I'm assuming you're young, since just the PHB is an acceptable expense (in my opinion) to begin as a player. As of right now it's not even $50, which was the typical price when I began playing in 3.5. So might I suggest this as a birthday or other holiday gift if you're not able to get together the money?
I'm definitely not digging on your for not being able to afford it, that's fine and people have reasons. I'm just saying, $30 entry point is damn good and there's so much meat in this game that I'd pay $50 gladly for the core book.
​
In addition, if you and your gaming group would go in on the core rule set, it's 50% off currently on Amazon, so you're getting each book for effectively $27.50 with a free DM screen.
You don't need miniatures or paints to play the game.
You do need a set of dice, preferably one that has all the standard numbers of sides (4, 6, 8, 10, another 10 for simulating 100 sides, 12, and 20). Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-CHX26449-Gemini-Purple-Teal-Purple/dp/B01CEFDWVM/
Getting one of the older editions of D&D at this point may be difficult. There are a lot of different versions and printings, so it's hard to know which one to recommend.
However, the recent 5th Edition of D&D, called "5e" or "D&D Next" is very good and readily available. You can either buy all three of the core books OR the starter kit. The nice thing about the starter kit is that it comes with dice, a pre-written adventure, some pre-made characters, and so on. However, the starter kit is not enough to really create and run your own full adventures and characters from scratch, as it only has a much trimmed-down version of the rules.
By default, I can order the physical copy from most online stores at the same cost as DnD Beyond .
If I don’t want the entire bundle then there goes that 10% (budgets suck when you have a household to run).
Also, I don’t know if any coupons floating around giving 20%-25% off. There may be but the only coupon I have ever seen was from watching CR when they first came into their Season 2.
Now, buying the physical copy from Amazon or wherever, and then getting a coupon code inside to not be used with any other offer for 20%-25% would be a thing. You know, something for just the physical copy...not to be stacked like you are thinking for some reason.
by SAC0001 2019-11-17
If I could go back in time and give myself a grocery list of things that would make my DM life easier; This would be that:
​
Something to play if the table isn't full and things to use if the table is full - Massive Darkness Core Game
The game by itself is a fun D&D-esk dungeon crawler and is always a nice switch up if someone can’t make it to the table. It also comes with 75 Miniatures; enough for players and solid pools of Goblins, Orcs, Drugar, and larger creatures perfect for running independent sessions) I've built whole sessions around the things in this box. It may seem like a lot to spend on a game but you can’t beat that price for the miniatures let alone the other stuff that comes in the box. Seriously; I wish I found this on day 1.
BONUS: The Troglodytes expansion comes with 22 miniatures, most of with various sculpts of human fighters which are perfect for ruffians/mercs/guards/minions of a BBEG but it also comes with a rad Minotaur.
​
A tome of knowledge, sound, and utility - 8" Amazon Fire Tablet
This thing free'd up so much space behind my screen. I have a bunch of resource apps going, ambient sounds and music playing off of it, all of the books loaded, a dice rolling app, initiative tracker and best of all, it isn't obvious when panic and have to look something up cause people don't see pages and notes flying or my phone get pulled out.
BONUS: I've found placing a Small Bluetooth Speaker under the table or opposite of where I’m sitting and having the ambient or battle music/sound effects playing really gives a boost to the immersion if the players feel like the narration and sounds of the world are coming from two different places.
​
A better place to fight - Chessex Battle Mat
Got to get yourself a good battle mat. I've gone through a bunch of 'okay' ones but this one has held up. It's double sided with both squares and hex and is made super-well. You'll be going through more PCs than you will be battle mats if you pick this thing up.
BONUS: Get yourself some solid wet erase markers while you’re at it to save yourself some hassle.
​
A bag worthy of a world builder - ENHANCE Tabletop RPG Adventurer's Bag
Nothing is more of a pain than trying to jam a whole world of things into your normal bag you use every day. Having a second bag or a bad specifically built to move everything you need for a session around makes the whole transport process so much easier. This one has pockets for everything and does not scream; "steal me I'm filled with valuable table-top role playing stuff!"
