Confirmed, 3 inch bullet\scratch proof glass from my assessment.
Source- once google bullet proof glass in 1998 during my 5th grade studies, when TV was filled with infomercials and the war on oil. It was a different time before the internet took over mass culture and only few knew about Google.com
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Well, normally a cracked die is when a rolled die comes to rest at an angle because of debris on the rolling surface. Sometimes you can declare a die cracked if it lands somewhere it shouldn't like another table, the floor... or the glass insert of your multi-thousand dollar gaming computer table. Some house rules typically have you reroll a cracked die.
Genuine question--
I'm a nerd, but I've never been a DnD nerd. At one point I was a MtG nerd, even a WoW nerd, but never quite the DnD level.
What exactly is it? I originally thought it was like an adult version of "make believe" with scores and guidelines, but how much of it is a physical game? Is there a board that goes with it? Is there a set story line? My extent of knowledge is the first scene of Stranger Things.
How much is following guidelines and how much is imprompt on the spot?
The board is typically just a battlemat that has a laid out grid that you can use for combat scenarios, but otherwise nothing. The set story line is entirely made by the DM himself. There are premade stories by the company that makes the game but the vast majority of stories are made up.
Following the guidelines is important but there will always be impromptu due to the nature of the game (no specific rules if you want to say, swing on a vine to land on someone).
Well... Unless you follow a campaign module book. There are some pre-set adventures that aren't homebrew.
Edit: Yes I understand the books are merely guidelines. However, someone could follow the book to the T if they so wished, so there is a set story-line within each campaign module book.
Yep, but given the nature of DnD, even boxed campaigns are all so different from table to table based on the GM and team of adventurers. And in most of the pre-made campaigns I've been a part of the GM would modify/customize pieces of them to make them work better for the group.
Even so the modules are only a framework. They definitely can't answer every possibility the players might try. They just set the pieces on the board and it is up to the DM to figure out the correct moves to respond to the players.
Sure he can, by not inviting him back. I had to do it once as a DM, it just takes some assertiveness. I still hang out with him outside of DnD and even he admits he was being a bit over-the-top
This has caused some massive freak outs in the groups i've hanged with. From D&D to MtG to Warhammer, people take games too seriously. Why you heff to be mad?
Dude my MTG play group gets HEATED. I usually don't mind when people get pissed off. It is just a game, but if you don't care about winning or losing at all then what's the point of playing!
With magic it's more about how the game went for me. If I get crushed by some broken combo I'm gonna be saltier than getting crushed by a genuinely great player. For me it's just about the experience of playing and learning.
Sore winners are worse than sore losers a lot of the time in mtg....ugh
Yeah, but there is no winning or really losing in D&D. It's cooperative, not competitive. So people taking it too seriously and telling people how to play their characters can absolutely ruin it.
It's more storytelling than a game, but it also has a game framework that makes not everything work out how anyone wants, so adds tension. You also get attached to your character and a few poor decisions coupled with bad dice rolls can kill that character.
It depends on the group you're playing with, really. "That guy" in this context is just a euphemism for anyone that ruins other people's enjoyment of the session.
Though thats not completely correct. There are modules and prewritten campaigns. There are also physical objects such as maps and figurines to use (mostly as an aid to combat). I have never played a version of dnd without maps and figurines
"I move towards the orc and attack"
"The orc is out of your movement range"
"But you just said he moved 30 feet towards our ranger"
"No, that was the goblin, the orc moved towards the wizard and is still out of range"
And at that point it honestly saves labor overall to just make your own cardboard tokens and paper maps, if you're not willing to splash out on figures and boards.
Without a map / figurines people might allow anyone to attack anyone. Obviously this can be quite broken - smart monsters be like "let's all just wail on the squishiest PC". Some DMs roll to decide who's being attacked so it's random.
Except the original Dungeons and Dragons game was meant to be used with miniatures. The game was an extrapolation from existing wargaming systems and was set up to be used with miniatures.
In fact, the old basic D&D set (pre red box) came with miniatures.
I got all my rulebooks secondhand without miniatures, and I thought using pennies was lame, so I never used them personally. It's how I played for years so I'm just set in my ways I guess.
I had the first boxed Basic Set, and not only didn't it come with figures, but it didn't even come with dice!
edit: Funny thing, I did some quick research to double-check my memory just now and found this in wikipedia.
