New Player

[Demonhart]

Hey all

I am new here and trying to figure everything out. I just discovered this today. I have a ton of experience in 3.5 but have never played 4E. I was curious as to what all was needed. Would you need to own the books to play or is it incorporated some way? I had a lot of 3.5 books but gave them away when I got out of the military as I thought I wouldnt get the chance to play again. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Much thanks

Cody

[vodokar]

Hello and welcome.

The short answer is: yes, you will need the books for whichever game you decide to play using Fantasy Grounds.

FG is an outstanding software medium for playing pen and paper RPG's over the internet, however, it is not a substitute for actually purchasing the intellectual property of rulebooks, modules etc from the respective game companies who make them.

That is the base guideline. There are some exceptions to this, in that, some of the RPG companies have gotten on board enough with Smiteworks to actually sell their rulebooks and modules via the Fantasy Grounds store in Fantasy Grounds online accessible format. Some have, most haven't.

Specifically, if you are mostly wanting to play D&D or Pathfinder, neither W.O.T.C nor Paizo sell any products in the FG store. You will have to purchase the rules, modules etc in hardback or pdf format.

I don't play 3.5, so I assume that is the case with those rulebooks as well. I'm sure that if it isn't, someone more knowledgable about it will correct me.

Even in cases where the rulebooks are available via Fantasy Grounds, I personally think it is not a substitute for actually owning the books, in any case. Having things available inside of FG is nice, because it allows some additional functionality, but when it comes to actually referencing rules or reading, hardbound is always best.

Incidentally, it should be noted that you posted your question about D&D 3.5 in the D&D 4e forum. Perhaps not the best location to get your 3.5 questions answered. On the other hand, if you are desiring to learn more about 4e, this is certainly the right place.

[Demonhart]

thanks for the info. I have played 3.5 in the past but I am looking to play 4e now. You answered my question completely though, i thought I would probably need these books I just wasnt sure

[vodokar]

In that case, the best place to start with 4e is to get the "Rules Compendium".

It is a digest sized paperback for $20.00 which contains all the general rules you'll need to reference during play in a convenient place.

4e is a modular rulesystem. There are many player manuals for specific classes etc. There are also the two DMG's which contain good information and of course, setting books, monster manuals and other books of DM interest. But, it's entirely up to you as to which ones, if any, you wish to get.

If you have a copy of the Rules Compendium and get a subscription to DDI, you have everything you need to play as a player without really having to purchase any of the player books. Obviously, if you DM, you'll need and want to build a collection of the DM specific stuff.

[gmkieran]

Demonhart, welcome to the fun! Vodokar's right as far as playing goes - you'll need the books. However, you may want to see if someone with an Ultimate license will let you audit a session or two of a 4e game they're running. That will give you an idea of what using FG actually feels like and how the 4e system functions without putting you out anything but some time. You might be able to find someone on this forum or check out the Guild House forum for game openings. Even for systems that aren't fully licensed by the producers there's a *lot* of back-end support (maps, tokens, full modules, system expansions, etc) produced and provided by the community here and the Devs are awesome.

Cheers!

[AdamGomez1987]

Greetings, I have played the game 3-4 times and it is very fun playing with other people so I have learned the basics of player handbooks 1 and 2 but am completely clueless about player handbook 3 about handling the psychics and their different rulesets of how to play them so I'll wing that out for another time

Anyways, this is the first time I have posted to this website, I miss playing this game so much since everyone else is too busy playing Magic the Card game and I can't afford all those cards lol. Where can I meet some people to play a game with? and where can I go to learn more about how to use this website on how to play with others?

[bigbsonnier]

The Guild House ( community main page ) is a good start, as well as the game calender.