Reddit mentions: The best dungeons & dragons game books

Long post incoming; some of this stuff is copied from other posts I've made:

Getting into D&D is going to be a lot simpler and easier to rolling your own RPG system, unless the system you design is ultra simple and rules-light. And unless your friends happen to be game design experts or prodigies, what they come up with probably isn't going to be as fun, balanced or robust as a system designed and iterated upon by professionals and the RPG geek community.

D&D isn't rocket science, but the first few sessions will almost certainly be fraught with confusion, rules referencing, and/or people getting the rules wrong... but all that's OK. The key is to keep a relaxed attitude and for the DM err on the side of what seems most fun and entertaining. After a few sessions, everyone will probably have a decent grasp on the fundamental rules and things will go a bit more smoothly.

If you do decide to play D&D, you have to decide upon an edition to play, as there are several and they aren't compatible with each other. Right now the two most popular and recent editions are 3.5 and 4th edition. A 3rd party spin-off of 3.5 called Pathfinder is also popular. A big advantage to Pathfinder if you're on a tight budget is that pretty much the entire system is available online for free. For your conservative friends, the fact that it's not called D&D may also eliminate some of the social stigma, making it an easier sell.

My preferred edition though, and the one that is most newbie-friendly, is 4th edition. A slightly dated and incomplete overview of 4e's rules is available in this free quickstart guide. This tells you about 90% of what you need to know to sit down at a table and play as a player, and includes some pregenerated characters, but lacks the rules for character creation and progression.

A free 4e adventure, Keep on the Shadowfell can also be downloaded and perused by the DM, but KotS is not the finest example of adventure design, though you can find fan suggestions online to improve and tweak it.

As far as what products you should or need to buy, the Red Box Starter is probably the simplest and most straight-forward route. Avoid paying more than $25 for it new (a lot of 4e products seem to have spotty availability, which means sometimes they are overpriced).

Like the free quickstart guide, however, the Red Box does not you access to the full rules, but rather a simplified and stripped down overview. It almost follows the model of a choose your own adventure book in some respects rather than true D&D, which can make it a good stepping stone, though some players are impatient with it. It does, however, include some items that will remain useful to your game even when you outgrow the rules and content of the box: a double-sided poster map which can be reused, punch-out cardstock tokens to represent player characters and monsters and a set of dice. At $20 shipped, it's a good value if you feel your need a really gentle introduction into D&D.

However, if the members of your group are not averse to doing a couple hours of reading before their first adventure, and would rather skip the frying pan and jump straight into the fire, you can safely skip the Red Box.

What you really need is: a book that descriptions character creation and level 1-30 character options, an encounter design guide for the DM, a monster resource, plus some physical tools/props.

As for as the player resource goes, any one of the following will fulfill the need: the Player's Handbook, Heroes of the Forgotten Lands, Heroes of the Fallen Kingdoms. I would recommend the latter two, as they are 4e "Essentials" products, which are more up to date and feature more newbie-friendly steamlined design. However, all of the books are compatible with each other, and you can use them all.

You also need a book that tells the DM how to design encounters, run skill challenges, and reward teh players. You have basically three options here: the Dungeon Master's Guide, the DM's Book from the DM's Kit or the Rules Compendium.

Each has their pros and cons. The DMG is written with the new DM in mind and gives you all the rules info you need that isn't include in the players' books, but as one of the originally published books in the edition, it's less refined and does not include the latest errata (which you can download online, though it's a bit of a pain to read through all of it). It's probably your least expensive option.

The DM's Kit seems to be out of print (or on a reduced print run) so it's selling at above retail price. IMO it'd be the best option for a new DM, as it contains useful goodies (tokens, maps, and two quality published adventures) like the Red Box, plus a more up to date version of the Dungeon Master's Guide. But if you have to pay $55+, that's kind of difficult to justify.