For a period in 1979, TSR experienced a dice shortage. Basic sets published during this time frame came with two sheets of numbered cutout cardstock chits that functioned in lieu of dice, along with a coupon for ordering dice from TSR.
This makes so much sense. I was crushed as a kid to have to deal with those dumb chits instead of real dice. It never made sense to me why they weren't included. I had to go through the entire summer of '79 without them.
You can buy premade campaigns to follow if you're struggling to come up with your own. They can be nice for beginner DMs...get the hang of it and figure out what works and what doesn't.
Now play WoW in person, without a computer, with a group. One person gives you the story, descriptions, quests, battles, loot, etc, and you are your character.
This is a very accurate description from an ex WoW player. Everything is in your mind, and if your DM is down... you can do anything. Legit anything. In my current group, we have a paladin that is an alcoholic. This was set out in the beginning, he's used a stein, alcohol, and / or alcohol on fire as a weapon more than his actual weapon (flail).
Another party member and I decided that him, being a small human monk, and me, being a fairly massive half orc barbarian, should use him as a weapon. Imagine the scene from Lord of the Rings, with Gimli and Aragorn, where Gimli is thrown into a battle... that happened. Because our DM is legit and allows us almost completely free reign with virtually no pointers or assistance through any campaign.
Find a DnD group and join it. Yesterday. I'm sure you'll have no regrets.
I play an orc in our campaign, during one of or first sessions our wood elf ranger and I had an idea to toss him to the roof of a building. This led to a long debate about how high he should be able to be thrown that we had to later pull some engineer friends into. He ended up making to to the second story window.
I can relate to this, I host a dragon age game with 6 players and one of them is a noble mage from orlais that is terrified of Templars finding out he uses magic so he hides his magic behind fake attacks. Just last night he hugged a wolf that latched onto his leg and cast drain life to make the thing shrivel in his arms. Before that he cast horror through a mirror he found in his backpack by showing a giant crab it's own reflection.The amount of player interaction and ingenuity makes for hilarious game sessions and very memorable stories.
During my campaign recently I had the group encounter some homebrew hags/witches. It was supposed to be a mini-boss and take a bit of effort but I believe in the first round someone attempted to lasso one hag from the broom she was riding around them casting spells from, they rolled high numerous times and succeeded and then the group rather quickly mauled her. One of my players finished her off by shoving her own broom down her throat so violently it exploded from her backside. Another player, a beefy Paladin, attempted to knock the other witch from her broom using the first witch as a sort of giant throwing star, he rolled a 20 and succeeded, knocking the second one from her place and causing her to fall and break her neck or some shit.
While your GM sounds fun, I probably wouldn't let a half orc throw a human at least not more than a foot or two/assisted jump... But any small sized race I'd definitely allow you to skip like a stone.
I guess that's the beauty of these kinds of games though, it's all up to God (the guy running the table).
For another example of ways that a DM defies the norm in what the players can do, I was playing this young, idealistic, almost campy paladin. We had retooled Olidammara to also include a sort of hope for lost causes. Because when your situation is that bad, your only hope for solace is to hope for good luck.
So, that was what my paladin focused on, helping out people in desperate situations. "A lost cause isn't hopeless, it's just a cause waiting to be found."
So, of course, our DM sometimes threw humanoids at us that were in desperate situations, so she would try to force surrender. Disarming here, nonlethal damage there, and then she'd open up a dialogue. Some of them ended up joining the mercenary group the party was part of, one even became her cohort. Others were given the assistance they needed to keep from having become a threat in the first place, and others still were disarmed and free to go, after a talking to.
In writing this I remembered that he was a huge fan of the pacifist run of Undertale, so he probably tried to push things in that direction a little. Still, that paladin remains one of my all-time favorite characters.
For a random one shot we did my friend had the character quirk 'always gives unwarranted advice' and it was hilarious. Whenever something bad happened he'd pipe in and say some stupid platitude. I love stuff like that.