​
Rune stones to bend reality and forge destiny - Non-Standard Dice
Story cubes: No numbers. No crits. Just story. These dice helped me to establish details of places or flush our NPCs or even just take the decision out of my hand on how something is or how someone reacts. Get yourself the 'Fantasia' ones for sure but nothing beats the 'emotion' or the 'weather' dice in the core sets.
Hit Location Dice: Everyone kept getting hit in the shoulder with arrows or hit in the chest with a sword till I picked up one of these. Makes the combat more real and gets the players to think about how to patch up their hurt a bit more
Any neat or gimmickyordifferentorover the topdice. Yeah they could just build a table and roll a normal d6 but where is the fun in that?
​
Fill the void - MISC
Help your DM fill out the mobs or NPCs on the table with these color game pieces. I use them to fill taverns or populate market places and let players know that "blue ones are merchants...Red ones look like towns folk... and that orange one... oh that guy...He has a history."
BONUS: Need an upgrade from an NPC or need them to stand out? Blank PC pieces. You can draw on them like dry-erase and they can be re-used for forever-town. Perfect for when players get too attached to an NPC.
Does your DM come up with alot of 'mini-games' or 'situations that can't be played out via the standard rules? Are they always comming to the table with their craft projects that flesh out their side-mission? This is what they need. Everything comes blank and can be customized to fit whatever situation is floating around in their heart.
Organized Storage. Having a bag is great for "I know exactly what I need" but thats a rare situation to be in if things get pretty "Go any where, any time" and this thing is perfect to compartmentalize everything and have it where you need it when your players head left instead of right.
​
From Level 1 to forging emotional bonds - The Basics
All the stuff above is above and beyond what you need to play. Super greaet to have? Heck yes. Required to play? Not so much. At the core if you're just looking to get them something that'll make their immediate DM life easier then stick with the base level stuff:
Keep attentive. Show intrest. Give constructive feedback after an 'okay' session and praise on a good job. Order some extra pizza. Make sure their cup/mug/hollowed skull of their enemy is never empty. Get them out from behind that table with an invite somewhere where dice do not roam. Put some candles on a cake and get that bard to earn their keep. Suggest an outing. Develop further emotional ties. Be in their wedding party. Help them bury that body. Tell no one. Remember their next birthday.
Whatever you gotta do.
by JakeEkiss 2019-11-17
Ok, so there are two introductory kits you can grab (either will work)
The Essentials Kit: just came out at Target and has basic rules, a pre-made story, and rules for making characters and side-kicks as well as a DM screen for quick reference.
The Starter Set: More or less the same rules (minus the sidekick stuff) and with a well playtested (and well liked) pre-made story along with pre-made characters.
Both sets come with dice to play, and either will work for a first time group. They're relatively cheap (cheaper than any of the main books) and give you an easy way into the hobby.
​
If you use one of those and your group digs it, there are three main books that have the expanded, full rule sets.
The Player's Handbook (PHB): This is the primary rulebook to get, as it has all the major character options, gear and basic info to run just about any D&D game. If you only get one of the main books, this is the one to get.
The Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG): This is a handbook for helping you create a world and campaign from whole cloth. It gives lots of ideas, optional rules, and guides for building everything from the ground up. Probably the second most important book to pick up.
The Monster Manual (MM): This is more or less what it sounds like. It's just a big archive of creatures and people your players can fight, befriend, or look at awkwardly from across a tavern. You don't strictly speaking need this one to run anything, but it will make your life a lot simpler. There are other expanded books and pre-made stories (modules) you can look at getting after this if you want, but realistically once you've got the three main books you could play D&D until the sun burned out and never exhaust all the options available to you.
For tips on running a game I recommend... Matt Colville's Running the Game series. The early videos tend to be a bit longer and not as well trimmed, but they're all good and the more recent ones (like the one recently on "the local area") are much tighter and better edited, giving a ton of information in a nice neat little package.
by infinitum3d 2019-11-17
No. The Starter Set has the Basic Rules.
