How to navigate TTRPGs as someone that has never touched one?

[calamitycastle@lemmy.world]

There are lots of decent actual plays on YouTube that can give you a very solid idea of how it actually works in practice. My personal favourite style is the glass cannon network as they tend to lean towards how your home game might be (ie it's not all serious and there's goofing off during the game) but I'm sure people have specific recommendations for cyberpunk and dungeons and dragons

[dumples@midwest.social]

I would recommend watching some videos of actual play for the system to get an idea about what happens during the game. Just note that watching "professional" DND is just watching any professional. You wouldn't expect your pickup home game of basket to be identical to the NBA so the same with your TTRPG.

Like all things it helps to watch others. If you find a group they will likely help you out. Just note your experience level and they will be supportive.

[rhynoplaz@lemmy.world]

You are absolutely right.

I just wish "find a group" was as simple as you make it sound. It's been decades since I played, but I've followed some D&D podcasts, and I got the new PH as a gift and I REALLY wish I had some people to try it out with!

[nesc@lemmy.cafe]

Well yeah there is a requirement to get out of comfort zone. 🫠

[nokturne213@sopuli.xyz]

Support your flgs and buy a set of dice.

[nokturne213@sopuli.xyz]

I run two games, one weekly for a group of teens, and the other is every other week for adults. I also play in a game on my 2nd game’s off week, again for adults. Almost all of the adults own a copy of the Player’s Handbook. Only 1 of the teens own a PHB. I have noticed the adults that own a PHB understand their characters and abilities and what they can do far more than my teens (who have been playing way longer than the adults) because they have to share the shop’s copy of the PHB.

I am not saying day 1 go buy a PHB, but if you intend to play after a few sessions, it would be a good idea.

Having your own set of dice is great too. You can get a plain set of chessex dice for $5-10 (I give away a set when someone buys a copy of the PHB). After getting a set of dice I suggest raiding some lesser played board games for additional d6 for character creation. Yahtzee or farkle are both going choices to plunder.

When people start playing dnd I tell them the first thing they need to do is learn how to create a character on their own and after that they will learn the rest of the rules through playing.

If you have a local game shop, drop in and ask if they host d&d sessions, or if they have a community board to find a game.

[nokturne213@sopuli.xyz]

This is the 2014 version.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/attachments/39j2li89/SRD5.1-CCBY4.0_License_live links.pdf

[anaustralianphotographer@lemmy.world]

Thanks for the link, that's pretty much what I was thinking of, but I remember reading at 'the other place' about downstream creators being upset about features of a new license (open gaming license?) that could have insisted on a cut of revenue from 3rd party packages, so wizards published a copy of their handbook under an open license. I was meant to read it cover to cover one day, but that day hasn't arrived. hope OP gets the chance to though.

[anaustralianphotographer@lemmy.world]

The first thing I'd recommend is try to figure out which genre to play first. I think cyberpunk is way different from DND which is also has different rules than pathfinder. Warhammer 40k is also a. Tabletop game that is more combat oriented and no role playing.

Starting a new group could be hard. Some games shops have play areas for people and I guess they sort of rent space to regular and adhoc groups. I know of three shops which not only sell games, but are setup for people to play there on a Thurs night etc. repeat sales of drinks and may a small charge for the table and game sets could be used from a communal library.

Some games are role playing heavy and others are combat focused. In some groups the DM is always the DM but in others they take turns. There might be a long campaign where the players control the same character from novice to expert/demigod or one shots could be used to fill in some nights, eg dm might be a teacher and one shots are run on school holiday weeks if the group meets.

I would say the trick is to find a group that's in the same page as you. This can be assisted by having a :Session zero where players meet and discuss what they want from the game so that someone who wants to play a more role playing game and want to actually try and talk their way out of being robbed by bandits instead of 'rolk a d20. 3, everyone draws weapons and combat begins'.

The aim would be that everyone at the table looks forward to sessions and has fun, and as for rules there's always 'the rule of cool'. Where the DM can ignore what's in the book if it fits with what the players expect. Players jumping off a cliff to escape a fight might not necessarily die from fall damage if it fits the story line, however if a player is about to do something overly careless, the DM might ask the question ' are you sure you want to do that?' and the correct thing to do is stop and reconsider as that phrase is usually a warning of the player will probably die if you do.

[fearfulsalad@ttrpg.network]

Look into your local game cafe(s). That's the type of place that sells board games, dice, minis, but also has gaming tables and often a small food and drink counter. There are likely nights for newbies you might be able to join, to experience it live.

Watch some youtube videos of people live-playing the game you are interested in. You'll see the character players interacting with the DM, propped up mostly by their shared understanding of the game mechanics, and the individual mechanics of their characters. Keep an eye out for how things are different in combat vs out of combat.

You don't need minis or dice if you play online. E.g. there is a Discord bot called Avrae, and many small communities come together around use of that bot to play, where it handles most of the crunchy mechanics like dice rolls and modifiers and even maps. Some communities play live sessions over video chat, others play without video chat but with 5 minute turn timers, and others play asynchronously with 24 hour timers in a format called play-by-post (or pbp) where they roll the crunchy math in one channel, and then roleplay their characters' actions in another. Disboard will let you search communities who are looking for members--filter by whatever tags interest you most.

Finding a live play group to play a campaign with can be... Hard. I recommend you start by educating yourself about a system via free resources, maybe finding a game cafe to experience it in a one-shot, and try some online play, before investing too much. As you learn more, you're also more likely to encounter people looking to start or grow a group.

[slyflourish@ttrpg.network]

This article may help:

https://slyflourish.com/getting_started_with_dnd.html