New to D&D

[Silk]

Would anybody be willing to help me learn how to play D&D and ideally maybe help me set up a game for it after i know some of the ground rules? Its something i allways wanted to try :)

[HairyHeretic]

Do you mean the current 4th ed ruleset, or one of the earlier ones?

[Silk]

Just in general, I don't know anything about d&d except for the sort of things you can learn from neverwinter nights

[HairyHeretic]

Well, each rule set has its own fans, and the current 4th ed seems to inspire very much of a love / hate response in people. I believe its pretty different from the previous version (3.5 ... 3.75 if you include the Pathfinder stuff). My last playing of D&D was 3.0, but I don't think you should have too much trouble in finding someone willing to help you with one version or other.

[RubySlippers]

Well there are two to three 2.5 games going on.

Zaer's Shadows & Shades game is pretty much the longest regular thread here and just started a new role-play for Level 2 characters. Its in the Forgotten Realms setting.

One 1st level start game is getting going check elsewhere here in the thread.

And on is kind of there and I'll liely play but need to get the character generation standardized so is iffy for me, but possible.

[PhantomPistoleer]

From my understanding, you are not only new to D&D but to tabletop role-play as well.

Briefly, a character is composed of attributes, skills, feats and abilities that grow over time to make him or her more competent.  This is intuitively called experience.  As a character gains experience, he gains levels, which increase his or her prowess in key sections:  fighting ability, defense, skills, saves, etc.  The character becomes complicated very quickly, as you will have to be able to recall a number of numerals.

I suggest that you look at the wizards.com "How to Play D&D" tutorial.  It's informative and easy to register.  If you have any questions, you should post them in this thread.

As for the versions, people are stuck in either 3.0, 3.5, or 4.0.  The differences between 3.0 and 3.5 are cosmetic, and if you understand one you should be able to understand the other.  4.0 is a far more simplified, video-game-like version of 3.5, but it's only simple if you focus on only your character.  If you're a GM, 4.0 can get mind-boggingly bothersome with the amount of information that's given.

Now, my beef with 4.0 is that I prefer 3.5.  The reason I prefer it is because 4.0 lacks the level of customization that I enjoy in character building.  However, 4.0 does provide an excellent repertoire of abilities which make even a mundane hack-and-slasher a diverse, tactical unit.  The happy medium between 3.5 and 4.0 is the Book of Nine Swords, which possesses 3.5's level of customization and 4.0's level of action diversity.

[Silk]

Kinda, I've done some vampire and rogue trader tabletop rp

[HairyHeretic]

Rogue Trader? The Dark Heresy expansion Rogue Trader? I thought that wasn't out til later this year.

[Silk]

We made our own version of it a few years ago, mostly based around a group of exiled imperial guard who were on a special mission for a inquisitor

[HairyHeretic]

Ah ok. That's a pity, I was hoping they'd moved the release schedule up for it :)