I’m new and was wondering if some one can explain we’ll.. everything to me if it’s not to much trouble. I was wondering about pbp and campaigns, how do they work? How do you actually go about playing? If any one is willing to help thanks a lot.
Hi kstreak217, welcome to the hobby and the forums! o/
Your basic one is a pretty big topic to cover, and my best answer is: you learn by playing the game :) the rules themselves are not difficult to understand and then it's all a matter of refining the knowledge with practice.
As to pbp gaming, it goes mostly like this: the DM (dungeon master) presents a situation in one post; in subsequent posts, the players write what their character does/says; the DM, if necessary, requests a roll; the players use whatever rolling system they decided (real dice and write down the result, external dice rollers, the forum integrated dice roller etc.) to present their results; the DM presents the resulting situation to the party, either due to the possible roll or to the things the character did/said - rinse and repeat ad-infinitum.
Campaigns are "just" a series of adventures linked together by an overharching story that takes the players from one adventure to the next until the (hopefully) majestic finale, much like a TV series. Adventures can be anything lasting from a single night to 4-5 sessions, but generally in a campaign they should seamlessly move one into the next, with little interruption between one and the other.
Hope this can help you :) the people here in the forum are all extremely friendly and helpful, so if you have other questions don't hesitate in asking them!
I’m new and was wondering if some one can explain we’ll.. everything to me if it’s not to much trouble. I was wondering about pbp and campaigns, how do they work? How do you actually go about playing? If any one is willing to help thanks a lot.
Everything... ok. Let's start with what you do know.
Are you familiar with D&D? Do you understand the basic rules set and how to build a character? Are are we talking eeeeeeeverything?
Assuming we're just talking about PbP, and how campaigns work within that construct, then let's begin there:
PbP is short for Play by Post, and essentially is message board D&D. It's largely played like any other TTRPG, but you don't have as many visual aids to work with, so a lot more effort is put into creating word pictures. The side effect is usually that RP takes the front seat in most PbP games. There are some campaigns that have more of a kick-in-the-door vibe to them, but a single combat round can take days or even weeks to resolve, depending on the posting frequency of your group. So white-knuckled action isn't generally an option in PbP. What you can get instead are vast, richly detailed worlds, vibrant PCs and NPCs, and intricate city/dungeon/battle maps. Because you have time to think about your actions, players tend to describe things a lot better, so combat often sounds more like, "Spinning in under the kobold's upward thrust, Grogg the Mighty whips his mighty battle axe around in a vicious sweeping strike, embedding the wedge of its glimmering blade deep into the side of his assailant with enough force to snap bone and sinew as if cutting a swath. Seeing the light fade from the kobold's eyes, Grogg the Mighty screams in brutal triumph, releshing the glory of battle" rather than. I charge and attack for 17, dealing... 8 damage.
Yeah I know the basic stuff like how to create a character but that honestly about it the rest is really confusing. I do understand the basic rules a little but not much. Also really good example I liked it.
I have a very simplistic way of explaining the core mechanics to new players, since I deal with them pretty regularly.
The core mechanic of D&D that you really just need to remember is D20+Modifier.
D20 = 20-sided die Modifier is one of the numbers on your character sheet with a + or - next to it.
Almost everything you do in the game will come down to this. You roll the D20, take the number it lands on and add that to the Modifier of whatever the DM asked for.
The DM knows a target number (Called an AC or a DC depending on the situation, but they are essentially the same thing), and if your roll plus your modifier meets or beats that target number, you succeed at what you are rolling for.
If you can remember this base mechanic, you can pretty much learn the rest as you go, and your DM should be there and willing to help as well!
I remember a very neat tip from a video, not sure if it was Matt Mercer or one of the 5e designers, but they essentially said that the thing that makes 5e so easy to get started in is that you can actually just use the 6 ability score modifiers for every roll, and ignore everything else like skill checks, saving throws, attack bonuses, whatever; just use the ability score most relevant to what you're doing, and the game still just pretty much works. That basis also helps with more advanced players, when a DM needs to improvise how to handle an unorthodox situation.
You're welcome. Now all you need to do is join a PbP campaign!
I can't exactly tell you how to do that here, because I've never actually joined a campaign on D&D Beyond. My games are on other forums, because I'm still getting used to this forum, and also because I mostly play 3.5, which doesn't seem to be well supported here.
However, I can tell you that every PbP site has posting rules for starting or joining games. Some are fairly simple, others can be quite intricate. It's important to read and understand the rules setting up or joining a game before you do. You'll have much more success that way.
