Dungeons&Dragons

Bagoth · #1 January 19th, 2004, 11:50 AM

Hey guys I was wondering if anybody here plays Dungeons&Dragons? And if the game is really complicated or fun, because I was thinking about playing it.

RadoGoji · #2 January 19th, 2004, 07:12 PM

In my opinion, D&D can be great fun, as well as complicated (it can take a few hours or so to create your characters, and can take months to play). I've only played a few times, but I play Forgotten Realms (a D&D spinoff sort of thing) based computer games, like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. I would recommend playing.

Robert Ranting · #3 January 20th, 2004, 12:47 AM

I'd just like to note that for the last month or two, I've been debating as to whether or not it was worthwhile starting up a thread about Tabletop Roleplaying Games on the Roost or not...Being as the Games section is entirely dominated by computer and console video games, I wasn't sure if anyone at all still had even a passing interest in D&D and the like.

That said, yes, I do play Dungeons and Dragons. *As a matter of fact, I'm part of my college's Gaming Club, and 8 of us meet for 2 1/2 hour sessions of D&D every Wednesday night (Just FYI, the club consists of about 40 members, so something like 5 such smaller groups are playing any given Wednesday). *In general, I find the game to be quite fun, if a little heavy on the arithmetic, being as your character's ability to accomplish something is determined by rolling dice and adding some set number that applies to the situation. *Boil it down, and D&D is basically. *"I want to do this" *"Roll X dice of this type, and add this number off your character's statistic sheet, if the total is higher than the number needed to accomplish the task, then your character can do it". *The value of the game depends entirely on the abilities (imagination, understanding of the rules, and keeping something like Order among the group) of the person running the game (the Dungeonmaster) and the way in which the people playing it work together to get through adventures while "in character".

Complexity depends entirely on what you have. *I'm not sure where exactly to track one down, but the company that makes D&D (Wizards of the Coast) produces Starter Sets which contain an adventure or two, including maps, and pre-made characters (generally, the "Iconic Characters" Mialee the Elven Wizard, Tordek the Dwarven Fighter, Lidda the Halfling Rogue, and Jozan the Human Cleric and a few alternates), as well as dice. *With one of those sets, you can pretty much get a simple game going with about as much fuss as a game of Clue. *My first game of D&D was played out of one of these sets, and while it can get old after one or two times through (since you're limited to the characters, monsters, etc. that come in the box), it's probably your best bet for starting off from nothing with a group of people who haven't played before.

If however, you're playing with people who have some experience, then they'll probably be making use of the "core" rulebooks printed by Wizards of the Coast: *The Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. *Basically, these outline the overall process of making characters, how combat, casting spells, and skills work, how to set up adventures that are fun and appropriately challenging for a group, and statistics for the standard D&D monsters. *In essence, these 3 books give you a set of rules which you use to tell your own stories from the ground up. *Once you get a handle on how the basic rules work, it's easy to add new things into the mix, either things of your own creation, or by looking at what other people have done (both officially printed supplement books and fan-material on messageboards like this one).

D&D can get very complex if you want it to be. *For a while now, Wizards of the Coast has made a lot of what's in the core rulebooks available not only for players to download free off of their website in Adobe Acrobat files, but also for other game developers to print their own supplement books, including more and more material, more options for settings, characters, and monsters. *If you bring in material from these sources, it can get very complex very fast. *However, if you stick to the basics of the system, or better yet, get one of those starter kits, it can be very simple indeed.

My main suggestion would be to look around and see if you have anyone in your area who's interested in playing. *If you've got a "well, that could be fun" group, get a starter set and run it. *If you've got an experienced group, then they probably already have the "core" books available, and you can work from there. *If however, you find that you're the only person who's interested...well...it's a little less-than-challenging to be both the Dungeon Master and the players, so I'd suggest picking up one of the computer games, like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale or The Temple of Elemental Evil (which is in the standard D&D setting, Greyhawk, btw) and play it yourself. *Basically all of these games are just taking the rules of D&D and having the computer roll the dice and add the numbers for you, while you click to tell your character(s) what to do.

Robert "Hope I Didn't Confuse You Even More, At Least" Ranting

Jeremy Sand · #4 January 20th, 2004, 03:54 AM

Yeah, I play Dungeons and Dragons. I really only play casually with my brother, but we've played quite the number of interesting adventures. We play with a lot of the other books beyond the Core Rule Books, such as the Fiend Folio, Draconomicon and Savage Species.
But one of my favorite parts in the game is the freedom to create stuff on your own. I create a bunch of Monsters and Tempaltes for the Game, and I have made my fair share of Spells, magic items, feats, Varient Classes and Prestige Classes and Even new Deities. Man, D&D can really help fufil my creativeity.
In fact, I've even made up my own Campign Setting, complete with newly created Deities, monsters, PC Races and a whole new world to play them in, its like tis own little Frogotten Realms or Greyhawk, but not nearly as vast, as it is just my onw fanwork and its just been started on.

Bagoth · #5 January 21st, 2004, 03:54 PM

Well cool thanks guys.