The Rules Compendium has all of the rules information a DM needs, and it includes most of the latest errata, and it's generally a handy reference that you'll probably want to get eventually anyway. The problem is just that: it's a reference, and is light on insight and advice on how to build entertaining adventures and run a fun game. Like the DM's kit, it may be out of print, but it's still a good value. The Rules Compendium may be the best option if you're willing to read forums and web sites for DMing advice, which can be system neutral.

The DM also needs a monster resource. Hands down, the best option here is the Monster Vault. It's basically a far superior revision of 4e's Monster Manual, and contains an adventure, a ton of tokens and a battle map to boot. It's a steal at $20.

Another recommended product would be a D&D Insider subscription, which will give you access to the Character Builder, which as the name implies, makes building/progressing characters a cinch, and the Compendium, which gives you access to every bit of crunch in the entire published history of 4e: all the classes, powers, feats, races, monsters, items, themes, etc. as well as a glossary which describes much of the rules. You also get access to Dragon and Dungeon magazine archives, which contains a lot of flavor, design advice, and many pre-made adventures (see this thread for some highlights). It also has a handy monster builder tool. A subscription is $10/month or less if you commit to a longer subscription. Getting one subscription and sharing it among the group can be worthwhile.

Finally, you also need some physical things:

• A sufficiently large playing surface and seating.
  
• Pencils, paper for character sheets.
  
• Dice. You could get by with a single set (including 1d20, 1d12, 1d10, 1d8, 1d6, 1d4) but you probably want a full set for every player plus some duplicates. A pound of dice would likely suffice.
  
• A blank/customizable gridded map. There are at least three good options for this:
  
• A basic Paizo flip mat to be used in conjunction with erasable markers
  
• Gridded easel pads which work equally well for preparing detailed, pretty maps before a session, or whipping up something quick and dirty at the table -- a single pad will last you a good long time. This is what I use.
  
• Gaming paper which is like a compromise between the previous two options.
  
• Miniatures, tokens or other markers to represent monsters. As previously mentioned, several 4e Essentials products include tokens (if you get the Monster Vault, you're set). You can also buy miniatures from gaming stores, on eBay, etc. or you can use just about anything that's roughly a square inch in diameter -- coins, polished stones used in aquarium bedding, dice (though this can get confusing), etc.
  
  Finally, as for convincing your friends, as you've said, D&D is essentially no different from Skyrim, World of Warcraft, etc. D&D is pretty much the granddaddy of those games. If you can tolerate the "occult" elements in those other games, there shouldn't be anything offensive about D&D. And ultimately, the DM and players have full control over what they want to allow in the game. Have a discussion and decide if there's any subject matter that is the party finds offensive and exclude it from the game (or re-fluff it so it it's not so offensive).

I just ran my first session as a new DM with LMoP last week! I'll jot down my experience running a group of 4 beginners. (so take my advice with a grain of salt as a beginner that has not finished the campaign)

---
First, read through the books in the Starter Set! (If you can afford the Player's Handbook, that is a good idea as well.) I highly recommend going through the rulebook (or Basic Rules) then at least skimming through the entire LMoP module. You don't have to memorize everything but as a DM it is important to have the idea of the setting in your head.

For combat, you have to decide if you are going to run "Theater of the Mind" or battlemat+miniatures for combat. Theater of the Mind is more flexible and requires less preparation but battlemats give great visuals at a cost of preparation and supply.

Then you have to decide if you think your players would want to make their own characters or not. For my beginner group, I decided that they would be a lot more invested/excited if they could identify with their own creation so I chose to not use the pre-generated character sheets. Once you are comfortable with the rules of D&D enough, set a date to meet with your group.

Since we had to make characters, I held a Session 0 to introduce the basic concept of what to expect in committing to D&D as well as character creation. I highly suggest making characters together a separate day before Session 1 because it usually takes a decent amount of time for the first time (3ish hours for me).

My Session 0 looked like this:

• Introduction to D&D
  
  
• Explaining all races, classes, backgrounds and letting them pick
  
  
• Giving character sheets, rolling stats
  
  
• Guiding them through the char sheet by referencing DNDBeyond for background/race/class bonuses
  
  After everyone was done, I let them take home the character sheet and work on character appearance, personality, and background story.
  
