Hi

[Dindae]

Hi all I was thinking of getting into pen and paper RPGs for the first time but I don't really have anyone to play with. I am picking up the 4e DnD player manual so I can learn the rules ( I heard 3rd was better but also heard 4th was more streamlined and easier to learn so eh). I would like to find a game that is friendly to newbies. I still have yet to buy the program on this site thought I would wait until I had my book and maybe some people interested in picking up a newbie for their game. Anyone else that may have some advice for me or a comment feel free to let me know.

[JohnD]

Hi and welcome! :)

If you are going to be trying out the demo (free) version of FG, you will need to find a DM with an Ultimate license so you can connect to his/her game.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

[Andrepartthree]

Hi Dindae.. I think you'll find that one of two things happen.. either find FG to be a lot of fun or you'll experience the same frustration that other experienced RPG'ers have had with FG vs the experience of " real life" tabletop gaming around the table with "live" players - "live" players sometimes complain FG game sessions are waaaayyy too slow especially if it's an FG game where everything is typed and voice chat is not used - other RPG'ers however (myself included :P ) love it anyways since it's more like an interactive novel at that point and creates a certain immersive atmosphere.. so I can see why you'd be reluctant to buy the program without trying it first - I am seeing more and more campaigns pop up where someone holds an ultimate license but it's not always for D&D - often is but not always.. when you throw in the fact that you're pursuing 4th edition and not 3rd edition D&D that narrows your choices still further.. if it was me I'd just gamble, spend $24 on a lite license, cross my fingers and hope FG is the thing for me :P ... then again I realize there are a lot of college students and what not out there for whom even $24 might simply be an unrealistic amount to pay given their circumstances (the suck-butt global economy doesn't help either no matter where one is living) ..

I personally favor 3rd edition and feel 4th edition is too "video-game-ish" but you'll find a lot of people who love 4th edition and feel 3rd edition is so needlessly complicated and rules heavy that it slows the game to an unmanageable crawl (I watched 2 players get into a needless insult contest and flame the hell out of each other on the same topic here on FG a few years back - not pleasant to witness). One thing you could do .. version 3.0 and version 3.5 of the D&D third edition rules are practically identical but version 3.0 is much cheaper you can snag a used " Player's Handbook version 3.0" for less than ten dollars on amazon including shipping and handling , probably more like seven or eight (American $ that is not sure what country you're in ;) ) .. Given how popular 3rd ed is here on FG I'd recommend you grab used vers 3.0 too .. granted vers 3.5 is better far as knowing EXACTLY what the rules are but once you get 3.0 down 3.5 is a breeze to learn and you can pick it up " on the fly " ;) .. that way if you see someone with an ultimate license doing a vers 3.0/3.5 game you can jump right in there :) .. with vers 3.0/3.5 don't feel like you have to memorize all the info in there too it's impossible (or even vers 4.0 for that matter :P ) , reading the books beforehand is definitely the thing to do but a lot of it is stuff you pick up on as you go along - you encounter the same rules so many times you become familiar with them basically :) ..

You might need a headset with a microphone if the gaming group in question uses voice chat like skype (in and by itself a free program ) ... far as being new to FG I find most GM's and players are newb-friendly and don't mind educating someone "on the fly" as they game :) .. having said that I'd recommend going to the "downloads" part of the forum (look at the top of the screen for the link ;) ) and checking out Xorn's awesome tutorial videos.. I would argue that FG is a ton more fun when you know the ins and outs of it right off the bat and can devote your full attention to the gaming experience and I've been very pleased with Xorn's tutorials personally :)

So again welcome and hope you have fun :)

[Dindae]

Thanks for the advice I was looking on Amazon last night trying to decide what to buy so I'll take that into account if I order off of there I also started watching the tutorials. I guess the only reason I was thinking about using 4e was it sounded easier to learn. I'm not to worried about buying it in terms of money more about how hard or easy it is to find a game that would take someone who barely know the basics. Would to hate to waste the money but it doesn't sound to hard to find a game.

[JohnD]

I don't personally think your lack of system knowledge is that big of a negative on your part. Just be up front about it (like you have been) and a prospective DM can take that into account.

Most everyone is happy to help a new person learn how to use FG and rules as needed.

[Mgrancey]

Yep, always willing to 'teach' new players (mwahahahaha), and 4th Ed was designed to try and get WoW-ers and the other MMO players. Been on both sides of DnD argument (3 day weekend, and hours lost to rule arguments) and irritation with 4th Ed on how homogenized it got, plenty of things I like about both; amusingly enough I am playing 2 4th Ed games after having walked away from RPGA.

There is also Pathfinder the inheritor of 3/3.5 legacy. Which if you want to try system out, best bet is Pathfinder society, not the same as a home campaign since you have certain restrictions with its setup, but a good way to get introduced. If your free Sunday or Wednesday nights 7-10 est (-5 gmt) both groups need have lost player due to real world circumstances.

