Dnd starting point.

tadghoc

Me and a few friends have been considering playing dnd but we have no idea where to start. Anything online is pure ****e. I just want to know how many people and a list of things to buy to get a good start. Do the miniatures really matter? Thanks in advance.

Sarky

The "standard" adventuring party is 6 players and a GM, but I've found for most RPGs that 4-5 players is much, much easier to manage.

As long as the group has the core rules, some dice and the GM either bought an adventure or has it ready in their head, you should be able to play just fine. The minis can be handy to keep track of large fights, but really if you get to that stage a rough sketch of a map and a few counters will do the job just as well and save you a small fortune.

tadghoc

Would each player need to get a players hand book and the GM the dungeon masters guide? or are they just concise versions of the core rules for when you're playing?

Rev Hellfire

As Sarky said you ideally need 4-5 people.

I recently got my son the basic introductionary pack which comes with simpified rules, tiles and basic miniatures. Its a nice simple introduction to the basic mechanics of the game and a short scenario is included.

Though it could be argued you're better just getting the corerules to begin with and perhaps a starter module.

Depending on what you're looking for you could also look at boardgames like Descent or my favorite Munchkin Quest.

tadghoc

Descent looks great actually might check that out.

Sarky

tadghoc wrote: »

Would each player need to get a players hand book and the GM the dungeon masters guide? or are they just concise versions of the core rules for when you're playing?

Not at all, just get everyone around the one book to make characters, and then dip into it as necessary when a rules issue comes up. The DM's guide adds material and provides advice for running a game, and more books might speed up character creation, but really all you need are a group of players, a GM and the one book to dip into whenever the rules need clarification.

tadghoc

So after a couple of games, when I want to expand my game what should I get?

hairyheretic

If you're brand new to GMing, maybe a world setting book to save you creating your own, and a monster manual, for new and interesting things to kill

Another option might be a second game, something other than D&D, for variety. There are games to cover pretty much any kind of setting ... high fantasy, low fantasy, horror, sci fi, pulp, you name it, it's out there.

tadghoc

Thanks for all the help

edladdlad

A bit of digging about on the 4th edition website can be very rewarding. There's a demo of the character creation tool that lets you make characters up to level three - makes it very easy to throw a character together without understanding every facet of the rules. Speaking of which, there is a pdf of the quick-start rules on the website too.

There are also some free adventures available online, the official starter game is Keep on the Shadowfell - though it is quite combat-heavy with a lack of emphasis on the actual roleplaying.

www.dndinsider.com - it's the official WotC site for 4e