Anyone Play DnD? Wanna Help a Newbie?

[Xantige]

So... does anyone here on the hive play DnD? I've wanted to play it for YEARS, but I've sadly never found like minded people that were serious about trying it out (the 3 rulebooks and the prospect of having to read scared them back to video games, sadly). However, I recently found a friend that's interested in starting a game with me... but there's a couple problems.... for one thing, neither of us has ever played, so we're a bit intimidated by the prospect of having to read 3 big books and remember all the rules, and also, my friend lives on the other end of the country, so we're trying to work a way out to play 4th edition DnD over the internet.

Anyone have any advice on how to instantly go from a newbie to a DM? Any tips on playing over chat and skype?

A little bit of background info: I'd be DM'ing, and I'm pretty good at making up worlds, and running NPC's. Me and my friend are long time chat roleplayers (no dice, just written posts), so we're very comfortable when it comes to the roleplaying, it's the game mechanics we're unsure of.

[GuardDog78]

First advice...skip 4e D&D (wants to be WoW really badly) and play Pathfinder (what 4e should have been)... Not trying to be a jerk...but it's really the better game system...

[Overread]

Hmm the only problem I can see is that only 2 people can kinda make things a bit stale for a RPG game like DnD. It can be done certainly, but its more aimed at having a few people questing with the DM in charge - if you've only one other person you can play a character and be the Dungeon Master at the same time, but its iffy and can throw up problems (primarily because you can't surprise yourself with your own plot/game twists ).


4th ed DnD has some stick from longer term fans of DnD mostly as its aimed to get new people into it and thus simplified things a lot and based them far more after the style of making a table top MMO type game interface as opposed to the more pure original DnD formula. It works and its certainly drawn many in but there are other systems out there which might be easier to pick up.

Pathfinder I've been hearing the name mentioned everywhere geeky, never tried it but it seems to be a fairly sold game from what I've heard. In addition I'll mention that Privateer Press have also released their own DnD system with the new Launch of their Iron Kingdoms RPG. This is a new version which uses its own rules system, previous editions of Iron Kingdoms were based around being an expansion upon the DnD rules system (I think 3rd edition).


If you're playing online you could try heading over to the Privateer Press forums and checking out the Iron Kingdom section as I know there are a few people playing the game over the online world and you'd only need a single book (the Iron Kingdoms book) to play. It also means you and your friend can add one or two others into the game so that its not just a one on one session.

If you want to stick with DnD my advice is to try hunting down an RPG forum, I'm sure there must be a few which play online games and even if you don't join in with them you might well pick up some very good tips on how to run a game over the net as opposed to running it in person (for starters one big difference is that you'll have to pay for your own pizza instead of breaking up the costs with everyone at the club ). Also have you asked around the game club you go to? I seem to recall you having a fairly well attended game club nearbyish somewhere and I'm sure there are going to be a few pathfinder/dnd/iron kingdoms players there if you ask around

[Xantige]

Nov 2, 2012 23:05:34 GMT GuardDog78 said:

First advice...skip 4e D&D (wants to be WoW really badly) and play Pathfinder (what 4e should have been)... Not trying to be a jerk...but it's really the better game system...

Well you'll need to say more than that to convince us to switch. I own the 3 4th edition DnD core books, as does my friend. All I know about Pathfinder is it's a lot like 3.5th edition DnD... which for me could be a good or a bad thing. One thing I do know from 3.5 DnD is that level 1 characters died if you just sneezed on them. I've also heard someone describe 3.5 as "A clunky, multi-headed hydra that has been built up over the years around a 1970's core," or something like that, and they also said that 4th was a streamlined machine, although I think they did say that things were a bit "samey" with the classes, but it was harder to gimp your character.

I haven't played either, so I don't know, but you'll have to convince me Pathfinder is significantly better for me to buy 1-3 more new books and get my friend to as well

[Overread]

Pathfinder gives you an excuse to buy Reaper Minis? www.reapermini.com/
If you look in their mini lines they've a whole dedicated collection of Pathfinder minis; that said they've also a fantastic wide variety of models for tabletop so can make an ideal place to find some models to slot into games. Their "bones" range is also growing and is a very cheap way to get models (the bones models are a softer rubbery plastic which paints to instantly without any flaking or priming needed - its based around the idea of being affordable and versatile for tabletop - note that the range is under a big expansion after their Bones kickstarter

[commandersasha]

OK, I got into DnD just as 4e was released: I dived in at the deep end on my own, and ran a group for 3 years for my son and 4 friends, aged about 9yrs old at the start.
Don't worry about learning 3 big books; once you've got the core mechanic of move, act etc, everything else can be looked up as you go; within a few games you'll be flying!
At least 1 more adventurer would help though; the game is at its best with a group of 4-5 + DM. If you are playing 1-on-1 I suggest halving the hitpoints of solo enemies, or leaving a few bad guys in a melee out.

