Now its a bigger cultural deal than Monopoly, even chess.
Its featured inStranger Thingsand the podcastThe Adventure Zone.
In the real world, itstrendy among artsy parents and their kids.
And I hear it all the time: I really want to start playing D&D.
But starting out can feel intimidating, with all of the games books and charts and maps.
Even if youvefound a dungeon master and fellow players, now you have to create a character.
You might be tempted to get really weird with itI was.
Heres how to make a D&D hero that will best introduce you to the game.
Pick your race and class wisely
Every character has a race and class.
The options can be dizzying.
For my first game, I was a tiefling warlock.
It was an obscure and complicated character, and I was glad to abandon it after just one session.
My next character was a dwarf fightermuch more sustainable.
Each race comes with different stats and abilities.
And so will your fellow players.
Your class is even more important.
Thats your specialty, which largely determines how you achieve your goals in an adventure.
That can be a pain if theyre already busy teaching you the basics of the game.
Fighter is the most popular, and an ideal class for starting out.
Youll be dealing in direct physical conflict, avoiding complicated magic, and youll be harder to kill.
In a combat session, youll be making the biggest contribution, with the least pawing through the rulebook.
If you really want to cast some spells right away, try the cleric instead of the wizard.
Match your class to your race, says Joseph Capehart, RPG coordinator for the game shop Brooklyn Strategist.
Many people step to the table thinking How do I fit into this story?
Human fighters and elven wizards are easier to conceptualize and fit into the story.
Down the road, of course, you could try more challenging combos.
it’s possible for you to even use a pre-generated character.
Grab anofficial pre-gen character sheetand you might concentrate on building your characters story.
If you build your own, checkGeek & Sundrys guides to starting out with each class.
If they have the time, I suggest they read about the world itself before constructing a character.
What this does is build a connection between the player and the character.
They become more than a piece of paper and some dice.
If you expect to use your character for more than one or two sessions, give them some depth.
I fell into a pitfall early on by creating two-dimensional characters, says Capehart.
He found himself saying the same things, making the same decisions, and creating flat relationships.
Dont let your character stats dictate your story.
Those stats are more about the skills you test by rolling dice.
And its oriented toward a certain kind of story, emphasizing dungeon crawls and fights.
There are hundreds of roleplaying games in all kinds of genres.
But some games, like Shadowrun or Mage, are harder to learn as your very first RPG.
Capehart recommendsBlades in the Dark, a steampunk urban fantasy game.
He also likes how the game rewards players for their narrative choices.
He also recommendsFATE Core, a system that adapts to any genre.
There are also many homages to D&D to appeal to different strengths.
If youd rather interact deeply with other characters, tryDungeon World, which takes more of a collaborative-theater approach.
Theyll help you get the feel of the game, and make things a lot more comfortable.
Then once youve gotten the hang of it, you might start going crazy.
This story was originally published in 2017 and was updated on 11/27/19 to provide more thorough and current information.
