Dungeons and Dragons (and other rpg like it)

[Ferretbait]

I’ve never played d&d, or anything like it. as I’ve never had the friend group for it and from what I’ve seen and heard about it online, it seems really fun. But, people start talking about different editions and rules and all these other intricacies that come with the territory.

So, I’m curious how people began playing d&d and other games like it and what advice you’d give to someone like me that wants to start playing it.

 

[pisces]

Hello! I got into D&D around December last year. Luckily, I had a group of friends to help me get into it. For the groups I'm in, we usually use the most recent edition, which is 5e. I'm not sure if other groups use different editions, but most that I've seen use 5e.

Wizard's of the Coast, the company that makes D&D, has a basic rules PDF which you can find here: Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons | Dungeons & Dragons

The system has a good amount of moving parts that can be a little tricky to grasp at first, so it's always good to have a more experienced friend or acquaintance there to explain things to you. I'm not a pro by any means, but I like to think I have a basic enough knowledge of the game if you have any questions!

 

[strangelove]

Oh boy. Memories here we go.

I began playing D&D back in the early days when you had the choice between D&D and Advanced D&D. That was in the middle of the satanic scare of the 80'ies when people were convinced that you'd be possessed by demons if you played D&D (that was the reason that there was no demons or devils in 2nd edition AD&D). I started playing with a few friends and I still keep contact and play with some of them today. The advanced part later evolved into 2nd edition AD&D (Baldur's gate, Torment and others were build on those rules). And I transitioned to AD&D at some point in the 90'ies. I also played other systems like GURPS, Rifts, Paranoia, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2020 and more that have gotten lost in the mist of memories.

Then in 2000 the big revolution - Wizards of the Coast came with the third edition D&D that streamlined everything. It made D&D into an even better game and improved it's appeal to the general public. Also games like Neverwinter Nights made it even more popular.

You can say the rest is history, new editions and more splat books.

Today I usually play Pathfinder (1st or 2nd edition), Starfinder or GURPS.

If you really want to learn D&D but you don't have anyone that can help you face to face, then you could head over to rpol. They have a large community of players that are willing to teach and help new players. But the best way to learn it is to sit down with a few friends, open the books and start reading. Try making a few characters and perhaps one of you find that they would like to try it as the DM - perhaps get an introductory adventure to get you going. And always remember to bring plenty of drinks and snacks.... you'll be at it for long