  The week after, we had Session 1. Make sure you actually read through the LMoP module in depth, at least up to Part 1-2 beforehand. I also decided to take some elements of this supplement Part 0 for LMoP to use as a tutorial for my players. Then, begin your adventure! My party took a lot longer than I expected and only got to the entrance of the Cragmaw Hideout after 3 hours.
  
  Good luck to your campaign, I'm looking forward to my second session!
  
  ---
  
  Some recommended guides I used:
  
  
• Matt Mercer tips (all DM's love this man)
  
  
• Don't Stop Thinking guides (great graphic visuals and in-depth coverage)
  
  
• Matt Colville tips (gives a good idea of how D&D should look like at an advanced level)
  
  
• DungeonDudes (channel that covers good topics)
  
  
• DNDBeyond (amazing website for the Basic Rules, classes, and races)
  
  
• OneCritWonder LMoP tips (helpful overview of the module)
  
  
• LMoP enemies (generator that adapts to how many players you have)
  
  ---
  Supplies I personally prepared (BUT ARE OPTIONAL):
  
  
• Beginner dice (shared with my beginners, they are planning to get their own sets soon)
  
  
• Custom character sheets (a bit overwhelming at first but I find helpful for each class)
  
  
• Spell cards (I don't think many people use these but I find it an amazing resource to give your players if they are spellcasters)
  
  
• Battlemat (use with Wet-Erase markers)
  
  
• Paper minis (dedication and time required, can use coins, legos, or anything instead or even real miniatures if you can afford it)
  
  
• DM Screen (the official and most standard and affordable screen)

4e is pretty simple. Even simpler than that is Swords and Wizardry which is made to resemble old school DnD. Microlite 74 is similar but does not hew as closely to any incarnation of DnD. All of these are free.

Swords and Wizardry has quick start rules here. I listed some beginner modules for it.

>Is there a D&D "basic" set in its latest incarnation?

You mean like this?

The Red Box, then Rules Compendium, Heroes of the Fallen Lands, and then the Monster Vault.

The Red Box comes with some premade characters and a quick adventure. Its pretty cheap and will help you determine if this is the system you want (note your free options.)

If you like it, then:

Then the Heroes book will help you guys build characters.

The Rules Compendium contain all the... rules. (What happens on each players turn, etc etc).

Monster Vault has monsters for the DM.

Not a lot of good adventures available for 4e though, though if you like 4e and want to run premade stuff for it, some options are laid out here.

You also have the option of subscribing to a service called DnD Insider, which will give you access to, among other things, an online character builder for the players and a monster builder for the DM with all the stuff from the books,. It costs like 10 bucks a month... but its an option that you should be aware of.

You might get some recommendations for Pathfinder, because redditors love them some Pathfinder (which is based off DnD 3.5 so if you know that, you know PF). It's a good system--I'm playing it right now--but its so complex that I have some trouble recommending it to absolute beginners in good conscience. You can look into it here. If you do go with it, I highly highly recommend a character builder like PCGen.

EDIT: Fixed some links.

>I'd go buy a standard price book (RPG books tend to be waay more expensive where I am than in the US).

I'm not sure where you live efrique, but the above description meets the description of Australia pretty fair and square (where I live) so I'll throw some bitlets of info out and if you're in Australia and it helps it will be cool, and if you're somewhere else you might get some ideas nonetheless.

So, on a long ramble during my break from study, please see the below screed of 'maybe knowledge' ... although, first:

TL; DR

I'd go Dungeon World, OSRIC, Fate/FAE in that order ... but thats just me ...

Anyway:

Fate

Fate is 'setting neutral' ... a lot less crunchy that D&D and Co, and is a story game with supplementary rules rather than the other way around. Its made by the nice folk at 'Evil Hat' who provide it on a pay what you can basis (incl. $0) right here. There is also a 'condensed version' of the rules called 'Fate Accelerated' which is similarly 'setting neutral'.

