So You Would Like To Play D&D?

A guide on how to start playing D&D, aimed at people interested in the game and are looking for information on what it’s all about, written by someone in love with the game for more than 30 years!

D&D has surged in popularity recently. The web, and its various ecosystems, have so much information on the game – from super specific deep dives, to social media accounts with daily activity, to a mind-boggling amount of YouTube channels on every possible topic – that navigating it is extremely confusing. Honestly, It feels impossible. It’s a tidal wave of information, and if you don’t even know the basics, you can’t begin to access the information in order to decide if this game for you.

So let me start there. At the beginning. You are here because you are curious. You want to know how to play, and you want to know “Is this game for me?

And let me tell you, right now at, the start of your journey: Yes. This game is the best game I’ve ever played, and there is a table for everyone. All races, classes, and creeds, all genders and nationalities, all personalities and bodies and people. TTRPGs (Table Top Role-Playing Games) are for everyone. Those people who attempt to pushing away, exclude, gate keeping or shame people for not being the right people for the game – they are the problem in our community, not you, and should be chased away mercilessly.

You are welcome. You are celebrated. Join us at the table, and welcome.

What Is D&D

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk a bit about what TTRPGs – The type of game that D&D is, are. These game are, in essence, a form of collective storytelling. The players sit around a table, or in the living room, or at a computer if the game is online, and work together to create a unique story. One that only they will experience together. This is true whether the game is one that is pre-written (called a module) or one created specifically for that group (called Homebrew). They are different from Video Games, board games, and card games in that there is an inherent human unpredictability to them. A video game is programed, and you can only perform actions and go places imagined by the developers. Board games and card games are limit themselves in different ways, allowing interpretation of rules without while still expecting a specific set of rules and ideas to be followed.

D&D (from here on out, I am just going to use D&D as shorthand for “all TTRPG’s) is wide open. One of the core tenants is that any of the rules, if they are not fun for the table, can be thrown out, and that anything can be added into the game, if it fits the players desires. Nothing is sacred, and only the enjoyment of the game being played at a given table truly matters. The tomes of rules are simply a framework so that everyone who plays D&D has a similar point of reference when they approach a new table. It is understood that each group of player will play differently and will give the game their own spin. Some will be whimsical adventures of chaos and glee, while others will be somber tales of gritty sacrifice and morally grey villains. Some will be dedicated to love and the power of friendship, and some will focus on the dark necessity of killing vile monsters. They will have agreed to use their own homebrew rules, and maybe even have collectively chosen to ignore sections of the game that are troublesome, awkward or unfun for the entire group. This is the greatest thing about D&D as a game – nothing is required, and if the table you are at requires something you dislike, there is one out there for you that does not. The game is not one single entity.

The Tools of the Game

Though the only thing you truly need to enjoy playing D&D are some friends – which can be the hardest part, I understand – and imagination. It doesn’t even have to be the best imagination in the world. As long as you can image dragons and swords; giants, elves and fireballs, you’ll be ready to go. And using it is a skill: the more you play and the more you imagine, the more you will be capable of imagining. Kingdoms, dungeons, monsters, worlds – It will all come to you in time.

As to the friends I understand that gathering your table can be daunting. If you don’t know anyone who would like to play, it can be intimidating to try. But, in this modern age of connection, it’s easier than ever to get a gaming group together. Local game stores (LGS) can be a great way to find an existing group and jump in, as well as a starting point for a new group, if that is what you’d like. Discords exist for all styles of play groups, for every community and player type imaginable. Facebook and other social media sites groups for towns, regions and nations. If you go somewhere on the internet, or if you have a physical store, you have an way to locate people to play with. I am not going to lie and say it’s always easy. Stepping outside of your circle require courage, and it can be anxious and awkward to begin with, but the friendships formed from a good playgroup will last a lifetime. It’s worth the stress. And don’t worry if the first one you join isn’t for you, connecting with a playgroup isn’t marriage. If you don’t feel welcome, there will be a place you do. don’t settle.

