Where to begin in dungeons and dragons the rpg?

Question

my friends and i were looking for a hobby for the summer and want to see about playing d&d. we don't care that it is nerdy we are insanely bored and think its a game that we could just hang out, but we don't know where to begin. we are trying to find details of the game or where to begin or what we need to start. all we have found so far is that we need to buy like 3 or 4 books but we would really like to get some more info before making a purchase.

Answer 1

Here's a little demo of the very basics of how the game works for you to check out:

http://www.wizards.com/playdnd/playdnd.a...

The three "core" rulebooks are the Player's Handbook (PHB), the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), and the Monster Manual (MM).  If you can find an existing group to play with (which I would strongly recommend for first-time players), all you'll really need is a Player's Handbook.

Answer 2

The fourth edition of the game just came out, so I would recommend getting that one since you are all beginners to the game. To start out playing D&D you will of course need the three core rule books. The Player's Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide. You will also need some polyhedral dice. The three core books plus imagination is really all you need to get started. Other books will be released that are add ons and will enhance your game, but for now just stick with the core books. Hope I helped!

Answer 3

I've been playing games of that type since 1983, including Dungeons and Dragons.

Forget about Dungeons and Dragons.  Seriously.

Go to the website for Steve Jackson Games.  You can order the GURPS Basic Set, Campaigns and GURPS Basic Set, Characters, on tree corpses or on PDF (from E23) through the site, you can also get them more cheaply on Amazon.

  These two books cost about the same as D&D books; the quality and usefulness of the books is greater...you do not NEED as many.

  EVERYTHING you need to have some good long term games is in those two books, compared to 3-5 books for Dungeons and Dragons.

  For D&D, each player needs dice of 6 types...this gets expensive.  In GURPS, you need only the cheap six sided dice that come in most popular games or can be bought cheaply in supermarkets.

  GURPS books are easier to read, and easier to understand.

  GURPS does not straightjacket you...Dungeons and Dragons allows only a limited range of rigidly defined character types...in GURPS, the sky is the limit.

Answer 4

Go to the Wizards of the Coast site or RPGA.com for some real information on D&D. I could tell you about it but that would take up a lot of space and They can serve you better. any information you require is centralized there.

And by the way GURPS are for people who can't figure out D&D!

Answer 5

There is a book for players, a book about monsters, & a book for the referee. And you might want dice.

The company is about to release a 4th version of the rules. So you want to decide which version of the rules to get.

The old rules are sold online cheap, about $5 for a file.

Answer 6

No disrespect intended for GURPS, which I'll admit I haven't looked into thoroughly, D&D isn't as bad as the previous answer makes it out to be.

Characters have never felt limited to me, even in 4th edition where they do sort of limit characters by the addition of clearly defined class roles (defender, striker, leader, controller) there is still an almost unlimited range of characters that can be made within those guidelines.

I have never come across a character concept I couldn't recreate in DnD with a little  effort and an open mind.

And the dice being expensive? Heh maybe some places they are but our local gaming store has several bins of dice for 25-30 cents each depending on size and type (there are 6 types ranging from 4 sided to 20 sided) so I doubt the few dice you need are going to be that much of a financial burden.

Most DnD games I've played you only need 1 of each type, with an extra 10 sided and an extra 6 sided.

Also you can buy  a basic boxed set with the rules and it comes with all the dice you need (I don't recommend it though, since I believe it comes with a reduced version of the rules and if you do decide to take the game seriously you'll end up paying for the books anyway.)

You only need the 3 core books for DnD. Depending on which edition you go with there are numerous others you might buy to supplement your games but the 3 basic ones are ALL you will ever need for any game.

If you have a gaming store or comic shop near you that posts flyers about games you might try joining a pre existing group to test out the waters before you jump into either game.

Whichever you decide to go with, D&D or GURPS, or even something totally different (White Wolf has the World of Darkness RPG for a more mature theme set in a darker version of our own modern world for example)