the rules (or just basic stuff of the rules) and you're mature enough to not be disruptive during the game, you're old enough to play D&D.
Actually, the last face-to-face game I was in had a player who was 14 and she was a darned bit more mature than most of the rest of the party, the next youngest was almost three times her age. She, at least, actually tried reading the rulebooks and doing things based on the rules rather than arguing with the GM about what she "ought" to be allowed to do based on some houserule from 2nd Edition.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I played with my friends and then their kids, who were about your age, joined as well. At 14 I think you are old enough to join a game and learn the rules. Hope it works out for you!
As others have said, you seem mature enough because you asked the question to total strangers, so I say go for it! As for finding other players your age online I'd be wary of that for the obvious reasons, but then when I was 14 I was on Xbox Live talking to all manner of people, and I'd like to think internet safety's improved since then. Don't let our comments on your maturity get the better of you though; you might be better off asking local friends or classmates if they'd be interested, maybe see about using a free classroom after school to play the physical Starter Set or the Essentials Kit (both of these contain the rules and an adventure, among other tat.)
Stay safe and have fun!
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
I started playing at 11, and back then D&D was far more complicated. 5E is without a doubt the easiest version as it has been dumbed down to hell and back. So yeah, go for it. It's the perfect time to learn.
You're certainly not too young for D&D. You are likely too young for some groups that play D&D. Some groups are into stuff that may not be suitable for you, so either they'll dislike cutting out those subjects or you'll dislike some of the stuff that comes up at the table. Just be aware of that, especially of the fact that if a group turns you down it won't be because of your age per se; it'll be because of group dynamics, and it won't be an issue with every group. School clubs and friends and relatives might be your best shot, but there are plenty of others out there who'd be happy with an extra player at the table regardless of age.
Since there's no stickied thread about finding people to play with, I'll do some copy/pasting from some existing ones:
Absolutely not! I started playing well before then, so go for it. Hopefully when COVID is over you can get friends together to play the game, though, because trust me, it’s way more fun that way! Good luck.
You're not too young i was 8 when i first played D&D. I used to watch the older brothers of my friend play and then we would also play etc... You can do the same by watching Youtube games nowadays
People mature at different rates, so no one can answer for you. I will say there are certain social skills that will help make sure everyone has fun. For example, you should recognize the difference between a player character doing something your character doesn't like and a player doing something you don't like. Some conflict between party members can make things exciting. At the same time, don't use the mask of your character as an excuse to act like a jerk.
If you're the DM, you should be aware of the power you have over other players, and avoid abusing that power.
D&D is a tool, and used badly it could hurt friendships or even cause trauma. But used well it can build friendships and build character.
I would recommend against a random online game, as I have had bad experiences with people dropping games. There's simply no investment for someone to click a link to sign up for a campaign, so some people sign up but realize they don't have enough time to commit after the first session (or even before).
My recommendation would be to find friends who are interested in playing. You might have to volunteer to be the DM, which is a harder job. If you want to get a taste before you jump in, find out if anyone you know already has a campaign and would agree to include you as a guest character. If they like playing with you, they might be open ti making your character permanent. Or at least you got some experience.
I began running my first campaign when I was 15, and I've run games involving players as young as 10.
I think that these days people are way too concerned about being a good DM and are afraid to try it - when I was 15 it never even occurred to me that my game wouldn't be super fun, and it was!
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(lemme know if this is the wrong place to post this and I'll delete it)
I'm 14 yr olds and love the concept of dnd. I listen to podcasts occasionally. love the stories and adventures but don't understand a lot of the game concept. Is it too early for me to learn? Is there any free easy to understand guides? Will I be able to find other players around my age to play with online?
Edit: I am unable to do face to face due to COVID-19 which prevents me from staying after school, but I'll try something out. Thanks to everyone for the feedback, helped me out a lot.
I played my first campaign when I was 7, so no.
