Rulebook
Once you have your writing tools at hand, it’s time for the real deal: Dungeons & Dragons as a game is primarily a rulebook that gives you the scope of action and describes how your characters are used.
I took my first steps with 5e, the version from 2014. For this, the official basic rules are available for free in German as a download through the official website of Wizards of the Coast, the publishers of D&D. They correspond with the rule booklet from the 5e starter box.
But the latest version of D&D comes from 2024. For this, there are currently no free German resources available. However, those proficient in English can read through the basic rules on the D&D Beyond website. Many modern browsers also come with a built-in translator that can help here.
My tip: I would recommend everyone who already knows they want to play a lot to go for the latest version. For a first introduction to the game, however, 5e is perfectly sufficient. The German and free basic rulebook also makes it a bit easier to get into this version.
If you don’t want to read all the rules right away, you can alternatively grab a current starter set. In it, you’ll find not only the rules but also an adventure, dice, pre-made character sheets, and more accessories. Not everything in it is strictly necessary for a first session, but it can be helpful. The MSRP of the set
Heroes of the Borderlandsis €46.99.
Dice
Dungeons & Dragons is a numbers-based game. The numbers from your character sheet are combined with rolled values. This determines whether you can jump over a chasm or break down a door, for example.
However, pen & paper games usually use not only the widely used six-sided dice but eight different ones with dedicated side counts:
- 20
- 12
100
- 10
- 8
- 6
- 4
- 2
The 20-sided die is the most important one since a roll with it usually precedes rolls with other dice. The so-called W100 or percentile die is used for very specific situations in combination with the W10. This allows for rolling numbers between 1 and 100.
The W12, W10, W8, W6, and W4 are usually used as damage dice. Which of them your current weapon needs is specified in the respective description. The W2 is a coin that can be flipped if needed.
Unfortunately, physical dice are rarely free. Alternatively, you can rely on free digital offers: Dnddiceroller is available, for example, as a website or as apps for Android and iOS. Also free campaign tools like Roll20 or the official D&D Beyond (English) by Wizards of the Coast have integrated dice.
pen & paperbooks. Alternatively, there are quite affordable sets on Amazon. Prices usually start at around €5.
If you are considering a starter set: Check if your desired set already includes a set of dice.