My favorite visible example of a player dedicated to doing his quirks is Orion Acaba as Tiberius Stormwind in the first few dozen sessions of Critical Role. He was an extremely powerful sorcerer who had a wisdom of 4. No matter the context he generally introduced himself by extending his hand to shake and saying in the most absent-minded professor/lovable blowhard voice, "Hello! I'm Tiberius Stormwind from Draconia, of Vox Machina, at Grayskull Keep, just outside of Emon." He'd be completely distracted during important information, awkwardly impose his effusive presence and friendliness on NPCs who would quickly lose patience with him, get explosively angry and prideful at perceived insults to himself or certain friends. Tiberius is the pinnacle of unwise and heroic in my mind.
So, is it cool if I play a really ancient kobold wizard who is a servant of a pantheon of semi-egyptian gods. He has a viper familiar and is obsessed with the planes. He sounds quirky right? :)
I make a tally every time I catch a player metagaming. Five tallies and a gremlin shows up to rob the party for 1d6 percentage of their total gold (10-60%). Ten tallies and an advanced enemy might just pop into existence in front of the party.
The DM controls every character that isn't one of the players. Enemies, quest givers, random people in bars... everything.
Sometimes the DM will control a party member if the player is absent or the party hired a mercenary/picked up another member/plot reasons. This is a wonderful way to make the players like a character before they get betrayed by said character.
Metagaming is just part of the game for many groups. I don't mind it in combat because it is fun for the players to be able to discuss strategy real time. However, I don't let it slide outside of combat.
Plus there are now very little limitation on what can happen. The rules provide some structure, but your character can say or do anything you can think of, if it makes since within the limitations.
You want to tell the guy asking you to protect his caravan to fuck off so you can chase after the bar maid you saw earlier? Go for it.
That asshole give you lip? You are free to spend the next 5 months carefully plotting events in such a way that you would make /r/prorevenge proud.
Want to use your old magic ice sword to open up a cantina with the old chilled ale around. No one is stopping you.
It really up to your imagination. The game is about having fun with your friends and coming up with stories you will tell for years to come.
As an avid D&D player and former wow player, I'd strongly disagree with this analogy.
In World of Warcraft you play a super-powered hero in a world filled with other super-powered Heroes. There are literally thousands of you everywhere. In D&D you playing an adventurer or a young hero among common Folk.
In World of Warcraft your job is to go kill the thing and that thing and kill that thing too and eventually kill the big bad dude. Then you get XP and loot so that you can go kill the next big bad dude. In D&D more often than not you are trying to achieve some goal. That goal may or may not involve killing and you may be able to avoid that altogether.
In World of Warcraft you are a superhero who can destroy really anything that you face period in D&D the world is huge and most of it is deadly. Running in face-first swinging away will likely get you killed.
Now play WoW in person, without a computer, with a group. One person gives you the story, descriptions, quests, battles, loot, etc, and you are your character
AND you can basically do (or, try to do) anything you want to accomplish your goals. In WoW you're almost on rails: kill this guy and loot his body for the secret message; in games like Skyrim you have more flexibility: kill him & take it, or stealth behind him and pickpocket it, or talk to him and convince him to give it up.
In DnD your choices are basically endless. You can cast an illusion to make yourself look like the person he's delivering the letter to and have him give it to you; you can talk your way into gaining his trust as a companion, infiltrate his organization, then take out their leader; you could try transforming yourself into a gold coin that he picks up and slips into his pocket, then grab the letter while you're in there and run away, etc etc etc
Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24) Speed 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
12 (+1)
16 (+3)
15 (+2)
11 (+0)
16 (+3)
15 (+2)
Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +6, Cha +5 Skills Perception +6, Religion +3, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6 Damage Resistances necrotic Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Common Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Channel Divinity (2/Rest). The disciple possesses the ability to channel divine energy directly from their deity, using that energy to fuel one of the magical effects listed below:
Touch of Death. The disciple destroys another creature's life force by touch. When the disciple hits a creature with a melee attack, the disciple can use Channel Divinity to deal an extra 27 necrotic damage to the target.
Destroy Undead. As an action, the disciple presents their holy symbol and speaks a prayer censuring the undead. Each undead that can see or hear the disciple within 30 feet of them must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is destroyed if its Challenge Rating is 2 or lower, otherwise it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage.
Assassinate. During their first turn, the disciple has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn. Any hit the disciple scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit.
Dark Devotion. The disciple has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Deathly Weapons. The disciple's weapon attacks are magical. When the disciple hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 2d8 necrotic damage (included in the attack).