All of that said, though the cornerstone of D&D is imagination and friends, there is a set of rules, and those massive rule books can look scary as hell. The Player Handbook alone is a dense, two column, 384 page monstrosity of a book that costs $50.00! The Starter set costs the same price! It is a lot to get your head, and you’re wallet, around.

So. Let me tell you right now: You don’t need them. You can borrow from a friend, and you can find most of the rules either online (both 5e Tools and Roll20 have compendiums for nearly everything), and many of the other players you find will share, and if you’re whole group is new, everyone pooling their money to buy a copy is more than enough. The books are excellent to have around once you’ve played a few times, and you’ve decided that spending your money on them is a wise choice, but don’t feel any pressure to have one before you start.

In order to take those rules we have just referenced, and turn them into a character that you’ll use in your game, you’ll need a character sheet. These come in numerous styles and types that fit your specific style and ideas of what a sheet should look like, from basic to incredibly ornate. But, like almost everything else, the basic printable version and a pencil are as good as anything out there. When you finally make your first character – something that I’ll be writing on in a later article – you’ll definitely reference the rules and roll dice a bunch of times to translate the character in your mind to the paper.

Before then, however, I recommend using a pre-generated character for your first game, in order to better focus on understanding the game. There are many of them available online (Including on the D&D site), that you can find which will have all the information built into the character sheet and ready to go.

The last thing you will need will be a set of dice. These are used to resolve challenges and determine unknowns, and there is such a wide variety of them that they can often strange to newcomers. No doubt your familiar with a d20 (A twenty sided die) and a d6 (a six sided die, the standard from every board game ever) but there are also others, which we D&D players are very fond of:

A basic set of Polyhedral Dice (the complete set of shapes) is fairly cheap, and you can pick them up at any game store or, like everything currently, on Amazon if you need to. Many, many D&D folks absolutely adore their math rocks, and end up collecting them as an additional, entirely separate hobby. With innumerable styles and countless companies, there is a dice set for every aesthetic and desire you can have. Don’t be intimidated, though: they all function same. get the cheapest set first, if you like, and it will work out (Amazon cheap dice). Future you can decide if you want to spend $100 on a set of dice made of carbon steel and able to levitate on command and connect to your favorite virtual tabletop.

Gameplay

Having wasted a significant selection of words to letting you know you only need dice, yourself, and a sheet of paper, we have finally arrived at the core concept: How do we actually play the game. What are you are getting in to? what happens at the table, and what are the expectations. Don’t worry. Its honestly not all too much.

A gaming group will contain, on average, between 4 and 8 people. One person, the Dungeon Master (DM), will be in charge of the scenarios and situations that the other people have to navigate. They will take the role of referee, narrating and deciding the actions of the Player Characters (PC’s) and every character that is not controlled by the Players (NPC) and when a decision is unknown, calling for what die roll determines the outcome. The other players will each take on the persona of a hero within the world the DM is using, and use that characters fictional background and skills to guide the players decisions, both as they interact with the world and the environment, and as they interact with other characters, both those controlled by the players and by the DM.

As a player, your role is fairly simple, but has a big impact: You will interact, as you see fit, with the world that the DM puts before you. This will involve engaging NPCs (non-player characters, or everyone in the world not controlled by the non-DM player) and reacting to the environment described. You’ll use your character as a guide, but it shouldn’t be required to justify your characters actions. People contain multitudes, and so should the characters we play. You’ll do the same with the other players and their characters, hopefully becoming friends and heroes together.

The game play loop goes something like this:

• DM describes something – an event, a person, a scene, an environment.
• The players – sometimes all of them, sometimes only a few – ask questions, interact and interrogate what the DM Described.
• The DM then details the responses – from nothing to extreme changes.

And the cycle continues, each iteration moving the scene along, often feeding into another scene, in a continuous storytelling loop. It’s a very simple concept that can be very intimidating, but don’t worry about being wrong – nothing you say or do can be wrong. It can just have different results. and if your prepared to roll with the results, to play with and alongside the other players no matter what happens, you’re doing it correctly. Some of the most fun moments will come when players make snap decisions for their characters that the table – and the DM – have to adjust to.

