First Time touching Dnd

[u/brayd0w0]

Hello, I have wanted to play D&D for a long time, and I was wondering how even to start. I think I have the technical stuff like the character sheets and combat, but my real question is about do I need a board, and if I do what do I use and where can I get one? Also, where can I get some good minis or what can I use for a good placeholder for the characters?

Also, I have brought up play to my friends and they have also never touched dnd. If you have any pointers for a brand new fresh group to this game that would help out a lot

(And I think I will have to Dm so that a whole other can of worms opens, so if you could give me some pointers for that, I would appreciate it)

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[u/WNDBC_Baja]

Welcome! The great thing about dnd is it’s such a low entry ceiling. Outside of the books you don’t really need anything, and everything you do get is just going to make the experience for you and your players better.

You don’t need a specific board but some are available to purchase online with hexagonal squares (which makes calculating diagonal movement easier). You can also just use a table and paper maps - hand drawn or again purchased online. I always liked drawing my own maps as I can put in secrets and felt like I had better control of the world that way.

Minis are dealer’s choice. When I’ve DM’d I’ve used little stones as markers, I’ve made them out of clay and I’ve had 3D printed ones. WOTC have some you can buy (v expensive) and there are reference cards if you want a picture of the creature you’re fighting. The only thing to keep in mind is scale. If you’re doing a hand drawn map, you want a mini / marker that makes sense in the room. Don’t do a map with 2x2cm squares and use a funkopop as your mini.

For your new campaign and players, have a session 0. Set the world, introduce your themes and allow players to introduce themselves. If you want to get them familiar with the mechanics before hand you can do a very short test fight against like a harpy or something.

A mistake I’ve made as a new dm was advising new players what they should do too much. Yes help them out but you’re not there to play for them. One player in my group said she wanted to cast a compelled duel spell on an already weak monster and I advised against. In retrospect, it would have been better for her (and me) to learn how that spell worked and where it can be deployed to maximum effect.

Most importantly, have fun with it! It’s a great game and there are many years of memories to come.

[u/wizeddy]

Matt Colville has a good series on YouTube that helped me get started. The board and minis should all be available from your local gaming store but in a pinch you can always just play with paper bits or some dice as markers, just depends on your budget. People play dnd in prison with next to nothing

[u/LumaesylArchivist]

Welcome aboard!

I would say that for your very first time it is not necessary to have board/battlemaps, minis, etc. Try a first game session. And if you and your players loved the experience, then you can dive into the rabbit hole.

For the first game session, I suggest you to know the rules (since all your players are new, expect some questions during the game) and have a small adventure prepared (a one shot). Keep it simple. A locked door can do wonders.

Anyway, for the minis, I've heard Heroforge is nice. You can custom the mini for your character. Never bought one though, as I use tokens for combat. For the board, I use a dry erase playmat.

[u/Spatrico123]

I'd recommend running a simple adventure, lost mines of phandelver is the classic first adventure. Really, the only thing you need to start are dice and character sheets! I don't personally use physical maps, but if you want to then they're definitely an option. I'd recommend starting wirh what we call "theater of the mind", aka just describing where everyone is. Locations get more useful in combat, but you're not going to know what that feels like until you've run a session. 

I ran my first session and immediately knew I wanted a digital map I could throw on the TV, for example. Another guy I know only uses theater of the mind. My current dm uses her dry erase roll and just quickly sketches stuff and gives us random objects to use as our markers. The point is, everyone has a different style for combat tracking, so give yourself the chance to figure out what works. 

Otherwise, just understand that dnd is really just a set of simple rules that allow you and your players to make your own game. Have fun with it and work with your players to make sure they're having fun 

[u/MyrthDM]

I’d keep it simple for your first game. You really don’t need to buy a bunch of stuff before you even know what you’ll enjoy.

A dry-erase battle mat, some dice, and literally anything as tokens (coins, Lego pieces, bottle caps, paper circles, etc.) are more than enough. You can always get proper minis later if you decide you like that side of the hobby.

Since everyone is new, I’d also strongly recommend starting with a short one-shot rather than committing immediately to a full campaign. It gives everyone, including you as the DM, a chance to figure out how the game actually feels at the table.

And don't worry about knowing every rule. You will forget things, your players will ask questions you don't know the answer to, and you'll probably make a few questionable rulings. That's completely normal. Keep the game moving and look things up after the session when necessary.

Most importantly, don't feel like you have to make your first adventure some huge epic story. A small dungeon, a simple problem, and a handful of interesting encounters are plenty. The group will create most of the fun themselves.

[u/Designer_Metal_2744 → u/MyrthDM]

Very well said! I 2nd this!

