So I recently agreed to start playing dnd with some of my friends, I really want to get some tips to start playing. Could anyone help? I got the rule book but it's very confusing and long. 

First tip: You don’t need to know all the rules - your DM and other players are there to help you if you stumble in game (if they’re not terrible), and the best way to learn is to play and get experience. 

All you really need to do before you start is familiarise yourself with your character sheet and what is on it. Learn a few basics about what key terms mean (action-move-bonus action; what your trained skills do) so you have an elementary understanding of your character sheet and you will be fine.

Second Tip: D&D is about collaborative storytelling. That means you should not try to hog the spotlight, but you also should not be embarrassed to try something, even if it might seem dumb (dumb decisions lead to the best D&D memorises).  This also means you need to have some reason to support the party - you can play as Chaotic Evil Murder Hobo, for example, but you have to play as one who realises sometimes working together and not causing trouble gets you further than stabbing everything that moves.

Third Tip: Speak up. That can include asking rules questions, questions about why someone did something, or even expressing concerns to the DM about other players or the story if you have them.

So, is this a group of first-timers all around? Because if that’s the case, I have two big pieces of advice for whoever ends up DM-ing; search for some online guides, there’s a lot of good resources out there, and don’t worry about getting everything right the first time. It’s a lot to keep track of, and even experienced DM’s forget stuff, get things wrong, or have to backtrack on an earlier ruling or idea.

For first time players, I’d say don’t get too wrapped up in trying to sort out all the details. If you don’t want to worry too much about stats for character setup. use the standard array option and follow the stat priorities suggested in the PHB for each class, then just go with what sounds good for the remaining four, although it’s generally best not to put Constitution below 10. The PHB also has recommended starting spells for casters. Really the biggest thing is just to figure out what’s fun for everyone.

Sorry if this is too general, please feel free to pester me with any specific questions you have.

Edit- Sorry, misread the first sentence. If this is just about your first time personally, then I’d say the biggest piece of advice I have is don’t worry about knowing everything from the start. It’s a lot to take in. Don’t be afraid to ask “can I do this” or “how would this work”?

Hey there! Welcome to the tables!  Yeah, the books can be a bit intimidating at first, with all the charts and math and options and such. But the books just tell you *how* to play D&D. They don't really describe *what* D&D is. 

D&D is not a competitive game. It's not a game you can "win", though you will experience stunning victories and dreadful losses. D&D is improvisational theater. It's a performance. It's a live-action play that's being written by the actors as they're performing it. You decide who your character is and how your character looks, and thinks, and feels, and talks, and acts. You interact with the other players, and all the NPCs (background characters) as your character would. The books are just there to give a bit of structure to help us all understand what our options are. And the dice are just there to help us determine whether we succeed or fail in the things we try to do. The dice are like fate. You don't roll dice for simple tasks, like brushing your teeth. You only roll dice when you do something that has a chance of failure, or a consequence for failure. If you try to break down a door you roll dice and add a modifier depending on how strong you are, and the DM tells you whether or not you succeeded. So really D&D is a group of friends sitting around telling a story. Each person makes up a little piece of the story, and then the next person adds to that, and the next person adds a bit more, and it just keeps going, until you eventually either save the world or die trying. 

The best way to start is to find someone who already plays. I mean sure, you could read all the books and figure it all out on your own, but that's gonna be a lot harder. Check around town, check your local gaming store, or your local library, or your school (if you're a student), or a bookstore - trust me - someone nearby is playing D&D. It's a lot easier, and more fun, to learn the game when you've got a guide to help you along. 

But while we're here, let's break down a few basics. Let's start with building your character. Your character may or may not be human. There are lots of races, or lineages, to choose from. There's the dwarves and elves and halflings that you may be familiar with from Lord of the Rings. There's also gnomes, and half-orcs, and tieflings (half-devils). Each race has certain benefits and capabilities that make them interesting. Then you choose a Class and Subclass. Your class is basically your profession. Are you a Wizard? A Rogue? A Fighter? And within each class there are different variations of that class - the subclasses. Each class has certain base abilities, and each subclass details what your particular specialization is within that class. Let's say you're a wizard. Do you specialize in blowing things up? Or charming people? Or transforming things from one thing to another? And then you've got your background. This is important! This is what you did for a living before you became an adventurer. Were you an urchin who lived on the streets? Were you an acolyte who studied in a religious monastery? Were you a town guard? Your background determines what skills you know and what some of your starting gear will be, but it also helps you decide what your outlook on the world is. An urchin will have a very different perspective on the world than a noble. Your background is what turns your character sheet into a three-dimensional person.