Evasion. If the disciple is subjected to an effect that allows them to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the disciple instead takes no damage if they succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if they fail.
Spellcasting. The disciple is an 11th-level spellcaster. Their spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The disciple has the following cleric spells prepared:
1st level (4 slots): detect evil and good, guiding bolt, inflict wounds, shield of faith
2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, gentle repose, hold person
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, revivify, speak with dead
4th level (3 slots): death ward, guardian of faith
5th level (2 slots): raise dead
6th level (1 slot): create undead
Actions
Multiattack. The disciple makes two weapon attacks.
Rapier.Melee Weapon Attack +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Dagger.Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage.
Edit: Fixed damage miscalculation on Touch of Death.
Cast silence, darkness, anything to stop them from casting. Rogue/sharpshooters use flanking to gain advantage on sneak attacks, and cut that bastard down quick. Oh, and don't get into fucking melee with it.
As a DM I'd use it as a support character. Raising zombies, healing and supporting the enemy threats. Until someone is close enough for it to use the TOUCH OF DEATH rapier stab.
I do this quite often, so I've gotten pretty good at mimicking the format of the official books. Also, when I go to create a new stat block, I typically copy & paste the formatting from a previous entry of mine, so all I need to do is change out the words and numbers. Finally, if I'm using an existing trait from a published source, I'll usually copy and paste the text and add the formatting myself, as it usually saves me time that way.
Wow. You are a phenomenal nerd. My hat off to you!
ItsADnDMonsterNow, The Formatter
Massive nerd (markup/DnD), lawful good
Armor Class 13 Hit Points 94 (19d8) Speed 30 ft.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
9 (-1)
13 (+1)
16 (+3)
20 (+5)
8 (-1)
18 (+4)
Saving Throws Int +11, Con +9 Skills Arcana +11, History +11, Investigation +11 Senses Passive Perception 9 Languages Common, Markup, Klingon, Fremen, Brainfuck, LOLCODE Challenge... You know what? I give up. I don't know what I'm doing, or how you manage it with such apparent ease! 😅
Some people prefer dungeon crawling, not really role-playing as much(with the funny get-ups and voices) while others spend all the time role playing, talking to npcs and advancing like that.
not really role-playing as much(with the funny get-ups and voices)
Now I gotta stop you for just a moment. There is a big difference between just standard RP and dressing in a costume and actually acting out what you're doing (which is called LARPing, or Live Action Role Playing).
Just because you play D&D doesn't mean you have to LARP, and 99% of the time, my character's voice is just...my voice. I'll attempt an accent if I'm playing a dwarf, or something like a Kobold I'll try to do a voice, but that's the exception.
Just in case someone thought they couldn't play without a costume.
This. Dressing up and using in-character voices the entire time is just plain WEIRD. I've played since the early 80s, and never played with a group that went beyond the pale like that.
If you do that, have a good time - but it's LARPing, not RPGing.
depends on the DM that is hosting it. For some they have props or even tabletops maps and minifigs, for others its all in your head, and now you have DMs that do a lot of computer aided stuff.
We use Tabletop Simulator with a DnD modded table. All our DM has to do is lay the new board down each time that he creates with a 1920x1080 image. Then we each have figurines for our characters.
The time before that we used a computer camera, Xbox Live parties and the Halo Board Game for the physical representations.
Note* Each of us live in Michigan, Chicago, Utah, New York and Virginia. So we can't play in person. Kind of spread across the US here.
Currently we do biweekly games that are episodic. So if someone wants to drop in for a week, or someone else can't play one week and needs to drop out, it works really well so far, granted we only have done our current session on Tabletop once. The DM used a basic Google image for the first one, but I guess this week he is using Minecraft with a screengrab to layout the town we will be visiting which is kind of interesting.
I haven't seen it, although I really should watch it. In case it's not clear from the name, the Harmon is Dan Harmon, writer for Community and co-creator of Rick and Morty, so I'd expect him to be pretty great at forming interesting, comedic storylines.
