The beginner
First Post
So I have never played D&D before and have recently joined a group. So all I want to ask is: What do i need to know? , What I should expect? , and Will this hurt my chances with ladies? (joke question)
New to D&D
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The beginner
First Post
The less I know? That sounds Ominous.
1) What edition are they planning on playing?
2) you will be using a lot of funny-looking dice. This is normal.
3) D&D will hurt your chances with the ladies...but not to worry- the DM probably has a random encounter chart for bars & taverns that includes harlots.
4) expect to be playing a character that in some way resembles a character from a fantasy story (TV/Film/book/comic).
2) you will be using a lot of funny-looking dice. This is normal.
3) D&D will hurt your chances with the ladies...but not to worry- the DM probably has a random encounter chart for bars & taverns that includes harlots.
4) expect to be playing a character that in some way resembles a character from a fantasy story (TV/Film/book/comic).
HoboGod
First Post
Take everything with a grain of salt. There's ALOT of information to take in and you're not going to catch on right away. The DM is there to guide you through, so just listen to what he/she is telling you and you should be fine.
Anything, really. It all depends on the people you're playing with.
If your group is a bunch of social rejects with little to no redeemable personality traits, your experience will be painful and you'll likely want to take a shower afterwards.
If your group is a bunch of drama queens that like nothing more than to bicker and make themselves the center of attention, your experience will be boring and you'll wish you'd brought a gameboy.
If your group is a bunch of cool people with a good sense of humor and a laid back outlook on life, your experience will be worthwhile and interesting even if you decide to never play another game in your life.
Odds are, you're group will be a mixture of these types, however and throughout the night you'll experience all these things and more!
Make no mistake, many basement trolls and bottom-feeders play this game. That is no misguided cliche. However, perfectly normal and abnormally awesome people also play this game. There is no subculture of society which doesn't have D&D players. It's a great stoner game, it's free entertainment for punks, hippies, and carny folk, and because it's a social game, jocks, preps, and yes, even girls, are frequently closet D&D players. "Hey, I play D&D" isn't going to be the pickup line of the century, but playing this game can open up your circle of friends to people you normally would never have crossed paths with and that may very well help your chances with the ladies. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD AND RIGHT IN THIS WORLD, don't bring home one of the basement trolls and bottom-feeders. I know it sounds cruel and if you've ever been the unpopular kid in school, you know how crappy it is to be ignored by everyone around you, but trust me on this one. No good will come of it.
There was recently a marriage at our London D&D Meetup, ruggedly handsome Australian DM and fair D&D-playing Italian maiden, their eyes met across the dice and minis... 
Empirate
First Post
WARNING: wall of text ahead.
What you need to know: a (very basic) understanding of the rules would be a good starting point, even if you don't quite understand yet how the game will actually play out at the table.
You'll be incorporating a character within a story, and that character can pretty much do whatever you feel like, or whatever you think is fitting for that character. However, if you try to do something whose outcome isn't a given (such as sneak by a guard, decapitate an Orc, climb a cliff, break down a door), the rules provide a system of arbitrating whether you can successfully take that action. Therefore, it'd be good to have a certain grasp of what your character is at all capable of, what activities he/she will have a good chance of undertaking, and what kind of stuff might get you killed.
Other than that, try to come up with a halfway interesting character, but don't overdo it (an orphan halfling raised by demon-blooded Fey creatures, who stepped through a portal to Elysium in his teens, spent some years there before being thrown out of heaven and dumped in the slums of a dwarven metropolis, only to rise by guile and stealth in the ranks of a thieves' guild, being arrested due to being ratted out by his former true love, sentenced to death by the dwarf king, but taken by Drow slavers before the execution, being taught the ways of magic by an outcast kindly Drow Sorcerer, who was a hermit Human in disguise in reality, but died by accident of a magical experiment you were performing, which left you disfigured and blind but with four arms and wings, which when you were found made you a circus attraction, leading to your eventual return to the surface, where you perform as a hapless, blind clown for the masses... might be a bit too much).
Try to find a straight, easy-to-imagine-but-still-not-too-shallow concept that interests you (maybe a former enforcer for the mobs who is trying to reform after losing his brother in a fight; or a young, overzealous, preachy, but ultimately unsure Cleric; or a Sorcerer who constantly hears otherworldly whispers which teach him magic; or a knight who got kicked out of his liege's service for drunkenness and wants to redeem himself; or whatever). Simple concepts are good for a start - they let you interact with a modicum of certainty of what to do. Trust me, your character will grow over time to become much more complex and 'deep'.
