Advice on getting into D&D / any rp help plz!

[Slap-in-a-box]

Hey!

I have played a few sessions of various rp's however these were taster sessions at my gaming society at uni.

I really enjoyed them, but unfortunately, most people willing to play these rp's... are already playing the rp's. ( As in have their own campaigns running)

I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to get into an rp, or anywhere i could go on to find people willing to play with an rp beginner sweatdrop

Any help will be appreciated!

[Slap-in-a-box]

ninja

[Liquidor]

#1 Ask to join or imply a serious degree of interest. If they know you from the taster sessions, then it should be rather smooth as that was the general point of taster sessions.

#2 Seek out players to try to join your own sessions. On the outset, DM'ing seems hard but its rather easy. The only problem with DM'ing is discovering your own style.

[Slap-in-a-box]

Liquidor

#1 Ask to join or imply a serious degree of interest. If they know you from the taster sessions, then it should be rather smooth as that was the general point of taster sessions.

#2 Seek out players to try to join your own sessions. On the outset, DM'ing seems hard but its rather easy. The only problem with DM'ing is discovering your own style.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried inquiring if any positions are open. In one case the Dm has disappeared... as in, she has not been seen at the society for around a month.

In the other case, the dm / players were all already running their own campaign, which unfortunately has no positions available...atm anyways.

And I would definitely not be ready to Dm ( Imo), literally having played 2 or 3 sessions XD

I might work on trying to gather people though, and try to find a willing DM...

[vessel of loathing]

Slap-in-a-box

Liquidor

#1 Ask to join or imply a serious degree of interest. If they know you from the taster sessions, then it should be rather smooth as that was the general point of taster sessions.

#2 Seek out players to try to join your own sessions. On the outset, DM'ing seems hard but its rather easy. The only problem with DM'ing is discovering your own style.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried inquiring if any positions are open. In one case the Dm has disappeared... as in, she has not been seen at the society for around a month.

In the other case, the dm / players were all already running their own campaign, which unfortunately has no positions available...atm anyways.

And I would definitely not be ready to Dm ( Imo), literally having played 2 or 3 sessions XD

I might work on trying to gather people though, and try to find a willing DM...

You mention the society, which is sadly what I would recommend. I met my current group through the local pathfinder society meetings. Pathfinder society is a good way to meet people, make friends, and can open doors to home games, since people often want to run their own game. Other than that, there is the meetup website which can sometimes help, and just hanging around the local table top shops.

[Slap-in-a-box]

Perpetual Patriarch

Slap-in-a-box

Liquidor

#1 Ask to join or imply a serious degree of interest. If they know you from the taster sessions, then it should be rather smooth as that was the general point of taster sessions.

#2 Seek out players to try to join your own sessions. On the outset, DM'ing seems hard but its rather easy. The only problem with DM'ing is discovering your own style.

Thanks for the advice. I have tried inquiring if any positions are open. In one case the Dm has disappeared... as in, she has not been seen at the society for around a month.

In the other case, the dm / players were all already running their own campaign, which unfortunately has no positions available...atm anyways.

And I would definitely not be ready to Dm ( Imo), literally having played 2 or 3 sessions XD

I might work on trying to gather people though, and try to find a willing DM...

You mention the society, which is sadly what I would recommend. I met my current group through the local pathfinder society meetings. Pathfinder society is a good way to meet people, make friends, and can open doors to home games, since people often want to run their own game. Other than that, there is the meetup website which can sometimes help, and just hanging around the local table top shops.

Radnom , question... but what would i need to play / Dm pathfinder? i think i have found some of my mates who are interested, but they don't really want to have to...pay for anything... if that makes sense.

So my question is, is it possible to Dm for new rp'ers (as a new rp'er myself) in pathfinder?

[Brasten]

Funny part is even if you buy just the Core book you're likely going to get more dollar value per hour of entertainment than buying the latest and greatest video game.

My suggestion would be to pick up the Basic Box if you're going the Pathfinder route. If you have never done any kind of fantasy adventure board game before that is not a bad place to start.

Outside of that you are looking at the Core Book, the Gamemastery Guide, and Bestiary 1. Functionally all you really need is the Core Book. The Gamemastery Guide and Bestiary 1 are extras that will help improve your game, the Guide is for advice on actually setting up and running your own games and adventures which is tough task for even veteran GMs. Bestiary 1 is a collection of ready made classic monsters and lovely illustrations.

For your cheap friends they can use the online system reference document. razz

Rather than reprint everything I'm going to suggest your click the link in my signature which will take you to a post I made some time ago that links to a lot of other useful resources.

