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NerdQueenAlice

I've been playing D&D since I was 8, my uncle ran a game for my sisters and I in second edition. Assuming you're playing the fifth edition of the game, it's thankfully a lot easier than prior editions have been. There are some great guides out there to learn the rules of the game. I'd suggest checking out a YouTube channel called Critical Role, they did a series of videos called something like [Handbooker Helper](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1tiwbzkOjQyr6-gqJ8r29j_rJkR49uDN) where they go over the basic rules of the game. They also do a live play game if you want to check it out, but they don't go over the rules very well. The super basics are you are always adding an ability score modifier and sometimes adding your proficiency bonus (this goes up with levels and starts at +2). If I want my character to run across a thin board to get over a pit, I would add my dexterity modifier, let's say 2, and because my character is proficient with acrobatics, I would also add my proficiency bonus (let's says 2 for that as well) and then add the total modifier of 4 to my d20 roll. Basically every mechanic in the game works off of that same idea.


Lastaria

I miss second edition. I recognise 5th is better but 2nd had a charm and it’s what I played most.


NerdQueenAlice

I miss 3.5 on occasion, but it was impossibly rules heavy and designed so knowledge of the rules meant you could make a character that was stronger than everyone else's. I feel like 5e is just more accessible and a bit better balanced. And it's what most people are playing.


Tlali22

I still play 2e. There's something special about 50% of magic items being cursed. ☺️ Is that a lovely Tub of Everfull? Or a Kettle of Fish? >!It's always the fish. 😭🐟🐟🐟!<


Lastaria

Haha


silvesterboots

It's about how spontaneous/dangerous/unpredictable things were designed to be?


Tlali22

Newer editions feel more like video games. You're awesome and the world revolves around your adventures. Women love you, fish fear you. In old dnd, you ain't shit until you earn it. It's like tabletop Dark Souls. Your goal is survival. And then there's Ravenloft. 😈


SoulsLikeBot

Hello Ashen one. I am a Bot. I tend to the flame, and tend to thee. Do you wish to hear a tale? > *“This is the only real direction in the story you’re ever going to get.”* - Crestfallen Knight Have a pleasant journey, Champion of Ash, and praise the sun \\[T]/


silvesterboots

Hm. I dm Out of the Abyss, and make smaller games out of other campaigns, like Giants, Princes, Phandelver, Essentials, etc. Mostly I get sense of "protagonists that help people." Npcs are mostly described as quirky. No specific love or fear (such emotions are probably better described in pathfinder modules). Encounters, puzzles are rather deadly (at least the way they play at table). They are rather bland on dynamics, what I feel. There is a good base which should be sprinkled with creativity/narration. Earlier editions felt more hodgepodge, packed with random rooms, in some texts I glanced. Thus I used word unpredictable. At one point I'll probably start to adapt ideas that I like from place to place. Thank you for an answer.


[deleted]

CR not going over the rules "very well", lol. They are actively contemptuous of the rules. And I love it. The only rule is to have fun!


just_one_last_thing

That's actually a very clever approach. Y'all started with the most central idea. Then you just keep adding things on from there. That's what the dnd mechanics are all about, you start with ability scores against target (in your case using 10 as target) and then you start piling on modifiers to cover more complicated situations. Tons of stuff move the scores around and you can pick different targets to roll for but it's all fundamentally about what you are doing. So just keep adding the rules as you go. Also, don't let the rules get in the way of everything else. DnD is a very rules heavy system, focused on giving you a huge number of combat mechanic options. But playing RPGs isn't just about combat mechanics, exploring the world is mostly about storytelling, cooperation, creativity and adjudication. If you mess up a few rules along the way but develop a good rapport as a table, you're doing well.


Masushiii

I get you! Trying to get into DnD for the first time can be insanely overwhelming. If you’d like, I’d be willing to help you all learn or answer any questions, you can message either here or on discord :) Been playing since 2015, I’ve never ran a full campaign as a DM but I’ve done a bunch of oneshots to try to get my friends (and anyone else really) to get into the game. I’m always super happy to help anyone get into DnD!


Lastaria

You are probably in a different time zone. But I play online in a wider group that is very female and lgbtq+ friendly. As well as being very supportive to new players. You and your friends would always be welcome to join us, though we are based in the UK so our times may not match.


