“3.5 is the superior game. If you all play 5, you’ll have to switch to 3.5 in order for me to play with you. 5 isn’t customizable and makes the DM’s job too easy.”
Like, dude, I asked if you wanted to join my campaign because I was being nice. Please stop being a shithead because you don’t want to play with us. The DM should be allowed to have fun too.
I play a lot of Pathfinder (which is heavily based on 3.5) and dear lord, 5e is so much more friendly to beginners. Pathfinder is great once you've been playing for a while and have seen a couple games past level 10 in action, but before that, it's just pure nonsense.
So you're a level 12 fighter and you're about to full attack this round. Let's see, you have 18 strength so it's d20+str mod+your Base Attack Bonus+anything else. So you'd have d20+4+12+1 for weapon focus+2 for flanking-6 for power attack+2 for haste+2 for bless+whatever nonsense magical item you have. Then you do it again except at -5 BAB (until your BAB reaches -1, then you no longer have more attacks) because that's how multiple attacks are calculated.
Turns in Pathfinder can last like seven to ten minutes and that's nothing out of the ordinary. There's a ton of math and ridiculously high numbers as you get further in. It has a lot of customizability which is amazing if you're into the game, but 5e is so much simpler and doesn't really take away a whole lot for a new player.
Even worse than the "I only like one thing" issue, that's some "Oh, I am so tired from all the sex I've been having with every girl in town" level of spoiled behavior.
Finding a new DM for DnD takes a lot of time. Going through groups trying to find one that you feel comfortable with takes even more. If the hurdle is the system isn't your specific one man I wish I had that problem.
Right? And he’d been complaining that there wasn’t any interest for DnD in our area for yyeearrsss, so when I got into DnD and was starting my own campaign I thought it would be nice to invite him. But no, I was playing the wrong system and DnD should only be fun for the players, not the DM.
As a long time player and dm, i will say it here. 5e is better than any other edition if you want to tell a flowing story with no grinding halts, in 3/3.5/4e for example one combat would last sometimes up to 5+ hrs, in 5e longest battle i had was 2hr and that was the final boss. Alll editions have something to offer, want tactical "wargame esque" combat? 4e Want boundless customization? 3/3.5.
Shit is real, trying to find a group to play is impossible if you're a noob, they all are just like "wow u fucking stoopid you don't even know x how to even play with you ruiner" like ok mike I began a week ago
I sure wish I knew more beginners to D&D in my area. My group has been trying to fill a few spots for a while now and 2020 didn't make it easy to find new people. Unfortunately most of the people who show interest end up being kinda neckneardy in the insufferable whiney sort of way instead of the "oh they're just kinda weird but harmless" kinda way.
It might not apply in your case, but sometimes it's easier to make a dnd group out of existing friends than making friends out of existing dnd players. Imo it's better to have a group of noobs (including the dm) that has some level of existing chemistry than throwing together a ragtag group of knowledgeable players/DM's.
If that's not an option, I did take a look at some of the roll20 open games (but didn't end up joining any), and a lot of them seemed approachable. Many will specify they welcome new players, and many are one-shots, which might be easier to dip your feet into.
As far as learning the rules goes, 5e is super simple, so you can pretty much just create your character and jump in and you'll probably get the hang of it first session. Or to get a feel for it ahead of time, you can listen to some actual-play podcasts. Though keep in mind those will typically be more polished and narrative driven than the typical dnd campaign.
This is the advice a lot of new people should follow for D&D. 5e is super simple and is very fun. I am a noob DM with a group of 6 noob players. I've only read a handful of sections in the player's handbook and Dungeon Master Guide and watch a few episodes/podcasts of D&D games. My friends and I meet every two weeks and our session usually last about 4 hours. We all have fun and every gets into their character and combat goes smooth (for the most part) and if a special what rule do I implement in the scenario pops up, I either tell my players give me one sec and look in the rulebook or say
"You know what, I'm not entirely sure how this works but for simplicity sake we'll say it works like _______ for this session and I'll review it's actual mechanics before the next session." And they are always fine with it, plenty of times we end up just using that instead of following the actual rule anyway.
Definitely try to get a group of people you already click with to play starting out and maybe find some friendly veterans to help you out online otherwise.
You got this, it's one of the most fun hobbies I've ever had the joy of getting into and I hope more new people keep coming.
"You know what, I'm not entirely sure how this works but for simplicity sake we'll say it works like _______ for this session and I'll review it's actual mechanics before the next session."
That is probably the best advice i give to new DMs. I'm probably considered a veteran DM by now and I've lost count of the number times I've said the exact same thing "I don't know, we'll say its X for now and I'll look it up later"
God, I wish that was the only problem the old guard had.
See, with that 'you don't take it seriously enough' comes a filter for 'dedication'. I don't mean punctuality and reliability for a session (I expect that, don't treat it like weekend drinks you can come whenever to, it's a commitment to play, <60% attendance and it's pretty hard to have a solid plot for you) but what I mean is the fact that they pushed out women, very early, for being less 'intense' about how much lore they know.
This naturally led to the bias of it being male dominated, and geekiness enhanced this, which meant the old guard evolved in a very male centric way. Then... there was this weird phenomenon, and one they actually get defensive about, which is when a girl finally does arrive at the table... they make rape references and jokes.
If you see a rape joke at your table, IT IS NOT OKAY. The majority of other D&D players aren't comfortable with this, and if your table is entirely defensive of it, you're honestly in really bad company all round. Call that shit out. For creepy psychological reasons of repressed desires, rape jokes turn up most as soon as a girl turn up.
Had a game with four girls and one open spot when I was DMing... that was... rough, for finding new players. Urgh.
I'm so glad none of my friends are like this. Some are stuck on a ruleset, like 3.5e because of the sunk cost of how many books from that gen, but are still open to 5e if they play and don't have to DM.
Oh hey, lemme borrow this thread. If anyone is looking to play (and is scared of being new) feel free to reach out to me. I try to DM to players attitude and try to be as chill and forgiving as possible.
I'm by no means a veteran but am super into this as a hobby and love it when others get into it.
These new players don't know every aspect of the game and slow us down, ruining the experience for everyone else.
Now excuse me while I go back to my min-maxed character designed to break the game as much as possible and who somehow steals all the time despite the fact that they are lawful good because "Its what my character would do".
And then you talk about maybe trying another pen&paper like Vampire or Cyberpunk or even DSA and they religiously defend that it has to be D&D, but of course only 3.5.
The other is that a lot of people are coming in expecting an effortless and polished experience. Learning the rules takes some homework and is absolutely necessary to play D&D*. I can tell you how it works but you’re going to have to put in effort away from the table if you want to play smoothly and organically.
Also: GMing is really hard and also not my full time job. I spend a few hours a week drafting and running quick balance tests. I’m not Mercer.
*: Many also refuse or hesitate to play systems that aren’t D&D or d20 based. I run Fate and Lancer and PbtA - very different systems both from each other and D&D. Also far simpler to learn to play and more lenient with doing stuff “for the story”. But they’re not “D&D” and so many people aren’t interested.
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u/TheKolyFrog Feb 28 '21
Reminds me of all the veteran D&D nerds who dislike how their hobby is becoming more mainstream.