I'm new to D&D: where to begin?

Question

I'm extremely new to Dungeons and Dragons and I have no idea where to start. I currently do not own any of the books or materials but really would like to get into the game.
How does one start playing D&D?
I have no friends or groups that I could join so I can't see any possible way for me to even start so I'm assuming this is a lost cause.

Should I buy the books and find a way to recruit people to join? I'm at a complete loss on how I should go about this.

(I'm really sorry if this question doesn't fit this sites guidelines as this is literally the first question I've asked and don't understand this place much).

Answer 1

Welcome to a World of Imagination

We all started from square one once. For me, my friends and I started the summer after we graduated high school. We played DnD 3.5, rolled some dice, and had a good time. Oh and we absolutely murdered the ruleset. We did actions that don't exist, made hilarious mistakes about our meager knowledge of the system, and spent more time trying to find out what our characters actually did over playing the bloody system.

But it was a good time. Because we did it together. And so to you, starting out on your own, I recommend.

Learn to play

I know that how I learn best is to study books. But it's not how everyone learns best. There's a whole host of ways to learn but the ones I want to highlight will be a common theme.

Go to a game store. I promise you that if you ask, someone will be there to teach you. At least, they'll mention their own DnD game night for when you can run a learner session. And it's a fantastic way to meet the people who you may end up playing with. Otherwise.

Learn online. As mentioned in Gabbo1092's answer, there's thousands of free online resources. For every edition of DnD there's resources to help you learn including DnD 5e's Basic Rules. There's podcasts and liveplay shows to watch other people play. And there's a community of millions spread across forums that all play and many are willing to teach. I would however, note that this method has more pitfalls, your average DnD campaign will not look like the podcasts or liveplay shows.

Remember also that this hobby is constantly changing and expanding/contracting. DnD 5e is the most popular table top rpg to exist. But DnD 4e nearly caused bankruptcy. Always continue learning.

Find a good DM

No matter what system, no matter what campaign, a good DM will make your early days that much better. And a bad DM has more than enough capability to make you put the hobby down forever.

There are many places where you can do this. Near my area, there's four hobby stores that run a DnD night once a week. This is probably the most beginner friendly way to get some IRL interaction with people across a table. And it really does get you into the social aspect of DnD.

Otherwise, Roll20 and other VTTs have their own forums where people go to pick up games online. It's not quite as social, you'll have to pick up your own snacks, but for many people this is where they start. However, it does come with a warning. In real life, you can gossip and find out if a DM is good or bad. Online, anyone can be behind the screen. So you won't know till you have a session with them.

Once you've found someone to run the game, it's simple.

Just Play

I'll let you in on the worst kept secret. Not a single person is "the best" at DnD. Sure there are more experienced players but that doesn't mean better. So just play. Run with the idea you have for a character. This stack exchange is full of answers to questions you might have later. But the best way by far to encounter a question in this hobby, is to just play.

Neither DnD, nor any ttrpg for that matter, are made to win. They're made to have a grand adventure with fellow heroes/villains and more importantly they're made to have a good time with friends. And as long as you're having fun with those friends, that's where one starts playing DnD.

Answer 2

So you want to play D&D...

_{Or one of the many other TTRPG's out there}

There are a few items of consideration with your question, from how to learn, to how to get to playing in an actual game.

Learning how to Play D&D

There are many different approaches to learning how to play the game, and there is no one-size fits all perfect answer.

1. There is of course the source material. This will include the rule books and/or campaign modules created and sold by Wizards of The Coast, such as the Starter's Set, Player's Handbook (PHB), Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), and many, many more. The books will have all the rules and explanations you need to play and then a lot more. The books can be expensive, especially for someone who has never played and isn't even certain they'll get a chance too. One alternative to buying them outright is checking out your local library as some do carry them, or looking for digital PDF versions. The other con with the books is they can be very overwhelming when you already aren't sure where to start, and you truly don't need all of that information to just get started in D&D.
2. If you have access to the internet (which I presume you do as you managed to post here), use it! There are thousands of free online resources that provide explanations for everything from general overviews to detailed guides on specific rules or mechanics. Just about any rule or text you could find from the books you'll be able to find somewhere online with additional explanations and/or examples, whether it be in a D&D wiki page, YouTube tutorial series, or on a forum such as this one.
3. Another great way is to learn from other players. Having more experienced players show you the ropes in and out of sessions, from things like how to build a character, what to add to an attack roll, or an explanation on how that one spell works. Lots of people learn by simply playing alongside more experienced people and rely on them to show you the ropes or remind you of a rule when you get lost. I know you said you don't know any groups you can join, but in the next section I'll detail some ways you may be able to find people.
4. If finding someone you can have a back and forth with isn't possible, another great options is to watch or listen to other people playing D&D. There are several recorded play shows and podcasts you can find online, of other experienced players playing the game. Some extend into full years long campaigns while others are simpler one-shots that will be wrapped up in about the length of a movie. You won't typically get an in-depth explanation of the rules from this option but you will see the roleplaying side and can usually start to get a feel for standard procedures such as combat. It can also be a great way to learn enough that you have some knowledge to run with and learn from some of the other options without being completely lost.

