Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Get familiar with the basics
• Method 2 of 4: Setting up a game
• Method 3 of 4: Play the game
• Method 4 of 4: Sample round
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

Dungeons and Dragons is a very, very good game to play when you are bored, or if you want to expand the world of your imagination. After all, a game of depth like this one really does take a lot of work to be played properly. Here are some of the things you need to do to play this magnificent game.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Get familiar with the basics

1. Buy the manuals. To play Dungeons and Dragons, also known as D&D or more commonly known as DnD, you need to know the rules. If you can't find a store where you can buy the books, you can try websites like Bol.com. Read through the handbooks until you know and understand the basic rules.
   • There are different editions of the game, with different rules and actions to go through. The third and fourth editions are the most commonly used at the moment. The fourth edition is considered to be the most user-friendly and the easiest to learn to play.
2. Understand what it means to be a particular race. Your character can belong to a number of different races. Which these are varies by edition, but the most common are human, dwarf, elf, halfling, half elf, halfork and gnome. The different races have different inherent abilities, advantages and disadvantages. This will affect the way your character moves through life.
3. Understand what it means to be a class. The class is what your character does, what he or she is good at, or what he or she has chosen to do with his or her life.Most importantly, by choosing a particular class you also choose your skills, which will have an effect on what role your character will play in the group. It is important that you choose a class that suits your breed. The classes also vary per edition. Common classes are warrior, bandit, and wizard.
4. Understand the importance of moral values. Your character will also have certain moral values ​​that you must take into account. Knowing these values ​​will help you decide how your character will react in a given situation, as well as the choices he / she would make.
5. Understand the role of the dice. Multiple dice are used when playing DnD. These are not the standard dice, but a special type of dice with an unusual number on sides. The most common DnD die is the classic d20 (with the d10 not far behind) but you will need a number of others. It is best to buy a full set from the local games store.
   • The dice will be used in almost any action taken by the player or Dungeon Master (DM). How difficult it is to make something happen or how likely it is that something will happen depends on the type of die. You roll and if the number is high enough the action can be done good, bad or in a myriad of other ways depending on the DM's decision.

Method 2 of 4: Setting up a game

1. Join a game. The simplest, best, and easiest way to get started is to join an existing group. If your social movement is less easy than average, this can seem like a daunting task, but it can ultimately be an excellent way for you to make new friends. You can search forums, ask around on cons, or inquire or advertise at the local games store. Many universities and colleges, as well as secondary schools, also have clubs.
   • You will need to email, call and / or meet the person hosting the group and ask if you can join. What you especially want to know is the average age of the group. D&D is an activity that a group of different ages can enjoy, but it doesn't necessarily mean you don't mind being the only teenager in a room full of people in their 40s.
2. Organize your own game. This takes a little more effort on your part. You can advertise in many of the same places as described above. You can also recruit friends, family members or colleagues to play with you.
3. Appoint a Dungeon Master (DM). If you are the one organizing the game, this probably will be you. The DM should be very familiar with the rules, or at least be willing to get to know and manage the game. It would be a good idea if they did some preparations for an adventure before the start of the first session.
   • The person should purchase or have copies of the following standard books of game rules: The Player's Handbook, The Dungeon Master's Guide & The Monster Manual I. There are many more books available, but only these three are necessary to play the game.
4. Find a place to play. You usually need a table with some chairs around it and most of the time this place is the DM's home / apartment (this isn't the case for some major reason but it's just usually how it ends up going). It is best if it is a place where there are no distractions, such as the TV or other people who will not play, although some local bars or games stores may offer groups the opportunity to play there for free or for a certain amount.

Method 3 of 4: Play the game

1. Show up. You will of course also have to show up the next night. DnD is a game that you have to fully commit to, as it is difficult to enjoy the game when group members are constantly absent. If you are going to participate in a game, you should be prepared to adapt your daily schedule to that of the other members of the group.
2. Create characters. Before starting the first session you should create your own characters. You can do this alone, before coming together as a group, or together. Creating characters together should ensure that you have a more balanced team because you can discuss what matters and what doesn't. Doing this together also makes it easier for new and inexperienced players.
   • Make sure everyone has a blank character sheet, or use a program like Redblade to do it.
   • Read the instructions on how to create a character in the Player's Handbook and have everyone except the DM create a character.
   • Note the differences between the races and classes and which ones complement each other. For example, if you choose to be a warrior and this is your first time, a Human or Halfork is a much better choice than an Elf or Gnome. On the other hand, if you want it to be challenging for you, you can try it with a Monk or one of the different types of Spell users (Sorcerer, Druid, Clergyman, Wizard, etc.).
   • The character you create will be called your Player Character (PC). All other characters in the game world that are not controlled by a Player are called Non-Player Characters (NPC) and will be controlled by the Dungeon Master.
3. Start your adventure. You can start this step right away during the first session after you have finished creating characters, or you can do this during the second session. Either way, this is where you all really start playing the game.
   • Each player controls his / her own PC. You cannot control someone else's PC, nor can you control NPCs.
   • The DM will describe where you are and what is around you.
   • The players take turns telling the DM what action they would like to take in response to something. The DM will answer each question and explain the outcome of each action.
   • The game will take place in this way between the players and the DM.
4. Game End - Most games will end on, or slightly after, a predetermined time. The average length of time depends on how often you play - if you can play once a week the sessions don't need to be longer than 4 hours, while if you can only play once a month you as a group can choose to have sessions of for eight hours. Either way, the DM keeps time by default and stops the game at the right time.
   • Most DMs like to stop right before an event to create that typical "cliff-hanger" feeling. The key point is that the adventure is paused at an important point so that players' expectations of how it will develop during the next session are high. This will motivate everyone to come back next time, just like a TV show!