The PHB is a 316 page hardback book with the complete player rules.
There are some basic differences that are both important and unimportant:
The starter set does not contain full character creation rules, full spell lists or advancement past L5 for it's pregenerated characters, the basic rules online do contain this information though, the starter set has a limited version of the rules, and only contains the monsters necessary for the adventure, the basic rules have a much wider bestiary, more magic items and a complete set of the rules.
The starter set is intended to be a quick introduction to D&D, to which you can later add the basic D&D rules online as you need more rules for more situations and advance past L5 (which is when the starter set ends).
If you want more options beyond the basic rules (for character creation, monsters or rules), the printed three Core published books provide this information. That's the Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Masters Guide.
by HeckinChonkr 2019-11-17
I’ve been a forever DM for about 2 years and the absolute most important things have been
Dice
Smartdealspro 7 x 7-Die Series 7 Colors Symphony Dungeons and Dragons DND RPG MTG Table Games Dice with Free Pouches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9F9AA7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YFQoDb97YGJDC
Most everything else can be found on websites like
Class Specific Character Sheets
Almost Every Monster Stats
Just remember that you don’t have to memorize every part of the campaign sometimes it’s better to just improvise and let the characters do what they want as long as it doesn’t break anything.
And minis are very hard to get good ones if you don’t use heroforge.com honestly I just shifted through my LEGO bins and found all of the figure took them apart and let my players make their own
Best playmats with markers dice and double sided mats
RPG Battle Game Mat - 2 Pack Dry Erase Double sided 36" x 24" (4 Terrains) + 4 Dry Erase Markers + 1 Eraser + 7pc Polyhedral Dice Set - Large Table Top Role Playing Map for Starters and Masters https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4MND1L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WNQoDbKSX6GCF
by JingJang 2019-08-24
Its not free but it's also not too expensive. The Players Handbook is where to start. It is $30: https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=D%26D+5e+phb&qid=1557235185&s=gateway&sr=8-1
The best way to learn is from someone else. Do you have a game store nearby? That's the best best to find groups. if you can get in with a group that already knows the rules they'll help you understand how to play.
by Joepancreas 2019-08-24
Looks like they've added the Players Handbook, now showing as about 20 bucks!
I just ran my first session as a new DM with LMoP last week! I'll jot down my experience running a group of 4 beginners. (so take my advice with a grain of salt as a beginner that has not finished the campaign)
First, read through the books in the Starter Set! (If you can afford the Player's Handbook, that is a good idea as well.) I highly recommend going through the rulebook (or Basic Rules) then at least skimming through the entire LMoP module. You don't have to memorize everything but as a DM it is important to have the idea of the setting in your head.
For combat, you have to decide if you are going to run "Theater of the Mind" or battlemat+miniatures for combat. Theater of the Mind is more flexible and requires less preparation but battlemats give great visuals at a cost of preparation and supply.
Then you have to decide if you think your players would want to make their own characters or not. For my beginner group, I decided that they would be a lot more invested/excited if they could identify with their own creation so I chose to not use the pre-generated character sheets. Once you are comfortable with the rules of D&D enough, set a date to meet with your group.
Since we had to make characters, I held a Session 0 to introduce the basic concept of what to expect in committing to D&D as well as character creation. I highly suggest making characters together a separate day before Session 1 because it usually takes a decent amount of time for the first time (3ish hours for me).
My Session 0 looked like this:
Introduction to D&D
Explaining all races, classes, backgrounds and letting them pick
Giving character sheets, rolling stats
Guiding them through the char sheet by referencing DNDBeyond for background/race/class bonuses
After everyone was done, I let them take home the character sheet and work on character appearance, personality, and background story.
The week after, we had Session 1. Make sure you actually read through the LMoP module in depth, at least up to Part 1-2 beforehand. I also decided to take some elements of this supplement Part 0 for LMoP to use as a tutorial for my players. Then, begin your adventure! My party took a lot longer than I expected and only got to the entrance of the Cragmaw Hideout after 3 hours.