A great way to learn the game better, if you can't find people around you to play, is to watch a stream/ video of people playing. There are a few really good ones to watch, and they all give you a good idea of the pacing and flow of the game.
I personally would recommend Critical Role because that is my favorite, but there are plenty of others out there as well.
Once you're confident (or at least, more confident than you are now) in your abilities, head out and look in your area! There are always people willing to play, and from what I've experienced and seen, nobody minds helping each other out with rules and things
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I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
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I’m new and was wondering if some one can explain we’ll.. everything to me if it’s not to much trouble. I was wondering about pbp and campaigns, how do they work? How do you actually go about playing? If any one is willing to help thanks a lot.
Hi kstreak217, welcome to the hobby and the forums! o/
Your basic one is a pretty big topic to cover, and my best answer is: you learn by playing the game :) the rules themselves are not difficult to understand and then it's all a matter of refining the knowledge with practice.
As to pbp gaming, it goes mostly like this: the DM (dungeon master) presents a situation in one post; in subsequent posts, the players write what their character does/says; the DM, if necessary, requests a roll; the players use whatever rolling system they decided (real dice and write down the result, external dice rollers, the forum integrated dice roller etc.) to present their results; the DM presents the resulting situation to the party, either due to the possible roll or to the things the character did/said - rinse and repeat ad-infinitum.
Campaigns are "just" a series of adventures linked together by an overharching story that takes the players from one adventure to the next until the (hopefully) majestic finale, much like a TV series. Adventures can be anything lasting from a single night to 4-5 sessions, but generally in a campaign they should seamlessly move one into the next, with little interruption between one and the other.
Hope this can help you :) the people here in the forum are all extremely friendly and helpful, so if you have other questions don't hesitate in asking them!
May the rolls be ever in your favor
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
Yeah I know the basic stuff like how to create a character but that honestly about it the rest is really confusing. I do understand the basic rules a little but not much. Also really good example I liked it.
I have a very simplistic way of explaining the core mechanics to new players, since I deal with them pretty regularly.
The core mechanic of D&D that you really just need to remember is D20+Modifier.
D20 = 20-sided die
Modifier is one of the numbers on your character sheet with a + or - next to it.
Almost everything you do in the game will come down to this. You roll the D20, take the number it lands on and add that to the Modifier of whatever the DM asked for.
The DM knows a target number (Called an AC or a DC depending on the situation, but they are essentially the same thing), and if your roll plus your modifier meets or beats that target number, you succeed at what you are rolling for.
If you can remember this base mechanic, you can pretty much learn the rest as you go, and your DM should be there and willing to help as well!
I remember a very neat tip from a video, not sure if it was Matt Mercer or one of the 5e designers, but they essentially said that the thing that makes 5e so easy to get started in is that you can actually just use the 6 ability score modifiers for every roll, and ignore everything else like skill checks, saving throws, attack bonuses, whatever; just use the ability score most relevant to what you're doing, and the game still just pretty much works. That basis also helps with more advanced players, when a DM needs to improvise how to handle an unorthodox situation.
Thanks for all the help everyone
You're welcome. Now all you need to do is join a PbP campaign!
I can't exactly tell you how to do that here, because I've never actually joined a campaign on D&D Beyond. My games are on other forums, because I'm still getting used to this forum, and also because I mostly play 3.5, which doesn't seem to be well supported here.
However, I can tell you that every PbP site has posting rules for starting or joining games. Some are fairly simple, others can be quite intricate. It's important to read and understand the rules setting up or joining a game before you do. You'll have much more success that way.
Good luck!
My DM Registry
My Campaigns:
Ibahalii Vriwhulth, the Reaper of Glory v2: IC Thread (PbP); Secrets of the Island (On Discord); Lost Mine of Phendelver (tabletop)
My Characters:
Krik-tul, Thri-kreen monk; Mme Cragmaw, Goblin Artificer; River Kuthraeann, Wood Elf Paladin
Thanks
A great way to learn the game better, if you can't find people around you to play, is to watch a stream/ video of people playing. There are a few really good ones to watch, and they all give you a good idea of the pacing and flow of the game.
I personally would recommend Critical Role because that is my favorite, but there are plenty of others out there as well.
Once you're confident (or at least, more confident than you are now) in your abilities, head out and look in your area! There are always people willing to play, and from what I've experienced and seen, nobody minds helping each other out with rules and things
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?