I'm thinking about wanting to try out d&d as a game, but i never before done it. I have peddled with the character creator and other resources lately, but am still feeling a bit quesy about looking for a group right now, afraid i dont have a solid bases yet to try my hand at my first game. Part of this is the fact i'm rather shy and dont have anny friends realy playing d&d. Now i was wondering if there are any tips on what resources are either useful or essential to get my start: are there some rulebooks i need, monster index, etc. Basicly, what is the bare minimum that i need to atleast get a solid basis set.
Personaly i realy like the forgoten realms setting: i first played d&d games throught vidio games like baldur's gate 2 (skiped the 1st one) and similar games, and especialy BG2 stuck with me as a great world to start out in. I also prefer a more casual, humorous (sometimes bordering on intentialy figuring out the most outrageously funy way to do something) gameplay, so not to serious. I hope that helps narrow down some things as it gives you an idea of what im looking for in d&d games in general.
So to end, is there any advice you can give me about how to go about getting myself setup for the plunge of looking for a group in the future. Thank you in advance.
I made a character that i want to play, but i noticed a few comments about evil characters often being misinterpeted. I would like to post the link to this characters sheet, hopefuly you can read some of the background on him.
(check under notes if you can see, the main background story is there, it is still a work in progress)
Now i would need to explain, my plan for this character is a bit of a redemption arc. He isnt evil in the way that he psychoticaly kills a fellow group member or a npc, infact he is more or less ambigues about those around him. He is not evil in the "True Evil" way, he never betrays those that aid them, and he actualy can come to care about them.
So my plans are for this character to be on a quest to find himself, better himself. Initialy he seeks nothing but knowledge, but through interaction with the party, he will come to realize that his way may not be so good for him, that having allies and friends might be more then just benificial to his larger goal. In other words, he will grow to care about the member of his party as a family.
My question is, can this be played properly, or should i made alter him a bit and move out of Lawful Evil to a more Neutral alignment to avoid the Evil stigma.
I know there are a lot of low- commitment level Discord servers that welcome new players if you wanna try a game or two online before reaching out locally in the real world.
Welcome to D&D. All you really need is a copy of the player's handbook and some dice. As you get into the game, you may want to pick up some other books, but they are not necessary to start, or at all, really. As for finding a group, depending on where you live meetup can have groups, but often the best is to try local hobby/comic shops, they often have message boards. They may also have Adventurer's League games going on on a regular basis. You can play in AL, or use that as a springboard to find other groups.
At this point, you might not know what you're looking for in terms of a game style -- something may be more or less fun in theory for you than in practice, so trying out AL games can help you figure that out. This gets important because not every group plays the game the same way, some might be more focused on role playing, others just want to make cool characters and kill everything they meet. Some table have players who talk in character, others who aren't as worried about it. There's a lot of variations. The important part is, if you are playing with a group and you don't find you like it, that may be because they have a different playstyle than you like. Don't be afraid to hop around a few times if you don't like the first one. It might just be that you don't enjoy that particular group, rather than the game as a whole.
If this is your first time, try and find a game starting at first level, so you can learn along with your character, rather than starting at a higher level and having lots of powers you don't understand fully.
Have a look at roll 20. There are a lot of games advertised there to play online and the creator can flag that they welcome new players. Be aware that they are often oversubscribed and the gm will pick who they want so you won't get into every game. It is a good idea to have a couple of one shots before committing to a campaign, in fact many of these one shots the gm is looking for suitable players for their campaign or discord server.
Hey! I remember when I got into DnD about 2 years ago it was super daunting. I kinda spent about a week reading every source material I could get my hands on. I was fortunate to not have to handle DM'ing as a first time dungeoner. Our DM did an amazing homebrew campaign that we're getting close to wrapping up almost two years later. We were all first timers, and we've grown an insane amount as players and DM's (we've taken turns DM'ing oneshots over the past couple years, with our wonderful DM guiding us through the process and giving us tips about what helped him).
