I think I broke it

[mips42]

Help, I think I broke my brain.

A neighbor of mine has asked me to introduce them to the world of RPG's and, specifically, 3.0 / 3.5. I'd been playing (and gm'ing) since 2001 but stopped once 4e came out. So, now I need to try to re-familiarize myself with 3.x
The problem is this: I can't seem to read the books. Seriously. I've tried and my brain just says "NO". I can't seem to focus on the material, I cant seem to keep from jumping from page-to-page, it just doesn't work and I'm not sure why.
I've tried physical books, e-books, and the online SRD and nothin'.
Any ideas?

 

[Unwise]

You might need to step back from the rules, just think of a little story you would like to tell. Then just think of what rules are needed just for that specific story. You don't need to worry about Multiclass rules, class tiers or anything much, just stick to the ones that are immediately relevant. Maybe make a pre-gen character for him, that might get your mind in gear.

Personally, I would wait 12hrs then download Basic D&D for free. I'm not writing off 3.5, but if you are getting a bit baffled by it, then what hope does he have? You want to teach him with the easiest system around. I really think that 5e D&D has done a good job of improving the initial player experience. You could even consider picking up the Starter Set if you feel so inclinded, but I suspect that the Basic game will be fine.

You could go one step further and play a really simple system like PDQ (http://evilhat.wikidot.com/pdq) it is free and I use it to introduce people to RPGs. The gist of it is you pick four things about your character e.g. Ex-Soldier, Well Travelled, Old School Charm and Good With Animals. If ever one of those 4 things would help you, you get +2 to your rolls. Roll 2d6 for everything, 5=easy, 7=medium, 9=hard. That is pretty much it in a nutshell.

 

[mips42]

You might need to step back from the rules, just think of a little story you would like to tell. Then just think of what rules are needed just for that specific story. You don't need to worry about Multiclass rules, class tiers or anything much, just stick to the ones that are immediately relevant. Maybe make a pre-gen character for him, that might get your mind in gear.

Personally, I would wait 12hrs then download Basic D&D for free. I'm not writing off 3.5, but if you are getting a bit baffled by it, then what hope does he have? You want to teach him with the easiest system around. I really think that 5e D&D has done a good job of improving the initial player experience. You could even consider picking up the Starter Set if you feel so inclinded, but I suspect that the Basic game will be fine.

You could go one step further and play a really simple system like PDQ (http://evilhat.wikidot.com/pdq) it is free and I use it to introduce people to RPGs. The gist of it is you pick four things about your character e.g. Ex-Soldier, Well Travelled, Old School Charm and Good With Animals. If ever one of those 4 things would help you, you get +2 to your rolls. Roll 2d6 for everything, 5=easy, 7=medium, 9=hard. That is pretty much it in a nutshell.

First, thanks for the reply.
Sadly, the stories I have are never little or simple.
Making a pre-gen is actually a good idea but not for him, for ME. If I can wrangle making a character, maybe that will get me in gear.
I will be all over Basic once it's available to read and evaluate. The Starter set is not an option at this time.
I always like new games and will be checking out PDQ as soon as I am done here, thanks for the recommend.

 

[eggynack]

Well, the way I learned the game is just by reading tons of optimization stuff, supported by occasional checks through the material itself. In the beginning, I didn't even do the latter, even if I do it a lot more now. Maybe crack some handbooks as support. So, if you want to learn about wizards, check out one of the several wizard handbooks, and if you find something you don't understand completely (which will actually happen more later on, when your standard for understanding is higher), then you pop open the book, read the specific thing you need, and then return to other things. Maybe get involved in a few arbitrary rules debates.

I don't know if that works for everyone, and it might take more time than you have, but all I do know is that I never really poked through large quantities of book until I wanted to find new avenues in druid optimization, and I was pretty skilled at rules lawyering before that, if not perfect. The best thing for learning something is to actually do it, but without that option available, I find that the best thing for learning something is to argue about it.

 

[rgard]

First, thanks for the reply.
Sadly, the stories I have are never little or simple.
Making a pre-gen is actually a good idea but not for him, for ME. If I can wrangle making a character, maybe that will get me in gear.
I will be all over Basic once it's available to read and evaluate. The Starter set is not an option at this time.
I always like new games and will be checking out PDQ as soon as I am done here, thanks for the recommend.

There are loads of 3.5 NPCs and PCs on the interwebs. Maybe find a couple of them to use as a basis for your main antagonist.

 

[Ratskinner]

Help, I think I broke my brain.

A neighbor of mine has asked me to introduce them to the world of RPG's and, specifically, 3.0 / 3.5. I'd been playing (and gm'ing) since 2001 but stopped once 4e came out. So, now I need to try to re-familiarize myself with 3.x
The problem is this: I can't seem to read the books. Seriously. I've tried and my brain just says "NO". I can't seem to focus on the material, I cant seem to keep from jumping from page-to-page, it just doesn't work and I'm not sure why.
I've tried physical books, e-books, and the online SRD and nothin'.
Any ideas?

Having read and run games like Fate and Dungeon World, I very much sympathize. I look at the text for games like DnD and keep trying to rework it to be simpler. My brain just objects. My only advice for 3e would be to just keep it simple and eyeball a lot of stuff, ignore the more intricate or complicated rules. ...good luck, though.

 

[Dandu]

Help, I think I broke my brain.

A neighbor of mine has asked me to introduce them to the world of RPG's and, specifically, 3.0 / 3.5. I'd been playing (and gm'ing) since 2001 but stopped once 4e came out. So, now I need to try to re-familiarize myself with 3.x
The problem is this: I can't seem to read the books. Seriously. I've tried and my brain just says "NO". I can't seem to focus on the material, I cant seem to keep from jumping from page-to-page, it just doesn't work and I'm not sure why.
I've tried physical books, e-books, and the online SRD and nothin'.
Any ideas?

[video=youtube;6vMO3XmNXe4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vMO3XmNXe4[/video]

 

[captnq]

You could try...

Well...
Start HERE.
Then go HERE.

If you need D&D 3.0/3.5 explained in plain speech, that's about as good as you'll get.

 

[Dandu]

Well...
Start HERE.
Then go HERE.

If you need D&D 3.0/3.5 explained in plain speech, that's about as good as you'll get.

Easily done. Nothing to it.


You must start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.


When you read you begin with ABC
When you build you begin with BAB


BAB, BAB, the first step just happens to be
BAB, BAB.


BAB comes first you see!
Hm, let's see if I can explain better.


BAB: 1, ,3/4, or 0.5.
Saving throws you must devise!
Spells known, and per day,
Feats, 4 from your hit dice!
AC, 10 + Dex + gear,
Gear, it comes from WBL!
Ranks will buy skill points dear,
And that bring us to the end you see!


Now, BAB, WBL, and so on are only the tools you use to build a character.
Once you have this information in your head, you can make a million different characters by varying the combinations.


But it doesn't mean anything,
So we put in personality
To compliment the build, like this.


When you know the rules to build,
You can make your dreams fulfilled!
When you know the rules to build,
You can make your dreams fulfilled!

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

[humor] If everyone else's suggestions don't seem to work, perhaps speak with a physician about ADD medications. Does this difficulty focusing spill over into other facets of life? [/humor]

3.0/3.5 can be somewhat drinking from a fire hose. There are so, so many options to choose from. It's easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of source material. Decide what you need to explain the basics, and start with that. Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue. Classic monsters. Get a low level, pregen, adventure path and run your neighbor thru it.

After your neighbor graduates from that, introduce prestige classes, obscure feats, expanded spell lists, Psionics and whatever other quirky, fun details 3.x has to offer.