Okay, next you've got your ability scores. Strength is how hard you can hit a tomato. Dexterity is whether you can dodge a tomato. Constitution is whether you can survive eating a bad tomato. Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in fruit salad. And Charisma is the ability to sell someone a tomato-based fruit salad. Each ability score ranges from 3 to 20. 10 is average. Also, each class benefits from a particular ability score. Wizards use intelligence to cast spells, so if you want to play a wizard, you want a high intelligence. Rogues are sneaky, they need a high Dexterity. And so on. Each score will grant you a modifier. If you have a score of 10 or 11, you get no bonus on that ability. If you have a 12 or 13, you get a +1 bonus on things you do involving that score. If you have a 14 or 15, you get a +2 bonus, etc. So if you have a strength of 14, and you want to hit someone, you roll a 20-sided die and add 2 to your roll. If the number you roll for that attack is equal to or higher than the target's Armor Class (their defenses), then you hit. 

There is one more modifier you may apply to your rolls - Proficiency. Proficiency is a bonus you get when you do something that you have been trained in. A librarian would get a proficiency bonus for researching information, but not for climbing up a rope. A Fighter might get a proficiency bonus for athletics, but not for persuading people. Your proficiency bonus starts at +2 and increases by +1 for every 4 levels you gain. But it only gets applied to the skills that you have been trained to use. When you create your character, your background gives you 2 skills that you are proficient in, and your class gives you 2 or 3 or 4 more. Sometimes your race may also give you 1 or 2. So if your a 1st level fighter, and you have strength of 16, and you want to climb a rope up a cliff, you make a Athletics Check. You roll a 20-sided die, add +3 for your strength modifier, add another +2 because you are proficient in athletics, and get your final score. The DM will then tell you if you succeed or if you fall. 

I know. It's a lot.

That's why it's best to find someone to help guide you when you start. But if you can't find anyone locally, there will always be people here in the Forums to answer your questions. And the bottom line - most important part is - HAVE FUN!

Just send it.

there’s a good chance you’ll get something “wrong” and will never know it.

err on the side of awesome and make some memories.

if something seems too crazy to work try the “yes, but….” Option to balance out trade offs and keep the interactions compelling.

failure obviously feels bad but it’s makes success feel all the better by contrast.

it’s all over the internet but the DM doesn’t have to murder the rogue that sneaks off solo. People don’t have to be force fed “lessons” in strategy.

You don't need to read the whole rulebook to start playing the game. The only thing you should really familiarize yourself with is your character and what they can do. Outside of that, all you really need to do while playing is describe what your character is doing, or wants to do, and the DM will tell you what to roll (if anything).

During combat, plan what you're going to do with your turn before your turn comes around... don't wait until it gets to you to start figuring out what to do. Things might change... the wizard might put the guy you were planning to attack to sleep and you might have to change targets, or a wall might collapse, or someone might move out of range, but on average combat will still go faster if you have a solid plan going in, even if you do have to adjust it by the time your turn comes around.

I'd also say, plan ahead for your next level up. Especially if you're playing a spellcaster or another subclass that gives options on a level up aside from what you get by default for a class. You don't need to map out your entire character progression from 1-20 or anything, just read ahead on what you'll get on your next level up and make any decisions you need ahead of time.

If you say you are going to do something and the DM asks if you are sure, don't do it.

See if you can get with another player or two and run through The Delian Tomb with your DM.  This very short, straight forward starter dungeon gives you several of the basic concepts you will use in encounters.

You need to learn the choices you have when it is your turn.  During your turn you get to Move, Take an Action, Take a Bonus Action, Interact with an Object, speak a few words, and possibly take a Reaction.  You do not have to do any of these things, but if you have an opportunity you may be able to do all these things on a single turn.  Using your Action, Bonus Action, Reaction and Interact with an Object on a turn is called the Action Economy.  Learning the way to capitalize on Action Economy is a big step in understanding the game.

For example, attacking with your weapon is an action.  You may not attack with your main weapon a second time during your turn until you advance to have the Multi-Attack ability.  You can't attack with your Longsword as an action and then do it again as a Bonus Action.  To use your Bonus Action you have to do a thing that requires a "Bonus Action".  If the thing requires an "Action", you can't do it as a Bonus Action.

Another example, you are fighting against two monsters.  One has taken a lot of damage.  If it tries to flee or move away from you voluntarily you are allowed to use your turns Reaction to take a swing at them if you have a melee weapon in your hand.  This is called an Attack of Opportunity, and it requires you to use your Reaction.  Once you use your reaction, you can't use it again until it resets at the beginning of your turn.  If the other monster flees from you in the same turn, you can't use your Attack of Opportunity to attack that monster because you have used your reaction already this turn.

Play a short dungeon with your DM and one or two friends and you will begin to see how it fits together.  Good luck and enjoy.

Just remember, the rules are only guidelines, Ive been a Dm for a while now and i still make up rules. The most important thing is to have fun!

just have fun

I don't think this thread isn't relevant anymore.

I recommend checking the Timestamp before posting.

yeah I know. yet you are here