Good luck to your campaign, I'm looking forward to my second session!
Some recommended guides I used:
Matt Mercer tips (all DM's love this man)
Don't Stop Thinking guides (great graphic visuals and in-depth coverage)
Matt Colville tips (gives a good idea of how D&D should look like at an advanced level)
DungeonDudes (channel that covers good topics)
DNDBeyond (amazing website for the Basic Rules, classes, and races)
OneCritWonder LMoP tips (helpful overview of the module)
LMoP enemies (generator that adapts to how many players you have)
Supplies I personally prepared (BUT ARE OPTIONAL):
Beginner dice (shared with my beginners, they are planning to get their own sets soon)
Custom character sheets (a bit overwhelming at first but I find helpful for each class)
Spell cards (I don't think many people use these but I find it an amazing resource to give your players if they are spellcasters)
Battlemat (use with Wet-Erase markers)
Paper minis (dedication and time required, can use coins, legos, or anything instead or even real miniatures if you can afford it)
DM Screen (the official and most standard and affordable screen)
by SmootieFakk 2019-07-21
Uhhh, definitely not.
This is the one you're looking for.
by moxiousmissy 2019-07-21
/u/spidersam639 my daughter's birthday is coming up (May), she'll be turning 11 this year and wants to get into DnD. She's on the autism spectrum and I think this would be perfect for her to learn more about DnD and be a fun social activity for her since some of her friends are getting into it :)
Thanks for the contest! I hope you both had a great weekend!!
by Android8675 2019-07-21
What game do you want to play? I've been fairly active with a 5e Adventurers League group, came in as a newbie, now I'd say I'm an OK DM with a bunch of level 5-15 characters. Group is super newbie friendly, we play on Roll20.net + Discord, and you don't need a pay account to get started.
Links...
AL Hub, Discord - Click here to join our Discord server. (When you get in say hello in #general and then check out the #info-for-new-players channel.)
DMSGuild.com AL Info Pack for Players/DMs - Grab this free download, it has the Adventurers League Rules. You'll want to read the Forgotten Realms "ALPG" file first.
WotC Basic D&D Rules - This is a FREE PDF of the 5e rules, it's enough to get you started, but if you think you're gonna be playing a lot of 5e, check out the next link.
5e Players Handbook - pretty much a must buy if you plan to play a lot. You can get by without it, but eventually you should get a physical copy for yourself.
Lots of information online, you can ask anything in general, and get positive responses. The basics are you make a character using the PHB (and optionally you may add the rules from ONE expansion rulebook like Xanathar's Guide to Everything), you have to use the "Point Buy" method when you select your stats (it's in the PHB), and you have to keep a log of what adventurers your character participates in. Oh and you have to start at level 1, no exceptions.
Hope that's enough to get you going. Maybe you were hoping to get a Starfinder group or something, but if you want to get into 5e, I hope to see you in Discord.
-A.
by ThunderousOath 2019-07-21
Alright so first thing is ask who you are playing with what edition they are playing. Likely, they are playing 5e. So you need a Player's Handbook.
It's roughly $30 and will cover most you need, classes, races, and spells, etc.
You don't need that to play, though. You can go to dndbeyond.com and download their app, and on that app you can download the basic rules for dnd 5e for free, which is then easily searchable and has all of the rules to playing the game, just not as many spells, races, and subclasses.
by Heyydin 2019-01-13
To my knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think 5e is here for a while. I know there is a new version of Pathfinder in the works but I'm not too sure when.
Also, for the DM, you would need the DMG first, PHB second, and MM third. Here are my reasons:
DMG - For learning tips on DMing 5e as well as being full of useful info to create adventures, this I would say get first.
PHB - Help see what spells your players have and what each class does. Helpful for you to learn more about 5e.
MM - While an AMAZING resource full of monsters, it can be a lot when you are picking what to initially throw at your characters. You can google most monsters and it'll help split the cost up.
