Hi, I'm a new DnD player and I'd love to be able to understand the game completely. I've always thought it was really cool and now I'm actually getting into it.
A lot of the content you watch online is of professionals, and a lot of the discussion you see is between people who don't play. In other words, you'll figure a lot of it out at the table by remaining open and patient with yourself and the other players. On that, the DM is also a player!
The whole point of D&D is to have fun. If you're not having fun, you're missing the point, and don't be afraid to experiment. If someone else (and their whole group, I should add) is having fun, then they're doing it right.
Read these forums, it's really surprising how little those principles are actually understood.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Read part 2 of the basic rules at least once (ch7-9 of the PHB).
You can ask any rule questions in the rules and mechanics forums.
There are quite a few common rule misunderstandings that new players make. Too many to write out.
And a personal advice I like to give to new players, don't play wizard as your first spellcaster. They have extra rules and are extra confusing. (Clerics are my recommended first spellcaster class, but honestly not by much. They are not heal bots in this game).
I would actually say, before spending a dime, read the free materials like the standard rules to get a decent overview.
If you play a game, the free rules and modules like Lost Mines of Phandelver contain enough content to give you a good sense of how things run and then you can decide if you want to purchase more things going forward.
With some elbow grease, you can enjoy dnd without spending any or much money.
My best advice is to watch a few videos of people playing or talking about it to see if you set on it, and get a feel for how an roleplay focused session and how a combat focused session would go.
Have a glimpse over any free materials, and ask here for any questions you might have.
Then get on reddit and look for a group and throw yourself in, you won't pick up everything straight away but that's fine as long as you have fun whilst learning.
Talk with your DM. Before you start your game, talk to the DM about your expectations, worries, what you are and are not comfortable with, in-game and anything else you think might be important for them to know. Your DM should reach out to you for this, but if they don't then you should seek them out because this is a necessary conversation to have. Also, if you are having a problem with the way things are going with your group, talk to the DM about it so they can help fix that problem.
Remember, D&D is a team game. D&D is a game with (usually) 5+ players. Your ideas may not always be excepted and you may not always get the most "screen time". But that's just how the game works so that everyone at the table has fun. If one person got all the time to roleplay, then other players would have less time to do that too. Again, D&D is a team game and it needs to be treated and played as such.
Read chapters 7-11 of the Basic Rules. If you are going to play, then I'd advise to read these chapters at least in order to grasp how some of the mechanics in D&D work. If you are planning to play a spellcaster, you will also need to read chapter 11. Also, spellcasters are complicated, asking a friend to help you understand how mechanics such as spells and spell slots work is advisable in scenarios where you don't fully understand something.
Fun is always the most important thing. The whole game is about having fun. If you are not having fun, then you don't need to keep playing. Sit back, relax, and just enjoy playing the game.
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BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
Just my $0.02: Play the game as much as you can, enjoy yourself, the rules and minutiae will come gradually. The more gameplay reps you have, the faster learning occurs. In my experience, you can learn by reading the rules but its the application and interpretation where things start to make sense. It's a bit like learning to play an instrument - you can learn a bit by reading a book on how-to play the piano, but sitting down at the keys is where true learning occurs. Enjoy the journey into collective creativity and shared storytelling. No need to rush it.
Read part 2 of the basic rules at least once (ch7-9 of the PHB).
I would add Chapter 10 (Spellcasting) to that as well.
Especially if you are playing a spellcaster, but preferably have the DM or a veteran player read it with you. Spellcasting in particular has some rules that are easy to misunderstand.
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Hi, I'm a new DnD player and I'd love to be able to understand the game completely. I've always thought it was really cool and now I'm actually getting into it.
A lot of the content you watch online is of professionals, and a lot of the discussion you see is between people who don't play. In other words, you'll figure a lot of it out at the table by remaining open and patient with yourself and the other players. On that, the DM is also a player!
Clear communication between the group out of game solves and prevents a host of ills.
The whole point of D&D is to have fun. If you're not having fun, you're missing the point, and don't be afraid to experiment. If someone else (and their whole group, I should add) is having fun, then they're doing it right.
Read these forums, it's really surprising how little those principles are actually understood.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Read part 2 of the basic rules at least once (ch7-9 of the PHB).
You can ask any rule questions in the rules and mechanics forums.
There are quite a few common rule misunderstandings that new players make. Too many to write out.
And a personal advice I like to give to new players, don't play wizard as your first spellcaster. They have extra rules and are extra confusing. (Clerics are my recommended first spellcaster class, but honestly not by much. They are not heal bots in this game).
I would add Chapter 10 (Spellcasting) to that as well.
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I would actually say, before spending a dime, read the free materials like the standard rules to get a decent overview.
If you play a game, the free rules and modules like Lost Mines of Phandelver contain enough content to give you a good sense of how things run and then you can decide if you want to purchase more things going forward.
With some elbow grease, you can enjoy dnd without spending any or much money.
My best advice is to watch a few videos of people playing or talking about it to see if you set on it, and get a feel for how an roleplay focused session and how a combat focused session would go.
Have a glimpse over any free materials, and ask here for any questions you might have.
Then get on reddit and look for a group and throw yourself in, you won't pick up everything straight away but that's fine as long as you have fun whilst learning.
A couple of things:
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.Just my $0.02:
Play the game as much as you can, enjoy yourself, the rules and minutiae will come gradually.
The more gameplay reps you have, the faster learning occurs.
In my experience, you can learn by reading the rules but its the application and interpretation where things start to make sense.
It's a bit like learning to play an instrument - you can learn a bit by reading a book on how-to play the piano, but sitting down at the keys is where true learning occurs.
Enjoy the journey into collective creativity and shared storytelling. No need to rush it.
Especially if you are playing a spellcaster, but preferably have the DM or a veteran player read it with you. Spellcasting in particular has some rules that are easy to misunderstand.