In the beginning, I'd say there are 3 main things to focus on: Positive relationships IC and OOC, you're never perfect your first time at ANYTHING, and it's what you make it. (Keep in mind this is all just advice from a guy who plays DnD for fun every Saturday, I am by no means a professional player)
Our group has always tried to remain positive. We all had individual friendships with one another, but I hadn't even met two of the players before we started. Over the past two years, we've grown so much closer as friends because of the game. Not only because we had a once-a-week gaming session to get to know each other, but also because everyone has a habit of putting parts of themselves into their characters, and you get to learn more about your friends when you play. If you stay positive as friends, it can really help you to loosen up and give your all to roleplaying, even if it is extremely goofy and absurd. That's one of the best parts of the game!
Obviously, we learned a LOT in the beginning, and we're still learning. I know some guys who have been playing DnD coming up on 20 years now who are still learning how to improve themselves at the game. Don't get down on yourself or other people because they aren't amazing right away. It's a learning experience, and it's meant to be fun! Our group learned that, and once we figured out we don't have anyone to impress, its just us having fun, things got so much better. If you have to double check a rule, make a ruling and realize it's wrong the next day, or simply fudge something up for any reason, that's okay! It's a complex games, and there are a lot of possible rules and ways things can go! That's part of what's amazing about it.
Lastly, it's what you make it. The various creators of the game have stated time and time again that while yes, there are a set of rules that are laid out in depth in the books and online, it's what YOU choose to do that makes it unique to your group. A common saying is "rule of cool" where if you think its cool and it advances the plot, go for it! Who cares if maybe the dice don't agree, or the books say you can't do that. It's you're world that you're creating, so go for it! If you wanna play it by the rules, that's amazing, and if you wanna play it loose and fast, that's great too! Some of our groups best memories of the game are from times where we fudged the rules a little bit because it was fun/cool.
As for friends, I never thought I would find anyone to play with. I had briefly considered it, but I dismissed it because I thought no one would play with me. But the woman who would become our Rogue's player brought the idea up to the guy who would become our DM, and an entire journey was started. I know there's been a lot of stigma about DnD in the past, but I would say it's fairly common nowadays, and I've met a lot of people who want to try but don't know where to start. The best place is to just dive right in wherever you are.
Last thing about evil characters, they are misinterpreted a lot. I've been playing my Druid-turned-Warlock the entire campaign, and his character arc has led from his transitioning from Chaotic Good to Lawful Evil, a complete change to the opposite side of the alignment chart. I've run into some issues with it being a bit much at times, but with some constructive criticism given to me in kind words, I learned how to do it better. Best way I found to do it is by realizing that "Evil" doesn't directly mean blatantly malicious. It can mean you put yourself before anyone else. The way I run my Warlock is that he puts himself before everyone else, and it ties in with his lawful side, where he was one golden rule that guides him: Family above everything else. This way, I can play him as someone who puts the party before everyone else, as they are his found family, and I can still remain evil without screwing over the other players. It provides a constructive way to interact with the other players, NPC's, and world the DM has created without just Eldritch Blasting everything in sight. He's done some pretty f'd up things over the campaign, from torture to assassinations to framing people for his own crimes. But, the majority of the time, it has never really screwed over another party member because he does these things for the party. A popular saying about Rogues is "steal FOR the party, not FROM the party." Same concept! He is evil for the benefit of his family. He's objectively a very crappy person, but he loves his family and they love him, and he's found a home in them.
TL;DR
Don't be afraid to be wrong as you learn! It's an entirely exciting experience, and being willing to be goofy and add your own signature elements to the game makes it truly fun and unique!
For evil players, it just means they put themselves before others. Talk to the other players about your character and communicate with them about the character arc you want to send them through! Communication is key; keeping secrets aren't a bad thing from the other players if you want to surprise them, but don't keep too many!
thanks for all the reactions. It's given me some ideas and made me realize some things i didnt think about. I will keep checking incase more responses come, but sofar, all verry positive feedback, thank you.