Getting to Actually Play A Game

There are two main ways you can get to playing a game.

1. Find people who already play and join a game with them
2. Create a group of people to start a game with

Option 1. will mean you are (probably) playing with people who to some degree, already know and like the game. This means you won't have to convince people to play, form a group, or teach them the rules. With this option you will have to put yourself out there a bit more by either looking into local gaming clubs, talking with people at your friendly local gaming store, or reaching out to form a group online. Even finding a group you can play with and join as a guest character for a session can be a great way to dip your toes into the water and try the game out.

Option 2. for some people will be easier, it all depends on the people you know and how willing they would be to trying and you would be to asking. I can speak from my own personal experience, by simply asking friends if they'd be interested in giving it a try a lot more will say yes than you may think. The major difficulty with this option is that in most (but not all) cases, if you are bringing people in to play the game, they will need more support in learning the game. Now depending on your group that can sometimes be a great thing, where everyone works to learn together, and that way you can all try things out and learn from each other, but in other cases people will want someone else to turn to and tell them how to play and if you can't be that yet it may be another barrier to entry.

Remember, for both of these options you can do so in person or online.

You can find tons of forums or groups dedicated to finding or hosting D&D games, and if you are willing to play with people you haven't met before online play can be a great option, especially if you are in a smaller town that may not have as many resources.

Does it have to be D&D?

Another point I wanted to mention is that D&D isn't the only system that's worth checking out. If you have looked into other systems already or are dead-set on D&D that's completely fine, but if not I would recommend taking at least a cursory glance at some other TTRPG (TableTop Role Playing Game) systems. There are even some that have as little as two sheets of paper for rules and require only regular six-sided dice (or d6's as you'll typically see them called here), that can be an excellent way to get a feel for playing or running RPG's without having to slog through a bunch of rules and mechanics.

The other perk of looking into other systems is you may find one with a setting or mechanics that you or other people you know may be more interested in, and that will make it that much more engaging to learn and easier to convince people to give it a try.

---

As a final note, any way you can find that will allow you to learn about or get a chance to experience D&D or any other TTRPG, will get you a little bit closer to understanding them, so don't stress too much about finding the right way to begin, just start somewhere and see where it gets you. Good luck, I hope you enjoy it as much as I and many others have!

Answer 3

Dungeons and Dragons is just one game among many

There's many Tabletop Role Playing Games out there. Of course, there's Dungeons and Dragons, one of the oldest games on the block but it's not the only one. Some consider it ok to refer to the hobby of TTRPGs as a whole as just "D&D" but it could upset some stomachs to do so, so it's better to just refer to the hobby in general as RPGs, or TTRPGs. That's why we are named rpg.stackexchange and not D&D.stackexchange.

Just to name a couple of big game names, there's Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Cyberpunk 2020, Legends of the Five Rings, the World of Darkness, and Chronicles of Darkness... A whole host of different games, and dozens upon dozens of editions!

Each game has its own style, many have their own mechanics... But it's a jungle to fight through if you lack a guide. So, if you allow, let me give you a pointer or two, so you can find what you like in this jungle of options.

What is a TTRPG and how is it played?

A Tabletop RPG is a game. The basic concept is that you and others meet up - be it in person or online - and then narrate a story. One of the people around takes the role of lead narrator, everyone else picks a specific character's role. Some games call that lead narrator the Game Master, Dungeon Master, Storyteller, or simply Narrator. They will play the tell you about the world and how every person or monster you find there reacts to the things you tell your character does. The other players all have their characters, and in return tell the GM and the other players what their character does, thinks or says. Let's listen in on Alice, Bob, David and Florence:

GM Alice: Ok, you are in the hamlet of Malchir. There's a road, three small huts, a horsecart and a handful of farmers.

