New to D&D and becoming a DM

[Cbomb]

Hi Im cbomb a.k.a CherryBomb


Im new to ENworld and D&D. I got interested in a couple of months ago and decided I wanted to start a group. I bought the core books and Sunless Citidel. I found 4 people to play but was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on how to run my first meeting, what utilites (online and off) u suggest and extra books u recoommend. Anyther advice would be appreciated. Thanks for your time


Cbomb

 

[CRGreathouse]

Welcome to the boards!

When you're just starting, I don't think I'd recommend any other books yet -- you'll have enough of a time figuring out the core rules, I'd suppose. Once you've played a few games and are starting to figure the rules out, you should have a better idea of what you'd like to expand on, and this will help you decide what other books (if any) to buy.

For example, there are the alignment books (Book of Exalted Deeds and Book of Vile Darkness) if you like exploring moral issues or crusading against evil. There are planar books (Manual of the Planes, Planar Handbook) if that aspect of the game is interesting to you. Psionics (Expanded Psionics Handbook) provides a new system similar to magic that some players like, and so forth. There are books for new spells, magic items, mundane items, traps, challneges, monsters, and any number of other things; just see what you want more of!

Really, though, there are a lot of books out there, and I'd concentrate on learning the rules and playing the game long before I went into the jungle of other products. Some people never find the need to buy more than the core books....

 

[MerricB]

I'd advise having a look at the D&D Basic Game, especially if you or any of the players is totally new to D&D. There's a lot of information in the core books, and it can be overwhelming.

Apart from that, there are two topics to study:
* How to create 1st level characters
* How to run basic combat. You don't have to use the advanced options (and its advisable not to), but just need to know the actions of Move, Attack, and Cast Spell.

Cheers and Good Luck!

 

[Cbomb]

Do i need to use minatures?

 

[atom crash]

It's a good idea to use a grid and something to represent the characters and creatures during combat, just to keep everything straight. The 3.5 rules assume that you will be using them.

But you don't have to use miniatures. My group uses a combination of miniatures, colored beads, stones, coins, etc. -- anything that will represent the characters and creatures -- to keep track of movement and position during combat. Cardboard counters or spare dice also work nicely.

 

[Zappo]

You don't need miniatures. Some people find them handy, but I never use them. I suggest you use a whiteboard (possibly with squares) and dry erase markers. Simple combats can be made without even that, when you've got a good grasp of the rules.

 

[xrpsuzi]

Hi Cherrybomb, welcome.
You don't need to use minatures to play, but sometimes they help with visualizing where you and your allies are and where the bad guys are.
If you do decide to use some sort of visual representation in combat, you can also use counters, which are printed on thick cardstock. It is a less expensive path than minatures, especially when your dealing with representing monsters on the board.
Have fun!
-Suzi

 

[Cbomb]

Thanks for the warm welcome Are there any house rules you guys suggest

 

[Zappo]

I suggest to avoid house rules until you have a very solid grasp of the core rules. The current edition is very good, and works very well without any modification. My group has one completed campaign and five running ones, and no house rules.

House rules have their place, but you need to know the system pretty well before trying big alterations.

 

[Morpheus]

Welcome aboard! A lot of people use minis and a lot of people don't. I wouold suggest picking up a starter box of Harbinger minis ($19.99) if you can find one and using the gridded map in the box along with the minis. If you like it, buy some more. If not, you're out $20, but have a map at least to play with. If you wait until later this month, you can buy an Aberrations Starter box for the same price with all of the newest minis in it.