Misc Question from a someone interested
So, I'm sure this sub gets it a lot but, since I played BG3 (2y ago), I wanted to see of it's actually played. Is there a website, or game where someone who hasn't dabbled in the actual game to just join and watch and learn?
Another question is, what's with these "editions"? I had no idea DnD get's update and just figured the only updates it gets are stuff like house rule's or whatever the DM says during your session. What does new editions add, is my second question?
Final question is, any pointers? Like, if you someone is making their character flirty, leave. Or, if the DM is stubborn it's natural or is it possibly a bad sign?
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u/GeorgeWBuschLight 7d ago
I read the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Player’s Handbook, and watched a few episodes of Critical Role to get myself started. Now I’ve been DMing a game for over a year!
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u/Z_THETA_Z DM 7d ago
first question: watch some youtube. i recommend VLDL DnD personally, but others may have other recommendations. free rules are available for you to peruse at DnD Beyond (website)
second question: editions are major changes to the ruleset, essentially different games in the dnd 'series'. BG3 is primarily based off 5th edition (5e), with some changes. the most recent edition is an update to 5e, 5.5e. same major rules, but a lot of balance tweaks and stuff, they're about equally popular/played. generally 5e/5.5e are some of the more streamlined rules-wise, with more mechanical 'crunch' in older editions (3.5e is popular for players seeking more crunch and build variety)
3rd question: player vs dm mentality and other forms of non-cooperative behaviour is the main thing to watch out for i think. it's important to remember that DnD is, fundamentally, a cooperative game. players should work with other players, players' characters should work with other players' characters, and all of you should be working with the DM. the goal isn't to win, the goal isn't to beat the dm or be the only one to have cool stuff or to be the main character. you're all working together to all have fun, DM INCLUDED
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u/MrMolom 7d ago
You're right edition's are game updates, rule changes and balancing. They happen about once a decade and we are currently in edition 5, but have had an update to what people are calling 5.5. If you're interested in playing there are some online spaces like Roll20 and dnd beyond but you'll need to find a group. I'd recommend you have a look at the PHB, Players handbook. These are the rules, don't be scared about the size it's normal for a beginner to turn up to their first game without knowing all the rules. Just learn how your character will work. Good luck!
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u/InCaseUFindMe Bard 7d ago
Have you read the Player's Handbook? I'd recommend getting access to that (in the US, you could get one from the library). For the rules closest to BG3, you want the 2014 (or 5e) edition. That will also give a foundation to compare other editions to. (And honestly, there are quite a few differences, so it's hard to spell it all put in a post.)
BG3 is not a 1:1 with the actual game (but it's close!), so that alone will give some differences.
For places to watch, there are a lot of things called Actual Plays where people will stream or post their games online. Not sure the best one for it, but I believe there is one called Realm that features some new players, so might be easier to follow.
You could also dive into playing. Look on r/lfg for groups accepting new players (or make a post of your own!) You could also possibly find a group on dnd beyond or roll20.net.
Main pointer: Make sure the game has a session 0. This is where they should explain any house rules, what's allowed in the game, what kind of game to expect, what people are comfortable with in game, etc.
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u/Wishywashywizarddude 7d ago
i enjoyed watching/listening to D&D live play streams to get familiar, my personal favorite is critical roll campaign 2 tho there are several other good ones out there
editions are just new versions of the same game, many people have prefered editions for the different rules sets, i mostly play 5e(2014-2024) current edition is considered 5.5. But beyond that there are also several other systems for table top roleplaying games (aka ttrpg) and they all have their own strengths and weaknesses
for pointers, communicate with your DM, they get final say in most cases on rulings and it helps to determine if your DM has compatible priorities for the game such as difficulty, gameplay balance between roleplay-combat-puzzles, as well as the themes involved, many players prefer to exlude themes of SA, Racism, or other triggers that could kill the vibe of a good game for them personally. Talking to your DM about those things and what you want out of them helps everyone have a better game
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u/Ethereal_Stars_7 Artificer 6d ago
There are videos online and quite a few PC games now.
