So I've never played DnD before in my life. I live in Norway and there really isn't a big scene for tabletop games, and so I've never been subjected to this glory before joining the world wide web. What I'm mostly looking to do is start up with some DnD this summer with some irl mates, as they have shown interest in the game like me. However, I'm not really sure how to go about it. Firstly I've seen there's a lot of different "types?" of DnD out there, especially the different boxed DnD games. Now i know there's a pen and paper model, but I'm really looking for something visual. I wanna be the gamemaster as I will be the one learning the game, and I wanna be able to have that evil grins as i sit behind some small cover as my friends roll the die of demise. So I wonder, is there any way to obtain a set of the game that fulfills my desire? I wanna play the version of DnD that I've seen in old internet memes. So far the boxed copies I've found in my country are coop DnD where there's no gamemaster at all. But i want to have the gamemaster version where the other players don't really cooperate but compete to win (if that even is a version of DnD or I'm delusional). I'm asking here cause I've overheard there are people in Xen who play DnD, and I know its also a lot bigger in the US than it is around here Thank you for your time
Play DND 5E otherwise named DnD next. Are you playing in person or over the internet using roll 20? Youll be better of doing the starter campaigns like the current big one is Hoard of the Dragon Queen. you will also need a dm guide and players guide (i have both in pdf version) @Mishka
We wanna play in person Yeah I know there's a lot to get into being the DM (which will be me as I'm gonna be the one hosting) they do have the "Hoard of the Dragon Queen" on sale here. Would you recommend that one as a starter for brand new players? @Ironjaw I notice there's stuff like "Wrath of Ashardalon", but I'm guessing that's different.
Yeah that should be fine, just check the suggested levels. There is a newbie campaign before that as well, so maybe start there. Its called “The Lost Mines of Phandelver.” I would start there and get the Hoard of the Dragon queen for a follow up. I would say have everyone run that campaign and see how it goes. If people want to change characters a little bit be flexible when you start the next leg of the campaign. Theres another module that goes right after Hotdg called Rise of Tiamat. The books arent perfect, you will need to do some hand holding and come up with some encounters or logic that the book doesn't provide. The DM guide should serve you well and the players guide should cover the players. You may need or want a monsters manual as well. But the books themselves are pretty self contained now a days so no need to blow $300 on books right off the bat. Like I said I have them in pdf on google drive and can share if you use a tablet or laptop. 1. your pcs will do everything you dont want them to and nothing you need them to do 2. they will piss you off, remember the game is about having fun not punishing them 3. let them enjoy winning 4. dont be afraid to push them to their limits, if it makes sense for them to lose let them lose (or give them a way to escape) 5. House rules are allowed, if something is cheesey or doesnt make sense in the rules DM has final say 6. If you want rotate out who DM's for each campaign book, we change it up every time we complete a book by either changing to a different campaign with different characters or we play the star wars rpg. 7. as a new DM youll probably not want to allow conflicting alignments or have a rogue that robs the party all the time. Its a chore and usually only one person has fun while trolling the whole rest of the group 8. let the players kind of make their own kinship, maybe give them a back ground as a mercenary troop that met on the road or local militia or something and kind of let them figure out their own relationship and who the face of the group is (the one who talks)
Regarding this: The GM version has a game master more or less to drive the story, adjudicate when players do weird things not explicitly covered by the rules, and so on. It's still usually co-operative; while it's possible to play a campaign where players compete against each other, it isn't the usual standard. (It's also kind of a minefield in D&D, and I wouldn't recommend it unless the players know exactly what they're getting into.)
Yeah conflicting ones are hard to manage and to keep the pace of. However @Mishka we have done evil campaigns, like everyone plays drow or rogues in a rogues guild etc. where the characters are necessarily friends but work together for a common goal and kind of work against each other to their own gains. The only problem is its super easy for pcs to kill and f each other over so you usually need some over arching fear or reason to keep them alive. (like the Drow Mother will eternally torture them if something happens to each other, or the thief prince will chop their beans off etc)