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Hi,
I'm thinking about wanting to try out d&d as a game, but i never before done it. I have peddled with the character creator and other resources lately, but am still feeling a bit quesy about looking for a group right now, afraid i dont have a solid bases yet to try my hand at my first game. Part of this is the fact i'm rather shy and dont have anny friends realy playing d&d. Now i was wondering if there are any tips on what resources are either useful or essential to get my start: are there some rulebooks i need, monster index, etc. Basicly, what is the bare minimum that i need to atleast get a solid basis set.
Personaly i realy like the forgoten realms setting: i first played d&d games throught vidio games like baldur's gate 2 (skiped the 1st one) and similar games, and especialy BG2 stuck with me as a great world to start out in. I also prefer a more casual, humorous (sometimes bordering on intentialy figuring out the most outrageously funy way to do something) gameplay, so not to serious. I hope that helps narrow down some things as it gives you an idea of what im looking for in d&d games in general.
So to end, is there any advice you can give me about how to go about getting myself setup for the plunge of looking for a group in the future. Thank you in advance.
I made a character that i want to play, but i noticed a few comments about evil characters often being misinterpeted. I would like to post the link to this characters sheet, hopefuly you can read some of the background on him.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/profile/DakimDragco/characters/16265993
(check under notes if you can see, the main background story is there, it is still a work in progress)
Now i would need to explain, my plan for this character is a bit of a redemption arc. He isnt evil in the way that he psychoticaly kills a fellow group member or a npc, infact he is more or less ambigues about those around him. He is not evil in the "True Evil" way, he never betrays those that aid them, and he actualy can come to care about them.
So my plans are for this character to be on a quest to find himself, better himself. Initialy he seeks nothing but knowledge, but through interaction with the party, he will come to realize that his way may not be so good for him, that having allies and friends might be more then just benificial to his larger goal. In other words, he will grow to care about the member of his party as a family.
My question is, can this be played properly, or should i made alter him a bit and move out of Lawful Evil to a more Neutral alignment to avoid the Evil stigma.
I know there are a lot of low- commitment level Discord servers that welcome new players if you wanna try a game or two online before reaching out locally in the real world.
Welcome to D&D. All you really need is a copy of the player's handbook and some dice. As you get into the game, you may want to pick up some other books, but they are not necessary to start, or at all, really. As for finding a group, depending on where you live meetup can have groups, but often the best is to try local hobby/comic shops, they often have message boards. They may also have Adventurer's League games going on on a regular basis. You can play in AL, or use that as a springboard to find other groups.
At this point, you might not know what you're looking for in terms of a game style -- something may be more or less fun in theory for you than in practice, so trying out AL games can help you figure that out. This gets important because not every group plays the game the same way, some might be more focused on role playing, others just want to make cool characters and kill everything they meet. Some table have players who talk in character, others who aren't as worried about it. There's a lot of variations. The important part is, if you are playing with a group and you don't find you like it, that may be because they have a different playstyle than you like. Don't be afraid to hop around a few times if you don't like the first one. It might just be that you don't enjoy that particular group, rather than the game as a whole.
If this is your first time, try and find a game starting at first level, so you can learn along with your character, rather than starting at a higher level and having lots of powers you don't understand fully.
The free basic rules contain enough information to get started.
Have a look at roll 20. There are a lot of games advertised there to play online and the creator can flag that they welcome new players. Be aware that they are often oversubscribed and the gm will pick who they want so you won't get into every game. It is a good idea to have a couple of one shots before committing to a campaign, in fact many of these one shots the gm is looking for suitable players for their campaign or discord server.
Hey! I remember when I got into DnD about 2 years ago it was super daunting. I kinda spent about a week reading every source material I could get my hands on. I was fortunate to not have to handle DM'ing as a first time dungeoner. Our DM did an amazing homebrew campaign that we're getting close to wrapping up almost two years later. We were all first timers, and we've grown an insane amount as players and DM's (we've taken turns DM'ing oneshots over the past couple years, with our wonderful DM guiding us through the process and giving us tips about what helped him).