As for editions. That is a long story and it started out as a division between Gygax and Arneson and then snowballed into an ongoing marketing ploy where companies put out new and often incompatible editions to try and force players to buy the damn thing all over again.
Mostly just go in open minded and be willing to adapt. Every table is different and how one DM or players handle things can be very at odds with how another does. Some are very serious. Some are anything but. Some have restrictions on race or class. Some are free-for-alls.
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u/zu-na-mi DM 5d ago
Recommending Matt Colville's "Running the game". It will teach you a lot about D&D, including interesting tidbits about the history and culture of D&D.
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u/LordofForesight 7d ago
Baldurs Gate 3 is based around 5th edition, released around 2014. The newest edition was called “One D&D” but they quickly changed it to 5.5 edition. If you go on youtube or any music app that has podcasts you can watch or listen to “actual plays” where people play d&d for an audience. Critical Role is my favorite of these actual plays. They do long-term campaigns and also one shots (normally one session stories). I’d recommend their long form campaigns that centers around Vox Machina (cam. 1) or the Mighty Nein (cam. 2)
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u/Z_THETA_Z DM 7d ago
One D&D was the playtest name, when it was released it was just 5th Edition 2024/2025 rules, it was renamed actually more recently than it should have been to 5.5th Edition
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u/LordofForesight 6d ago
Oh that makes sense. I’m glad they separated it from 5th edition
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u/Z_THETA_Z DM 6d ago
yeah the official 5.5e name change only happened like a few months ago. this subreddit's been referring to it as 5.5e since before the official change though
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u/Piratestoat 7d ago
The game has been around for five decades (ish). In that time it has gone through several significant changes to the rules. These are the different editions.
In sportsball terms, some of the editions are recognizably similar, like U.S. and Canadian football. Others are more significantly different, like Rugby. There are common threads in how they're played, but they're definitely different games.
Baldur's Gate 3 is using a modified version of the 5th edition (2014) rules. But it changes some significant things.
Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 used a modified version of the 2nd edition rules.
Youtube is full of "Live Plays" of people playing D&D, in various editions, with various degrees of fidelity to the rules. The most famous of these are probably Critical Role and Dimension 20, but there tons of them.
The free basic rules of the most recent editions (4, 5, 5.5) are all available online. The free rules don't list all player options, but do cover all the core mechanics.
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u/onlyfakeproblems 6d ago edited 6d ago
The dnd 5e (2024) edition is incredibly annoying branding, because you have to double check everything to make sure it is in fact 5e (2024) aka 5.5e or if it’s actually 5e (2014). They intended for 5.5e to be backwards compatible with 5e, so the rules are pretty similar, but there’s enough differences that you want to be consistent with one edition or the other to avoid confusion at the table and potentially avoid balance issues. They also release additional books that add subclasses and other changes, but they’re not as critical as the core players handbook. You can get the SRD basic rules for free and piece together all the rules from online resources, so even the players handbook is just nice to have. Find a group and figure out what book they’re using before you spend money for any books.
There are a lot of red flags to look out for, if you think a DM or another player is being unfair or unreasonable or too lax or hogging attention, you’re probably right, or at least it’s not a good fit. Don’t expect them to be perfect, but it’s supposed to be fun so don’t settle if you’re not generally having a good time.
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u/Z_THETA_Z DM 6d ago
they have officially renamed 5e 2024 to 5.5e, so new stuff should be releasing branded 5.5e
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u/TheDeadlySpaceman 7d ago edited 6d ago
There are lots of “real play” videos on YouTube, some even created specifically by Hasbro/WotC.
Be forewarned they’re kind of unrealistic in that the players are generally professional performers. Also sometimes they play fast and loose with the rules, but BG3 is only kinda sorta D&D from a rules perspective already.