A Beginners Guide To Dungeons & Dragons (Part 1)

by Wimwick (Neil Ellis) on January 13, 2010 Welcome to the first article in a series aimed at new players whove just discovered the great game of Dungeons & Dragons. I remember when I discovered D&D, I was left to my own devices to learn the game beyond the rules. Fortunately we have the Internet today to assist new players and answer any questions they might have. While this series is certainly aimed at new players, seasoned veterans are just as likely to find nuggets of useful information within and I certainly encourage existing players to add their own nuggets of information in the comments section. Topics that will be covered in the series include: Article 1: What Is Dungeons & Dragons What Do You Need To Play Article 2: Creating A Character Article 3: Beyond The Basics

What Is Dungeons & Dragons?

Ask 100 D&D players this question and you may very well get 100 different answers. D&D was created by Gary Gyax and Dave Arneson and was originally released in 1974. Over the years the game has gone through many different editions. D&D is a role-playing game (RPG), where players and the dungeon master work together to craft a story of adventure. Players take on the role of a hero and explore a world created by the dungeon master (DM). The game is framed by a series of rules to provide structure and the result of actions taken is determined by rolling dice. At its core D&D is a game of imagination. Players are able to act out their character, share in an ongoing story and engage in heroic combat. Unlike computer RPGs, D&D is a social game where a group of players sit around a table and play. Players create the character that they play, from attributes, skills and combat powers. One of the great aspects of playing D&D is that your player character (PC), along with your fellow group members, is the star of the show. He is the hero of the world, the star of the movie, the protagonist of the novel. As your PC engages in adventure, he will also grow in power, learning new abilities and earning magic items. As a player you are encouraged to try anything you desire in a given situation. Creativity rules the day. The rules are in place to provide a framework, allowing you the player to attempt anything you can dream up.

What Do You Need To Play

On the most simplistic level D&D doesnt require a very large investment from a new player. Books and dice can be borrowed from other players as you learn the ins and outs of the game. However, if you decide to leap right in to this great hobby here are the essentials that you will require. Players Handbook The Players Handbook (PHB) contains all the information that you need to create a character and equip them. It also contains all the rules that you will need to adventure and explore during gaming sessions. While there are additional supplements available, this is where you want to start. You may notice the PHB 2 on the shelves of your local gaming shop and be tempted to pick it up. While it does contain new character classes and races, it does not have the rules you need to generate a new character. Dice It sounds simple, but dont underestimate a good set of dice. You will be surprised by the various rituals you develop surrounding them. Dont go overboard buying multiple sets, just purchase one that you can live with. Other Miscellaneous Items Pencil, Eraser, and spare paper are all useful for a gaming session. Some players will actually keep a game log or journal on their gaming sessions. You will also want a blank character sheet to record your PCs details on. I wouldnt worry about purchasing miniatures right away, another player or the DM should have a spare mini that you can use. Dungeons & Dragons Insider Subscription This isnt something you will need right away. However, if you decide that D&D is the hobby for you a DDI subscription is well worth the investment. The use of character builder alone is a great feature, access to Dungeon magazine and Dragon magazines is an added plus. Join us tomorrow when where we will discuss some key questions you should ask when you are developing a new character.

A Beginners Guide to Dungeons & Dragons (Part 2)

by Wimwick (Neil Ellis) on January 14, 2010 Welcome to the second installment of our Beginners Guide to Dungeons & Dragons. In our previous article we discussed the history of D&D and what a new player requires to get started in the hobby. Todays installment tackles the issue of character creation. There is a lot that goes into this aspect of the game and considering all of the elements carefully will lead to long term enjoyment while running your player character (PC). If you dont give character creation proper consideration then you may not enjoy the campaign. This series is primarily aimed at new players, but I would encourage long time fans of the game to chime in with any tips they have when considering character creation.