Bob: "My barbarian Cohen walzes down the road and yells to one of the farmers, that he wants to know where the next dragon hides."

David: "Esmeralda Weatherwax, witch, groans as Cohen does the Barbarian stuff but follows along. When he is finished with yelling at the poor lad, she smiles at them and says: 'Sorry, he hasn't fought one in weeks. I bet he'd be content with some ale and a direction to any adventure to be had.'"

GM Alice: "Eh, ok. The Farmer stares back at Cohen, sweat gathering on his forehead before he quickly nods to Esme. He's lucky to wear brown pants it seems. 'I can tell my wife to get you some beer, and I heard there's a troll up in the mountains that way...' he stammers.

Florence: "As the word Troll falls, a screaming guy rides by on the most strange ride. It's a chest with hundreds of tiny feet, and the young man riding it is all while in the face, one hand holding his blue pointed head with the letters W I Z Z A R D..."

Well, let our friends (who clearly play in some kind of Discworld setting) alone, we intruded enough. So, the basic idea of a TTRPG is, that you tell a collaborative story together. But whenever something is to be done, when you don't exactly know if it will succeed or fail, you resort to a method of organized randomness. The most typical method is dice. Different games use different dice, and they also differ in what is a good outcome or a bad, but that is all game-specific.

But I guess that's it in a very abstract way: A TTRPG is a cooperatively told story where you at times roll dice, and D&D is but one of those games.

So, you want to play a Game...

Choose a Game-setting!

The first step, before you start with just buying rulebooks and trading money for dice is at least getting an idea of what you want to play. Because not all systems cater to everything!

Do you want to play in a tolkinesque Fantasy world or do you live for the grim and thirty Warhammer Fantasy where you slay Skaven to protect the Emprie of Karl Franz? Does being part of Cyberpunk Heists tickle your nerves? Is your palate is after gritty Corporate-Survival or do you fancy a Samurai-drama or do you seek the Grimdark future of Warhammer 40.000? Might it be a dark Urban Fantasy world you want or would you rather play in the Star Wars universe? Do you want to fight villains with Iron Man or explore the final frontier to boldly go where no man has gone before?

All of those are possibilities and there are many many more! There are games published for all of these types of settings and more, and often there are even multiple games in the same genre.

But where can I learn about...

You've chosen a style of game you want? Great! Now, you actually need to find a game that fits that.

If you want generic fantasy, you might feel interested in Dungeons and Dragons, because that's the general style that the published material is meant for. Or you reach for its counterpart Pathfinder. Both are games with their own strength and weaknesses, both have fans. And that's fine.

If you want to play a game with anthropomorphic animals exploring space after the earth was destroyed by a nanite weapon... well, good for you, even that kind of niche game exists. Yes, that's the synopsis of HC SVNT DRACONES. No, that's not a spelling mistake, yes the game is named "here be dragons" in Latin and all caps. And if it tickles your interest, that's fine too.

But where can you learn about a game that caters to what you want? Well, one of the first steps might be to look around in one of the larger forums dedicated to the hobby. We curate a list of many such places. Or you join us in chat and explain to us what kind of world you want to play in. Or you visit your local game store.

Ask around, and inform yourself, but don't impulse buy all the stuff!

^{Legal Disclaimer: Piracy of books is Copyright Infringement and costs a lot if you are caught.}

Ok, I have decided on... Can I buy stuff now?

Once you are sure you know what kind of game, or even the exact system you want, you can start to look for a group. The above-mentioned forums are a good place to start or a dedicated discord for gaming or the system you want. Familiarize yourself with the people, and about now is the time to buy the absolute bare essentials. If you already got a group now, ask them what you need as the absolute minimum, but don't let yourself be fooled. It shouldn't be more than one or two books, or a single box, which you need to start with any TTRPG.

It's generally cheaper to buy the PDFs, and https://www.drivethrurpg.com/ is most likely the biggest pdf retailer, even for games that are out of print today. Hardcovers can be acquired via Amazon, your local bookstore, or a game store.

Then you need the dice. If you play using a VTT or buy a starter Box, you don't need extra dice, as you get those with them. Otherwise, you can get those via Amazon and the game store, but Make sure to get the right dice - not all games use the same!

I got my stuff, where can I find a group?