As for that starter set: My players loved it. You, especially for your previous experience, could make the Starter set work for probably a few months. You can also find adventures for free or at low costs on dmsguild.com
by Rammite 2019-01-13
That's all you need to begin! It's got step by step instructions on how to play as a DM, or how to play as one of five pre-generated characters.
I'm assuming you're young, since just the PHB is an acceptable expense (in my opinion) to begin as a player. As of right now it's not even $50, which was the typical price when I began playing in 3.5. So might I suggest this as a birthday or other holiday gift if you're not able to get together the money?
I'm definitely not digging on your for not being able to afford it, that's fine and people have reasons. I'm just saying, $30 entry point is damn good and there's so much meat in this game that I'd pay $50 gladly for the core book.
​
In addition, if you and your gaming group would go in on the core rule set, it's 50% off currently on Amazon, so you're getting each book for effectively $27.50 with a free DM screen.
​
PHB: https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688516&s=gateway&sr=8-2
​
3 Book Core Set:
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688680&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSNDJCRjExRFA0UkkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMDQwMzU2OUtKM1Y0MjRQRUcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQ5MDAwNDhJSUVBQTU2T0ZPUCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Do you think its stupid to go straight for the $27 handbook?
https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=pd_sbs_14_1/133-7302563-4327352?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0786965606&pd_rd_r=42024b08-2d05-4b57-b638-9f7fe2e88d55&pd_rd_w=rMqQH&pd_rd_wg=beQxC&pf_rd_p=1c11b7ff-9ffb-4ba6-8036-be1b0afa79bb&pf_rd_r=2Q82ZD7TBVVNKRF2C9BS&psc=1&refRID=2Q82ZD7TBVVNKRF2C9BS
You don't need miniatures or paints to play the game.
You do need a set of dice, preferably one that has all the standard numbers of sides (4, 6, 8, 10, another 10 for simulating 100 sides, 12, and 20). Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-CHX26449-Gemini-Purple-Teal-Purple/dp/B01CEFDWVM/
Getting one of the older editions of D&D at this point may be difficult. There are a lot of different versions and printings, so it's hard to know which one to recommend.
However, the recent 5th Edition of D&D, called "5e" or "D&D Next" is very good and readily available. You can either buy all three of the core books OR the starter kit. The nice thing about the starter kit is that it comes with dice, a pre-written adventure, some pre-made characters, and so on. However, the starter kit is not enough to really create and run your own full adventures and characters from scratch, as it only has a much trimmed-down version of the rules.
Starter Kit: https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Complete-Printable/dp/B07MHTBVG3/
Core books:
Come on over to /r/rpg, /r/dnd, or /r/dndnext if you want more help.
Dnd 5th edition players handbook. Just got one myself
Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786965606/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aJWcDbGABKTQ8
By default, I can order the physical copy from most online stores at the same cost as DnD Beyond .
If I don’t want the entire bundle then there goes that 10% (budgets suck when you have a household to run).
Also, I don’t know if any coupons floating around giving 20%-25% off. There may be but the only coupon I have ever seen was from watching CR when they first came into their Season 2.
Now, buying the physical copy from Amazon or wherever, and then getting a coupon code inside to not be used with any other offer for 20%-25% would be a thing. You know, something for just the physical copy...not to be stacked like you are thinking for some reason.
If I could go back in time and give myself a grocery list of things that would make my DM life easier; This would be that:
​
Something to play if the table isn't full and things to use if the table is full - Massive Darkness Core Game
​
A tome of knowledge, sound, and utility - 8" Amazon Fire Tablet
​
A better place to fight - Chessex Battle Mat
​
A bag worthy of a world builder - ENHANCE Tabletop RPG Adventurer's Bag
​
Rune stones to bend reality and forge destiny - Non-Standard Dice
​
Fill the void - MISC
​
From Level 1 to forging emotional bonds - The Basics
Whatever you gotta do.
Ok, so there are two introductory kits you can grab (either will work)
Both sets come with dice to play, and either will work for a first time group. They're relatively cheap (cheaper than any of the main books) and give you an easy way into the hobby.
​
If you use one of those and your group digs it, there are three main books that have the expanded, full rule sets.