I highly recommend buying the pre-made quests; The Keep On The Shadowfell is the first one we did, and it is aimed at level 1 characters; either it or the rulebook came with some pre-made characters, so you can start playing immediately. It comes with a few maps, and a really good bundle of material for the DM. It has subsequent quests that follow on.
You'll need a bunch of 28mm minis for the combat, but a handful of 40K stand-ins will do for now. I asked around on my LGS and club noticeboards for donations, and got given a pile of old, badly painted unwanted figures, which were perfect! By the time we stopped playing (the kids left to go to different high schools) I had a few old orks, skeletons, Kroot, Necrons, Elves and a dreadnought that did all my bad-guy work! A handful of Lego bricks, a few pebbles, some small tubes etc did for scenery and furniture.

I also highly recommend a wipe-clean 1" grid map, and dry-wipe markers; drawing each room as you come in takes seconds, place the necessary monsters and scenery, and the encounter jumps to life.

I absolutely loved 4E DnD, found it fairly straightforward even though I had zero RPG experience, and hadn't learnt about forums!

I wish I had kept all my old spreadsheet characters, but I dumped them; I can't remember anything now!
Make yourself up some cheat sheets, and once you've had a session or two to get used to the basic mechanic, try dismantling the free characters to see how their stats are made up: that can be quite convoluted. For a badly-remembered example, an Elf Ranger gets +2 to his bow shooting, because Elves get +1 to their base dexterity, from which shooting is calculated, and Rangers get +1 to their shooting if they use a bow.

[Rakuall]

I can't offer any insight on the DnD side, but as to playing online: Look up Vassal (vassalengine.org, I think). Some modules are Taboo (because a pigheaded company views it as piracy, instead of a marketing tool, but that's a rant for another day), but there are many companies which allow, even support and produce vassal modules for their game. I can't recall if Wizards of the Coast(?) is cool with a DnD module, but if I were you I'd have a look and see if one exists, or if there is another fantasy module that would work. Sounds like all you need is some rooms, furniture, and some generic fantasy actors; I'm sure something exists to fill the niche.

[Overread]

I know that the Iron Kingdoms can use Vassel - however its not as well suited for DnD as it is for wargames in general, though it would be decent enough for battles. That said its not the most easily accessible software to use (its all fan made and rather, heavy, on the lack of a smooth interface). Privateer Press don't oppose its use at all - although as said some companies do not allow its use (or more correctly don't allow distribution of modules for their products).

That said I thought that DnD 4thed was doing its own computer thing?

[Xantige]

Overread, you ninja'd me .

Yeah, only having 2 people is a bit of a concern for us. My friend is more open to having others join us than I am. I just don't want to have random people joining us. We may have one other friend that might join us, but she's a bit... flippant, and might only have one session with us.

Haha, you've seen through my devious plan! Yes, if we really get into tabletop RPG, I will probably buy and paint up some models. I might be able to send webcam pictures to my friend when it comes to battle and stuff.

CommanderSasha, thanks for the recommendation. I think my friend has that expansion/adventure. We'll look into it. Glad to hear you enjoyed 4th.

[robomummy]

my advice is play a few games first with some freinds, buy a simpla campaign and play though with both of you interpreting the DM's part. (if you dont know alot of the rules you can always make up some as you go along, thats what I did). I am in a group back home that plays DnD encounters with a guy who is sponsored by Wizards of the Coast so I had an easy introduction. Play a few games until you get the hang of the stats and dice, then you should be able to DM without too much trouble.

DnD is alot of fun if you csan get a group together, not sure about pathfinder I found a group that plays pathfinder at my school and Im going to go to a game on sunday so I can tell you more about it then.

[Overread]

Honestly I suspect any of the major roleplay games are fun to play. Most people get locked into one or the other mostly because "its what everyone else is playing" and since it can take a whole term or two for a campaign to finish its often the case that people don't diversify as much. I Honestly think that with roleplay games its the people who play who bring the greatest amount of fun to the table - the rules and gameplay are good, but with a DM in control things are lot more loose than in tabletop wargames and the game itself is far more dictated by the players themselves (this is one reason that some people dislike a more combat heavy RPG game as it can boil down to just small wargame skirmishes with less story and actual role playing).

Since you're doing it online heck why not ask around the Hive - might be you can nab a player or two from here even. I can well appreciate that you don't want just random people who might be a pain or flake out, but do have a look. I think you'll find it far more exciting to put together and play

[GuardDog78]

My apologies if i came off abrupt...looking back i did sound rather asinine. Don't want to come off sounding like so many of the cocky posters you get on boards like this. Old school RPG player...didn't realize you had the 4e stuff already. I was just trying to point out that you may want to check out a different system before getting too invested. I will admit that 1st level characters are more survivable in 4e than 3.5...although the same issue was fixed in Pathfinder. I'll also concede that 4e had been simplified in terms of making and character progression. The main issues most longtime players will agree on is that the system is much less flexible, and since multi-classing has been practically eliminated...it's harden to run a viable party with less than 3 or 4 players and a DM. This is because the class system is so rigid that you need multiple characters just to deal with the average scenario.