When you have this character concept ready in your mind, and only then, think about race, class, feats, skills etc. Imagine your role in the group, imagine different situations you might find yourself in at some point, and work out a few 'standard responses'. That way, a newcomer isn't totally overwhelmed by the spontaneity that is sometimes required in roleplaying. What will I do when a friend is in very great trouble? What if it's a stranger? How will I act in the presence of beautiful/powerful/disgusting/aggressive/untrustworthy etc. people? Is there something I really, really cannot abide - and is there something I really, really want out of life? Am I playing a thrill-seeker, or a cautious methodical fellow? Do I prefer the direct approach or the indirect? Will I usually boastful, sensible, quiet, patronizing, enthusiastic, selfconscious, zealous, sneaky etc.? How do I react to blood and death, to humiliation, to unforeseen trouble? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself before the game, and at any given point in the game (when they become relevant).
What to expect: now this depends largely on who you're playing with, as others have stated, but one thing is certain: roleplaying is an awesome mixture of a social game, a tactical game, and theatrical elements, with lots and lots of freedom for everybody involved to participate in, influence, even steer the course the game is taking. If you're in the least capable of coming up with things on the fly, if you have the slightest understanding of social interactions, if you are able to see things from a perspective different from yours for a bit - you'll have a fantastic time. Pun intended.
On the social thing: My current D&D group consists of a criminal judge (female), a hospital nurse (female), a computer programmer (male), and a medieval historian (me, male). About as varied as it gets in four-people groups. I'd say that, outside of our D&D nerddom, we're pretty normal people with a pretty normal outlook on life. The judge and programmer are married (to each other) with a child, I'm a dad too... just regular guys and girls playing a game.
Never hurt nor helped my chances with the ladies, as far as I can tell. The married couple I was talking about though? Originally met in our gaming group.
What you need to know: a (very basic) understanding of the rules would be a good starting point, even if you don't quite understand yet how the game will actually play out at the table.
You'll be incorporating a character within a story, and that character can pretty much do whatever you feel like, or whatever you think is fitting for that character. However, if you try to do something whose outcome isn't a given (such as sneak by a guard, decapitate an Orc, climb a cliff, break down a door), the rules provide a system of arbitrating whether you can successfully take that action. Therefore, it'd be good to have a certain grasp of what your character is at all capable of, what activities he/she will have a good chance of undertaking, and what kind of stuff might get you killed.
Other than that, try to come up with a halfway interesting character, but don't overdo it (an orphan halfling raised by demon-blooded Fey creatures, who stepped through a portal to Elysium in his teens, spent some years there before being thrown out of heaven and dumped in the slums of a dwarven metropolis, only to rise by guile and stealth in the ranks of a thieves' guild, being arrested due to being ratted out by his former true love, sentenced to death by the dwarf king, but taken by Drow slavers before the execution, being taught the ways of magic by an outcast kindly Drow Sorcerer, who was a hermit Human in disguise in reality, but died by accident of a magical experiment you were performing, which left you disfigured and blind but with four arms and wings, which when you were found made you a circus attraction, leading to your eventual return to the surface, where you perform as a hapless, blind clown for the masses... might be a bit too much).
Try to find a straight, easy-to-imagine-but-still-not-too-shallow concept that interests you (maybe a former enforcer for the mobs who is trying to reform after losing his brother in a fight; or a young, overzealous, preachy, but ultimately unsure Cleric; or a Sorcerer who constantly hears otherworldly whispers which teach him magic; or a knight who got kicked out of his liege's service for drunkenness and wants to redeem himself; or whatever). Simple concepts are good for a start - they let you interact with a modicum of certainty of what to do. Trust me, your character will grow over time to become much more complex and 'deep'.
When you have this character concept ready in your mind, and only then, think about race, class, feats, skills etc. Imagine your role in the group, imagine different situations you might find yourself in at some point, and work out a few 'standard responses'. That way, a newcomer isn't totally overwhelmed by the spontaneity that is sometimes required in roleplaying. What will I do when a friend is in very great trouble? What if it's a stranger? How will I act in the presence of beautiful/powerful/disgusting/aggressive/untrustworthy etc. people? Is there something I really, really cannot abide - and is there something I really, really want out of life? Am I playing a thrill-seeker, or a cautious methodical fellow? Do I prefer the direct approach or the indirect? Will I usually boastful, sensible, quiet, patronizing, enthusiastic, selfconscious, zealous, sneaky etc.? How do I react to blood and death, to humiliation, to unforeseen trouble? Those are the questions you should be asking yourself before the game, and at any given point in the game (when they become relevant).