For tips on running a game I recommend... Matt Colville's Running the Game series. The early videos tend to be a bit longer and not as well trimmed, but they're all good and the more recent ones (like the one recently on "the local area") are much tighter and better edited, giving a ton of information in a nice neat little package.
No. The Starter Set has the Basic Rules.
The PHB is a 316 page hardback book with the complete player rules.
There are some basic differences that are both important and unimportant:
The starter set does not contain full character creation rules, full spell lists or advancement past L5 for it's pregenerated characters, the basic rules online do contain this information though, the starter set has a limited version of the rules, and only contains the monsters necessary for the adventure, the basic rules have a much wider bestiary, more magic items and a complete set of the rules.
The starter set is intended to be a quick introduction to D&D, to which you can later add the basic D&D rules online as you need more rules for more situations and advance past L5 (which is when the starter set ends).
If you want more options beyond the basic rules (for character creation, monsters or rules), the printed three Core published books provide this information. That's the Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Masters Guide.
I’ve been a forever DM for about 2 years and the absolute most important things have been
Dice Smartdealspro 7 x 7-Die Series 7 Colors Symphony Dungeons and Dragons DND RPG MTG Table Games Dice with Free Pouches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9F9AA7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YFQoDb97YGJDC
And
Players Handbook Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786965606/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0HQoDb6SK24R9
Most everything else can be found on websites like
Class Specific Character Sheets
Almost Every Monster Stats
Just remember that you don’t have to memorize every part of the campaign sometimes it’s better to just improvise and let the characters do what they want as long as it doesn’t break anything.
And minis are very hard to get good ones if you don’t use heroforge.com honestly I just shifted through my LEGO bins and found all of the figure took them apart and let my players make their own
Best playmats with markers dice and double sided mats RPG Battle Game Mat - 2 Pack Dry Erase Double sided 36" x 24" (4 Terrains) + 4 Dry Erase Markers + 1 Eraser + 7pc Polyhedral Dice Set - Large Table Top Role Playing Map for Starters and Masters https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B4MND1L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WNQoDbKSX6GCF
Its not free but it's also not too expensive. The Players Handbook is where to start. It is $30: https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=D%26D+5e+phb&qid=1557235185&s=gateway&sr=8-1
The best way to learn is from someone else. Do you have a game store nearby? That's the best best to find groups. if you can get in with a group that already knows the rules they'll help you understand how to play.
Looks like they've added the Players Handbook, now showing as about 20 bucks!
​
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786965606/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_x3TYCb6C4S62H
https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606
Jesus Christ, here:
https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606
I just ran my first session as a new DM with LMoP last week! I'll jot down my experience running a group of 4 beginners. (so take my advice with a grain of salt as a beginner that has not finished the campaign)
First, read through the books in the Starter Set! (If you can afford the Player's Handbook, that is a good idea as well.) I highly recommend going through the rulebook (or Basic Rules) then at least skimming through the entire LMoP module. You don't have to memorize everything but as a DM it is important to have the idea of the setting in your head.
For combat, you have to decide if you are going to run "Theater of the Mind" or battlemat+miniatures for combat. Theater of the Mind is more flexible and requires less preparation but battlemats give great visuals at a cost of preparation and supply.
Then you have to decide if you think your players would want to make their own characters or not. For my beginner group, I decided that they would be a lot more invested/excited if they could identify with their own creation so I chose to not use the pre-generated character sheets. Once you are comfortable with the rules of D&D enough, set a date to meet with your group.
Since we had to make characters, I held a Session 0 to introduce the basic concept of what to expect in committing to D&D as well as character creation. I highly suggest making characters together a separate day before Session 1 because it usually takes a decent amount of time for the first time (3ish hours for me).
My Session 0 looked like this:
Introduction to D&D
Explaining all races, classes, backgrounds and letting them pick
Giving character sheets, rolling stats
Guiding them through the char sheet by referencing DNDBeyond for background/race/class bonuses
After everyone was done, I let them take home the character sheet and work on character appearance, personality, and background story.