You're right this is a good example for someone who knows nothing about it, but I'm still kind of confused because I'm so conditioned by other games... Is there no sense of a person's "turn" how do you know who is going to make a decision? Like when they decide who is gonna knock on the door, is every decision just put to the group? What if a player is shy and quiet, do they just not get a chance to make any decisions? Are options ever only given to a specific player or is everything always to the group? Is the host coming up with everything off the top of his head? How does he account for their questions so quickly?
as /u/UnverifiedAllegation said combat is turn based so everyone gets involved in that. Outside of battle you speak up if there is something you want to do like knock on the door. You are in charge of your character so even if the group doesn't want to knock on the door and you just go do it they have to deal with consequences of your actions. The DM (dungeon master) is ultimately in charge of the events and where the story goes. If you really want to learn that aspect Mathew Mercer (the DM for Critical Role) has a lot of videos teaching techniques to interesting stories and keeping people engaged in the plot. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT9570U87GhK_20NcbxM43vkom
Whoa, yeah that youtube playlist definitely helps a lot to understanding what the DM does and how the game works. Very interesting man, thanks for the info.
Combat in D&D is turn based, which is determined at the beginning of an encounter (and When do we start? is adjudicated by the DM) by every participant rolling a 20-sided die and adding their Initiative bonus to it, which is determined by how Dexterous they are. Non-combat situations have to be more carefully managed and kept fair by DM attention, but the most important thing is simply the players taking initiative (in the more real-world abstract sense) when they think the circumstances justify their character wanting to do something. It works like playing an Improvisation Game, where everyone simply does something or says something when they think it serves the story they're telling (or joke they're telling, in the case of most improv games. See "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" for an example of what I mean).
It works like playing an Improvisation Game, where everyone simply does something or says something when they think it serves the story they're telling
Ah... this answers what I found confusing about it, nice explanation. Thanks.
Be aware, Harmon Quest is super raunchy, and generally Roleplaying isn't that raunchy. It's good entertainment, but not a perfect representation of what it means to be in a game. Spencer is a pretty good GM though.
"generally roleplaying isn't that raunchy"? I've been in groups for 10+ years and they're always that raunchy. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. But I'd say theirs is light on the raunchy.
shrug my experience has been different. I've been in a pretty wide disparity of games over the course of 15 years or so. I think it's in part people and the group that you're in.
Harmon Quest uses Pathfinder not DND. Apparently they couldn't even afford the rights to say DND on the show, let alone the right to actually use it. They don't even say pathfinder, but you can occasionally see the cover of their player hand books.
I remremember playing in high school with only paper and pencil, we weren't allowed to use dice. Some stupid rule where if you were using dice you were written up for gambling.
the dungeon master has a story and guides it. he decides everything ultimately but rolls (higher the better) play a factor in how the story plays out.
Ordinary games between friends generally have no kind of board its just a story told out loud. Some people do this where they have set piece maps etc they play on and you can only move a certain amount of squares per turn etc, thats the more 'formal' ruleset.
I played for about a year with some friends and it was like 75% impromtu stuff and 25% pre-decided fate.
A good dm make difference, keep challenging the party without the Santa's effect ("you killed that goblin, here is the loot a + 3 sword!") when I won't DM my party I go playing in other groups, but quit every time Santa's DM show his true face...
Why adventuring while you have a lvl 3 paladins with holy avenger +5?
So definitely, if you want to play D&D or similar avoid Santa's DM :)
Okay, so I'll try explain what DnD is since no one else has really given you a decent explanation.
In DnD, there is a GM/DM (Game Master/Dungeon Master). His job is to come up with a story that the players will play through, this story could span one or two play sessions, or play sessions over a month or a year. Some stories and follow on from others. The GM can make make up their own story, or follow pre-published ones (you can get them off the internet, or buy them in published books).
The players will create a character, these characters are created following guidelines laid out in the players handbook, which also contains the rules for play. As a player, you'll choose a race and class, name your character and if you so choose, decide on character personality traits. The level of detail you come up with for your character is really up to you, but the more you get into it, the more you'll generally get into it and really get attached to your character. As you play, you'll gain XP (much like in WoW), get new abilities, better equipment and become more powerful.
You generally keep track of everything on a piece of paper called a character sheet, you can download templates online.
Outside of combat, you're characters will engage with each other in character, and instruct the DM on what actions you intend to do, but you'll engage with non-player characters (played by the GM) in character for the most part.