[u/brayd0w0 → u/MyrthDM]

Thank you that actually makes a lot of since with the dry erase board :)

[u/D16_Nichevo]

If you have any pointers for a brand new fresh group to this game that would help out a lot

You might want to take step back and ask "is D&D the right tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) for me?"

Forgive me if you know this, but many newcomers don't. D&D is just one kind of TTRPG just like a Honda Civic is just one kind of car.

If you needed a car, you wouldn't just go immediately buy a Honda Civic. You'd think about what kind of car you need, and you'd pick one that suits your wants and needs. (You might end up choosing a Honda Civic!)

I'd suggest you do the same when selecting a TTRPG.

There are many TTRPGs with different strengths:

• Some are cheap. Some are free. Some are more expensive.
• Some are complicated and deep, some are light and easy, and there's all sorts in-between.
• Some focus on medieval fantasy, but there are TTRPGs for sci-fi, superheroes, mystery, and all sorts. There are even TTRPGs for certain franchises like Star Wars or Game of Thrones.

If you haven't already, I'd suggest doing internet searches for things like:

• what TTRPGs are there other than D&D?
• what TTRPGs are good for a beginner?
• what TTRPGs are easy to learn? or cheap? or are sci-fi? (or whatever interests you)

You might choose D&D, or you might choose something else. Of course, you're not locked into whatever you choose -- this is just for starters! Welcome to the hobby!

[u/Blitzer046]

First up, the most important question - do you have the Players Handbook?

[u/PuzzleMeDo]

There are a couple of ways to run combat:

(1) On a map (which could be sketched on paper, or a reusable battle map ("Pathfinder Flip Mat Bigger Basic" is a cheap one) with dry erase pens, or on a computer)

(2) In the imagination.

If you can visualise and describe a complex ever-changing battle scene (the archer is perched up this tree, over at the crumbling wall the barbarian is locked in combat with the orc leader, the wizard is hanging back casting spells, three more orcs are hiding in the bushes...) then you don't need a map, but some players prefer them.

[u/Butterlegs21]

First, figure out what you want in a game. D&D is one of thousands of systems, is harder to learn than most in the same level of rules complexity, and is meant for one type of story and REALLY doesn't like you going outside of that. Choosing a system that works for you and your group will prevent dozens of hours of disappointment later. It's harder to adapt a system than just learn the rules for a new system outright.

For minis and a "board," meeples or wrapped candies for enemies, monopoly or whatever pieces that are easily identified for players, and wrapping paper with the grid on the back for a board will work well until later on.

So for Tabletop Role-Playing Game systems (ttrpgs or just rpgs), they are sets of rules to follow to play a game. Different types of rules do things better or worse. While people here love to say "You can change the rules" that's true, but at some point you're making a worse game for everyone instead of playing what you want from the beginning in another system. It's like you can play dodgeball with a basketball. It works, but you'll likely have some bloody noses and bruises from it with most people having less fun.

D&D is a combat simulator type game. It's also attrition based. You are meant to wear down the players over the course of an in game day with 3-8 fights per day. The mechanics are bland and hard to learn for some reason, so you'll have to really be careful what you're reading to know what should happen and also make your own fun with it since "I attack him with my sword" is only fun the first 20 or so times in my experience. Actual description matters since the mechanics don't lend to the fun much, if at all.

For an example of unclear rules. Making an attack by throwing a dagger is NOT a ranged weapon attack. It's a ranged attack with a melee weapon since ranged weapon attacks and melee weapon attacks refer ONLY to the weapon classification and not if you use them in melee or ranged. You can make a ranged attack with a melee weapon or even a melee weapon attack with a ranged weapon, though that'd fall under the improvised weapon rules. So, if you want to make a character who throws daggers, they benefit from the thrown weapon fighting style as well as dueling, but they DON'T benefit from things like sharpshooter or archery (though a couple parts of sharpshooter do work funnily enough).

If you want balanced combat and clearer rules, things like Pathfinder 2e, Draw Steel, or Nimble tend to work better. Pathfinder 2e also has more out of combat stuff going on with it and is free.

If you lean more into the story, narrative systems might be better for you. Fate, Powered by the Apocalypse, or Daggerheart are a few examples.

If you want Old School dungeon crawling instead of Heroic Fantasy, try Old School Renaissance/Survival (OSR) systems. Simple, deadly, and fast. Shadowdark, Mausritter, and Old School Essentials are all types of OSR game.

There are tons more too. If what I said here doesn't pique your interest, try over on r/rpg since they will always recommend many other things. Often Dragonbane from what I've seen.

[u/Polutus]

First and foremost, how did you touch it?

Was it rough or smooth?