So a few years back I began buying the 3.5 Addition books for Dungeons & Dragons just now realized that there is a 4th addition! I remember back in high school and buying the 3rd Addition books, talk about a learning curve! I think I may have had lower marks in school for 6 months as I read and learned to play the game. Every month we got a new book and tried to integrate it into the games. Needless to say learning D&D by the book was very hard!
(I have seen a review that 4th addition is an easier game to play especially for the DM.)
Ok so most D&D gamers and DMs are “Geeks” and “Nerds” I know I was called a nerd in high school but I think that was because of the community. In any other school I was the bottom of the barrel D+ or C student at best. I still learned the game but at a very slow rate…I think the my friends learned faster and I was the one teaching them the rules.
Rules, are they important?
Only if you want or need them to be!
At the end of the day it’s your game and YOU decide how it’s played.
If you’re new to the game the important rules you need to get started are the basic dice rolls for combat.
See page 135 in the Players Handbook (Core Rulebook 1 v.3.5 ISBN 0-7869-2886-7) for more details.
Attacks are decided by the attacker rolling 1d20 (1 20-sided die) plus modifiers and getting higher than the defenders Armour Class (AC). If the attack roll is higher than the defenders AC a hit is made. After that the attacker rolls the dice that corresponds to their weapon to see how much damage is dealt to the defender.
- Melee (Hand held weapons) Attacks: 1d20 + base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier.
- Ranged (Arrows, spears & such) Attacks: 1d20 + base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + range penalty.
When defending:
- Armour Class: 10 + armour bonus + shield bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier
These basic combat rules is all you really need to get a game going…the rest you will learn or make up!
I also liked to add 2 extra house rules to spice the game up:
- Natural 1 on an attack roll is always a miss and the attacker gets 1 damage. This is because the attack has over swung his weapon or miss stepped in the heat of the battle.
- Natural 20 on an attack roll is always a hit and plus 1 damage to the defender.
Also, if you're a beginner try the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Addition for Dummies book. I'm not kidding I have read several dummies books and they do a great job of teaching new things.
Have a great game,
Ian Hopfe
