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LAC
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Hi Guys I had a quick question

me and my friends would like to start playing D&D and I would like to know what I need to get/buy to start playing

and I would like to be told some rules & regulations

Thank you

~Lac

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
(PS) think that's a good sig? ^^^
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Shoot first, double tap, and let God sort it out

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ArchAngel
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Unfortunately, it's not a quick question. Fortunately, it's a great question.
How much do you need to buy?
A lot, actually.

Well, depending on your version, you'll most likely need the Player Handbook, Dungeon Master Guide, and Monster Manual. Those three are really just for the Dungeon Maaster/Game Master, and the players can get away with just the Player Handbook.
I got the 3.5 version, my particular favorite, and those ran me together around $100.
Another advantage of 3.5, the players might be able to get away without getting the handbook, either, and just using http://www.d20srd.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On top of that, there are the dice. A polyhedral set can run between $10-$20, depending what you get. Doesn't hurt to spend a little extra to get some cool and not Chessex.

And as a DM, you'd usually want some customizable or drawable grid to stage the fights and encouters. I made it cheap by sharpie-ing a grid over an old whiteboard, but I'm going to have to find out how to make it better. I got away without getting miniatures by laminating 1"x1" squares which I drew with various pictures.

After that, though, it's up to the DM to make the best campaign he or she can.
It is a lot of work and there's a decent upfront cost for the DM, but as a new DM, I can say it's totally worth it.

If you're interested in D&D, though, I highly recommend joining one of the campaigns going on here. I'm just starting a light-weight 3.5e-style D&D campaign set around zombie survival that might be a nice introducer, or it's possible one of the more experience (and infinitely more awesome) DM's can fit you in the party.
There's Redemption of Agronon above, DM'd by fathom, which you can read through, and there is the Roll20 campaign that Arctic leads, that once we start it back up, you could sit through and watch a campaign or something.

So, I'm super stoked that you're interested in D&D. We could always help provide links for resources, but if you're up for it, try joining a game to see how it goes, especially if you're going to be the DM.

I guess, first question, do you know which of your friends will DM?

And yes, that's an awesome sig quote.
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LAC
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I guess, first question, do you know which of your friends will DM?
we don't really know

is there any way that we could like have someone else be the DM for each "game"?

and about how many players would you recommend for a game? (for at home)


and if I could join one of the games here that would be sooo cool
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Shoot first, double tap, and let God sort it out

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Unhuman stuff ^^^
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ArchAngel wrote: Another advantage of 3.5, the players might be able to get away without getting the handbook, either, and just using http://www.d20srd.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The magic of the Internet. :) Since the d20 rules are "open source," all you really need to have is access to the Web site, a set of dice and some imagination.

Now there are several things that will enhance your gaming experience - such as hard copies of the books, game mats, miniatures, and even more - but the core elements can be found in the three items I've listed above.
LAC wrote:is there any way that we could like have someone else be the DM for each "game"?
It would be possible... but it could be a bit tricky if you're all going to be playing the same characters in the same campaign world. For example, if your friend George runs Bucky the Barbarian, then there may be a treasure trove of barbarian-only items in the adventure that George runs....
LAC wrote:and about how many players would you recommend for a game? (for at home)
Counting the GM, I wouldn't recommend a group smaller than four. While it is possible to game with a smaller party, options tend to be much more limited, and if combat-based, players will find their characters becoming overwhelmed more often than not. I'm not saying that it's impossible to play with smaller groups... just trickier. In general, I find that four to six players tend to be good for a group (that doesn't count the GM).

If there are only a couple of players, there is the option of having each player run two characters in the party. I haven't had much experience with this approach, though.
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Alright boys, it's time for the grizzled, battle-hardened and jaded Dungeons & Dragons veteran to chime in. :mrgreen:

The only thing you absolutely, positively must buy right now is dice. As has been said, the D20 rules are open source and online, although personally I enjoy having rulebooks to sit and read through without having to be at a computer desk.

There is a starter set for Dungeons & Dragons that includes everything you need to get started but it is a little pricey. That's also 4th Edition, if that matters to you.

If money is a serious problem you can try playing 2nd Edition. Personally, I've found this to be the most fun edition to play and the books are embarrassingly cheap on eBay. You only need 3 books to get started, the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monstrous Compendium. All can be had for less than $20 total if you are careful and patient.

As for finding a DM... There are websites and resources for gathering players and finding DMs. You can get an account and post that you're a new group looking for a DM to teach you the game and run your adventures. Personally, I recommend that you or another player just do the DMming, especially if you have someone in your group who likes to write stories. That's really the most important trait a DM can have.

Also, when our online game through Roll 20 resumes you are more than welcome to sit in and observe or even play if there's open spaces (and there usually are.)
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oh, i LOVE D&D!!
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LAC
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so I now have another question

how would you suggest I get a dungeon for the group I'm playing with in real life??
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Shoot first, double tap, and let God sort it out

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ArchAngel
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Like, a scenario/story to play through , or a map to play on?

