Welcome to D&D!

I was trying to explain D&D and I wanted to get it down on paper so that it would be easier to reference later. ^^

Welcome to 

Dungeons & Dragons

Hello, hello! Thank you so very much for your interest in my absolute favorite game, Dungeons & Dragons, often shortened to D&D.

What is D&D?

D&D is a tabletop role-playing game played with paper, pencil, and a set of – let’s be honest – some pretty weird-looking dice. It can be played with any number of players, so long as one person can serve as your Dungeon Master (DM).

What the heck is a Dungeon Master?

Is this some weird, sexual, BDSM thing? Not at all! A DM’s job is a combination of storyteller and, well, cat wrangler. A DM prepares a world for the players to play in, helps figure out how the rules apply to certain situations, what treasure there is to find, all sorts of things. Want to fight bad guys, dragons, or ancient eldritch horrors? Your DM decides all of that, with your input. Essentially, a DM is the God of your gaming experience!

What do you do?

Short answer? You roll dice and do some math. Long answer? You sit down at a table and, with your other party members, leave your world behind to become anyone of your imagination. Bob the copy clerk? He could be Ragnar, the outcast barbarian just looking for someone to call his friend. Lisa at the coffee shop? She could be Al’Rissa Syldor, a half-elven ranger hell bent on revenge against the dragon that destroyed her home.

… it’s a nerd thing, isn’t it?

Nope. I’ve seen 6’ 4” hardcore football jocks play it. I’ve even seen a group 65+ seniors play it. Anyone can learn, anyone can have fun, and I think everyone should.

Fun fact: that 6’ 4” jock? When attempting to gain information from a known scummy shopkeep, Grog’s player asked, “Wait, I can do anything I want?”  “Sure.”   “Okay, I want to put my hand around his throat, pick him up, and hold him against the wall.” The DM asked the player to roll one of the dice to intimidate the shopkeep. Needless to say, he succeeded his roll. Shopkeep was damn intimidated.

Okay, what else do you do other than play make-believe and roll dice?

Well, when you put it that way, um…

You build strong connections with people. Accomplishments from the game bleed over into reality that can become fond memories. “Man, you remember when we punched that dragon in the face until it surrendered?” is as real as, “Remember when Kelly got drunk at the office Christmas party?”

Even though the game mainly takes place in your mind, the feeling of success is real whether or not you truly experienced it. D&D gives a sense of accomplishment that one may not otherwise find in real life. Bob the copy clerk? Maybe he doesn’t find fulfillment or find his job rewarding, but he does it because, hey, he needs a job… but as Ragnar? He can topple kingdoms, pummel his oppressors, or just have a nice night out with Al’Rissa.

This sounds like a lot. What do I as a player need to do?

Honestly? Take a seat at the table. Bare minimum. You’ll be given a character sheet with everything done for you.

But… this sounds like fun, I want to do more!

Great! Grab a character sheet and let’s get started!

First decide what race you want your character to be. Each race comes with its own bonuses and abilities. Next, choose a class. Want to beat stuff up? You have options! Want to cast spells? More options! All right, now that you have all of that, here comes the really fun stuff.

Pick a name. Does it reflect your character? Or did you pick whatever sounded good at the time? Burt Reynolds, esquire? Sure! Jacques Clouseau? Why not? Try to pick something that maybe means something to you/your character.

About how old is your character? 10? 30? 500?

What is your character’s story? Was their homeland destroyed by orcs? Family killed by goblins? Why did they decide to become an adventurer?

Be creative and have fun with it!

Need an example? I’m happy to brag a little about one of my characters, a Tiefling who aspired to be a cleric - a healer - but she was turned away from the temple due to her demon heritage. Sad and disheartened, she found her way in the care of an old swamp hag who took care of her and taught her the ways of magic. She became an adventurer to earn money to send back to the hag to help her make ends meet.

So there you have it; there's so much more you can do,

but these are just basics. The #1 rule? Have fun!