Fred Hicks from Evil Hat will be better at explaining "why Fate", or you could also look at this thread from /r/rpg

Dungeon World

Its good that old school D&D feel with a 'to do it, just say it' kind of new school story telling mechanic. Its $10 as a pdf from here. I like it, its good for beginners to role playing and its collaborative story telling as you go.

OSRIC

OSRIC is a re-release of what is basically the original D&D rules under an open game licence. There are kind of a lot of different versions of this kind of thing and, to be fair, I have no idea what the actual differences are. Someone might pip in and tell us hopefully. You can get the book for free as a pdf right here at lulu.com or apparently to get them to print, bind and post it to you it costs only $17.81 which, as an Australian, seems far too good to be true ...

Pathfinder


I've used bookdepository.com in the past to get the hardcopy of Paizo's Pathfinder Core Rulebook ... which at around $50 and no postage is a lot better than the $80-110 I'd have to pay if I bought at a local bookshop, and better than you can get directly from Paizo who charge $40 for the book and $40 for international postage.

Pathfinder Core might be a bit too complex for what your looking for at this point though, but bookdepository is by far a cheaper option if you can find what you're looking for compared to buying local (which seems counter-intuitive, and while I'd like to 'support local' I just don't have that much cash!).

D&D


D&D 4e (which I've never played to be honest) has a bunch of 'essentials' A5 size books which summarised the preceding years of rules glut down into some basic books: See the 'frequently bought together bit half way down and also there is a Rules Compendium - apparently that's D&D 4e, the summarised version ... $60-ish the lot if you are in Australia, and I've seen them for $20-$25 each at the "FLGS" so you saving a bit there ...

Alternately, Wizards of the Coast are currently 'playtesting' the 5th edition of D&D and you can sign up to be a beta tester and download the lastest test version for free here

Keith Baker, the original author of Eberron, has written his own 5E Eberron rules and posted them to his blog.

http://keith-baker.com/extra-life-hacking-the-warforged/

There is also a full 20 level Artificer class found in the UA.

https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/1_UA_Artificer_20170109.pdf

My party is currently playtesting a Dwarf Artificer. We're up to level 4, and so far it rocks. Next session is this weekend and we'll see if we can't advance to level 5. I really love that class. : )

The rest of the UA Eberron material, as you suggest, is sparse.

My party has playtested the UA version of the Changeling, and we love it. We haven't had a chance to try out the Shifter, but I really like what they've done with it here. The most disappointing thing in that article is obviously the Warforged, but I like Keith's proposal that I posted up there and if we ever have a Warforged in our game, I'll use that.

You will have to homebrew Kalashtar, if one of your players wants to go that route. I recommend giving them a stat increase to Intelligence, and letting them choose one of the Psionic Talents from the Mystic UA.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/mystic-class

I also recommend investing in these books. The first is the essential guide to running Eberron, and using them as a guide you should easily be able to homebrew whatever you need:

Eberron Campaign Setting

Shadows of the Last War

Good luck! I love Eberron, easily my favorite published setting. What part of Khorvaire will the campaign be set in?

So for 5e there are a couple of things you can look at getting:

• Basic Rules: Look at the section for "Free Basic Rules". These PDFs are basically what you need to start playing D&D. The D&D 5e Player's Basic Rules has information about the basics of the game for players. It's got 4 races (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, and Human) and 4 classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard) and one "subclass" for each class (Life Domain Cleric, Champion Fighter, Thief Rogue, and School of Evocation Wizard). Items, customization, character building, and the general "here's how you play!" are included in this document. Great resource for a simple lookup if you want to introduce someone to the game, since the characters you can build out of it are generally solid characters. The D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Basic Rules is the starting point for your DM. For the most part is bunch of creature/enemy stat blocks with explanations on how to balance encounters to the players' levels, as well as a quick off-hand on how to generate magic items. DMs are the creative source of the campaign, so there isn't much required to actually build a simple campaign.
  