For the former, you can make it up yourself, or there are campaigns or "mods" that other people wrote that you can play through. I don't have any experience with mods, but in my limited experience in DM'ing, I really enjoy making up a world and story. I've always enjoyed imagining up sci-fi or fantasy worlds, so I find this very gratifying.

As for a map, that's even more complicated. At home, I use an old whiteboard where I removed the edges and drew a 1"x1" grid on it with sharpie. For tokens, I drew characters on 1"x1" squares of paper and laminated them.

For each encounter, I sketch out a map on the grid with some dry-erase markers and we're good to go. On the downside, I usually make the maps somewhat on the fly, so they end up pretty crude (and I'm sure this is just a matter of developing my skill as a map maker), and also, the sharpie comes off where the dry erase crosses with it, so I need to find a way to better seal the sharpie on the whiteboard.

There are mats that you can buy that let you use dry-erase markers, they roll up and have the grid built in. I got the whiteboard on the cheap ($3), so I'm not really complaining.
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LAC
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Ok so as I said before I was going to play D&D with my Real life friends but as it turned out two of my friends parents say they are not allowed to play D&D :(

so I came here once more to say

If you guys start any D&D games/campaigns May I join?


(( Btw arch thank you for letting me join the zombie D&D game its Really fun :mrgreen: ))
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Shoot first, double tap, and let God sort it out

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.p ... =846026%20

Unhuman stuff ^^^
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Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It's always super gratifying to see people enjoying the campaigns.

Definitely keep lurking around here for the next campaign. I'll certainly keep you in mind; you're doing great in the Zombie one, too.

Sorry to hear that some of your friends can't play. Some people have preconceptions on what D&D is like and it's hard from them to see it otherwise. I don't know if it's possible to convince them by showing that'd you could do a Christian campaign in an allegorical world, like Narnia, Seven Sleepers, Ted Dekker's Circle series, or Pilgrim's Progress(although this is really heavy-handed). Fathom's Agronon has very strong paralleling themes with the Bible. Here's an example of one I was putting together for a game: http://work.christiandevs.com/w/index.p ... Chronicles" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It's a fantasy world sitting as the spiritual universe, where spiritual warfare happens viscerally. Fantasy has a lot of possibility to create worlds that serve as metaphors for observations you see in life. I don't know if that'd give you any ideas or not.
I had a lot of fun putting this together. I have sketches, insignias, etc. Man, I forgot how much I was attached to this. Still am, I guess, but it's not something I'm really going to be using anymore, but if it gives you any ideas to spring off of, hey. It's a ton of fun making your own worlds, and D&D does provide a great medium for exploring them.
Right now, I'm building a pseudo-mythological world that floats on a gas giant in another solar system. Fathom has Agronon and Arctic has his own Norse-ish world, and both are perty sweet. Dreams not over. :) Who knows, maybe you'll be hosting a campaign here!
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I think it's fair to disallow D&D, for what it's worth.

That said, you could also switch over to another system, if it's the occult content that bothers them.

Holy Landsfor example, is actually a Christian system. I've been planning on playing it for years now (The PDF for the main manual is free), but can't get anyone interested.
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ArchAngel wrote: Sorry to hear that some of your friends can't play. Some people have preconceptions on what D&D is like and it's hard from them to see it otherwise.
What's really disappointing to me about this is that the anti-D&D hysteria peaked in the '80s, and here we are 30-odd years later and the remnants persist.

When my current D&D group was really growing in the early 2000s, we got permission to have our game nights at the church. It was pretty awesome, even though one or two members complained at such an "unwholesome" activity occurring in the church building. Apparently one of these people had once been dating a woman who was into D&D, and while she had become interested in joining the Church, she ultimately decided not to because it would "interfere with her commitments to the D&D group." What I've been able to determine was that her "D&D group" was actually a coven of pagans who happened to also play D&D. She had been considering becoming Wiccan like them, and I believe that was the conflict she meant. Of course, the (Mormon) guy dating her mistook that as D&D being somehow tied to that belief system in some sort of concrete way, and was therefore shocked at the idea of D&D happening in our church building.
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That's one of the things that makes these kinds of games so fun - they're flexible enough that they can be adapted to a variety of different tastes. If there is some concern about magic use in the game, there are ways to adapt the game so that there is no magic in the world, and the characters need to rely more on their skills instead. It's also possible to find some tabletop games that don't use magic whatsoever (White Wolf's "Street Fighter" comes to mind, based on the popular video game).
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LAC
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well news update
I started a "summer experience "class at the college (jr and sr get like 3 free college credits) anyways I met a group that may want to start playing D&D :D

so I'm playing the groups cleric so I'm asking advice on what two domains would benefit the group the most?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Shoot first, double tap, and let God sort it out

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.p ... =846026%20

Unhuman stuff ^^^
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ArchAngel
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Hey, glad you were able to find a group!

What version are you playing?
Pew Pew Pew. Science.

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