Can anyone help a newbie group get started with P&P D&D ?

[bbgun21]

Hello D&D community, I have to say me and my friends have been always being fascinated with D&D and even better the community is great and really helpful.


Now what we wanted to ask you folk is can you help us get started with D&D since we've never played the Pen-and-Paper, our knowledge goes through PC games (Baldurs Gate 1,2 , NWN 1,2, Icewind Dale 1,2 etc...) so we know the basics of both AD&D and 3.0/3.5 edition.


Now I know it's easy for us to just google our question and get started since there are TONS of guides out there which we've read on how to get started and what we need, BUT the thing that is bothering us and which is why we are asking you for our help is simple.
What edition to choose to play with ?


Now what we have seen through web research is only guides for 4th edition and 5th, none for AD&D and 3.0/3.5, the reason is because our local game shop sells AD&D,3.5,4th and 5th player handbooks and monster manual with dungeon masters guide, so we don't know should we go with the ones we are familiar with or with the new editions ?


So far what we have seen is that alot of people say that 4th and 5th edition is newbie friendly, while 3.5 edition gives more 'freedom', any opinions on this ?


Hopefully, you folk can help us get started as we have so far been enjoying the games we've played and seeing the difference between the P&P and video games is what made us to go out there and get started.


Thanks in forward, even if we don't get any answers, I just wish to say again that the community has so far been best for how far we've seen it.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I think we all have had different experiences with the editions, but my vote would be for 5e. I would not say that 4e is newbie friendly, as there’s an awful lot to keep track of during combat. People talk about 4e being influenced by videogames, but the difference is that videogames keep track of all those things for you. 3.5 has tons of options, but I found the rules more constricting than the past editions. Both 3.5 and 4e suffered heavily from rules bloat at the end, like many RPGs at their end of life.

5e's Starter Set is a great way to jump into the game. The rules are simply laid out, and the adventure does a great job at working through the various rules.

Personally, I do love the older AD&D editions, but I can understand why you wouldn't want to jump into role-playing with those.

 

[remotenemesis]

Without reservation, I recommend 5e to your group. I've not played 4e but have experience with 2e and 3.x. 5e offers fast, fluid, fun-gameplay with enough out of the box options to keep players coming back for more. It's also easy to run. After playing 5e, I'd not go back to a past edition except for nostalgia (or the say, the novelty of running Tomb of Horrors in 1e).

Another game I'd recommend is Dungeon Crawl Classics because I'm nuts about the gonzo death-or-glory vibe.

Have fun! Post your questions and experiences!

 

[ccs]

My all time favorite edition is AD&D 1e. I love all of it's quirks, oddities, limits, etc. And I definitely encourage you to give that edition a try at some point.

That said?

I'd recommend starting with 5e.
1) It's easy. It's the best presented version of our favorite game to date.
2) Being the current edition it's readily available and you'll find lots of discussion about it.
Jump straight in with the Players Handbook, DM Guide, & Monster Manual. (and some dice)
The only reason you might want to spend $ on the starter box is that it contains a pretty good beginning adventure.

It's also really easy to adapt old Ad&D adventure modules for 5e use. Even 3.0/3.5/Pathfinder adventures can be used with a bit more work.


AD&D:
Comes in two versions. 1st edition & 2nd edition. 1st, like I've said, is full of quirks. And various (relatively important) rules are scattered all over the place in the DMG. Now & then you'll find something in the Monster Manual....
2nd edition is essentially a cleaned up & better edited version of 1e.

3.0/3.5/Pathfinder:
These editions are VERY rules/#s heavy. The big things you'll notice right off the bat are A) the skill points system, B) the Feats system, and C) the Multi-classing system.
This is all fine & good, but as you level up it becomes more & more complex. To the point where it resembles work and the #s seem more important than whatever the actual adventure is that your playing....
Of these 3.5 was a slight modification to 3.0 & Pathfinder is an overhaul to both of them.
Pathfinder is the currently published version. You'll find more products for it than you'll EVER be able to use.

4e....
This was the least popular version of the game, published only 2008-2012. You know that saying "one of these things isn't like the others"? That one thing is 4e.
The company made too many radical changes to the game. These were not well received by many players. The result was great exodus of WoTCs D&D player/customer base.

 

[Thorak Stonehammer]

If you're going from a console game experience to a P&P I'd (IMO) bypass any edition that "requires" booking beyond a single sheet for PC information/stats. At first.
Try something "basic"...like Holmes, or Moldvay 1981 basic rules, and once you're comfortable with all the tech stuff, you could move into a more complex/structured edition (1E/2E);
Remember, P&P is not supposed to require a lot of book keeping. If what you're doing does, you need to throttle it back.
IMO.

 

[innerdude]

If Baldur's Gate is your frame of reference (heavens above, how many hours have I poured of my life into Baldur's Gate I and II?), start with 5e.

It will be the most "familiar" based on what you're used to, while having a "modern," simplified feel. It's the currently supported edition, with at least two excellent entry points, one free (the PDF of the basic rules), and one at minimal cost (the 5e Starter Set).

 

[Nytmare]

I'd also vote 5E since that'll be the easiest for you to get products, support, and info about in the long run. I'd also suggest that you grab/watch/listen to a random handful of either youtube videos or podcasts of other people playing to give you an idea of some of the possible ways to play. RPGs are one of those things that I think are easiest to learn by experience and (barring being able to play in someone else's game) watching other people play is probably your next best bet.

 

[S'mon]

If you want a newer edition, 5e is by far the most newbie-friendly I think. Nothing wrong with playing AD&D though; and the OSRIC retro-clone is a good way to buy it cheaply - http://black-blade-publishing.com/Store/tabid/65/pid/39/OSRIC-Hardback-print-.aspx or free -
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stuart-marshall/osric-22-hc/ebook/product-17517341.html

 

[greyauthor]

Definitely believe 5E is my favorite edition thus far and is very user-friendly. You will want the player's handbook, dungeon master's guide, and monster guide. You can also jump over to the SRD documents (Google SRD 5E and it will come up, I'm new so I can't post links) and get stripped down and playable versions for free, but that can't really replace the hand-holding and experience you get from the books.

 

[Jhaelen]

While I firmly believe that 4e was, and is the best edition of the game, for someone looking to get into D&D, I'd recommend 5th edition, if only because it's the current edition.