[Xantige]

Alright, last night I didn't do a good job of addressing everything everyone said, so let me get that out of the way first:

@overread - Does this Iron Kingdoms RPG require a battle grid? I know 4E DnD does. Also, can you use the already exist Horde models? Or are those not overly featured in it? It sounds like a fun system, but my friend and I may end up using a world we've both invented, so the "fluff" may not really matter to us, but it's a matter of if I have time to polish up the world and translate it into the mechanics of the game, so there is the possibility we'd start with the basic fluff and campaign of the system we go with.

Also, yes, I think there's 2 DnD groups at my local club, a normal one and one that plays "Encounters". I don't really know what the latter is, but it sounds more like a Wargame with stronger gaming elements than RP elements. Sadly, I really don't have time to make it out to the club for any meaningful length of time with my schooling. Transit in the winter is horrendous, and it can take over an hour just to get there and back, and games tend to run for a few hours, and at most I only have 2 or maybe 3 hours if my homework load for the week is light and I'm on top of it. Last I checked, the group also meets up on Wednesday, which is one of my class days, and the club closes at 6pm, and I get off at 5pm, so it's unlikely I could even make it in before closing. I might be able to find another group there via the bulletin board, but I mainly want to play with my friend, not exclude him to play with other people, as awesome as that would be.

commandersasha - This may make sense once I read the rules but... what do you mean by "halving the hit points of solo enemies"? Are you talking about a single boss, or every enemy in a multi-enemy encounter?

Also, is the Shadowfell campaign designed for beginners? As in, does it have a cheat sheet, or a way of helping the players out, or does it assume you've read and memorized all the appropriate rules and you know what you're doing?

I think the local club has grid maps, I don't know if they're wipe-clean but I know they have terrain painted on them. I think you can get all kinds. I don't know how much they cost, or how big they are, but I'm not sure where I could buy a plain one I could draw on, is this something sold by RPG companies, or something you have to make?

Rakuall - Thanks! I'll look into that, or get my friend too. That might help us greatly

Ok, now unto the rest...

@overread - You ninja'd me again! As for the 4E DnD internet support thing... I think you have to pay a subscription, which is something me and my friend aren't keen on. I don't know if that's changed or not, but the other hurdle is that I have a Mac, and I don't think the program is Mac compatible.

Honestly, I think it's the company that makes ANY game good or bad. But I supposed with DnD it's even more so. I have to say, I'm really looking forward to trying it out. The rules seem a lot more give-and-take than 40k and other wargames.

Also, that's a great suggestion! I'll have to run it by my friend first, but I don't think he'll mind. Although I'm not sure if anyone (here or anywhere) would really like the possible gameworld we could be using. For one thing, it's not a completed world, and secondly, it's quite exotic, and doesn't try to appeal to a mass audience, and I worry some people may dislike it.

GuardDog78 - It's alright. I think I forgot to mention that I had the 4E stuff already. I don't have much loyalty to any one system, it's just that, already having the books, why not use them? But if there's another system that fits better, or plays better, I would gladly switch, it's just that I need more of an incentive than "you should get this system instead," you know? I need to know what makes that system better than the one I'm looking at, and how much it costs to get into, etc. So by all means, tell me about Pathfinder, what makes it different from DnD, both in mechanical terms and fluff terms. How many books do you need to play? Do you need a battle grid? Can you play Pathfinder more viably with fewer player than 4E DnD?

[robomummy]

Dungeons and Dragons Encounters is a seasonal campaign in which each week is a different "encounter" (such as a battle or skill challenge) the campaign for encounters is split into different segments which are usually done once a week or so in time with the seasons set by Wizards of the Coast. It is just normal DnD but split up into more manageable segments for the DM.

ME and my freind at school are currently writing an elaborate campaign that we started recently, we hope to get it running by january but there are alot of details to go over. The one we are writing is very immersive with players actions have consequences on the rest of the campaign so there are alot of specifics to go over. we have been working on it for a few weeks and our estimated completion time is still about a month away (we only work on it 2 nights a week).

[lordbob]

Well people say 4e is bad, and it maybe compared to other editions, but it is still fun to play. My group and I had never played before, but picking up 4e was easy and we all still enjoyed ourselves, it's one of the things we're looking forward to when I get back to the UK.

My advice for a new player and a new DM is, don't worry about the mechanics too much, you'll learn them as you go along and 4e is quite forgiving, even as a completely new DM I was able to make a template for one of my group to play a vampiric paladin or our ranger able to use a fire poker as a weapon, was it unbalanced, did it follow the rules? Perhaps, perhaps not, but the point is we all had fun. When I felt the encounters were too easy, it was easy enough to boost them, or find ways to make encounters easier if they were going to suffer too much.

Just play the mechanics the way you think they should be played.

Another good thing about 4e, which I have no idea about newer editions is the scale, it's the same as warhammer and since all our group play warhammer we can use our figures for both systems and it means you don't have to stick to maps, you can make it more fluid by laying it out the same as a warhammer table