Yeah. If money is an issue, I'm sorry, but don't do that. They will be more expensive at your friendly local game store. But I think, you're paying for that friendly local game store to exist and it is worth it. And you should spend that money because they're providing, a location for people that don't have a location to play.
They're providing, [00:03:00] insight and advice. It's much more than just the book you're buying, but if money is an issue, yes, you can pick them up on Amazon on D and D no D and D is going to overcharge you Amazon, somewhere like that. Just get the player's handbook, get a set of dice, which if you're looking for something to Google, It is a polyhedral set of seven dice.
That's going to have your D10s, your D20s, D8s, 12s, 6s, 100s. It's seven dice. That's all you need. As far as dice is concerned, you can have more. But that's all you need. And then that's pretty much it. You can write down your stats on a regular piece of paper. You can pick up or print out player character sheets.
But so a little bit of background. The, there is the site dndbeyond, dndbeyond. [00:04:00] com for a long time, it was the best site for digital Dungeons and Dragons, role playing, playing a game, creating characters, anything like that. It was the best site. They have all of the books that you can buy on there digital format and all of the stuff you buy on there goes into their system.
So when you're creating a characters, all the stuff you have. All the books you have access to are automatically, all of those rules and classes and everything get incorporated into the character builder, so whatever you have, you can make. And then in 2022 Wizards of the Coast, the people that own D& D, bought D& D Beyond.
And made it an actual wizards of the coast site instead of the kind of independent side. It was look politics aside. They made a lot of very poor corporate greedy choices and have turned that site into a money printing machine. And it is [00:05:00] a bad situation that a lot of the community is very upset with that having been said, and the fact that currently I think wizards of the coast is in a.
Corporate greed phase that is unlike anything D and D has seen before. All that being said D and D beyond, in my personal opinion, is still the best place to play D and D with digital items. Best place to create a character, best place to, they've got dice. You just click something on your character sheet and it will roll it.
if money is an issue, if you're not sure D and D is for you, the one thing I would suggest anyone gets is a free, do not pay for anything unless you are sure a free D and D beyond account. That's going to let you create characters. That's going to let you play the game. It has the [00:06:00] dice there.
That's why I was saying you don't need to buy dice if that's a concern, because if you create a character on D& D Beyond, you click a box, it will roll what it needs to roll for you. It has little digital dice, all that stuff. Now rolling the actual click clacks onto a table is always much more fun.
Yeah, but yeah, yes it is. Barrier to entry it's free on D and D beyond, and that will have what you need to get going. Okay. Cause I know when I started there was a time that I wasn't playing because I couldn't find. Anyone to play with I turned to roll 20. Yeah. To find also a great resource.
Things to play with. Yeah. And this was in the early like roll 20 phase where it was a little bit rough. Mm-hmm . , some of the maps weren't together. And the connection, it's still a bit rough though. Microphone,
I haven't been there in a minute, but. But yeah, I was on [00:07:00] Roll20 playing for, I probably played in two or three campaigns before they fell off But I've never been able to go through an entire campaign or So I've always done like one shots here and there I've played for a bit. I've dropped off I've gotten back into it, but it's been it's like an on again off again a relationship that I have with D& D Yeah, that is often the case, unfortunately.
And in fact of all the times I've played. I have only ever finished one actual campaign. It's one more than me. And that campaign took, I think a little over two and a half years. So that's the magic of having a good group of people that, that are, we didn't have a session every time on the time, we made it work and we kept going with it.
But yeah, I've played in a lot [00:08:00] of campaigns that just die for one reason or another, and that's perfectly fine. We all love D& D, but at the end of the day, life is more important than D& D. To much, to I'm sure some people's surprise. But yes, life is more important than D& D, and it tends to get in the way of these things, and that's alright.
Life does find a way. It does. It does. Like your Jurassic Park games. But yeah, don't fret if, if you get into a game and something happens and it ends, that just makes you one of the D& D community, man. It does. You're one of us. Few people have been in many campaigns that have actually concluded, unless they're one shots, or unless they're short campaigns that have a planned track, because it never works out that way, rarely.
Yeah, and it was funny to me how Well, not really funny, but I really enjoyed seeing the resurgence, so to speak of it, or the popularity of [00:09:00] it does it come out? And I realized what had happened when I was in Walmart, and Walmart had 7 polyhedral dice, and I'm like, what is this?