Method 4 of 4: Sample round

1. Start the game. Start the game and let the DM tell you where you are and give you an idea of ​​your surroundings, for example: "You find yourself in a swamp. To the North you can see a house. To the West you can go further into the swamp. The East and South passages are blocked by dense growth. "
   • Player 1: "I move to the North slowly, drawing my sword in case something attacks us."
   • Player 2: "How deep is the swamp water?"
   • Player 3: "Is the house in good repair?"
   • Player 4: "I move to the North, too."
   • DM: "The two of you begin to move north slowly, the mud sucking at your boots from below the waterline. The water is about one to two feet deep; generally shin-deep. {Player 3}, you try to determine the quality of the house from where you are. Make a perception check. "
   • Player 3, who tries to decide whether or not she can contribute, is asked to do a "perception check". She will roll a twenty-sided die (d20) and add her degree of perception to the total. The DM will secretly come up with a number that represents how difficult it will be to pass; this is called the "DC". If the player's total is higher than the DC, the attempt will succeed. How this is done is described in more detail in the Player's Handbook and in the SRD (System Reference Document).
   • Player 3 rolls 13 with the d20. She adds the +3 she has for Spot to this, giving her PC a total of 16 for viewing the condition of the house. The DM chose 10 as the DC because it was fairly easy to spot.
   • DM: "Squinting at the structure, you see that it seems to be leaning a bit to the side, with boards on the windows. It is unlikely that anyone has lived there in some time, but as to anything living there ... well. , you're not too sure. "
2. Look for other examples. More examples can be found in the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master Guide.

Tips

• There are game modules (maps and stories with different types of events in them, such as: monsters, NPCs, and locations of treasure) both available in the books and online as a resource for a DM if he or she doesn't want to create one. This is good for new DMs to start with.
• Enjoy your time together, whatever the end of the adventure. Most importantly, have fun. Some people may think that this rule does not apply in this case and may have a tantrum when things go wrong. If this happens, don't shy away from asking your DM to kick him / her out.
• Don't shy away from playing a part! Try saying things your character would say, rather than speaking in the current slang. You don't have to pepper everything with Thou's or Milord's, but a medieval archer is less likely to say "Dude!" or "That's wicked beast!"
• Name one of the remaining players as Map Maker / Note Taker. This step is optional, but doing so will reduce the need to retrace your steps and reduce the likelihood of clues being forgotten.
• In D&D, you roll different dice (from d4 to d20 - 4-sided to 20-sided dice) to determine the results of many actions in the event of a threat, if the outcome could have significant consequences, or if the action so challenging for the character is that there is a high probability that the action will not succeed. Examples are: Winning or losing a battle, trying to jump over a wide well, how well you present yourself during an interview with a prince, whether you can sit on a galloping horse while it is raining, seeing something from a great distance, etc.
• Beginners should stick to the standard races and classes available for a character and found in it Player's Handbook.
• A die is referred to by the number of sides that die has, so a d20 is a twenty-sided die. Sometimes you need a d2 or d3 and since they don't exist you can use a d6 where 1,2,3 = 1 and 4,5,6 = 2, or just a coin (d2), and 1,2 = 1 and 3.4 = 2 and 5.6 = 3 (d3). The number before the "d" is the number of dice; so 3d6 means three six-sided dice.

Warnings

• Not everyone will understand how much fun role-playing games are. That's their problem, not yours. Have fun no matter what they say about it.
• Do not go taking guests to a session with you unannounced. Ask always to the DM and the owner of the location where you play or this is possible before you are on the sidewalk with that person (s)! Spectators are usually mainly a distraction and they will make many people nervous. This is especially true for the site owner. It's always important to be polite and respectful.
• How far a group goes when playing roles often depends on the group you play in. See how deeply the various group members go into their characters and how much comedy they incorporate.
• Make sure everyone is playing with the same version. There are big differences between two versions and even between the 3rd and 3.5th edition there are some important differences. If you're not careful, you can end up creating a broken character (extremely well, usually taking advantage of the differences between editions), or a character that cannot function properly due to rules tangled.
• It can be difficult to focus on the adventure when playing with friends. It often happens that during play sessions there is not played but chatted. You decide whether this is good or bad.
• It's a good idea to create a game grid so that everyone knows where they are and where the monsters are.
• It's good to blend in with your character, but don't overdo it. For example, you don't have to constantly say things like, "Prithee my liege, but if mine dagger doesn't end up back in my ponce, I'm going to have to splay and butterfly you on a tree. Huzzah!"
• If others do not participate in the acting, you should not be too concerned about this. Many people don't act because they are strongly against witchcraft, and those may find it unpleasant for someone to pretend to cast spells. Others are simply uncomfortable "pretending" as adults and prefer to focus on the gaming aspect of D&D. You can still have a lot of fun while still acting like real people do!

Necessities

• Guides to the rules and other information, such as: Dungeons and Dragons: Players Handbook, Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Master Guide, Dungeons and Dragons: Monster Manual.
  • All three can be purchased at a discount as a starter pack in a sliding box
  • The basic rules, also called the d20 System Reference Document (SRD), are available online for free. (http://www.d20srd.org)
• Dice: d20, d12, d10 (actually one pair of two dice, one going from 1-10 and the other from 10-100, with the last die going up ten each time), d8, 4d6, 2d4
• Paper and pen or pencil (for drawing plans, keeping track of the different values ​​of your character, etc)
• Graph Paper (Optional): Excellent for both the DM and Map Maker for creating floor plans
• A friend