What to expect: now this depends largely on who you're playing with, as others have stated, but one thing is certain: roleplaying is an awesome mixture of a social game, a tactical game, and theatrical elements, with lots and lots of freedom for everybody involved to participate in, influence, even steer the course the game is taking. If you're in the least capable of coming up with things on the fly, if you have the slightest understanding of social interactions, if you are able to see things from a perspective different from yours for a bit - you'll have a fantastic time. Pun intended.
On the social thing: My current D&D group consists of a criminal judge (female), a hospital nurse (female), a computer programmer (male), and a medieval historian (me, male). About as varied as it gets in four-people groups. I'd say that, outside of our D&D nerddom, we're pretty normal people with a pretty normal outlook on life. The judge and programmer are married (to each other) with a child, I'm a dad too... just regular guys and girls playing a game.
Never hurt nor helped my chances with the ladies, as far as I can tell. The married couple I was talking about though? Originally met in our gaming group.
Greenfield
Adventurer
Simply put, D&D is an exersize in collective story telling.
Each player gets to create and play one of the characters in that story, usually in classic medieval fashion. You can play the knight in shining armor, ala Lancelot do Lac (Fighter), or the cunning huntsman ala Robin Hood (Ranger), the wizard (ala a young Merlin), the holy man (ala Friar Tuck), or any of a dozen more classic images.
You'll work with a number of other people playing other characters in the story.
One person, called the Dungeon Master, or DM for short, will lay out a challenge for the group, and it can be as simple as playing caravan guard or as world spanning as a story by Tolkien.
In play, the DM will describe a scene or a situation, and ask you what you're doing about it. You'll describe your actions, perhaps marking out your movements on a tabletop with miniature figures. The Dm will tell you what happens in response to your actions, and then again ask what you're doing. Players take turns describing actions and interactions.
When you attempt something whose outcome isn't certain, there will be a dice roll to determine success. There are rules laid out to cover this, and they take into account how good your character is at whatever the challenge is and how difficult the task is.
And so it goes, action and reaction, success or failure, with everyone contributing to the story.
Okay, that's the basics.
Now, what can you actually expect? If the other players are experienced, watch them. Beginning D&D is, oddly, a lot more easily done than said. It's far easier to pick it up by observation and interaction than it is for anyone to put it into words.
But the words are there, if you need them. Find out what version of the game you're playing and borrow or buy a Player's Handbook. It has all the technical references, tables and charts and rules you'll need. It will also have some examples in there for you to look at. Read it and ask questions of your DM and the other players.
And, of course, feel free to come here and ask anything, any time. We don't bite.
[QUOTE...and Will this hurt my chances with ladies? (joke question)[/QUOTE]
I'll ask my wife and get back to you.
Welcome to the world of role-playing games!
Now I know this will be contradictory, but in my experience with table role playing games, is to:
a. Stay ignorant of the rules and purely play for fun. I am saying this cause I never had as much fun as I did when I started playing RPGs. You will keep thinking outside the box, cause you wont know about the box.
b. Start learning the rules and realizing your limitations, but still find fun in the numbers and mechanics of the game.
(Like when I made a character for 1 reason, to see how can I use only charisma to win every battle (and I mean non-violent way). So I ran through most of the books and made character that at level 10 can make a diplomacy check taking 10 and reach 53 and turn every hostile sentient creature instantly friendly.)
But your gonna probably find your own way of fun.
I doubt it would be a problem with the ladies, since there are great pick-up lines you can use:
"I'm a wizard, and when I looked at you I detected magic all over".
“Why don’t you come to my place and slip into something with a lower armor class?”
“Damn, baby! I just failed a will-save!”
Ps: Never except when some one says " you can't ", cause in a role playing game you always can.
Now I know this will be contradictory, but in my experience with table role playing games, is to:
a. Stay ignorant of the rules and purely play for fun. I am saying this cause I never had as much fun as I did when I started playing RPGs. You will keep thinking outside the box, cause you wont know about the box.
b. Start learning the rules and realizing your limitations, but still find fun in the numbers and mechanics of the game.
(Like when I made a character for 1 reason, to see how can I use only charisma to win every battle (and I mean non-violent way). So I ran through most of the books and made character that at level 10 can make a diplomacy check taking 10 and reach 53 and turn every hostile sentient creature instantly friendly.)
But your gonna probably find your own way of fun.
I doubt it would be a problem with the ladies, since there are great pick-up lines you can use:
"I'm a wizard, and when I looked at you I detected magic all over".
“Why don’t you come to my place and slip into something with a lower armor class?”
“Damn, baby! I just failed a will-save!”
Ps: Never except when some one says " you can't ", cause in a role playing game you always can.
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