Because you growing up, the only way you would be able to get dice is either going to your local comic book shop who had sold the tabletop RPGs, or there was actual, board game store in your area. And that was the only way you'd be able to get those seven sets of dice.
Yeah. Then here I am in Walmart and they're like, buy these, D the tabletop dice. And I'm like, that doesn't even sound right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They always got it labeled something weird. Yeah. Yeah. It's, watching the D& D section grow in Target is insane. It used to be just like a book over by the toys, like it's literally in the little kids toys and games area.
Yep. And, it started with a book, [00:10:00] and then they had some dice, and And then all of a sudden a D& D starter set showed up, and then the essentials kit, and then now they've got, individual module books, and like, all kinds of stuff, and I'm just like, where the hell was this 20 years ago? Okay, so in all fairness, a little, my background in D& D. Yes. I always thought it was the nerdiest thing you could possibly do, and I was pretty sure I hated it. Up until 2014. I'm 42. So in 2014, so 10 years, I was 32. I started playing D& D when I was 32. I swore that that was a level of nerddom I would never reach.
Cause I was like, I'm not doing any of that stuff. I'm not doing any of this LARPing nonsense. I'm not doing the funny voices. I don't know math that well. It's not a thing. So I [00:11:00] swore I'd never do it. And then my friend needed a guy for a campaign and he's trust me, this is completely up your alley. I promise you.
And I'm like, you don't know me then, but okay. I just need a guy. I just, yeah, he just needed a guy. And you know me. If somebody needs a guy, I'm the guy. Yeah. You're the guy. Yeah. And I tried it and I was like, this is going to be so dumb. And by the end of the first session, man. I'm like, all right, where do I buy the books?
How many dice doing it? Like I'm, and this was, this was end of 2014, which was right as D and D five E launched it was right as D and D five E came out. So I thought it was the dumbest thing in the world up until then. And after that, I realized I was completely wrong. I had no idea what I was talking about.
And it is one of the most fun things you can do and be completely free. It is amazing. And I wish I could have slapped [00:12:00] myself for the 32 years before that, we all learn eventually. But yeah, it's intimidating at first, in a weird sort of way, until you realize there's nothing to be intimidated about, and everybody loves this thing for a reason.
Yeah, I haven't been playing too, too long compared to some people, but when I go in on something, I go hard. And yeah, I've got all the books, I've got all that stuff, and, and I'm very passionate about getting other people to play, because, It's not what people who have never played think it is.
Yes, without a doubt, absolutely. But yeah, growing up, I was part of that stigma where, the reason why it wasn't in the stores, where it's like, This is dumb, people won't ever buy this, you don't, Once they saw celebrities playing it, corporations are like, Oh, maybe we should look into this. Yes. Granted they did help.
They did help like fan the flames of the popularity of D [00:13:00] and D. And then when stranger things came out, it was throwing gasoline on a fire. And yeah, that's definitely for sure. Part of that is go ahead. I was just going to say part of that is because the five E rule set changed the game.
Because supposedly I never played the previous additions, though. There are some that swear by the previous additions being better. Pretty much everyone collectively agrees. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't dare speak on behalf of the entire D and D community, but essentially everyone pretty much agrees that five E is the most new player friendly.
So if you're getting into D and D now is the time the other games were much more math heavy, Or you had to calculate this or do that or the other thing. The 5e rule set is much more streamlined. Some people may argue that it is to its detriment because you're not [00:14:00] as, it's not as fleshed out, but it's much more streamlined.
You don't have to know all that stuff. It is very new player friendly. And I think that has helped with the popularity of the game. Increasing is more people are able to get into it because it's. Easier to understand at this point. Okay. I didn't think about it that way. Yeah. Didn't they just release a new player handbook or updated player handbook, because I have to, I have the third edition and I have the five E for the fifth edition.
So the new one came out and they sounded to me like they were just updating some rules to be PC to be politically correct. And I didn't know if I wanted to pick it up or not, or if it was worthwhile picking it up. Yeah, you remember that corporate greed I was talking about? Look, Wizard of the Coast has been making some interesting choices as of recently.
And now I hear that there are some pretty fun and interesting changes in the new rule [00:15:00] set whether or not, what has happened is. They have not put out a new edition. They have put out an updated 5e. Okay. For those who may be new and listening to this, 5e just means 5th edition. 5e, 5th edition, it's just, it's just the terminology.