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18139 for the one group

[JohnD]

...3 day weekend, and hours lost to rule arguments ... and irritation...

Yeah that was my thinking exactly... a DM somewhere might appreciate not getting into Debate Club every 3rd ruling that goes against "that player". :)

Edited to add:
There is a certain ambience I think a DM feels when he/she is running a game for a new player (group of new players) - it's definately a positive thing!

[Andrepartthree]

Thanks for the advice I was looking on Amazon last night trying to decide what to buy so I'll take that into account if I order off of there I also started watching the tutorials. I guess the only reason I was thinking about using 4e was it sounded easier to learn. I'm not to worried about buying it in terms of money more about how hard or easy it is to find a game that would take someone who barely know the basics. Would to hate to waste the money but it doesn't sound to hard to find a game.

Just seconding what johnd said its really nice of you to be concerned about your new-ness and how it would impact a gaming group but i can`t think of any groups or gms i have met who are like "no newbs":p most are more than happy to show someone the ropes (typing this on tablet so forgive poor punctuation et cet :p )

[Mgrancey]

I would suggest letting the gm know ahead of time, that's the only part that annoys me is when I expect someone to know the system and I end having to teach all about FG right in middle of combat, as that bogs it right down.

[Valarian]

I'm open to having new players in my group and I could accommodate another player in our Sunday evening The One Ring game (times below in the signature). It's chat based rather than voice. It's not D&D, but the rules are easy to pick up.

What I look for in a player, of whatever age, is a mature attitude and cooperation with the other players. The aim is to have a fun time telling a shared story, with your characters as the stars of the show. It's not much fun for the other players if one of their number is spoiling the session and being disruptive in play.

If you're interested, and the time suits (you may want to put a time zone or rough location in your profile), then I'd want to do a training session of kinds to take you through the basics of the rules and the workings of FG2. I'd expect you to have a look at the FG2 manual before this. Probably a Saturday evening, before you joining in the Sunday session. You're welcome to connect and observe for a session, to see if you'd like to join in. In this case, I'd ask you to keep chat to OOC (ALT-Enter or type /ooc before the text).

[Dindae]

Hey all thanks for the suggestions and advice I really do appreciate it but I have one last question I'm interested in a lot of RPGs but I decided to start with DnD since its fairly popular both here and offline...if I ever find anyone to play with me. So I started reading my players handbook and realized this is a lot of information and although I already know a lot of the basics...what sections should I really get to know should I read the book beginning to end maybe skipping over the areas that don't apply to me or my race/character combo? I know it may seem like a silly question but as it is now it seems like I won't get to play for a couple weeks or more depending on how fast i can read and retain. The books info and subject matter interest me but I learn a lot faster by doing. Just wondering what you all thought.

[JohnD]

Well, when dealing with someone coming to D&D completely new, you invariably hear to start with something "simple" so the player can get into the game without worrying about a huge amount of options and what can seem like an over abundance of decisions to make.

This line of thought usually ends up suggesting you play a Human Fighter. Pretty well every game needs them, but I don't personally think of the combination as "simple" since so much can be done with it.

My advice is find a race and a class that you want to play and read up on those. Know that your first time through you aren't going to make an "optimum" PC... and hope that you find a good DM/group where your worth isn't determined in just how much damage you can deliver or how many spells you can throw around. The best games IMO don't require a PC to be "optimum" or "uber" to survive and contribute.

Know that most DMs have a vision of how they want their campaign to look... sometimes this means some classes aren't allowed... other times certain races get excluded (this happens most frequently in my experience with Drow).

So have an idea of what you want to play, but also realize that most of the time a DM is going to want a PC created specifically for their game, under certain building constraints... some will say roll 3d6 for each stat, others will use 20 point buy, or 25 point buy or yet some other mechanism. But if you have the idea of what you want to play, the actual method of generation won't matter so much because you'll still have the essence of that plan in your mind.

Above all else - the game is meant to be fun... so make sure you enjoy yourself. :)

[Mgrancey]

Chapter 1 is intro to RPGs

Chapter 2 is character creation, pg 15 summarizes the classes in a paragraph, pg 16 explains roles

As someone else said, look at races.

Don't try to read through all the classes chapter, the first 10 pages explain how to interpert classes and their powers, then take a look at the first 2 or 3 pages of each class to get a more specific idea of how it works.

Look over the skills, depending on class they can be critical or not. Also don't underestimate Monster Knowledge checks, they can be your friend.

Feats: pages 196 and 197 are your best friend, go here first then look up specific feats.

Adventuring nothing really important as player until pg 260.

Read through Combat, its pretty streamlined so everything in it is pretty important to have at least a basic idea of whats in that chapter.

Rituals are only important for wizards and clerics in PHB.