• Dungeons & Dragons 5e Starter Set: This is the most basic form of the game you can get with most things included. Looks like it's $13 on Amazon right now, which is pretty good. The box set comes with a 32-page player guide (mini Player's Handbook), a 64-page Dungeon Master's guide (mini Dungeon Master's Guide/Monster Manual), a couple of pre-generated characters, and a few dice. It's good for getting into 5e if you've never played before since the rules are greatly reduced down to levels 1-6 and there are only 8 classes. Most of the content is the same stuff you can find in the Basic Rules, minus the story that comes with the Starter Set. If someone gets this, everyone else can download/print the Basic Rules and should be good. Most of the content is all about how to play the characters that are in the starter set, not about character generation and the like, so make sure to look at the Basic Rules if you want to play a Halfling Fighter for example. See this comment for more explanation.
  
• Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons 5e): This is the core of most of your games of 5e at this point. This has all of the basic necessities, like character classes, character races, items, spells, feats, etc. This is exactly what you need if you are a player, since this and some imagination allows you to build some pretty fun characters. If you end up playing 5e a lot, I'd recommend that everyone have somewhat regular access to a PHB, considering that 90% of the characters you make will come in most part from this books.
  
• Monster Manual: This is where you'll find the largest collection of all of the "basic" monsters that you can meet in a game of D&D. Enemies in general are in this book, and there is a lot of good explanation into the monsters, their stats, their decision routes, etc. This is super helpful since you can basically do whatever you want with this book and make some awesome fights. Find an enemy you like, but it's too high level? Nerf it somehow, and have your players fight it. I'm actually planning on setting a dragon with her wings clipped and her firebreathing removed, give them a fight, and see how they react.
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide: This is basically world building, combat building, enemy building, item building... basically, if it's not covered in the PHB or MM, the creation of object X or something similar will be in the DMG. It's there for the DMs to be able to balance items or enemies against certain requirements, since there is a lot to take into account. Helpful for the DM who doesn't have as much experience.
  
  So the Basic Rules help out a lot, the Starter Set is basically a physical copy of the basic rules (plus some), and then the core 3 books in order of (my personal opinion of) usefulness are PHB > MM > DMG. I'd say you probably want at least everyone to have a PHB, or access if you guys continue to play.
  
  Aside from that, most of the other 5e stuff you can pick up from wizards are modules. Modules are pre-created campaigns that have quests, items, locations, enemies (number, size, etc.) already pre-designed for you. Each of the following books has some sort of extra character information (like more subclasses, new races, etc.), but nothing is absolutely required. Generally if one person wants to play something (say, an Half-Elf Bladesinger Wizard) they should pick up the book to help build their character and to provide the GM with references to how the character works, but it's not necessary.
  
  
• Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat are two halves to the same campaign aimed at stopping the biggest baddest dragon of them all, the five-headed chromatic dragon Tiamat.
  
• Princes of the Apocalypse is a cool campaign all about cults related to the 4 elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire) trying to be bad. Pretty well designed, I'm currently running this with my group. They seem to be liking it a lot, but then again, I'm throwing a lot of other things in with it.
  
• Out of the Abyss is a campaign set in the Underdark. it sounds really cool, but I haven't looked into it much.
  
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide isn't a campaign but rather a campaign setting book. It's useful for reading up on how the Sword Coast in Forgotten Realms (the "main" D&D world) works. It's interesting.
  
  If you need any other help, please feel free to ask!

Basically you need the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monster Manual. There are also "premium" versions of these books printed in 2012 that include many years worth of errata, and you should try to get those if you can.

The three core books are enough to play, but of course Wizards of the Coast published a very large number of supplements to the game that add more rules, systems, and advice for DM's to use and more options, classes, and spells for players. One of these is the Dungeon Master's Guide II, which includes a large bit of advice for DM's, more magic items, and some new rules and systems, including a detailed system for building towns. It was a fine supplement, but is certainly not essential for running a campaign, and I wouldn't even describe it as the best 4th book for a new dungeon master to buy.

