49 years ago, the most influential Tabletop Role-playing Game would have its original form taken. Nearing its half-a-century birthday, now is a damn good time to get involved with Dungeons and Dragons, or any game similar to it.
The community is the biggest it has been, thanks to both mainstream media dying down on the ‘Satanic Panic’ of it’s early days, along with pieces of influential media like Stranger Things or Gravity Falls taking inspiration from the game to be used in it’s storylines, or even to the mass reliance on the game from the likes of Critical Role and Dimension 20, both forms exalting this game to a status of excellence.
Since then, there have been over fifty million players rolling dice, writing up character sheets, and building stories off of one and all. Safe to say, that the TTRPG industry is thriving in this day and age.
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and Pathfinder are open-form game systems that rely on roleplaying and encounters to detail a story. Each action and choice done by both players and the GM (Game Master) will be reflected through the roll of a dice, to decide on if an action was done successfully or not.
D&D and pathfinder are both games that mostly rely on being used in the traditional fantasy setting. Goblins and gold, swords and sorcery, the list goes on. For a new player, this environment is perfect for finding out what you enjoy from a game.
For those who love a good mystery, Brindlewood Bay can be a fun, detective-oriented game! There’s many to go for, including adaptations from iconic horror series Alien, along with other icons of the genre in the lovecraftian Call of Cthulhu.
Or, perhaps, you may be more interested in diverse games, both in the sense socially with games like Thirsty Sword Lesbians and Vampire: The Masquerade, but also in the sense of how much you can actually do with the mass content of the product, like GURPS, which is a TTRPG made to be non-specific and fit in with any setting, story, or aspects of a game. Still though, D&D and Pathfinder work as great stepping stones to find out what you’ll enjoy in a TTRPG.
Despite what many may think, you do not need much to start playing a game such as D&D, or Pathfinder. Sure, the books, along with much more can be enticing, and boy, it is, but truthfully, all you need to start playing is a group of players. D&D can be played with what is known as ‘Theatre of the Mind’. Essentially, D&D can be considered as a free game, along with most other TTRPGs out there! But for those willing to put in some money, books I can recommend are the Players Handbook, and if you’re planning on being a DM at some point, the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s guide. The same can be said for Pathfinder, with the Core Rulebook, the Bestiary, and Gamemastery Guide, respectively.
Speaking as a D&D player myself, it’s easy to be intimidated by such a mountain of content. When it comes down to the basic rules, free online for anybody to find, though, these thoughts would usually disappear, like it did for me. The basic rules contain four races (the species you play as) and four classes (the type of character you play, essentially). It’s kept simple, perfect for new players. You can find it on the Wizard of the Coast website for free.
Now, you may be thinking, what is the difference between Pathfinder and D&D. Well, it’s quite simple. Whilst both games are quite similar, many may choose one over the other due to the mechanics (basically, the rules) of the two games. D&D is better suited for newcomers to the game, in my opinion. A game as diverse as D&D can allow for adventures to go on for singular sessions, up to the point of real-time years. What’d be best for a new player is what is known as a one-shot. One-shots are just singular sessions made by the Game Master which tell a self-contained story. In fact, it was a one-shot that had gotten me into Dungeons and Dragons, about four years ago.
A TTRPG is typically enjoyed in person, but in recent times, people have found that Discord and Roll20 can be very helpful in running a game due to the in-app features offered. This can tackle both problems with running a game like Pathfinder or D&D in person, being the difficulties of finding people to play in a campaign, along with scheduling conflicts. Finding people to play with is made so much easier when you can use both of those websites to your own leisure. Personally, I see that to be the main reason as to how now is the best time to get into a TTRPG. Even if you like your games in a hyper-specific way, or using a hidden gem of a system, somebody out there will share that interest.
To conclude, now will be the best time to get in D&D or TTRPGs for a long, long time. With the rising popularity, easy ways to play, and unbound creativity. You’d be crazy not to! Kidding aside, there’s bound to be many out there thinking if they should make the jump. Take it from somebody who had half a decade ago, it was one of the best things that happened to me, and it wouldn’t be bad for you, I reckon.
This article was written by Xan who you can find out more about here: https://www.fiverr.com/s/awVQNQ.