The Unwritten Rules

D&D is a social game, so make sure to pay attention to everyone. Try and ensure you’re not talking over others – and that others don’t talk over you. This includes the DM! Just because they are “running the game” doesn’t mean they get to be rude and disrespectful. Try and encourage one another, building a story together – be it a tragedy or a comedy, the story should be one that everyone participates in and enjoys.

Let the DM get through their descriptions and let them finish their sentences. It’s a natural impulse to interrupt in the middle of something happening because you are eager to tackle something – a treasure catches your eye or a villain reveals a fatal flaw. Let the other players get their moment to shine, as well, don’t interrupt them while they are doing their cool thing.

But, also. That doesn’t mean you should be a secondary character. Don’t be O.K with letting other people talk over you, and don’t let people steal your spotlight! Everyone should be respectful and fun and sharing in the story. It’s tough to navigate at first, as you have to navigate not only your specific personality, but also that of 3+ other people at the table. It does resolve itself fairly quickly, though, and the nervousness should fade.

Using the Math Rocks

The core conceit of the game – improvisation and storytelling – will inevitably drive the story to a place where two members of the group have differing ideas of the resolution. One character wants to stab a goblin, and the goblin – controlled by the DM – will not wished to be stabbed, for example. These can happen both between the Dungeon Master and the players, and between the players themselves. When these situations arise – and they are not generally caused by conflict between the people at the table, or even the characters in game, but by the story itself having two opposing visions – the Dungeon Master will call for a die roll. Most of the time, these die rolls will have a clear indication of success, and if that threshold is crossed, it can be easily narrated by the DM, providing the story its direction.

These rolls can be called for when the players attempt to take actions that may be uncertain in nature, or try to resist or react to something, or when they try to influence an events direction, and – most commonly – when a character attempts to attack another being with a weapon or spell.

When these rolls are called for, you’ll roll a die, most often the d20 – with the rest being used for dealing damage – and add some modifier from your character sheet. This score will be compared to the difficulty of the task that being attempted. Rolling high is the best, rolling low will likely end in failure. Success is easy to define, and there are many, many methods of failure. However, failure often brings with it room for improvisation, chances for heroics and opportunities for great storytelling. The best failures still move the game forward and they don’t humiliate the character or the player, at least not often. They should not be looked at as problematic, just a different direction.

More through the portal.

The article here is an extremely basic summary of what D&D is. It’s a game of collective improvisation and storytelling, where story beats are managed by rolls of dice, and your characters abilities are written on a sheet of paper that acts as a reference. It is a simple concept that has inspired millions, and is the foundation of so many of my best memories. All you need a small group of people, access to the rules, a set of dice, paper and pencil to get started.

But. As I am sure you have understood from the start, the game has limitless possibilities regarding both TTRPG’s and D&D games. There are 5+ editions of the game to pick from, dozens of rule books to give options and ideas to your characters, and a myriad of tools to help imagine those characters better – from art galleries to miniatures printers, terrain, dice of all styles, character sheets, binders and even crafts, each suited to your style and desire. Some people even dress as their characters, or attend full-immersion LARP (Live Action Role Play) which is WAY WAY cooler than media presents. There are countless game settings made by amazing authors and creatives with their own flavor and direction. There are generic games TTRPGs that can handle any genre or style, and there are games with super-specific conceits, narrow in scope with their own playstyle.

Taking the first steps into D&D unleashes a universe of storytelling, fun and comradery. Its introduces you to a world of places and people you can meet, to lifelong friends and infinite opportunities. I love D&D – and TTRPG’s – more than any other game, and I hope it shows. When you begin to play and create stories of your own, I hope that you’d share them with me! I love hearing every one of them!

I’m Seething Ginger everywhere, and you can share pictures and stories and everything in between with me on any site you enjoy. I’ll be there to cheer you on as you succeed and help you stand when you fall. I want to be able to provide advice, guidance, and fellowship to every person who plays these games – as long as they aren’t a gatekeeping, bigoted asshat – for as long and as often as I can.

Happy gaming!
Jonathon