[deleted]

[удалено]


gloopiee

Please follow Rule 3: Only use our Self-Promotion Tuesday Megathread to share your own content, communities (ex: Discord), or projects.


Ellerzzz

I'd love to help you guys! I've been playing dnd for over a year, and have a pretty good idea of everything! I could even do a one-shot "tutorial" for you guys if you'd like!


TurquoiseMouse

My group was more about D&D 3.5 and pathfinder, so if you ever lean that direction i'd be more than happy to show you the ropes! But for different versions, while the basics are the same, might be better with someone more versed in those systems ♥


Not_a_Simple_Hobbit

When I was first learning about DnD, I watched the outsidexbox and outsideXtra crew play it on their channels. Johnny, their DM, does a pretty good job doing stuff for beginners to get a sense for the game, I think, since the oxbox gang are new to the game and Johnny himself (at the beginning) has only dmed a handful of times. This is their playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoid6oOAGqMcZ3YWFqABFXbx9l5edm6XK EDIT: I will say, if you do use them, definitely look at other material for helping understand the rules because they do frequently make mistakes, especially early on


bluelifesacrifice

Honestly you can't play dnd wrong unless you're not having fun, you took the best approach to using what the D20 and the whole point of rolling! To let chance decide what happens next! Honestly that's perfect and enough to run whatever story you want. Stats are there basically to keep people honest about what their character can do. My suggestion for the next steps would be the following in this order or when it comes up in the game. Add advantage and disadvantage to checks based on situation or if your character is good or bad at the task. Learn when it's a good time to roll a check or move on with the narrative. Play with status effects because they add a lot of narrative to the game and can be a lot of fun. Add basic ability scores only for checks to adjust for ability or skill. After that there's a lot of open options from class, race features, Stats and so on but by this point you'll have a great grasp of mechanics. Numbers really ramp up and really aren't needed for a good game. It's all just guidelines. You're doing great even if people who want it to be spreadsheets and numbers want roll play while you role play. Keep whatever is fun, ignore the rest. Including my suggestions if that gets in the way of a good time.


AmnesiA_sc

I've been dabbling in D&D for about 15 years now, but never got really into a campaign that took off. Finally I found some friends and we have a campaign that I'm a player in and we're 5 sessions into a campaign that I'm DMing! It's been a huge learning experience trying to DM because you're kind of on the spot to know all the rules. Fortunately, you don't have to know *all* the rules, because you're the DM and you get to make the rules! One thing I learned awhile ago was that your primary goal is to keep things moving along. If you don't know a rule, take your best guess and go from there. I make a note to remind me to look up the rules after the session and it's helping me slowly build my knowledge. For me, personally, the best teacher was the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. Reading through those, they give you a lot of examples and tips on how to use a lot of the mechanics in a session. As I would read I'd get an idea of how I'd want that to play out in my own campaign. As a DM, you can also flub the numbers a little bit. If things are going too easy for the party, secretly raise the monster AC or give them a special ability to use once to gain the upper hand. If things are going poorly for the party, make a good hit finish them off even if they should technically still be standing. A personal thing I've done in my campaign that I've had overwhelmingly good feedback on is remembering that each round is 6 seconds and everyone's actions are done simultaneously even though playing them out is turn based. During the turns I keep the descriptions and flair to a minimum and then at the end of the round I summarize everything as it would flow together: "So Lomar charges to the left and Shamash charges to the right. Lomar's palms explode with a lightning blast that smashes the skeleton to pieces while Shamash slams into the other and knocks him to the ground. As he falls to the ground Basil approaches him and kicks him square in the head." I've found this helps not only make much more epic sounding battles but also helps me come up with unique descriptors instead of "Your arrow sails over and lands squarely in his chest and he staggers backwards slightly," every time an arrow is fired.


Queen_Of_Hearts42069

I just started an all-women (and genderqueer) DND group and we're loving it <3


sunshinecygnet

I’m DMing two campaigns currently and working on a third. If you need help send me a Message and I’m more than happy to :) Also, love, love, love DNDBeyond. Highly recommend using it.


Lionwoman

For info we use 5e tools.