But essentially, they just made some changes to 5e, and I guess, It's not enough for a full new edition, but it's enough to put out full new books at the same full new price. At full new players, handbook, full new player dungeon master's guide, full new monster manual that is about, Oh, I'm not talking with any actual intellect here, but essentially it's rough.
It's not, it's the same old stuff with a few [00:16:00] modifications, some new class changes some mechanics changes like crafting and things like that. It's still five E, but just some things are different. And so yeah, essentially, and instead of, putting out in my opinion, a addition or like a what's the word expansion type book that says these are the rule changes.
It's a whole new book set. And take that as you will. I have my opinions on it. I'm still just gonna be playing 5e with the books I've got. I'm sure I will get the new books eventually because I'm a collector and a nerd like that. But is it required to play if you can get the old 5e books? No, it's not.
That's the magic of D& D. Once you have the game, You can play. That's it. You [00:17:00] don't have to stay updated. You can play the first edition if you want. Once you have the rule set and all of that stuff. That's all you need. You don't need to keep nobody's going to kick open your best friend's house, kick open the door to your best friend's house where y'all are all sitting around the table and just be like, let me see that rule book.
Like you play how you want to play. Once you have the rules and know how to play. That's all you need. I get you. I completely, I know where you coming from that one, because it was like going from third edition to fifth edition, I felt I was like, Oh man, this is a lot. So yeah, yeah, that's a big jump. Yeah. And I was just like, I got the handbook and then someone was like, don't worry about reading it.
That was another thing that someone brought up. And like for one of the first time players that, that I play with, he was like, this is a lot of information. Like for somebody who's just getting into it, it's a lot. From the [00:18:00] character sheets to the, if they do get the fifth edition. And he was like, how do I disseminate all of that?
And I think sometimes maybe that's what intimidate people when first time players, is there anything that you've seen that may be able to help them either navigate through that or ease them into the the lore or how to play essentially how to play. Yeah. So yes, first and foremost, and, and you're going to get this from a lot of the community.
The only thing you need to play, like you need to know to play and all that. And once again, this is a player, a DM. It's a bit of a different story. If you want to run your own game that you need to know a bit more, but as a player coming to a table, the only thing you need is a positive attitude.
That is it. Essentially it is the DM's job to tell the story. So you don't need to worry about the lore. You don't need to worry about the [00:19:00] mechanics per se. Assuming that, you make it well known that you are not, that you are a new player, this is your first time, generally speaking, the table will most DM, most DMS and DND tables love new players.
Cause they love teaching people how to play the game. So you don't have to know how to play greatly. It helps to have some sort of low level understanding of how the game works, but it is not a necessity. As far as getting that low level understanding of how the game works. Luckily, we are currently living in a time where information is insanely accessible in just about any avenue you could possibly want.
My best suggestion is just go on to YouTube, type DND for new players, and you will have endless resources of people [00:20:00] dying to tell you all about how the game works in the most simplistic terms possible. For instance, people like JennyD people like Brennan Lee Mulligan in Dimension 20. It's Matt Mercer that we had talked about.
Yeah. Oh, a hundred percent. And, there's tons and the dungeon dudes Nat 20 there's there. I feel like I'm going to none of these people know who I am, but I feel like I'm going to offend somebody if I don't say their name anyways. There's tons and tons of resources out there of people that are waiting videos, waiting for new people to discover it. So as long as you're open to having a good time at Dungeons and Dragons, if you just do a light YouTube search, you will have everything you need to know to get started. Now having a set of dice and a player character is always a bonus. Especially if it is an [00:21:00] in person game digitally it's not necessary, but if you are doing an in table in person table game, having a set of dice.
A player sheet, a character sheet, and generally speaking, some sort of note taking method, be that a notes app on your phone or a notepad and pen or paper or pencil that is ideal, but. I am of the mind personally. I record all of my sessions as the DM aura player because I don't like taking notes during a game.
I like to just be immersed in the character and the situation, and I don't like worrying about, did I write that down? Oh, what if I forget this? Yeah, you shouldn't have to worry about that. Technically, your DM should be in control of the game and be able to tell you anything you might have forgotten.
But yeah note taking is not a bad idea if nobody is recording the session, but just go with a willing attitude and having a base [00:22:00] level understanding of how the game works and you will fit into pretty much any table except for the hardcore, sweat, sweat heads that are just out there for a specific game and not looking to have fun with people.
But anybody else playing D& D will be more than happy to have a new player at the table and are dying to teach you how to play. Yeah, I've been to some of those tables before. Yeah, they're no fun.
