Starting D&D help!

[Left]

So I need some help. One of my best friends basically just asked me on a date. She knows I play D&D based video games, so she figured it'd be fun if I taught her how to play Dungeons and Dragons and stuff. The thing is, I've never played a live game, so I don't know anything about set up, dice, the actual rules, how many people would be good to play with, that kind of thing.

So please please please, help a guy out with a date! Where can I find some good resources online to learn the things I need to know?

Any other advice would be great too!

[Quiver]

I recommend Pathfinder.

The rules are available online -free and legally- so that's helpful in terms of easily available resources.

Besides that, though, I'm learning too.so, same boat I'm afraid!

[Left]

Storms
....I'm going to have a hard time just getting the dice   let alone learning enough of this stuff and then teaching it *hysterical laughter*
Hmmm, I'll have to keep thinking about this.
Thank you Quiver!

[Quiver]

Storms

....I'm going to have a hard time just getting the dice   let alone learning enough of this stuff and then teaching it *hysterical laughter*

Hmmm, I'll have to keep thinking about this.

Thank you Quiver!

For dice, I just use online rollers. If you have a computer to hand, set up a website, and boom. Your done.

(Added bonus, you could set up youtube music to set the mood, or refer back to rules if you need something.)

[Claincy]

I'd recommend 3-4 players (+yourself as the GM). 5 works pretty well too buy more than 5 and less than 3 is doable, but harder so not ideal for your first time.

Pathfinder is a good system, but it isn't the first thing I'd recommend in this case as the rules are relatively complicated.

I'd personally recommend 5th edition as it's a little simpler and easier to get into. You can get most of the rules (certainly all you need for a while) in the SRD which you can download for free. The SRD doesn't contain all of the options for character progression but it does contain a lot and by the time you start really wanting those options (if that happens) you should have a good idea of whether it's worth it to you to invest more easily into the system.

Given it's your first time playing/running I suggest using a prebuilt adventure so you don't have to try to design one while simultaneously learning the system and how to Game Master. There should be some free and/or cheap community created adventures you could download from the DMs Guild though I haven't played any of the ones there so I can't recommend any in particular.

If you can spare $15-$20 I highly recommend the D&D 5th edition starter set. It has a set of dice, a rulebook that has all the rules you'll need, 5 pregenerated characters if you don't want to take the time for everyone to make their own and most importantly it has a short campaign that is actually very good. The opening to the campain makes a good one shot but if you continue with it the whole campaign could easily take you 6-12 sessions, depending on the length of your sessions and how quickly the players progress. It doesn't include some rules like those for creating characters but you can get that from the SRD anyway.

A good place to go for some general Game MStering tips is Matthew Mercer's GM tips videos. It might also be worth watching a video or two of a group playing whichever system you choose as seeing it in action can be enormously helpful.

A few general tips:

You're going to make mistakes and mess up rules. It's inevitable so don't worry about it. If you look around the table and see everyone having fun you're doing a good job

The rules are in service of the fun and story, if a rule gets in the way feel free to ignore it or make up your own.

Say "Yes", whenever possible. Your players are going to try some crazy/nutty things and they will definitely surprise you. If they come up with a cool idea let them try it, it may not work and it may be difficult but they can certainly try. Rule of cool trumps the actual rules every time. That said, this doesn't protect the players from unforseen in consequences of their actions. "Yes, but..." Is a very useful phrase

Keep the descriptions interesting. "I got a 17"
"You hit, roll for damage."
"6"
"You deal 6 damage to the goblin and it dies."
That gets old really fast.
"Xharo dashes forward and places himself between the goblin and his injured friend. He let's out a bellow as he brings his sword down and the goblin's eyes widen in fear as the mighty blow cleaves through his chest and he falls to the ground."
So.ething like that is a lot more engaging. Whether you describe the action in third person like that or in second person (you rush forwards and...) is personal preference and you can use mixture of the two.

Having a creative and interesting description is good, but getting the players involved in that description is even better. Ask them to describe how they attempt (or accomplish) an action, when they land the blow that kills the boss ask them how they want to do it. It keeps the players much more excited and engaged

Feel free to ask me/others any questions you have, so far in my experience most roleplayers who talk about it online are happy to help

 

Edit: Added some links now I'm back on my PC.

 

Also, a couple more tips

 

Game Mastering is a full on activity, but you can have a good time doing it Don't forget to have fun. Seriously, hard work as it sometimes can be Game Mastering can be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience.

 

Take a break half way through. You'll need it and it'll be good for your players too.

 

If, after the first session, people want to keep playing, ask them what they liked most and what they didn't like about the session. Players can be quite different from eachother and it helps to know what you're group particularly likes and how you can improve

Edited April 25, 2016 by lord Claincy Ffnord

[Haelbarde]

Another option for a system (if you wanted another) is the AGE system: http://greenroninstore.com/collections/age-system/products/fantasy-age-basic-rulebook-pdf 

 

The system doesn't seem to have as much customization as D&D does, which could be a good or a bad thing. But as far as dice are concerned, it only uses normal 6 sided dice (d6's) - each player (and the GM) has 3 dice, with one being a different color than the other. It's the system used in Wil Wheaton's Titansgrave series. And essentially the same system as the Dragon Age RPG (which has a free starter guide pdf thing with a pregenerated characters and a basic scenario).

 

Edit: Of course, it's not D&D, but it is a pen-and-paper RPG. Same thing, right?

Edited April 25, 2016 by Haelbarde