Many ways! As suggested, you might already have joined one of the forums or discords to learn what kind of game you want, so you might as well peek into the LFG (looking for group) section and read some ads there. Ask if they are beginner friendly. You might even do this before you have your full equipment, often people are helpful and will offer to lend you their books or dice for the game nights. Or you use a Virtual Table Top anyway, which does provide the dice on its own.

Your local Game Store might have a notice board with group ads, or the shopkeeper knows a group or two. They might also offer their cellar or back room for gaming nights in a public space.

Or your school or a local university might have a game club, which in my experience offers a great chance to test out various games.

And also read this oldie but goldie question: How can I find other RPG players?

Stay safe!

Last but not least, always remember:

A white-haired elf with chrome shades: "Never deal with a dragon, choose your enemies carefully, and find your own truth."

Cut the dreck Dodger!

What I wanted to say: Stay safe in your search for a game you like and want.

Answer 4

There's a Beginner Box created specifically for people in your situation!

In fact, WotC has released several, the latest of which they call the "D&D Starter Set". This latest incarnation is subtitled Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, and available at many retailers, including Target. You can click the link I provided to look over the promotional materials. This includes streamlined rules for new players, and small adventure that you can run with as little as 2 people that will take you up to level 3. There are 2 previous such beginner boxes available too, but I understand this one is the best of the three for absoulte beginners.

Its about $20, which might seem a bit steep for something you theoretically won't be using repeatedly, but diving headlong into D&D typically involves a steep long-term commitment into books, none of which will be that cheap. So its probably worth the money to dip a toe in and make sure this is something you want to commit to.

This also helps solve your people problem, because the starter boxes have rules for playing with as few as 2 people (1 Dungeon Master and 1 player). My wife and I, while not new to the system, used a previous incarnation of the Starter Box for just that purpose. We wanted to play, but didn't know anybody else who played, so I just ran her a 1-person campaign using the starter box campaign. Fun times.

Yes, that does technically require one other person, but they don't have to be an experienced person. In a pinch you could even run the box adventure solo, if you can trust yourself to switch hats between DM and player without putting your thumb on the scale in your own behalf too much.

Answer 5

To provide a short answer with concrete actions, taking recommendations from this laptopmag article

• D&D Beyond - Looking for Players Groups
• RPGTableFinder - Tabletop Search
• Startplaying - Find Games - Note: lower personal recommendation because it costs money, yet apparently people are paying for this service.
• Meetup in the DnD topic or the Tabletop Role Playing and Board Games topic - Note: I have used this and recommend it. Lived in a town of 100,000 and had a Roleplaying group with ~650 members. Met at least five different roleplaying groups that way and several decade long friends, roommates, and people with shared interests.

From this Reddit post and this Nerdist Article (which also mentions Meetup):

• Boardgamegeek Forums - Posting topics in your region tends to be a common recommendation or looking at existing topics.
• Facebook - Checking in the Groups tab for gaming groups near your area.
• Reddit - Searching under r/DnD, r/Dungeons_and_Dragons, r/DungeonsAndDragons, r/boardgames, r/rpg, r/roleplayer, or r/Insert_Your_Region_Here

From this Reddit post

• If you work somewhere, sending out a short polite email to coworkers asking if they're gamers or know of a gaming group.
• Some local libraries have gaming days, so check their announcements or events.
• Find out if there are any gaming conventions in your area and attend.
• Occasionally, local churches will have gaming groups or gaming nights as a form of social interaction and outreach.
• Attend other events ("tupperware party" given as an example), but talk up the people there about your interest in Roleplaying and Dungeons and Dragons. Might find they already have a group. As these articles note, a lot of people started trying roleplaying games because of the Covid pandemic lockdowns. The NIH has even funded research on its positive effects on stress coping, reflection, empathy, insight, peer learning, and general mental health.

nvm, endeded up actually being a rather long answer.

Answer 6

How to play a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition (aka 'the one people are currently playing')

1. Get a copy of the rules.

For 5e Dungeons & Dragons, which is the most played (especially online) ttrpg and version of D&D at the moment, you want a copy of the Player's Handbook. You don't need anything else. Keep in mind, older editions also had player's handbook - you want the '5e' '5th edition' one.

Alternatively the rules are available for free on dndbeyond (under 'game rules') a popular character sheet repository/game management tool. Some other wikis and locations will have non-official content mixed in so keep that in mind if accessing that. Non official content is often accepted but must be run by the person running the game (the dungeon master, dm, or game master, gm) first.

