Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons
Your journey into the world of tabletop roleplaying begins here
What is D&D?
Dungeons & Dragons is a collaborative storytelling game where you and your friends create characters and embark on epic adventures in a fantasy world. Think of it as a combination of improv theater, board game, and choose-your-own-adventure book, all rolled into one.
There are no winners or losers—just a shared story that unfolds based on your choices, the roll of dice, and the creativity of everyone at the table.
Basic Setup
Participants
Dungeon Master: One only. Describes the world, controls any characters not controlled by the players, adjudicates the rules, and creates (hopefully) engaging challenges for the players to overcome.
Player(s): One or more. Controls a character, makes decisions for that character, and contributes to the story.
Equipment
As a player, we recommend you bring a laptop or mobile device with the DnD Beyond application installed. Generally, the game requires at least one set of game dice (containing a d4, d6, d8, d10, d10 (percentile) d12, and d20). There are many online dice rolling appliations for PC or mobile, including DnD Beyond which can be accessed for free and also includes character generators and basic rules.
If you wish to play without any electronic devices, notify your DM and they can print blank character sheets and bring all necessary rulebooks along, you'll likely only need a pencil, eraser and some paper.
How it works
At its very simplest, the DM describes the scene or environment that the players find themselves in, the players decide and communicate what they would like to do in that environment, and the DM describes the results of their actions.
Whenever the actions of a player or the DM would involve some degree of randomness, a roll of a die will determine the outcome. Generally, there are three different types of "play" that you will normally encounter; combat, exploration, and roleplay.
We use the shorthand 'd' to identify die. Rather than saying "a six sided die" every time, instead we say "a d6". 3d8 would mean "roll three eight sided dice and add the results together".
Gameplay
Gameplay is typically divided into three main types of play. Combat, exploration, and roleplay.
Combat
Combat in Dungeons & Dragons is the mechanism by which you do battle.
There is a beginner's guide to D&D combat available in the blog post: Combat in D&D: A Beginner's Guide.
Exploration
Exploration is the act of moving around the environment and interacting with the world. This can include things like moving from one location to another, interacting with objects, exploring dungeons, caves, ruins, or other hidden or secret areas, or even just moving about a city or town.
Unlike combat, exploration is not typically timed or performed in turns, rather the players chip in when they feel it is most appropriate. During these times, it is a good idea for a DM to make sure that no one character is dominating the conversation, and that all players are getting a chance to contribute.
During exploration, it is useful to remember that not everything that you can interact with, will be immediately obvious to you. The DM may have hidden secrets, traps, or other surprises that you may not be aware of, so it can be worthwhile to search or explore areas.
Roleplay
Roleplay is the interaction between the players, or between players and non-player characters, who are controlled by the DM. Sometimes, entire dangerous situations such as combat encounters can be resolved through roleplay alone, preventing unnecessary bloodshed.
Each person's take on Roleplay can be different, depending on what makes them feel most comfortable. If you are uncomfortable speaking as your character, you can simply describe (to the DM) what your character says or does, and the DM will describe the results of that action:
"I try to persuade the man to put down the knife".
Alternatively, you can roleplay as though you are reading a novel, describing what your character does but also speaking the parts in the 'quotation marks':
"I slowly approach the man and say 'please put down the knife, you don't want to hurt these people'".
Or, you can fully immerse yourself in the character, speaking as them:
"Sir, I beseech you to please put down the knife. Everyone here is afraid, I think you are too."
You definitely don't need to do a voice or an accent, but if you would like to then you are more than welcome to do so. Occasionally voices and accents can be useful to distinguish between the things you say as your character, and the things you say as yourself, over the table.
What the DM Does
The Dungeon Master (DM) is the storyteller and referee. They:
- ✓Describe the world and what you see, hear, and experience
- ✓Control all non-player characters (NPCs) you meet
- ✓Adjudicate the rules and decdie outcomes
- ✓Create challenges, puzzles, and encounters
- ✓Adapt the story based on your choices
The DM's goal is for everyone to have fun, not to "defeat" the players or prevent them from winning. In order to achieve this, a DM will need to strike a balance between providing credible threats and challenges which feel dangerous. Too little danger and the game won't feel engaging, too much and the party may be killed. Immersion and fun is extremely important, and for that reason the DM may choose to strategically cheat. This should always be in the interests of increasing engagement and fun for players, however.
Another important balancing act DMs need to strike is how insistent they would like to be in guiding the players along the story they have prepared. Players require complete agency over their characters in order for the game to be fun, however usually the DM has prepared an adventure for them to undertake, and so the players may choose not to engage with the prepared story. If the DM tries too forcefully to get the players to follow the story, the players may feel they lack agency and are just listening to one person tell a linear story - which is no fun. However, without some level of guidance or insistence, the players may miss a call to adventure entirely and find themsleves directionless, or playing a game of "medieval capitalism simulator" when they could have otherwise saved the realm from a looming malevolent evil.
What Players Do
As a player, you:
- ✓Create and control your own character
- ✓Make decisions for your character - outside of spells or other in-game effects, nobody (not even the DM) can make decisions for your character without your consent
- ✓Roll dice when the DM asks
- ✓Collaborate with other players to solve problems
- ✓Help create an engaging story together
As a player, you do not:
- ✓Make choices on behalf of other players
- ✓Decide what happens in the world
- ✓Debate the rules with the DM - the DM has full autonomy to interpret the rules as they see fit, even if this means directly contradicting the rules themselves
No Acting Required
You don't need to be a voice actor or wear a costume! While some players enjoy doing character voices or dressing up, it's completely optional. You can describe what your character does in third person ("My character tries to pick the lock") or speak as your character—whatever feels natural to you.