Actually, if you're just starting out DMing, the best 4th book to get would probably be a pre-published adventure, or even a mega-adventure or adventure path. The Sunless Citadel is an excellent adventure for 1st-level PC's, though you should check first whether anyone in your group has played through it before. As for mega-adventures, both The Red Hand of Doom and Age of Worms have excellent reputations, though the latter was published in Dungeon magazine which makes it hard to find a copy.

This, for me, depends on the campaign and the players. I really mainly rely on theater of the mind for most things unless there is a tactical need to see a map but sometimes there are other valid reasons for PCs needing a map. Some of the things I have done:

1. For dungeon crawls in particular if hand drawing by the players is bogging things down (and in one instance caused an adult mature female player to actually cry), I draw a rough version on quad paper for the areas they have already covered. I keep the original to add to as they go and give them a photocopy, updated at the start of each session. They can fill in details if they so choose.
   
2. And sometimes I create something from here: https://donjon.bin.sh/d20/dungeon/ I may print out two copies and turn one into a DM copy and one into a Player copy. I may cover up areas they have not been yet with construction paper held on with paper clips. I make the map my guide in creating the dungeon.
   
3. Sometimes I find maps off the internet to use as my base map and if it is an area they have been through or can see easily I just hand them the map.
   
4. I have various sizes of quad paper. If the area isnt' that complex, but a map is important sometimes I do either rough sketches or detailed drawings then photocopy them. One for me, one for the players. Mine has the DM version obviously. They may or may not be given the whole map or I may have some covered by construction paper or I may cut it up into rectangular sections and hand them sections as they get there.
   
5. If the structure is complex and meandering, I may make a copy of the map for the players but they only get the pieces of the map they have already covered. As they progress through the area I cut out those sections and hand the pieces to them. They can tape the pieces onto a large piece of construction paper. Faster than drawing but it doesn't reveal the whole map right away like just giving them the map would.
   
6. I also sometimes use these, either revealing as we go (adding tiles) or build it ahead of time and cover parts with construction paper until they can see that area: https://www.amazon.com/DUNGEON-TILES-REINCARNATED/dp/0786966300/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=dungeon+tiles&qid=1572966014&sr=8-5
   
7. With places that already exist in DnD (such as certain cities along the Swordcoast) that would be well known and actually have a physical map out of game, if it is available I might even buy that map out of game for the PCs to buy in game.
   
   So it really depends on the situation.

Hey, glad you're running a Neverwinter campaign.

NPC wise, here are a few links that might help.

Back in the 4e days, there was/in an actual campaign/setting book. Great reference.
http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146

The MMO by the same name, has a wiki you might find useful and a source of inspiration.
http://neverwinter.wikia.com/wiki/Category:NPCs

And I found this in just a quick search. An Epic Words posting with npc's.
http://www.epicwords.com/neverwinter/npcs

From the Wizards of the Coast webpage:
http://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-is-dnd/locations/neverwinter

Dungeonmaster.com has a review of the DnD Encounters game Storm over Neverwinter.
http://dungeonsmaster.com/2013/06/dd-encounters-storm-over-neverwinter-report-card/

A quick google search for Neverwinter map, brings up a ton of stuff. Use whichever ones you want for your game.
https://www.google.com/search?q=map+of+neverwinter&espv=2&biw=1346&bih=739&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=N1FFVJn7JsKqyASxmIKABA&ved=0CB0QsAQ&dpr=2

Ok... with those out of the way, remember regardless of "canon" material. Run the game how you want too. Maybe you want to use a Pathfinder adventure. Ok, just reskin it(as little or as much as you want) to fit your game.

It's your adventure setting. Make it relevant to your players, they won't care if it's 100% perfect.

Good luck, and have fun.

Players don't need much. I agree with BenDunno's suggestion - PH1 is a good place to start. Depends on what they feel like playing. Community opinion is mixed on the Essentials builds in Heroes of the Fallen Lands and Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, but these builds are fully cross-compatible with the rest of 4th Ed, so if people want to play them, it won't cause a problem. A few players in my group tried out Essentials characters and had fun with them.

The Rules Compendium is amazingly handy for both players and DM's - easy to carry around, clearly indexed and consolidated.