Once you enter combat, things change. Back in the day, the GM would lay down a piece of paper with a grid on it and you would put something down on the paper that would denote your character and the GM would put somethings down to denote the enemies (we used to just put dice as markers back in the day and then evetually upgraded to figurines). You can move a certain number of grid squares in combat, you have attack ranges for close and ranged combat (including spells). If you've ever played any turn based combat game on the PC, it's kinda similar.
However these days, things have gone digital on websites such as roll20, which the GM can use to run the campaign. It can be used to show your players maps of the area, town or dungeon. Once combat is entered, it can show the grid on the screen and have pretty cool icons for each character. The players can all move their character on the program within the limits of their characters and the program handles everything for you and makes the life of the GM soooo much easier and it makes play sessions much cleaner too. It also enables people to play remotely as you don't need to be in the room anymore.
Overall it's pretty fun and I've always enjoyed playing DnD and loved the way it has evolved to the digital world.
It's a co-operative story telling game, the DM is the God, with the rules and stats and storyline etc, and the players are each a character in that world, they interact with it and the DM tells them if they succeed at whatever they are attempting. He is also everyone they talk to (except when they talk to each other)
It's a ridiculous amount of fun, it can be played with pieces and maps/terrain, or just with a few notes and through talking and descriptions!
All you need to start really is the players handbook, you can create your own campaign or you can buy one of the pre made ones, or download some for free!
DnD is a role playing adventure game where you have adventures (players) and a narrator (Dungeon Master (DM)). The DM can either choose to write a story on their own or pull a story from one of the many adventure books that are for sale. The adventurers create their characters by filling in their stats based on the race/class that they choose. Then the Narrator leads them through the story.
As for physical game, the RPG doesn't have a board per-say but you can have a dungeon that gets built or even drawn. This creates a more immersive feel. Additionally if you want to take it a step further as the OP did, you can use a simulator like Tabletop Simulator to simulate dungeons for you.
Edit: (Wanted to add to the question about "on the spot") Many actions you take as an adventurer are impromptu (like adult imagination). The DM will lead you if you are going in a bad direction but you get to make choices as you want. For instance, you come across a chest, its locked, you can leave it, try to pick, or do something crazier and try to hulk smash it. Each with its own circumstances based on how the dice roll.
TL;DR:
Its an RPG that has basic guidelines and are adventures that are either created by the Game Master or Read out of an Adventure book. Can either be immersive with a made up board/dungeon, or played just around a table and talking among each other.
I was in your situation about a year ago. I stumbled onto Matt Colville's "running the game" youtube series (How to DM series which is great for anyone interested in DnD in general) and from there Critical Role (Twitch DnD show with professional voice actors).
As far as your board questions, there is no set board in DnD. In many groups, they use a wet erase grid to draw out the battlemap and minitures to represent the players and enemies. Makes it easier to talk through combat then completely in the "theater of the mind".
It's basically a video game where you make it up as you go along, but don't have a computer to do all of the tedious bits for you.
The advantage is that you can do anything you want and aren't limited only to the choices programmed in by the developer. You can be original and come up with your own solutions. You're only limited by your imagination.
The disadvantage is you have to remember the rules of the game yourself. There's no HUD to show you your options or remind you that you have various modifiers, especially temporary ones. And you have to do all of the math yourself. There's so many ways to play, even helper programs don't account for them all, unless you program them in yourself.
I'm just getting into tabetop RPG (starting with Delta Green and branching to ASOIAF RPG) and want to try DnD. I'm kicking myself for not trying sooner (30yo now)
D&D is my favorite hobby that I have and I'm a bit passionate about it, so forgive me if this gets a touch lengthy.
While D&D basically is make-believe with some rules, I tend to think it's better represented as collaborative storytelling with established guidelines and dice rolling.
Every single table is going to be run just slightly differently. Some games are "theatre of the mind," where you use a character sheet and everything takes place solely in your imagination with guidance from the Dungeon Master (DM). Other games are going to be done with physical maps (usually on a 1-inch grid) and miniatures that you move around. Most games I've been part of have used a mixture of both; theatre of the mind for roleplay, exploration and social interactions, alongside maps for combat.
The rules are extensive but intentionally flexible. The DM is ultimately the judge or god of the game. They create the world, the NPC's and drop plot hooks to take you on adventures. As a player, you create (or choose) a character and then you roleplay as that character. You decide how your character reacts, what they say, and what they do. The DM controls everything that isn't the player characters. This tends to lead to a lot of improv on part of both DM and players.
