Dungeons & Dragons

1 What Is D&D?

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) - not quite a board game, but it belongs on any game shelf. Unlike board games with fixed outcomes, D&D is a collaborative storytelling experience. There's no winning or losing in the traditional sense. You win by having a great story.

D&D was created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the current edition (5th Edition, or "5e") is the most accessible and popular version ever released. Millions of people play it worldwide. If you've watched Stranger Things, listened to Critical Role, or heard someone geek out about their campaign - this is what they're talking about.

A D&D campaign is like a collaborative novel. One session might be a dungeon crawl fighting monsters. Another might be political intrigue in a fantasy city. Another might be a sailing voyage to an unknown island. The Dungeon Master sets the scene; the players decide what to do.

2 What You Need

To start playing D&D you need very little:

• The D&D Starter Set - includes a simplified rulebook, a pre-written adventure (Lost Mine of Phandelver), pre-made character sheets, and dice. This is the best $30 you can spend to get started.
• 3-5 friends - one person is the Dungeon Master (DM), the rest are players. You can play with 2, but 4-5 is the sweet spot.
• Dice - the Starter Set includes dice. Eventually, every player will want their own set.
• Pencils and paper - for notes. Players track their character stats on character sheets (included in Starter Set).
• 2-3 hours - a typical session takes this long. Campaigns can run for months or years.

What to Buy (in order)

3 Your Character

Every player (except the DM) creates and plays a character - a fictional person in the game world. Your character has:

• Race - Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and many more. Affects some abilities.
• Class - What kind of adventurer you are. Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, Barbarian, Bard, and more. This defines your main abilities.
• Ability Scores - Six stats rated 1-20: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma. These affect almost every die roll you make.
• Skills - Specific things you're good at, like Perception, Persuasion, Stealth, Athletics, etc.
• Hit Points (HP) - Your health. When it hits zero, you're unconscious (and at risk of dying).
• Backstory - Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you adventuring? This is the fun part.

The Starter Set comes with pre-made characters so you can play immediately without building one from scratch. Once you're ready to create your own, the Player's Handbook walks you through every option.

Popular Beginner Classes

4 How a Session Works

A D&D session has three main modes of play:

Exploration

The DM describes the world. Players say what their characters do. "We head north through the forest." "I search the chest." "I try to talk to the guard." The DM narrates what happens. Most of this doesn't require dice rolls - just conversation.

Social Interaction

When your characters talk to NPCs (non-player characters run by the DM), you roleplay the conversation. If you're trying to persuade someone, lie, or intimidate them, the DM might ask for a die roll - typically Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception).

Combat

When a fight breaks out, play becomes structured:

1. Initiative: Everyone rolls a d20 + Dexterity modifier. This determines turn order (highest goes first).
2. Your Turn: On your turn, you get a Movement (move up to your speed, usually 30 ft) and an Action.
3. Common Actions: Attack (roll d20 vs. target's Armor Class), Cast a Spell, Help an ally, Hide, Dash (double movement), or many more.
4. Attack Roll: Roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. If you meet or beat the target's AC, it hits. Then roll damage dice.
5. Repeat until combat ends (enemies flee or are defeated, or you all run away).

5 The Dice

D&D uses a set of 7 special dice. You'll see them written as d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100 (percentile).

When you see "2d6," roll two six-sided dice and add them together. "d20+5" means roll a d20 and add 5 to the result. That's it.

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6 Getting Started

The Fastest Path to Your First Game

1. Buy the Starter Set. It has everything - rules, adventure, characters, dice. Start here.
2. One person volunteers to be the DM. The DM reads the adventure beforehand. Players do not read it (spoilers!). The DM doesn't need to memorize everything - just skim the first section.
3. Each player picks a pre-made character from the Starter Set sheets. Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, or Cleric. Easy choices for a first game.
4. The DM reads the opening scene aloud and asks "What do you do?" Players respond in character. The game has begun.
5. Don't worry about getting rules exactly right. If a rules question comes up, make a reasonable ruling and look it up later. The flow of the story matters more than technical accuracy.

Tips for the Dungeon Master

• Your job is to make the players feel like heroes. Say "yes, and..." more than "no."
• Read the first encounter in detail before session 1. Skim the rest.
• If players go off-script, improvise. The adventure is a guide, not a railroad.
• Describe things in sensory detail: what they see, smell, hear. It pulls people in.
• Don't kill players in their first session. D&D can be lethal - ease into that.

Tips for Players

• Engage with the story. Ask questions. Explore. Talk to NPCs.
• Your character doesn't know what you know - stay in character for decisions.
• Work with your party. D&D rewards teamwork.
• It's okay to not know the rules. The DM will guide you.
• Have fun with failure. A low roll makes for a better story than a high one half the time.