Cosmos · #6 February 1st, 2004, 09:36 PM

Having played this D&D, with a variety of different people, and assorted other table top RPGs, and the like, I've learned that enjoyment relies HEAVILY on who you play with, (what else is new?)
How your playmates approach the game will dramatically effect you enjoyment.

Cosmos · #7 February 1st, 2004, 09:37 PM

Oh I forgot, personally I enjoy variations on D&D, like 'hack and slash' which are a little more board game style.
more similar to a battletech, style of gameplay.

Anzila90 · #8 February 2nd, 2004, 03:27 PM

I've been a DM most of my life and I must say some of the best times I've had is running a DnD game.  In a way DnD is like a computer game, but you have total control over what your character dose.  If done right it can be a lot of fun.

Magna_Titan · #9 April 1st, 2004, 01:43 AM

It is fun and complicated but its worth the head aches cause its fun and seeing how theirs groups that meet if you find on its a good way to meet different people.

Cole Deschain · #10 April 1st, 2004, 04:47 PM

D&D is magnificent.

I'm more of a role-player than a roll-player, so I;m not into hack & slash so much- to my mind, that's what Diablo II is for.

However, that doesn't mean I find no enjoyment in occasionally having my fighter characters pound the snot out of some fell beast...

watercyborg 1966 · #11 April 1st, 2004, 06:12 PM

I used to be a paper and pen and dice style player in the 80's and then I became bored with the process of rolling doce and killing monsters. I'm glad we have the PC versions now, and Baldur's Gate is on my list of conquests. I am now working on Icewind Dale and the Heart Of Winter expansion pack. It's nice to actually see where you're going and what you're fighting.  The old D&D Monster Manuals were fun too, the artwork was always a special thing. Probably highly collectible now.

The adventure I started with was "The Keep On The Borderlands." and the strangest one I ever played was "Tomb of The Lizard King." You fought a vampiric lizard man named Sakatha. A vampire lizard man, now there's a monster for ya'....

Cole Deschain · #12 April 1st, 2004, 06:43 PM

See, I find that the PC versions don;t do it for me. I prefer actual character development.

Zigra · #13 April 1st, 2004, 09:21 PM

I liked D&D back in 2nd Edition, when TSR had it. With 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast have steadily done all they can to ruin it (they've especially trashed the "Forgotten Realms" setting, which was my favorite). Reducing Io the Ninefold Dragon to the level of an intermediate deity was the final straw for me before I gave up on 3rd Edition completely.

DragonLord · #14 April 1st, 2004, 09:58 PM

I like the monsters, but I don't play it.  I have nothing against it either.

RadoGoji · #15 April 15th, 2004, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (watercyborg 1966 @ April 01 2004,18:12)]I'm glad we have the PC versions now, and Baldur's Gate is on my list of conquests. I am now working on Icewind Dale and the Heart Of Winter expansion pack.

Rado revives another thread.

Wow. I didn't think there were any Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale players on the board besides me. Coolness.

MasteroftheSwarm · #16 August 9th, 2006, 04:40 PM

It's a great game and I love to play it. Anyone else play D&D here? If so what characters are you currently running?

Pug Puppy · #17 September 7th, 2006, 10:09 PM

I love Warhammer and Balder's Gate!

I also like Darkstone, Gauntlet, and Golden Axe(PS2 variants).

Zigra · #18 September 8th, 2006, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasteroftheSwarm

It's a great game and I love to play it. Anyone else play D&D here? If so what characters are you currently running?

Actually, I've pretty much given up on D&D 3rd Edition. Too many crappy things have been done to various characters and places that I love in various campaign settings. I still play D&D, but I ignore a lot of what's been done in 3rd Edition, and many newer gamers who are only familiar with 3E tend to get confused by it.

Morgoth · #19 September 9th, 2006, 06:06 AM

Bah, you actually USE an established setting? The whole point of D&D is making your own world and campaign. Never had much use for any of their world books beyond what I could harvest for my own setting (though it was worth it when Draconians first showed up in my campaign that the players had all read Dragonlance and were terrified that these guys were now running around their kingdom).

I do think the feat and talent system is a good inovation, as are the advance level schemes for assorted monsters, making it impossible for any rules lawyer to know exactly what something can do as soon as he sees it. (for fun, make a troll dragonkin that is derived from a Red Dragon - the thing acquires immunity to fire-based attacks!)

Zigra · #20 November 3rd, 2006, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morgoth

Bah, you actually USE an established setting?

A bit of a belated reply, seeing how I missed this post, but.....

Yes, I do use some of the established settings, to an extent. Mostly because I actually like some of these settings. I especially like quite a bit of "Forgotten Realms". Granted, I don't care for any of the novels, but I like places, things, etc. that the core sourcebooks delve into. The FR setting features one of my favorite lands of all time, Chult (gotta love a land where the two primary deities are a snake god and a dinosaur god).

One thing that especially disgusted me with 3rd Edition was them reducing Io, the Ninefold Dragon, to the level of an intermediate deity, and obscuring his role in Draconic theology as the Creator of all things. That was a real kick in the face for anybody familar with the mythology from 2nd Edition. Yeah, I know we can just ignore it in our own campaign worlds, but we still have to suffer reading about it if we ever want to look at any official information that comes out.