Even if you don't get the physical Basic Box I do suggest the 10 dollar PDF version. Especially if you are a new player and are getting roped into being the Game Master for other new players.

====

To reassure you, yes you can totally go from not even a Player right to Game Master. It is partly here I got my start with the D&D basic box Blue Book version. I was a DM before I was a player. Although technically I stared as Zargon, the game master of the HeroQuest adventure board game, which help a lot with the basics of multi-NPC control and the tasks of running a game.

[Laertes Ursus]

I would add onto these suggestions by saying that if you really want to play in an already-running game, sit and lurk the table for a few sessions. Get a feel for how people play the game. You'll learn a lot, and if the DM is a cool dude/chick they'll answer any questions you have.

[Angelic Clover]

if worst comes tho worst you can always try one of those online rpg that people host. roll20 I think the site is called personally I never used it before but I heard the experience isn't the same as an actual face to face meet bit it should get the job done

[Archovas]

Firstly, Dungeons & Dragons is a broken, horrible, exploitable mess of a game with serious balance issues, following on with what people have said, go with Pathfinder, Paizo Publishing have done a fantastic job with balancing it off itself.

Secondly, ask around of Facebook, I found my local uni society through it and join in with sessions even though I have no connection to the Uni itself. Also, try scouting out local games clubs, chances are it'll be filled with Yu-gi, Magic and 40k/Fantasy, but those people may be able to help also.

[Phytane]

Archovas

Firstly, Dungeons & Dragons is a broken, horrible, exploitable mess of a game with serious balance issues, following on with what people have said, go with Pathfinder, Paizo Publishing have done a fantastic job with balancing it off itself.

Secondly, ask around of Facebook, I found my local uni society through it and join in with sessions even though I have no connection to the Uni itself. Also, try scouting out local games clubs, chances are it'll be filled with Yu-gi, Magic and 40k/Fantasy, but those people may be able to help also.

That all depends on what version of D&D you are playing though. I've played 2nd and 3.5 were the balance is pretty even throughout. 3rd and 4th on the other hand had some large issues that need(ed) to be worked out. The introduction of card game qualities was a bad move for 4th and 3rd was updated with 3.5 remakes of the core books that balanced out the classes better.

Pathfinder is a good way to go though because I've heard it is the D&D 3.5 lovers 4th edition. I own the core books myself but I just haven't got around to playing it yet.

Pathfinder books can also help liven up a D&D game if you know what your doing. The books have many helpful premade NPC's and charts that I've found useful in my D&D 3.5 group.

[Laertes Ursus]

Angelic Clover

if worst comes tho worst you can always try one of those online rpg that people host. roll20 I think the site is called personally I never used it before but I heard the experience isn't the same as an actual face to face meet bit it should get the job done

There's a lot to be said for and against online play. You get a lot of exposure to systems and styles you wouldn't see normally. My experience has seen a larger focus on 'serious' play, where you're there to sit own and play some motherflippin' D&D / Shadowrun / GURPS / Cthulutech and not to break out your Eric Idle impressions or make Dead Alewives Society references. Additionally, you see 'deeper' play, with stronger roleplaying emphasis or more intensive strategizing. Of course, on the other side of the proverbial coin, players tend to be flakes more, and you tend to need to watch out for jerks. After all, when it's literally impossible to be hunted down and punched in the arm for being a d**k, the temptation is stronger. But once you find some good players, it's the bomb-diggity, to coin a phrase.

If this sort of thing interests you, there are two communities/programs I can recommend.

-OpenRPG is a stand-alone Virtual Tabletop program with a built-in chatroom, limited filesharing capability, and a 'lobby' system. It's good for meeting people, jumping into a game, and playing. It's also good if you just want to sit back and 'lurk' a game to get a feel for it. There are no help files, so you will want to talk to one of the regulars and get a tutorial. Still, the interface is fairly intuitive once you get a handle on the basics.

-Roll20 is a browser-based Virtual Tabletop program with a built-in chatroom, mic and camera support, an extensive message board, and a game-finding feature. Because game tables are closed until you're accepted, it's not possible to watch a game, but it's not impossible to get in touch with a GM and negotiate a seat. Roll20 is good for finding a lot of information and making an informed decision before joining a game, and it has a larger playerbase. The system itself is generally competent and help files are readily available. That said, I will note that the community seems to be a lot more... D&D-centric. While you'll find a wider variety of games played on OpenRPG, you tend to see a lot of D&D on Roll20, and the odd other game. Not to mention the game-finder feature is... Limited.

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