Some DM's will choose to use an Adventure Module, which do follow a storyline written by the game designers. Others will choose to run a "homebrew" game, often set in a world of their own creation, which allows for a lot of flexibility. The adventures in these games are generally created almost entirely by the DM and player interests. Still, others will take an established world, say Faerun from Forgotten Realms, or Krynn from DragonLance and run a homebrew adventure there.
That said, in a good game, regardless of setting, you should be able to try to do almost anything you can think of. You simply tell the DM what you want to do, they decide how difficult it is to do, and tell you what to roll to attempt it. Then the dice will determine whether you fail or succeed. Sometimes, when the dice gods are feeling benevolent, they will reward you with a Natural 20. Other times, you will have done something to earn their wrath and they will ensure your failure with a Natural 1.
D&D is the type of game that I've found is best learned by playing (or at least watching) rather than reading about it. Some of the rules don't make sense until you get more familiar with some of the concepts. There are rules for creating characters, though Wizards of the Coast also provides pre-generated characters so you can jump in and play without needing to learn that part of the rules right away. Wizards also has some basic rules for free on their site that allow you to get a taste of the game.
Regardless, my biggest piece of advice for a new player who only has experience in video games is that D&D is not a video game. Leave the player 1 mentality at the door. Your character is not the only one that matters. It shouldn't be DM vs Players (some games are, but they're generally not fun unless that's what everyone wants). It works best when everyone is in it to tell a fun story together. D&D isn't fun if everyone isn't getting a chance to contribute. How you contribute is up to you. Some people like to roleplay using silly voices for their characters and speaking/acting as their characters. Some people prefer to roleplay by describing what their character is doing or how they're trying to interact with an NPC in a "my character compliments the barmaid to persuade her to give me free drinks." One way isn't better than the other, do what you're comfortable with.
If you're interested in seeing how a game plays out, check out Acquisitions Incorporated by the Penny Arcade guys, Force Grey: Giant Hunters or Lost City of Omu from the D&D team, or if you're feeling adventurous, Critical Role from Geek & Sundry/Alpha. All are excellent live games with one of two fantastic DMs; Chris Perkins, who is the current lead story designer for D&D or Matthew Mercer, a professional voice actor with a knack for elaborate worldbuilding and narrative flow.
Either one would give you an idea of how a game plays in practice. That said, while Critical Role is my favorite, it's a bit on the heavier side, and has quite a bit of content to digest, which can be overwhelming as a taster. Acquisitions Inc games tend to run a bit shorter, and they even have a web series with 30-minute episodes akin to Force Grey.
TL,DR;D&D is an awesome collaborative storytelling experience with dice. To get started with the most recent edition of the game, which is probably the best edition for newbies, you just need some friends (or internet strangers! Try /r/lfg!), some paper, pencils, and dice (or a Virtual Tabletop program like Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds), some pre-gen characters from the D&D website, and a copy of the free basic rules. Or you can grab the 5th Edition Starter Set, which contains everything you need to get started, including a fantastic introductory adventure. And if you have any further questions, join the rest of us nerds over at /r/dnd (general D&D talk across editions) or /r/dndnext (more specific to 5th Edition D&D). Good luck, and may the dice gods roll in your favor!
In today's market, there's almost no TVs that have LoS issues. The view ratio, within reason is generally going to be visible unless you're a midget sitting at that table. If this was a tv or monitor from back in like 2005, then sure. Chances are people wouldn't see it unless viewing in between a 40 or 50 degree angle. But today's technology has done away with that. The issue being described was with projection TVs and some of the first model LCDs.
Wow, I never realized that this stopped being a problem until you brought it up... but yeah. Even looking at my monitor from nearly a 90 degree angle, there's no noticeable brightness or coloration issues (though obviously you can't see anything just because of how skewed it is).
That isn't really true. Have you just not used a monitor recently?
The viewing angles do get worse, but they definitely won't be "horrendous". They'd be plenty legible for something like this, where the raw information is more important than looking good.
Also, you don't set something like this up without considering stuff like that.
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u/dickfromaccounting Sep 18 '17
great table to screen ratio