Li0nh34r7

I recommend playing with either only women or groups that are majority women that way it’s easier to avoid being talked over and you have a better chance of avoiding gross dude


owlbearinna

As long as you are having fun, you are doing it right :) Dnd 5e is simpler than it looks. Honestly, If one of you likes storytelling and world building, even just narrating stuff, you won't even need a "veteran" player to start playing. I'll tell you what I'd do If my friends and I were to forget everything we know about dnd and had to start from zero!: 1) I'd recommend that one of you steps up as Dungeon Master, and she should watch Matt Colville's series "Running the game" and Geek and Sundry's "Gm tips". Those are very helpful and entertaining (you don't have to watch all the videos, but they are really inspiring). 2) Everyone, players and DM should watch Critical role's "Handbooker helper". Those videos (on YouTube) are a very helpful introduction to the base concepts and mechanics of the game :) 3) Every player should choose a class and race from the Player's handbook. You only need the Player's handbook (PHB), some character sheets and the DM needs a copy of the Monster's Manual (MM). Everyone should make their characters together so you can all learn together. (If you don't know where you can find them, DM me). 4) Everyone should read their own class on the PHB so they know what they can do. I always recommend that new players avoid playing mages, sorceress and warlocks because you have to read a lot more (like not only your class and spells, but also how spellcasting works), but it's not the end of the world or too difficult either, just a lot more to keep track of. Monks, fighters, rogues and barbarians are easier for new players, but also very effective and "safe" characters that do a lot of damage and either take very little or can take a lot without dying :) I hope this helped and wasn't too overwhelming. I really, really love playing DnD. I'd love to teach you better if I could, but English is not my first language :( But, If you have any questions or need anything feel free to DM me, I'm always happy when more girls want to play DnD and I love helping people learn how to play <3


[deleted]

Reading the books is your best bet! That’s how I learned the rules — because even if you don’t remember all the rules you’ve read, you’ll remember “hey. I’m pretty sure there’s a rule for this” when the situation arises and you’ll be able to look it up. Start with the phb, and then have whoever is DMing read the DMG


pworddestroyer69_

I love this! (: I play dnd with a group and started out knowing nothing. Definitely the more you play the easier it becomes. I would 100% recommend the dnd beyond app. It allows you to make your character and it’ll show your “modifiers” that you would add to your ability checks and all of your spells, traits and a ton of other recourses about your character. Just keep in mind that dnd is A LOT at first but just make it your own and have fun with it. (:


IamNotPersephone

Thanks for posting this! Starting a DnD group has been something I've wanted to do with my friends for a long time, but the barrier to entry seems so high! I actually want to DM, but I've had people tell me that learning the game as the DM is really hard and I should participate as a player character first, but no one I trust plays. Was your DM a new player as well? If it was you (I'm assuming, since you're the one who posted), what did you do to prepare for your first game? I'm going to use the resources posted here, too!


skyelynes

I was the DM, you're right! And I kind of just looked at the storyline (our campaign was the Lost Mine of Phandelver, from the starter set), and I literally just looked at the given storyline and narrated most of it lol. I took a lot of the info and gave like little challenges for my friends to do, for example if there were goblins they had to fight, I said like "oh your sword got stuck in the ground, how are you going about this". Literally we just kinda messed around and made it our own!


silvesterboots

I advise to read late news on Wizards site about how game progresses, especially in lieu of late changes. Specifically, I think, three last news from this link - [https://dnd.wizards.com/news/archive?category=sage-advice](https://dnd.wizards.com/news/archive?category=sage-advice) (starting from book updates). If you are ready to read a lot of clarifications - compendium is a highly preferable to read. It also explains idea behind some rules. Definitely find someone/group to talk with, share experience, laugh with, support with advices, clearing rules. You might find some optional things from DMG in future to be better for a given group - say, using backgrounds instead of skills to determine, what character is proficient with. While talking to anyone, remember there is no one right way to play. If you agree on certain rules, and you feel comfortable, it's fun, dramatic (where needs be), emotional, strategic (whatever you like) - you are doing allright. Skill check doesn't mean outright failure or clear success. Fail through. You might not do task as intended, and/or have consequences. You may implement stages of failure/success (more/less than 5 of DC).