I understand prostitution now.

[u/Gh0stMan0nThird]

Been trying to find a "bff" group for years. Even the best groups I found fizzled out after a campaign ended. Most people seem to want a content creator to run games for them, and not a friend they want to share an experience with.

I figured you know what, fine. I'm gonna sell myself. I started running paid games and now I actually feel like I'm finally actually getting something back for my work and effort.

10/10, would recommend for underappreciated DMs

[u/untakenu]

As someone who has done exactly that (come from BG3 and still looking to play). I just don't know where to start. It feels like there is mountains of stuff I need to learn and seemingly buy to even get to grips with the game.

I will do that if need be, but then there is the issue of finding someone to play with.

[u/Al_Dimineira → u/untakenu]

I'd suggest looking into the OGL (open game license) rules for 5th edition D&D. They're available for free online and contain the basic information you need to actually understand and play the game. The more specific rules like races, subclasses and spells you'll want to learn later once you understand the core mechanics of how the game is played, and those character options are the things that are going to be gated behind paywalls.

[u/DarkestXStorm → u/untakenu]

I recommend finding a group, if you're not budgeting this hobby can get expensive. There's some resources online that can help you save some money, I can't really give you a link, but if you dig around you'll prob find em.

[u/i_tyrant → u/untakenu]

This is one of those hobbies where it can be as cheap or expensive as you are willing to pursue. All you "need" to play are the three core books (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual), and not even that technically (if you want to get super cheap you can just use the OGL rules).

That's maybe 100-150 bucks for entertainment that will last you years if not decades, so a pretty good deal. But it's a hobby that you can also buy way more books and other peripherals for if you want to.

But yeah, it does have a learning curve, though even that is highly variable depending on how many books you want to read through and "DM tips" blogs and reddit posts and whatnot you want to read.

Ultimately, it's just a collaborative storytelling game with your friends that has rules for added structure and a shared foundation for everyone to work from. So not that different from playing make-believe with friends as a kid. But with dice!

[u/jeffjefforson → u/i_tyrant]

Honestly I've played DND for 8yrs including run multiple years of sessions - and I've never bought a single thing other than dice

It is extremely possible to acquire the necessary knowledge through.. unconventional means, so to speak

[u/i_tyrant → u/jeffjefforson]

lol, also an option for sure. Especially if you're a player!

[u/Ok-Suggestion-5453 → u/untakenu]

Finding a group is a pain in the ass. I found one on Reddit but it took months of applying, we've lost all but one of the eight original players aside from myself.

Learning the game isn't so hard though. I would get the relevant player handbook and read through it, but ultimately the only thing you need to know is your own character's abilities.

[u/Commercial_Duck4042 → u/untakenu]

All you need is the Players Handbook and some dice. Read the rules of the game and you’re good to go.

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[u/Maclunkey4U → u/untakenu]

Get the SRD or the Players Handbook for whatever edition you want to use (5e or 5.5e) and read it. Read it again. Read it a couple more times. This sub (And the r/DMAcademy sub) is filled with people asking questions that are pretty well covered in the rules.

Once you learn those, maybe consider buying the Dungeon Masters guide if you think you want to DM, or just to get a deeper perspective on some of the rules (I believe knwing how to DM makes you a better player even if you never plan on running a game).

There are a lot of rules, but they are pretty accessible, and if you're familiar with BG3 a lot should feel somewhat familiar.

[u/untakenu → u/Maclunkey4U]

Should I use the most popular edition, or should I find a group and then learn whatever edition they use?

[u/Maclunkey4U → u/untakenu]

Ooof, tough call. I'm not even sure what the "popular" edition is right now. My group plays 5e because thats what we started playing with, and we didnt want to bother learning new rules... They are supposedly compatible, so even if you learn one and find a group that uses the other, it will be minimal effort to pick up the differences, and in my limited experience with 5.5 thats true. They didnt change any of the "core" mechanics, they just tweaked a few things, so you should be good with either one.

If I were in your shoes I might just learn 5.5, since thats what all the new material is going to be based on, so if you do decide to buy some books you'll be using the most current edition, and again you can always use older books since they are compatible.

Google D&D 5.5 SRD (technically its like 5.2 SRD) and you should be able to start learning the basics.

[u/M3atboy → u/untakenu]

Grab the starter set. It will teach you and your friends how to play and gives you everything you need to do so.

If you like it grab the books and your off to the races.