D&D 4E How to get started if you want to give 4e a try.

[Ruin Explorer]

Keep on the Shadowfell is a grindy dungeon crawl that absolutely does not play to the strengths of 4E. It runs almost exactly counter to them.

I just want to second (third?) this incredibly hard.

Keep on the Shadowfell nearly put my players off 4E, despite being enthused about it, and I had to gradually win their trust back. The follow-up adventures are also awful. They were so bad that I went back to writing my own adventures, something I hadn't done for D&D for a long time at that point (because writing adventures for 3E was such a chore).

Luckily it's a lot easier to write adventures for 4E than 3E or even 5E.

The other major thing I'd say would be remember to use the page 42 table in the DMG and use it generously.

 

[BigZebra]

A good first adventure is The Slaying Stone. A really great adventure in its own right. Follow that up with Reavers of Harkenwold and then Madness at Gardmore Abbey. These three adventures are really really good. And shows off what 4e can.
After that you know more about how 4e runs, and can adjust the whole H1-E3 epic campaign to better fit 4e. You can also look at the awesome Demon Prince of Undeath conversion.

I personally think that the H1-E3 campaign is judged a bit too hard. There are some fun stuff in it I find. And the worst offender is H1 (Keep on the Shadowfell).

 

[Haplo781]

A good first adventure is The Slaying Stone. A really great adventure in its own right. Follow that up with Reavers of Harkenwold and then Madness at Gardmore Abbey. These three adventures are really really good. And shows off what 4e can.
After that you know more about how 4e runs, and can adjust the whole H1-E3 epic campaign to better fit 4e. You can also look at the awesome Demon Prince of Undeath conversion.

I personally think that the H1-E3 campaign is judged a bit too hard. There are some fun stuff in it I find. And the worst offender is H1 (Keep on the Shadowfell).

Slaying Stone also has a major issue in that there's a skill challenge that doesn't tell you what to do if the players fail it. And... It's kind of a big one.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I haven’t experienced Slaying Stone but I can echo that Reavers and Gardmore are both really, really good. You will need to thoroughly prep Gardmore though: it’s not a wing it kind of adventure.

 

[Voadam]

I am a big fan of essentials.

The monster books have better math and better solo design.

For the classes I am a big fan of a bunch of essentials ones, particularly having defender aura types of things that are easy to implement at the table instead of individual defender mark mechanics to track.

I prefer later knight paladins to early 4e god laser mark and run away paladins.

In contrast I really like earlier rangers and their slew of interrupt powers.

There is a big divide on views of essentials classes and their breaking of the AEDU power paradigm. Some really like the consistent AEDU and so feel that essentials changing that in class design is bad. Others really like that essentials can provide more emphasis on encounter consistent at will and encounter powers over the daily nova paradigm.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Yeah definitely use monster vault and threats even if you eschew essentials classes. They are the best monster manuals ever made.

 

[CaptainAhab]

I started TTRPGs with 4e. I never purchased any of the Essentials stuff. I was also blissfully unaware of all the errata and just played the game as printed in the books. Sure, I had some grievances, but on the whole, I had a blast.

If I were to return to the game, is it safe to consider the PHBs 1 and 2 and MMs 1 and 2 to be so errata-laden and outdated that they're not worth bothering with anymore? Or could I pick up the core rule book set and be on my merry way again like I was back in high school?

 

[Voadam]

I started TTRPGs with 4e. I never purchased any of the Essentials stuff. I was also blissfully unaware of all the errata and just played the game as printed in the books. Sure, I had some grievances, but on the whole, I had a blast.

If I were to return to the game, is it safe to consider the PHBs 1 and 2 and MMs 1 and 2 to be so errata-laden and outdated that they're not worth bothering with anymore? Or could I pick up the core rule book set and be on my merry way again like I was back in high school?

The PH stuff would be OK. Minor errata for the most part. The MM math was changed as the game went along to increase damage, lower hp, and have solos do more interesting and engaging stuff instead of womp on one target while being subject to stunlocks. This is mostly so that fights do not drag out so much with little interesting going on in later rounds.

Most of the MM numbers stuff can be summed up easily in the 4e monster stats on a notecard formula. Google for it and it would make the 4e MM I & II monsters work better for game pacing and be easy to implement. The early 4e monsters will work as is, but the fight dynamics will be suboptimal, particularly compared to later 4e design.

 

[Joshua Randall]

There are a few MM1 and 2 monsters that are notoriously terrible (black dragon, anything with insubstantial + weakness). But for the most part the monsters on a business card math will fix most 1 and 2 monsters. That said a lot of them are just dull and boring compared to later MM3 and essentials monster design.

I could actually wax poetic on monsters … you could look at later year LFR adventures for some cool examples; The Angry DM’s multi-stage monsters; worldbreaker monsters (forget the author name). I’ll come back and dig up links if there’s interest.

 

[darjr]

I'd get that starter set. Then the Dungeon Delve book. Either do the low level one first or go to Raiders Hideout. Try that first.

If it doesn't work out then that Dungeon Delve book is also a great source of inspiration and really you can use the adventure ideas in any edition.

If it does then the next things I'd get are the rules compendium. Monster Manual III or the Monster Vault. And one of the Essentials character books. Or any of the character books the players fancied.

OR

You could go in with the Dark Sun books. With the Rules Compendium.

OR, and I realize this is a wild one, go with the GamaWorld 4e D&D edition. Fast character gen thats easy to understand and digest, 4e style play, and you can dispose of the wild mutation surge thing if you want. If this works then by the time a few games are done they'll be ready for any 4e.