Go read the basic rules here:https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
My homebrew content: Monsters, subclasses, Magic items, Feats, spells, races, backgrounds
If you can understand the rules (or just basic stuff of the rules) and you're mature enough to not be disruptive during the game, you're old enough to play D&D.
Actually, the last face-to-face game I was in had a player who was 14 and she was a darned bit more mature than most of the rest of the party, the next youngest was almost three times her age. She, at least, actually tried reading the rulebooks and doing things based on the rules rather than arguing with the GM about what she "ought" to be allowed to do based on some houserule from 2nd Edition.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I played with my friends and then their kids, who were about your age, joined as well. At 14 I think you are old enough to join a game and learn the rules. Hope it works out for you!
If you. can read and have an imagination, you're not too young.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
As others have said, you seem mature enough because you asked the question to total strangers, so I say go for it! As for finding other players your age online I'd be wary of that for the obvious reasons, but then when I was 14 I was on Xbox Live talking to all manner of people, and I'd like to think internet safety's improved since then. Don't let our comments on your maturity get the better of you though; you might be better off asking local friends or classmates if they'd be interested, maybe see about using a free classroom after school to play the physical Starter Set or the Essentials Kit (both of these contain the rules and an adventure, among other tat.)
Stay safe and have fun!
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
I started playing at 11, and back then D&D was far more complicated. 5E is without a doubt the easiest version as it has been dumbed down to hell and back. So yeah, go for it. It's the perfect time to learn.
You're certainly not too young for D&D. You are likely too young for some groups that play D&D. Some groups are into stuff that may not be suitable for you, so either they'll dislike cutting out those subjects or you'll dislike some of the stuff that comes up at the table. Just be aware of that, especially of the fact that if a group turns you down it won't be because of your age per se; it'll be because of group dynamics, and it won't be an issue with every group. School clubs and friends and relatives might be your best shot, but there are plenty of others out there who'd be happy with an extra player at the table regardless of age.
Since there's no stickied thread about finding people to play with, I'll do some copy/pasting from some existing ones:
1) https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/looking-for-players-groups
2) https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post
3) Googling "Dungeons & Dragons [insert your area of availability here]"
4) Asking around at local game stores even if they don't pop up in the search above
5) D&D Discord servers (https://top.gg/servers/tag/dnd)
6) https://dnd.wizards.com/ddal_general
7) https://www.reddit.com/r/lfg/ (this is for any ttrpg, not just d&d)
Best of luck!
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Absolutely not! I started playing well before then, so go for it. Hopefully when COVID is over you can get friends together to play the game, though, because trust me, it’s way more fun that way! Good luck.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
You’re not too young. I started playing when I was 12. Welcome to the game!
Professional computer geek
You're not too young i was 8 when i first played D&D. I used to watch the older brothers of my friend play and then we would also play etc... You can do the same by watching Youtube games nowadays
People mature at different rates, so no one can answer for you. I will say there are certain social skills that will help make sure everyone has fun. For example, you should recognize the difference between a player character doing something your character doesn't like and a player doing something you don't like. Some conflict between party members can make things exciting. At the same time, don't use the mask of your character as an excuse to act like a jerk.
If you're the DM, you should be aware of the power you have over other players, and avoid abusing that power.
D&D is a tool, and used badly it could hurt friendships or even cause trauma. But used well it can build friendships and build character.
I would recommend against a random online game, as I have had bad experiences with people dropping games. There's simply no investment for someone to click a link to sign up for a campaign, so some people sign up but realize they don't have enough time to commit after the first session (or even before).
My recommendation would be to find friends who are interested in playing. You might have to volunteer to be the DM, which is a harder job. If you want to get a taste before you jump in, find out if anyone you know already has a campaign and would agree to include you as a guest character. If they like playing with you, they might be open ti making your character permanent. Or at least you got some experience.
I began running my first campaign when I was 15, and I've run games involving players as young as 10.
I think that these days people are way too concerned about being a good DM and are afraid to try it - when I was 15 it never even occurred to me that my game wouldn't be super fun, and it was!