D&D Introduction- from the D&D Player's Handbook

"Welcome to the game that has defined the fantastic imagination for over a quarter of a century. When you play the Dungeons & Dragons game, you create a unique fictional character that lives in your imagination and the imaginations of your friends. One person in the game, called the Dungeon Master (DM), controls the monsters and people that live in the fantasy world. Your character and his/her friends confront the dangers and explore the mysteries of the world that the Dungeon Master sets before you."

Technically, the Dungeons and Dragons game is a "tabletop paper role-playing game". This means that the most basic essence of the game is that you say what your character does, then the DM tells you what happens, you tell the DM how your character reacts, and so on. It is set in a fantasy world where numerous strange things happen. There is psionics and monsters and dragons and spells, and you can be part of it all.

"NOTE: **THIS GAME IS FANTASY**

The action of a D&D game takes place in the imaginations of the players. Like actors in a movie, people sometimes speak as if they were their character or as if their fellow players were their characters. These rules even adopt the casual approach, using "you" to mean "your character". **In reality, though, you are no more your character than you are the king when you play chess. Likewise, the world implied by these rules is an IMAGINARY one.**"

What you need to play:

In reality, if you have a good knowledge of the rules, knowledge of your character, and a fair DM, you can just play without any supplies. This is the casual version of D&D. However, to play the REAL version, here is what you *-ABSOLUTELY-* need. This is divided

 A good knowledge of some basic D&D rules.

 A copy of either the D&D basic character sheet or another type of character sheet. (*Download one on my D&D Downloads Page.*)

 Some dice. (Note: your DM may already have dice for you. Check before you buy dice.) :

     A four-sided dice (d4)

     A six-sided dice (d6)

     An eight-sided dice (d8)

     One or two ten-sided dice (d10 and d%)

     A twelve sided dice (d12)

     A twenty-sided dice (d20). NOTE: You can play D+D with just a d20. However, you should have some  other dice for optimum playing.

(* Alternately, (instead of buying all these things above, you can just buy the "D&D Adventure Game". This comes in a box and is a great value, really. It includes six dice. It is like "D&D Lite" and is much easier to grasp then the full, double-barreled edition of D&D. I found it at both Borders and The Game Keeper, although you may have to ask for it.*)

GOOD TO HAVE: (* This is my category for Intermediate-level play. If you find you really like the game, get some of this stuff. *)

 The Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook (TSR 11550) (* This is essential, however, DO NOT BUY IT RIGHT AWAY! I know, your first word upon opening the Player's Handbook will inevitably be a puzzled, bewildered "What?" DO NOT GIVE UP! It will sink in eventually. You will wake up one Saturday morning, pick up the Player's Handbook, and say, "Wait a minute... OH! I get it! Yeah..." etc.*)

(The Game Keeper at the mall sells D+D books, dice, etc. If not there, check Borders. (You may have to ask for the books if they are not on the shelves.))

 The D&D Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual (TSR 11551 and 11552, respectively)

(Only if you want to be the DM.)

 Extra dice.

 A binder to store D&D stuff. You'll want one. (* I have a 4" binder *)

 Extra character sheets.

 A graph paper pad.

 A computer (not just for D+D, duh) with a printer.

 A miniature figure (check The Game Keeper)

(* For medium -expert players, wishing to make their characters more than just numbers on paper, I sincerely recommend the

 Hero Builder's Guide. This small (about $10 paperback) is very useful for fleshing out characters. It also has both handy Name Lists and an Alignment Test (which you can find, in computerized form, on my Downloads Page). If you play D&D a lot, go for it! *)

(* What follows is the:

EXPERT LEVEL PLAY (DMs or Serious Players only)

 Any or (Asvadan preserve us) all of these products are great for serious players.

 The Psionics Handbook.

 The Manual of the Planes.

 Deities and Demigods.

 The Epic Level Handbook

 Any of the multitude of (X and Y) books like Sword and Fist, Tome and Blood, Song and Silence, Enemies and Allies, etc. All of these (except Enemies and Allies) detail two different classes made apparent in their titles.

 Any of the Campaign Settings, such as Ravenloft or Forgotten Realms (or Dragonlance, yeah!).

 A subscription to Dragon for players or Dungeon for DMs. I personally recommend Dungeon as a great source of adventure material.

 D&D Software. Check my Downloads Page.

Got any suggestions as to what should be on here? Email me here!

*)

Except for the parts from the D&D Player's Handbook, this page, and all contents, are (C) Christian Ternus 2002. All rights reserved. permission granted to download and print for personal use only. If you feel that this page is in violation of any copyright, email me and I will remove it immediately, no hard feelings.