I wanted to try D&D, but I have no clue where to begin. I know nothing of ‘Hit Points’ or what ‘Campaigns’ are.
Do I start with character creation? Or do I learn of campaigns first? Also, does it need to be table top or can it also be done online? How do you form groups to play with?
If anyone is willing to break down what D&D is, the nitty gritty basics, and where to begin, I’ll be eternally grateful.
You can play either in person or online. Many gaming stores run adventures. For online there are a plethora of options. Roll20, FoundryVTT, Owlbear Rodeo, or even the Play By Post forum on this site.
The best way to learn the game is to find people to play with in person and learn as you go along. As others have said, visit your local game store and see what's moving. Or find a facebook group for D&D in your region and ask if there are any people willing to meet up and play/teach. And take a look at the dndbeyond subforum linked above.
If you're into videogames, an alternative way to get a better understanding of the game might be to get a hold of Baldur's Gate 3.
A campaign is just another word for an adventure or a story path. In the old days, these would be actual campaigns of war, like against the goblin hordes or whatever.
The Basic Rules are free on this site. I'd start by either checking those out, or watching some actual play show like the currently airing Legends of the Multiverse on YouTube to get an idea of how the game works. Definitely read the rules if you're gonna play, but if you just want to understand what it is first, you could go either way.
You should start by finding a game-- LFG (looking for group) posts are a good way to do this for online games, but for your first experience with the game I'd recommend finding an in-person game through your local comic shop, bookstore, library, or otherwise. Your game group should tell you everything you need to know about the game as you need to know it since you're really not going to know everything overnight (nor should you, don't worry).
This is not the kind of game you can play solo (that's just called writing a book haha), but if you want a picture of what it can be like before you find a group of your own, I'd try looking at one of the many DND livestream shows or podcasts-- Critical Role and The Adventure Zone are my shows of choice-- and you can see how the game is played and start to see how the rules work.
If you need help finding a game group local to your area, one thing I did was on Facebook, I searched [my city's name] Dungeons and Dragons, and I found a Facebook group in my area dedicated to matching people up with groups in the area. There was a bit of a false start (you get that with strangers, not every group is gonna mesh together), but eventually I found a group that plays really well together and we're all good friends.
I wanted to try D&D, but I have no clue where to begin. I know nothing of ‘Hit Points’ or what ‘Campaigns’ are.
Do I start with character creation? Or do I learn of campaigns first? Also, does it need to be table top or can it also be done online? How do you form groups to play with?
If anyone is willing to break down what D&D is, the nitty gritty basics, and where to begin, I’ll be eternally grateful.
Have you read the Basic Rules? They're available for free on this website.
pdegan2814 so, I personally have. I'm in the same sort of position as the person who posted this.
I'm curious.. where do I go to get my said "xp" as it says here under each one of your characters youve made here on DnDbeyond
should i just start a campaign? *I was going to post a similiar forum
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Experience:Fairly New/ Trying lvl up my Characters man. Location/ Time zone: TX, USA, PST (Pacific Standard Time) Availability: Able to play every day, before & after work, Then days off. Preferred role: Player Game style: Casual, I’ll “learn as I go” style if needed. Age: 29 yrs Discord Handle: MarksSlackn#1926 Characters: Lvl 1 Pally, Cleric, Bard, & Scorcerer
pdegan2814 so, I personally have. I'm in the same sort of position as the person who posted this.
I'm curious.. where do I go to get my said "xp" as it says here under each one of your characters youve made here on DnDbeyond
should i just start a campaign? *I was going to post a similiar forum
Gaining Experience Points(XP) and leveling up is generally handled one of two ways. The "old-school" way is that the Dungeon Master will tell you when you gain XP and how much. Once you've reached the required amount for the next level, your character levels up. All of the official monsters have defined XP values, plus the DM can give out XP for other accomplishments such as finding treasure, completing a mission, or as a reward for excellent play(creative strategies, entertaining roleplay, etc). The other method is milestone- or story-based leveling. In this method, rather than having the players keep track of exact XP totals, they just let the party know when they've leveled up. They could be doing the XP math behind the scenes just to save the players some bookkeeping, or they could have just set points in the story when the players would level up in order to make sure they're powerful enough for the upcoming challenges.
As for starting a campaign, that's not really how it works. If you plan to run a campaign, you may want to begin by creating a campaign group on here for people to join. But if you intend to play as a character, you would look for a group to join, either on these forums or elsewhere. When you join a group, the DM will tell you which method of leveling up they intend to use.
Experience:Fairly New/ Trying lvl up my Characters man. Location/ Time zone: TX, USA, PST (Pacific Standard Time) Availability: Able to play every day, before & after work, Then days off. Preferred role: Player Game style: Casual, I’ll “learn as I go” style if needed. Age: 29 yrs Discord Handle: MarksSlackn#1926 Characters: Lvl 1 Pally, Cleric, Bard, & Scorcerer
Best option is Player's Handbook, you could pay for it or borrow it from someone. Some DMs are also patient enough to teach someone as they play, rare find though.
