I need help starting my 1st Campaign

[Lupy]

This will be my first Dnd game ever (I play SAGA edition SWRPG), and I have some questions about what to get, what to use, et cetera et cetera.

What books do I need, I know I need the Core Rulebooks, but what about other books that are handy. I was looking at the Rules Compendium and Player's Handbook 2, but what do I know? In my game there only are two books.

I have also seen that there are about 50 bajillion and six different 3.5 edition character sheets, do I go with the PHB one, the Revised on WotC website, or a 3rd party one?

Finally, I love the Dragonlance books and would like to run a campaign, should I start on a basic "out of the core books" setting, or do I play DL. Also, is DL 3.5 compatible, and is it well written and thought out so I can DM it?

Any help at all would be great, thanks in advance!

PS As DM I get to buy most of the books

[Lupy]

. . . Wow guys, way to uh, help the new guy there. . . Hope there's an answer when I get home. . .

[ShadowSiege]

Dragonlance wasn't updated to 3.5 AFAIK.

In addition to the three core books, PHB2 is handy for the item tables for NPCs and the new feats and classes are great for the players. Monster Manuals 3 & 5 are good for more monsters, though since this is your first campaign, you probably shouldn't worry about it.

If you're running a campaign focused around a specific type of nemesis, WotC has published a few type specific books: Lords of Madness for aberrations, Fiendish Codex 1 & 2 for Demons and Devils, Libris Mortis for undead, Draconomicon for dragons. For additional on specific environs, Dungeonscape, Stormwrack, Sandstorm, Cityscape and Frostburn.

As for character sheets, I prefer the revised official character sheet. Only two pages if printed double sided, though for casters, a third party sheet might be best.

[Lady Tialait]

The First time I ran was a non-D&D game it was Cyberpunk, and back then we played a confused skill based system none of us really understood. I basically railroaded everyone all over the place...but we had fun...

I lucked out..


If I was to teach someone to be a good DM i would get them a Adventure thingy. Like the Expadition series. Help them put it into their idea and then sit back and watch the Chaos.

Let's say you get Undermountian in the Series, if you like FR, then your set. After all that is where it was from. But if you wanted it in Dragonlance, you would need to do just a little bit of tweeking, like, put it someplace, adjust the NPCs to the Dragonlancy flavor, and such. Read whatever you end up getting as your guidline, understand what your doing, THEN adjust it to what you want.

Good luck.

[Bryn]

The PHBII and the Rules Compendium are often reccomended as good books to get (although I only have the former). In addition, the Complete series (Complete Adventurer, Scoundrel, Arcane, Mage, Divine, Champion, and Warrior) are also pretty popular.

You probably don't need any books except the core 3 to begin with, though. Wait until you have found out what sort of games you like then get a relevant supplement

[Jack_Simth]

. . . Wow guys, way to uh, help the new guy there. . . Hope there's an answer when I get home. . .

Does 21 minutes of "no response" really merit the sarcasm?

What do you need?

The Core three (Player's Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide).

For your first few sessions, I would suggest using *just* those three plus errata, and keeping it below 5th level. Seriously - if you're DMing, you need to be at least as familiar with the material as the players (ideally, you're the most familiar with the rules) and keeping it to Core and low-level will minimize the amount of stuff you'll need to know. Once you've fully gotten the hang of the system, then branch out. To start, I recommend a few low-level Core Only sessions.

[Lupy]

Thanks for the info, glad I asked b4 spending. I wonder why DL was never updated... I mean c'mon Wizards.

And yes 21 minutes on the 1st page when there are a bajillion people on does merit a little frustration.

[RTGoodman]

I'm not sure about Dragonlance not being updated - I'm sitting here with a version of the "Dragonlance Campaign Setting" that was published in 2003, meaning it's either 3.5 or very late 3.0. I'm leaning closer to 3.5, since it mentions Level Adjustments and I'm not sure if LA was used in 3.0. And even if it is 3.0, I haven't seen anything in it that would even need changing (though I haven't read the whole thing).

Anyway, for starting D&D, you should do what the others have said and get the Core rulebooks. If you can't get all three (or don't want to spend all that money at once), the D&D Basic Set has everything you need to start playing.

For early adventures, you might want to stick with some of the pre-made adventures for 1st to 3rd level characters. I highly recommend "Scourge of the Howling Horde," which you can probably find in your local gaming store or bookstore. After that, you can check the Wizards of the Coast website for some of their free adventures. "A Dark and Stormy Knight" is awesome, as is "Something's Cooking."