(btw, I included Amazon links for clarity, but if you've got a dedicated game store near you, buy from them instead - your FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store) is a really important part of the gamer ecosystem - give 'em all the support you can :) )

It depends on what you're looking for. The campaign guides will give you a lot of old rules that won't always translate very good into 5e, but might give you some ideas on table resources like special subraces or divine domains. The 3.0 Campaign Setting will give you a good overview on the whole continent, which can be helpfull to get a bit of a taste on what the different regions are like. The "Players Guide to Fearûn" of 3.5 will give you a bit more insight into the planes (although I'd use the World Tree and Blood River only as additional transistive planes on top of an astral plane and not instead of one) and the "Races of Fearûn" have a nice overview on the different species and subraces that the players might want to play, although it's not so easy to translate those rules into 5e. If you're interested in translations of at least 2 of the 4 additional subraces of Elves the "Races of Fearûn" has to offer, I've worked on the Wild Elves and Moon Elves and I think they could work out the way I've mixed and matched their features now.

If you just want an overview on the History of the Realms, then there's a book even for that: "The Grand History of the Realms" provides you with the earliest history of the Forgotten Realms, over the creator races, with maps of that time and images of structures and creatures, some contemporary writings of those creatures, and up to the beginnigns of 4e story.

Uh! And then theres "Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms" with a bit of insight into the ways of living, by Word of God.

Happy to help!

Getting started... hmm... I think everyone will have different advice on this. Here's mine.

Give your players a reason to band together in the game, a challenge that requires all of their different skills, or an enemy tough enough that all of them really feel like they've contributed to defeating it.

One thing I'd try to do is start with smaller, one-off, episodic adventures - perhaps short enough to resolve in one or two sessions. You can start linking this into your grand, complex campaign narrative soon enough, but to start with this will give everyone a nice feeling of accomplishment. Delayed gratification is a great tool for later on, but it's nice to start by establishing a proper sense of having achieved something.

World-building is a great way to build immersion. When they visit the tavern they could hear rumours about what's happening in distant lands, some of which they might want to follow up! It helps if things make sense - why is this town here? What is this dungeon, why has it fallen into evil hands? What motivates character x to do action y? Politics? Religion? History? Geography?

This can be a HUGE amount of work for a committed DM (though it's also fun!). A nice way to get into this kind of depth without so much work is to get hold of a campaign setting (I like the 3E Forgotten Realms one: http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381667228&sr=1-1&keywords=forgotten+realms+campaign+setting) and use that as a starting point. Or, even better - just set it in a universe you're already nerdily knowledgeable about. Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Greendale Community College, etc... carve out your own corner.

If you play Pathfinder, then note that they put all their rules and bestiary online for free and so you can save some serious dough. You can then spend your money on things like battle mats, paper miniatures, and adventure modules. They have an upcoming beginners box that would probably be perfect for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KPv80QsBfI

If you play D&D 4th Edition, you kind of have to choose between the original line and "Essentials" line (it's very confusing). Personally I say go with the Essentials line because it is easier, cheaper, and (to me at least) "feels" more like what D&D is supposed to be like. WotC doesn't publish anything online for free like Paizo, so you'll have to buy some stuff. I recommend:

• At least one copy of Heroes of the Fallen Lands (class book for fighters, clerics, wizards and rogues: ~$14 on Amazon
  
• Optional: At least one copy of Heroes of the Fallen Kingdoms (class book for rangers, druids, paladins and warlocks): ~$14 on Amazon.
  
• Semi-Optional At least one copy of the Rules Compendium:~$14 on Amazon. The reason I list this as semi-optional is because most of the rules you'll need as a beginner are contained in the class guide books
  
• Monster Vault. This contains monster stats and a whole bunch of tokens. ~$20 on Amazon.
  
  If no one wants to play a ranger, druid, paladin or warlock at first you can skip the one book and meet your $60 budget. Eventually you'll probably want to get a Dungeon Master guide of some sort. The kind of information in those books is mostly generic advice on how to run games and handle personalities, so it's possibly to buy an older used copy from the original line even though you are playing Essentials. Hell, since it's just generic advice, you could even buy the Pathfinder guide (which is amazingly well written) and use it for D&D.
  
