Hello all of you. Me and two friends of mine want to start playing D&D (RL). Thing is, we don’t exactly know what things we need and none of us has any DM or player experience. We have ordered the player’s handbook (3.5 edition) and my question is, would it be doable to see if we like it with just the player’s handbook (otherwise it becomes a great investment without knowing if we actually like it)? We are familiar with CRPG’s like Baldur’s Gate, BG 2 and Neverwinter Nights (and a lot more but I’ll spare you the list ;)). Also I have 1 and a half year of online roleplaying experience (the MMORPG Ultima Online). Could you also give some advice on what things you can download (dice rollers, character viewers, rulebooks, modules etc.? Thank you for your help!
Looks to the smilies Ooh, Chrono Trigger characters!
Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2 and Neverwinter Nights use the rules of D&d 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions, respectively. You’ll be very familiar with most of what you’ll read in the book.
My advice is to read the DM handbook since it cointains things that the computer did automatically for you without telling you in those PC games. For example, in NWN, the computer does the morale rolls automatically and it only tells it when someone fails. The DM handbook contains all the rules on morale. And so on for a lot of small things.
Also make sure to read the player’s handbook, there are small things in it too.
BTW, the manuals in PDF that you find in the CD’s of the games you said are condensed versions of D&D DM, player and monstrous manuals of their respective editions (very, very condensed and most of them is about the player’s handbook). So if you have the DM handbook, NWN manual will do while you don’t get yourself a player’s handbook.
After two hours of character creation, which were great fun, I let my friends start out in an inn, where they have just spent the night. I ask what will you do, and one of m immediately wanted to search the inn for hidden doors… Spent too much time in the Copper Coronet in BG2
Ah, we’ve allready bought Player’s Handbook and DM guide… Will download Monster Manual for the next few sessions, and if we still think it is fun, my friend will buy it
