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The Guide to the Dungeons and Dragons Guide
The dungeons and dragons guide has been around as long as the game has. This makes perfect sense when you think about how the guide is needed to understand a lot of what is going on for the beginner and planning a non-mod campaign is next to impossible without it. So what is the dungeons and dragons guide and does it do for the newbie? Listen oh Prince to my tale... First you have to understand the three books involved in D&D game play: the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manuel. All three of these serve a slightly different function and having one with the other three is a lot like starting Lord of the Rings at the Fall of Isengard. Yeah, I’m going to make a lot of fantasy references. The Player’s handbook is used by the player (duh) to use as a tool to define rules and game play. Sometimes it can be used as a club or a clipboard as well. I often refer to mine when I want to dispute something the DM has said. I find this doesn’t help my case at all, but I have a better case to grumble about throughout the session. The Monster Manuel is the dungeons and dragons guide to the creatures that inhabit the Fantasy world. This is an imperative for players to have. It keeps the game honest. Without it a chicken could be incredibly strong and wipe out entire villages. Actually, that could happen anyway, but with the bestiary, you have a shot at getting the chicken scenario erased from the adventure. The Dungeon Master’s Guide is probably the glue that holds the game together. This is absolutely the core rules, clearly defined and laid out so as there can be no mistakes made. This is fortunate because if it were not so clearly laid out arguments would break out. Okay, they break out with the DMG in place, but can you imagine what would happen without it? Anarchy I say! Put together the three of these do comprise what is commonly called the “core rules”. The dungeons and dragons guide could technically be called three separate books in a way. It depends on how you look at it. But just because I have a little time I throw out one more dungeons and dragons guide tip of s different sort: NPCs. NPCs are Non-Player characters, these are “randomly placed” throughout the game. Oddly enough they sometimes have information that can help a party or player out. It is just a matter of asking the right questions. Even the old players sometimes forget about these background figures and do not interact with them. Here’s another tip: Dungeon masters LOVE their NPCs. You can often trick a DM into revealing something he would not otherwise tell you by interacting with an NPC- which he must play. (wink). Let the adventure be your main dungeons and dragons guide. Have fun and enjoy the debates, the rolling field, the monster fights in the dungeons and each other. Time is fleeting my friends and we are all bound for Valhalla one day. |