I wanted to try D&D, but I have no clue where to begin. I know nothing of ‘Hit Points’ or what ‘Campaigns’ are.
Do I start with character creation? Or do I learn of campaigns first? Also, does it need to be table top or can it also be done online? How do you form groups to play with?
If anyone is willing to break down what D&D is, the nitty gritty basics, and where to begin, I’ll be eternally grateful.
You can play either in person or online. Many gaming stores run adventures. For online there are a plethora of options. Roll20, FoundryVTT, Owlbear Rodeo, or even the Play By Post forum on this site.
There is a new player guide that is probably a decent starting point: https://www.dndbeyond.com/how-to-play-dnd
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If you are in a major city, then I suggest:
a) Go to a D&D store. You can find one here: https://locator.wizards.com/
b) Ask if they have a bulletin board for people looking for games. Find one and apply.
Because in person is a better way to start.
But if that does not work or you are not near a major metro area, check out roll20 or at the Beyond Forum here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/looking-for-players-groups.
The best way to learn the game is to find people to play with in person and learn as you go along. As others have said, visit your local game store and see what's moving. Or find a facebook group for D&D in your region and ask if there are any people willing to meet up and play/teach. And take a look at the dndbeyond subforum linked above.
If you're into videogames, an alternative way to get a better understanding of the game might be to get a hold of Baldur's Gate 3.
A campaign is just another word for an adventure or a story path. In the old days, these would be actual campaigns of war, like against the goblin hordes or whatever.
The Basic Rules are free on this site. I'd start by either checking those out, or watching some actual play show like the currently airing Legends of the Multiverse on YouTube to get an idea of how the game works. Definitely read the rules if you're gonna play, but if you just want to understand what it is first, you could go either way.
You should start by finding a game-- LFG (looking for group) posts are a good way to do this for online games, but for your first experience with the game I'd recommend finding an in-person game through your local comic shop, bookstore, library, or otherwise. Your game group should tell you everything you need to know about the game as you need to know it since you're really not going to know everything overnight (nor should you, don't worry).
This is not the kind of game you can play solo (that's just called writing a book haha), but if you want a picture of what it can be like before you find a group of your own, I'd try looking at one of the many DND livestream shows or podcasts-- Critical Role and The Adventure Zone are my shows of choice-- and you can see how the game is played and start to see how the rules work.
If you need help finding a game group local to your area, one thing I did was on Facebook, I searched [my city's name] Dungeons and Dragons, and I found a Facebook group in my area dedicated to matching people up with groups in the area. There was a bit of a false start (you get that with strangers, not every group is gonna mesh together), but eventually I found a group that plays really well together and we're all good friends.
Hope that helps!
Look up Handbooker Helper on YouTube! It’s an easy series that introduces a new concept in 5 minute chunks and they make it really fun!
- Manx (she/her)
Have you read the Basic Rules? They're available for free on this website.
pdegan2814 so, I personally have. I'm in the same sort of position as the person who posted this.
I'm curious.. where do I go to get my said "xp" as it says here under each one of your characters youve made here on DnDbeyond
should i just start a campaign? *I was going to post a similiar forum
Experience:Fairly New/ Trying lvl up my Characters man.
Location/ Time zone: TX, USA, PST (Pacific Standard Time)
Availability: Able to play every day, before & after work, Then days off.
Preferred role: Player
Game style: Casual, I’ll “learn as I go” style if needed.
Age: 29 yrs
Discord Handle: MarksSlackn#1926
Characters: Lvl 1 Pally, Cleric, Bard, & Scorcerer
Gaining Experience Points(XP) and leveling up is generally handled one of two ways. The "old-school" way is that the Dungeon Master will tell you when you gain XP and how much. Once you've reached the required amount for the next level, your character levels up. All of the official monsters have defined XP values, plus the DM can give out XP for other accomplishments such as finding treasure, completing a mission, or as a reward for excellent play(creative strategies, entertaining roleplay, etc). The other method is milestone- or story-based leveling. In this method, rather than having the players keep track of exact XP totals, they just let the party know when they've leveled up. They could be doing the XP math behind the scenes just to save the players some bookkeeping, or they could have just set points in the story when the players would level up in order to make sure they're powerful enough for the upcoming challenges.
As for starting a campaign, that's not really how it works. If you plan to run a campaign, you may want to begin by creating a campaign group on here for people to join. But if you intend to play as a character, you would look for a group to join, either on these forums or elsewhere. When you join a group, the DM will tell you which method of leveling up they intend to use.
Once again, very helpful info.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Experience:Fairly New/ Trying lvl up my Characters man.
Location/ Time zone: TX, USA, PST (Pacific Standard Time)
Availability: Able to play every day, before & after work, Then days off.
Preferred role: Player
Game style: Casual, I’ll “learn as I go” style if needed.
Age: 29 yrs
Discord Handle: MarksSlackn#1926
Characters: Lvl 1 Pally, Cleric, Bard, & Scorcerer
Best option is Player's Handbook, you could pay for it or borrow it from someone. Some DMs are also patient enough to teach someone as they play, rare find though.
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