Article 1: What Is Dungeons & Dragons What Do You Need To Play Article 2: Creating a Character Article 3: Beyond The Basics

Creating a Character
The aim of this article isnt to instruct you on the process of creating a character, the Players Handbook (PHB) covers the intricacies of that procedure. What most new players dont consider are the motivations behind the decisions of creating a character. At Dungeons Master weve written a few resources that may be of great use to new players in considering attribute selection. I would encourage players to read the following articles:

Addressing Your Weaknesses Always Train Your Worst Skills Playing Characters With Low Ability Scores Playing Really Smart Characters Playing Against Type

These articles can assist you in thinking about common questions that come up during character creation. They may also assist down the road as you consider how you will role play your new PC. One element of character creation to be wary of is min/maxing. Min/maxing is when you sacrificing one aspects of the character to gain the greatest benefit in another (usually the one the PC already excels at). While this might make you the best at one particular element of the game, your PC may suffer during other aspects. You may also find that you get bored playing this character very quickly. One of the first aspects of character creation that I consider before I even crack open the PHB is what do I want to play? What style of character? Am I aiming to play a melee combatant or a spellcaster? Do I want to absorb damage or dish it out? Answering these basic questions will help determine which role and class you will select. For example, you may want to play a divine character but the idea of providing buffs and healing doesnt appeal to you. Youd rather control the battlefield and assist your allies in this way. As a result the Invoker would be an enjoyable class for you to play. The next question to consider is what motivates your PC? Do they have an ambition beyond adventuring? Perhaps they long to be King, or simply to elevate their status above that of peasant. Is there some injustice that was committed against the PC that needs to be addressed? Perhaps they are a Robin Hood figure fighting for the rights of those who are unable to fight for themselves. There are many motivations to choose from and getting this right will help you role play the character that much better down the road. During this process you will also want to speak with your DM about what you can expect from the campaign. Some generic background information can assist you with developing a convincing history for your PC. Other sources you will want to investigate are fiction, film and television. Look for interesting archtypes and character quirks that you can implement with your character. While you may want to avoid certain overplayed character concepts you will find a great deal of inspiration from these sources. Mixing and

matching various elements from different fictional characters can be great fun and provide you with a very unique PC. Below are a series of questions that you should consider when creating your PC. Some, like your PCs name, may sound like an obvious aspect of creating a character, but coming up with a good name can make or break your PC. 1. What is your characters name? 2. What does your PC look like? 3. Describe your characters childhood? 4. Are your parents still alive? 5. Do you have any siblings? 6. Did you have any illnesses as a child? 7. Did you have a role model growing up? 8. What do you aspire to? 9. Do you prefer to read books or get your hands dirty? 10. Did you have a childhood nemesis? 11. Did you serve in the army or a mercenary company? 12. Did you fight in a war? 13. What social class are you from? Lower, merchant, or noble? 14. Are you in a relationship? 15. Do you have any addictions? 16. Have you done anything that you regret? 17. Do you belong to an adventuring company or guild? 18. Do you prefer the city or natural environments? 19. What is your most prized possession? 20. Do you have a signature battle cry or saying? While hardly a complete list of questions, these should get you thinking about your character beyond the basic framework provided in the PHB. The more details you can create, the more you will enjoy playing your PC.

A Beginners Guide To Dungeons & Dragons (Part 3)

by Wimwick (Neil Ellis) on January 20, 2010 Welcome to the third installment of our Beginners Guide to Dungeons & Dragons. D&D is primarily a social game, requiring five or six players for a normal session, though the exact amount will vary from group to group. Depending on your introduction to the game, you may already have a regular group that you play with. However, if your introduction to the game came through natural curiosity you may not have discovered a group. Today well provide new players with some assistance on how to find a regular gaming group. Additionally, well point players in the direction of finding additional resources. Article 1: What Is Dungeons & Dragons What Do You Need To Play

Article 2: Creating A Character Article 3: Beyond The Basics

Places To Play
School Groups Most universities, colleges and even high schools have a gaming group. This is a great place to find a other like-minded people and learn more about the game. Friendly Local Gaming Shop (FLGS) Your local game shop is a great place to find a group to play with. Many shops have gaming rooms where regularly scheduled games occur. If you cant find a local game shop, look for your local comic shop. If they dont have some games room they can probably point you towards a place that does. Conventions Many large cities have at least one convention per year. Again, check with your FLGS to learn if there are any conventions in your area. For those new gamers living in the Greater Toronto Area or for anyone who can make the trip to Toronto in February, Spellstorm is one of the events in our area. Of course the big event for D&D gamers is GenCon, held every August in Indianapolis.