2. Find a game.

An online game is generally fine, but usually more difficult to roleplay in than in person. Video rather than just voice helps a lot with this.

Reddit is the most active place to look for online games currently. Games run in local gaming stores can be okay, but are often intended to be casual, dungeon-crawling focused, and I've never actually had one ever be as fun as non-store-based groups can get.

Many games are terrible and reading articles on ttrpg red flags can help you sort through them and test them out until you find one that is fun. Being choosy is a good thing here.

The absolute best way to start playing D&D is to convince some people you know to give it a go and set up a very basic adventure for them to go on. Base it on a book you read, or find some ideas online. Pre-made adventure modules can be okay, but they are also notorious for being extremely combat heavy and often very railroady which is designed to work at conventions and game stores with strangers (combat and railroad is easiest way to play a game with strangers) but if you already know and get along with the other people at the table, it is far easier to just run something you made up and you shouldn't need railroads or lots and lots of combat to avoid awkward social interaction with strangers.

To run a game, you will probably want the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual, but the monsters at least can largely be found online (via that same website) and most of the DMG can be boiled down to 'don't be a dick' and 'make some stuff up'.

3. Play the game.

If playing, you will need to create a character. For that you typically want a picture (pinterest is great to find these), a name, a description, and some stats, the 'character sheet'. dndbeyond guides you through the character sheet creation progress if you select create a character there, but the player's handbook also explains how to go about doing this.

If playing online, there will likely be a vtt (virtual table-top) involved, like roll20, foundry, or owlbear rodeo. Those are browser based sites where you can import an image to be the map, and move tokens around to represent the characters on it, as well as roll (virtual) dice. Foundry is locally hosted, the others aren't. Setting this up is the DM's job generally, and as a player you will simply be required to log into it, create an account, maybe press some buttons or learn some commands if they've set up fancy macros.

If running the game you will need a basic premise ('the characters get hired by a reclusive baron to investigate some disappearances amongst the quarry workers. it's an evil witch using mind control potions disguised as disease cures to procure sacrificial victims, but she and her pawns don't make finding this out easy'). Beyond that, some maps (you can find many online for free, search 'dnd battle maps' or the like) for combats or investigation scenes, some descriptions of places or people, maybe some art for prominent npcs in your game (pinterest is good for this) and some idea about how you will draw people into scenes, get them to talk amongst themselves, and some problems to give them to solve (violently or otherwise). An understanding of how ability checks and skill checks work in D&D is also helpful (from the player's handbook) to know what rolls to ask players for when they eg, try to seduce someone, steal a horse, or set fire to a barn. Reading these articles by the Alexandrian is likely a good idea too, it's the most comprehensive set of GMing stuff i've seen that I agree with.

The basic gameplay loop is that the DM describes a scene or situation and players then speak in their character's voice, describe their character's actions, or discuss things in their own voice 'ooc' - 'out of character'. Upon taking an action, the DM will sometimes ask for a roll - for D&D this is typically a d20 (20 sided die) + a modifier from your character sheet. You add the modifier to the roll, get the total, and report that (or the DM can see it directly via the VTT). This informs the success or failure (and degree thereof) of that action.

It's perfectly normal for there to occasionally be confusion about if something was out-of-character or in-character, or someone misunderstanding the situation and eg trying to walk across the chasm to the other side of the room. People are not generally held to professional acting standards and simply being willing to put yourself out there and be silly if necessary to try to play the role of the character is a great starting point.

It's very hard to get ttrpgs 'wrong', as it's a talk-based cooperative social activity, and although there's nearly always room to do it better the by far greatest barrier to playing these imagination games is hesitancy or fear of getting it wrong. So be brave, do a silly voice, and be like a goblin or something. Have fun with it.

Answer 7

There are online hosted groups. I haven't used them and make no recommendations but for reference, see

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/home/home.php

https://roll20.net/

EDIT Accepting the criticisms in the comments and having read the recommended meta post, I'm adding a little more to this answer but I am aware that my personal lack of knowledge may make my answer fall short of the site requirements.

Here is a comprehensive review by a user of several online groups. They may save the OP a lot of time in deciding whether or not to pursue this approach.

18 months on : FG vs. Roll20 vs Foundry https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?70355-18-months-on-FG-vs-Roll20-vs-Foundry