The week after, we had Session 1. Make sure you actually read through the LMoP module in depth, at least up to Part 1-2 beforehand. I also decided to take some elements of this supplement Part 0 for LMoP to use as a tutorial for my players. Then, begin your adventure! My party took a lot longer than I expected and only got to the entrance of the Cragmaw Hideout after 3 hours.
Good luck to your campaign, I'm looking forward to my second session!
Some recommended guides I used:
Matt Mercer tips (all DM's love this man)
Don't Stop Thinking guides (great graphic visuals and in-depth coverage)
Matt Colville tips (gives a good idea of how D&D should look like at an advanced level)
DungeonDudes (channel that covers good topics)
DNDBeyond (amazing website for the Basic Rules, classes, and races)
OneCritWonder LMoP tips (helpful overview of the module)
LMoP enemies (generator that adapts to how many players you have)
Supplies I personally prepared (BUT ARE OPTIONAL):
Beginner dice (shared with my beginners, they are planning to get their own sets soon)
Custom character sheets (a bit overwhelming at first but I find helpful for each class)
Spell cards (I don't think many people use these but I find it an amazing resource to give your players if they are spellcasters)
Battlemat (use with Wet-Erase markers)
Paper minis (dedication and time required, can use coins, legos, or anything instead or even real miniatures if you can afford it)
DM Screen (the official and most standard and affordable screen)
Uhhh, definitely not.
This is the one you're looking for.
/u/spidersam639 my daughter's birthday is coming up (May), she'll be turning 11 this year and wants to get into DnD. She's on the autism spectrum and I think this would be perfect for her to learn more about DnD and be a fun social activity for her since some of her friends are getting into it :)
Thanks for the contest! I hope you both had a great weekend!!
What game do you want to play? I've been fairly active with a 5e Adventurers League group, came in as a newbie, now I'd say I'm an OK DM with a bunch of level 5-15 characters. Group is super newbie friendly, we play on Roll20.net + Discord, and you don't need a pay account to get started.
Links...
Lots of information online, you can ask anything in general, and get positive responses. The basics are you make a character using the PHB (and optionally you may add the rules from ONE expansion rulebook like Xanathar's Guide to Everything), you have to use the "Point Buy" method when you select your stats (it's in the PHB), and you have to keep a log of what adventurers your character participates in. Oh and you have to start at level 1, no exceptions.
Hope that's enough to get you going. Maybe you were hoping to get a Starfinder group or something, but if you want to get into 5e, I hope to see you in Discord.
-A.
Alright so first thing is ask who you are playing with what edition they are playing. Likely, they are playing 5e. So you need a Player's Handbook.
It's roughly $30 and will cover most you need, classes, races, and spells, etc.
You don't need that to play, though. You can go to dndbeyond.com and download their app, and on that app you can download the basic rules for dnd 5e for free, which is then easily searchable and has all of the rules to playing the game, just not as many spells, races, and subclasses.
To my knowledge, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think 5e is here for a while. I know there is a new version of Pathfinder in the works but I'm not too sure when.
I'm not sure where you were looking, but for all 3 core books it's not even $90.
r/https://toptalkedbooks.com/amzn/0786965606
Also, for the DM, you would need the DMG first, PHB second, and MM third. Here are my reasons:
DMG - For learning tips on DMing 5e as well as being full of useful info to create adventures, this I would say get first.
PHB - Help see what spells your players have and what each class does. Helpful for you to learn more about 5e.
MM - While an AMAZING resource full of monsters, it can be a lot when you are picking what to initially throw at your characters. You can google most monsters and it'll help split the cost up.
As for that starter set: My players loved it. You, especially for your previous experience, could make the Starter set work for probably a few months. You can also find adventures for free or at low costs on dmsguild.com
That's all you need to begin! It's got step by step instructions on how to play as a DM, or how to play as one of five pre-generated characters.
If you want to stretch your creative muscles, you'll need the Player's Handbook for all of the base rules, including all 12 classes and a full list of spells to pick from.