In the beginning, I'd say there are 3 main things to focus on: Positive relationships IC and OOC, you're never perfect your first time at ANYTHING, and it's what you make it. (Keep in mind this is all just advice from a guy who plays DnD for fun every Saturday, I am by no means a professional player)
Our group has always tried to remain positive. We all had individual friendships with one another, but I hadn't even met two of the players before we started. Over the past two years, we've grown so much closer as friends because of the game. Not only because we had a once-a-week gaming session to get to know each other, but also because everyone has a habit of putting parts of themselves into their characters, and you get to learn more about your friends when you play. If you stay positive as friends, it can really help you to loosen up and give your all to roleplaying, even if it is extremely goofy and absurd. That's one of the best parts of the game!
Obviously, we learned a LOT in the beginning, and we're still learning. I know some guys who have been playing DnD coming up on 20 years now who are still learning how to improve themselves at the game. Don't get down on yourself or other people because they aren't amazing right away. It's a learning experience, and it's meant to be fun! Our group learned that, and once we figured out we don't have anyone to impress, its just us having fun, things got so much better. If you have to double check a rule, make a ruling and realize it's wrong the next day, or simply fudge something up for any reason, that's okay! It's a complex games, and there are a lot of possible rules and ways things can go! That's part of what's amazing about it.
Lastly, it's what you make it. The various creators of the game have stated time and time again that while yes, there are a set of rules that are laid out in depth in the books and online, it's what YOU choose to do that makes it unique to your group. A common saying is "rule of cool" where if you think its cool and it advances the plot, go for it! Who cares if maybe the dice don't agree, or the books say you can't do that. It's you're world that you're creating, so go for it! If you wanna play it by the rules, that's amazing, and if you wanna play it loose and fast, that's great too! Some of our groups best memories of the game are from times where we fudged the rules a little bit because it was fun/cool.
As for friends, I never thought I would find anyone to play with. I had briefly considered it, but I dismissed it because I thought no one would play with me. But the woman who would become our Rogue's player brought the idea up to the guy who would become our DM, and an entire journey was started. I know there's been a lot of stigma about DnD in the past, but I would say it's fairly common nowadays, and I've met a lot of people who want to try but don't know where to start. The best place is to just dive right in wherever you are.
Last thing about evil characters, they are misinterpreted a lot. I've been playing my Druid-turned-Warlock the entire campaign, and his character arc has led from his transitioning from Chaotic Good to Lawful Evil, a complete change to the opposite side of the alignment chart. I've run into some issues with it being a bit much at times, but with some constructive criticism given to me in kind words, I learned how to do it better. Best way I found to do it is by realizing that "Evil" doesn't directly mean blatantly malicious. It can mean you put yourself before anyone else. The way I run my Warlock is that he puts himself before everyone else, and it ties in with his lawful side, where he was one golden rule that guides him: Family above everything else. This way, I can play him as someone who puts the party before everyone else, as they are his found family, and I can still remain evil without screwing over the other players. It provides a constructive way to interact with the other players, NPC's, and world the DM has created without just Eldritch Blasting everything in sight. He's done some pretty f'd up things over the campaign, from torture to assassinations to framing people for his own crimes. But, the majority of the time, it has never really screwed over another party member because he does these things for the party. A popular saying about Rogues is "steal FOR the party, not FROM the party." Same concept! He is evil for the benefit of his family. He's objectively a very crappy person, but he loves his family and they love him, and he's found a home in them.
TL;DR
Don't be afraid to be wrong as you learn! It's an entirely exciting experience, and being willing to be goofy and add your own signature elements to the game makes it truly fun and unique!
For evil players, it just means they put themselves before others. Talk to the other players about your character and communicate with them about the character arc you want to send them through! Communication is key; keeping secrets aren't a bad thing from the other players if you want to surprise them, but don't keep too many!
thanks for all the reactions. It's given me some ideas and made me realize some things i didnt think about. I will keep checking incase more responses come, but sofar, all verry positive feedback, thank you.