Getting More Information

There are plenty of places to learn more about the hobby. Subscribing to Dungeons Master will provide you with daily content geared at 4e D&D. Of course the official Wizards of the Coast website is also a great place to keep up to date on the game. A DDI subscription is, in my opinion, a great way to keep informed on the game and have access to some great official tools. Another great resources is the RPG Bloggers Network. Here youll find great community resources that cover a variety of RPGs.

Dice
by Ameron (Derek Myers) on March 24, 2009

If youre like me, you have a variety of dice in all shapes, sizes and colours. Many people, myself included, are very particular about their dice and have many superstitions about them. Lets look at a few. New Character, New Dice This option works best if you generally play long-term campaigns and use the same character a lot. Each and every character you roll up gets his own set of dice. When youre playing the Fighter you always use the green dice. And when youre playing the Wizard you always use the blue dice. This can get expensive if you have the habit of getting killed. (If this is the case, check out Avoiding Death: Part 1 and Avoiding Death: Part 2.) However, if youre willing to have one set of dice for each living character then this is a reasonable dice ritual. Show Me a 1 There are two variations on this theme. The first take on this ideology (the one that I follow): Any die I plan to use during this gaming session must be left with the 1 facing up when Im not rolling. My belief is that if it already shows a 1 when I pick it up Im less likely to roll a 1 again. I dont know if theres any merit to this superstition, but Ive been doing it for 20 years. The second take on this ideology (which Ive never done): Roll all your dice until each one actually comes up 1 and then stop rolling until you need that die. After youre done rolling your attack, damage, save or whatever, you roll those active dice again and again until they come up 1 and then you stop. Mouth Love This one isnt limited to gamers. If youve ever been to a casino and walked past the craps table then youve see this one: people kissing or blowing on their dice for good luck. Ill admit Ive done this on rare occasions, but Ive never had any noticeable successes. Plus, my dice are probably pretty dirty since Ive never, ever cleaned them. So the last thing I want to do is put them anywhere near my mouth. Never Touch Another Mans Dice My dice are mine and mine alone. If you need to roll 3d8 and you only have two you cannot use one of mine. Re-roll one of yours and add them up. If anyone but me touches my dice they may curse the dice and wreck my good dice mojo. I may sound crazy, but I know Im not alone here. Most of the gamers I know are very protective and territorial about their dice. Theyre mine, hands off! The DMs Dice I have player dice and DM dice. I swear that when I use my blue dice as a DM I roll more 19s than is statistically probable (much to the dismay of the players). But if I use that same set of dice as a player I never see this same kind of trending. Of course you could argue that as the DM I roll more often and Im

bound to see more of any given number. You call it statistical probability and I call it The DMs Lucky Dice. Punishing Bad Dice I may have superstitions about my dice but I dont believe in punishing them. However, many gamers punish bad dice. If the dice dont roll what you need as often as you like, they often become the victims of irate gamers. Ive seen people yell at bad dice, explode dice in the microwave, smash them with a hammer, throw them in the lake or simply toss them in the trash. Gamers can become unforgiving and ridiculous when it comes to the need to punish bad dice. I cant justify doing any of these things listed above because Im too cheap (after all, I paid for that die, as crappy as it is). New Dice One great thing about dice is that a set of 6 or 7 polyhedron dice generally cost between $5-10. This means that I get dice as gifts all the time. Over the years all those dice start to pile up. I cant throw them out, that would just be wrong. So what do I do? This Christmas I had a brainstorm (which Im particularly proud of). My core gaming group has six regular players. We all have giant bags or boxes of dice. Many of these dice sit in the bottom of the dice bag and arent used any more. So we decided to hold our 1st annual dice exchange. Why should we all fork out $10 when we can just trade with other gamers? The results were fantastic. I got rid of a few old sets I never use, I got a few new sets which Im using all the time, and it didnt cost me anything. This is also a great opportunity to unload bad dice. Just because your dice hate you doesnt mean they have any ill-will towards the other players at your table. Tell us about your dice rituals or superstitions? Do you punish bad dice, and if so, tell us what crazy things youve done?