Is D&D fun? I'm thinking about getting into it.

[Heraclitus]

Well? Can anyone exlain how you get started? Any advice for a noob? Are the rules really as complex as some people say?


Edit:
PS I have had a GF in the past, and I am not a virign does that mean I can't play?

[Dinner]

It was when I was 16. Now days I only play the odd D&D video game.

[Zkribbler]

There's simplified beginners' rules.

(I couldn't get into the game because I spent way too much time designing dungeons.)

[Traianvs]

It takes a lot of time to get to know the rules and the many possibilities that are available to the player.

I prefer the computer games. Try the Baldur's Gate series. The hardcore pen&paper dudes scoff at it, but it's following most of the D&D rules. You get real powerful in the BG2 and ToB(expansion), with very potent items and weapons, so if you're into powerplaying, it's even more worth it. However, the roleplaying alone is gold already.

You could dig up some threads about it in the Other Games section. It was a hot topic in the days Jamski displayed his dazzling prowess by totally pwning the game in each and every way.

[Jon Miller]

It depends on the group.

Combat shouldn't be the focus of PnP D&D. If you want fun combat (And lots of it), do computer games instead.

People who play for the rules would have better time playing a computer game instead. PnP is for a GM to lead a story (With the players as participants), it isn't for playing the rules.

Both the above things being said, it can be a lot of fun with the right group.

JM

[Jon Miller]

I would personally suggest not even reading the rules. Ask (and know) what your character can do, and make choices for him/her depending on the options that are available to you.

Being a rules lawyer is no fun. Know the rules is for the GM, not the players.

JM

[Lorizael]

One June 6, the 4th edition of D&D is released. This is actually probably the best time to get involved in D&D, or at least the time that Wizards of the Coast wants you to get into it the most.

Because there's a new edition, the preposterously large number of options present in 3.5 are all gone.

The mechanics of 4th edition are streamlined a good deal, but the game most assuredly has not been simplified. There are a lot of things to keep track of during each round of play and a lot of powers available to each character now, rather than just the spellcasters.

All that probably didn't help much.

D&D is not hard to get into so long as you can find an experienced Dungeon Master to run your game. If you're just getting into the game, you don't want to run it yourself.

Also, I have had sex, though not in awhile, and I play D&D.

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Traianvs
It takes a lot of time to get to know the rules and the many possibilities that are available to the player.

I prefer the computer games. Try the Baldur's Gate series. The hardcore pen&paper dudes scoff at it, but it's following most of the D&D rules. You get real powerful in the BG2 and ToB(expansion), with very potent items and weapons, so if you're into powerplaying, it's even more worth it. However, the roleplaying alone is gold already.

You could dig up some threads about it in the Other Games section. It was a hot topic in the days Jamski displayed his dazzling prowess by totally pwning the game in each and every way.

I've played BG2 and liked it a lot.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

GURPS

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
I would personally suggest not even reading the rules. Ask (and know) what your character can do, and make choices for him/her depending on the options that are available to you.

Being a rules lawyer is no fun. Know the rules is for the GM, not the players.

JM

What you just descirbe sounds incredibly fun. Can you play that way? Or do people tire of you asking questions all the time.


I do know a bit about the D20 combat system, but I'm considering going into it becasue I like RP.

[Lorizael]

Steve Jackson is a whore.

[b etor]

Re: Is D&D fun? I'm thinking about getting into it.

Originally posted by Heraclitus
Well? Can anyone exlain how you get started? Any advice for a noob? Are the rules really as complex as some people say?


Edit:
PS I have had a GF in the past, and I am not a virign does that mean I can't play?

do it
i played when i was like 6 and had lots of fun.
obviously it's not as complex if you don't want them to be.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Heraclitus


What you just descirbe sounds incredibly fun. Can you play that way? Or do people tire of you asking questions all the time.


I do know a bit about the D20 combat system, but I'm considering going into it becasue I like RP.

Yeah, you can play that way.

It is important in those circumstances to have the GM know the rules best.

I do admit that in every group I have played, at least one or two of the players have known the rules well (in the last two groups, I have been one of those). It seems to me as if those who don't know the rules well have more fun than those who do (things are more surprising/unknown/etc).

JM

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Lorizael
One June 6, the 4th edition of D&D is released. This is actually probably the best time to get involved in D&D, or at least the time that Wizards of the Coast wants you to get into it the most.

Because there's a new edition, the preposterously large number of options present in 3.5 are all gone.

The mechanics of 4th edition are streamlined a good deal, but the game most assuredly has not been simplified. There are a lot of things to keep track of during each round of play and a lot of powers available to each character now, rather than just the spellcasters.

All that probably didn't help much.

D&D is not hard to get into so long as you can find an experienced Dungeon Master to run your game. If you're just getting into the game, you don't want to run it yourself.

Also, I have had sex, though not in awhile, and I play D&D.

Is this a world wide launch? Can I expect to see it in a gaming store near me?

[Nostromo]

There are TONS of systems out there. Contrary to computer rpg designers, the designers of pen and paper rpg's are very creative. D&D is just one of them, its relatively rules-heavy and the setting is generic (and lame) fantasy. When I was a kid, I played D&D, Middle Earth Role Playing (MERP), Call of Cthulhu and GURPS. Of all the systems I tried, I prefer GURPS (mainly for its character system) and Call of Cthulhu (mainly because the rules are simple and the setting and gameplay are very different) With a good DM and good players (not all systems have a DM, BTW), it can be very fun. But be prepared to waste a HUGE amount of time. Most of the time, it took us like forever to do anything.