  In summary - I think it's easier for you to meet your budget by going with Pathfinder, since they publish a lot of material for free, leaving you to spend your money on the adventure modules which is where all the fun is anyways. It's unanimous that Pathfinder does a much better job on published adventures too, since they are a company that started off as an adventure publishing company and that is their strength. However, D&D 4e (especially Essentials) is much easier to play, but you won't have as much money left over to spend on adventures (and those adventures kind of suck).

I'm pretty sure WotC came out of the gate with the affirmation that they wouldn't release more than a few books a year (most of which are adventures). I get the business decisions, they don't want to flood the market.

For those who want more, there are tuns of fantastic third party books and top-tier homebrew to be had. Check out dmsguild.com and it's parent, DriveThruRPG.com. Some of my favorite third party books (and PDF's) include:

• Kobold Press' Tome of Beasts and it's followup Creature Codex, two fantastic and huge Monster Manual type books. The monsters within tend to be a little over-tuned, but highly original and IMHO most the MM creatures are too weak as it is. Wish you had more fey & celestials, or crazy demon lords and dragons? These are the books for you. Kobold Press also has their own setting called Midguard though I don't own the books.
  
  
• The Heroes of the Orient & Monsters of the Orient by Mark A has some very cool new material, including two new classes, new feats, and stuff for existing classes. Very popular on dmsguild.com
  
  
• Matt Colville's Strongholds & Followers has great rules for player's constructing their own strongholds or coming together to build/repair a castle, raise an army and go to war with your campaign's villain!
  
  
• I am particularly fond of Onyx Path Publishing, known for fantastic writers, and RPG heavy games, like 20th Anniversary World of Darkness (V20, etc), Chronicles of darkness (my group's favorite game series), Exalted, Pugmire, and more. They also have a 5e setting called Scarred Lands. It's based on a somewhat lesser known 3e setting of the same name Set in a world like classical Greece, only an age later, after the world was scarred by the war between the gods & the titans.

hey man! little update for you. so the switch is definitely an upgrade. a major upgrade. i am absolutely loving 5e. its making my job as the Dm a lot easier and all of my players seem to like the much more role play centered, streamlined game play of it. we dont have to keep track of as many numbers and its really freeing for the players at a role play stand point, and me from a story telling stand point. another great thing about it if you're a dm is that there are so many books available! i bought the standard players handbook, monster manual, and Dungeon masters guide and they are all solid upgrades from 3.5 especially the dm guide. and with volos guide to monsters, and Xanthars guide to everything also available there are so many more options for fights, npcs, and playable characters. so i 100% recommend the switch if you are considering it. you will not regret it.

i also highly recomned this DM screen...lots of super useful info, and none of the fluff. DM screen

Well, we're still really new to the game.. we only started playing in August. However, if you want to get a good idea of what gameplay is like and/or how to build a character, check out these links:

• 
  One group's weekly D&D game, recorded live
  
• 
  Dungeons & Dragons Official Homepage
  
• 
  Character building help: 27 Questions to Ask your New Character
  
  Also buy these books:
  
  Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms
  
  Heroes of the Fallen Lands
  
  D&D Rules Compendium
  
  These first two books are all about the character races and classes, and the last one is just a comprehensive list of all the game rules. Like I said, I've been playing since August, and I haven't read all of them cover to cover, because so far the only parts that have been pertinent to me were about building my character and leveling up. But there's a good, strong description of the gameplay in there, so you should get a pretty good idea of how it works.
  
  Hope this helps!

The Red Box for 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons is more of a quick start than a full game. If you're wanting to run a full game in that edition, you'll want to pick up one of the following books:

• Heroes of the Fallen Lands This has character creation rules for Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, and Ranger.
  
  
• Heroes of Forgotten Kingdoms Rules for Druid, Paladin, Ranger (different build), and Warlock.
  
  I'd also recommend the Rules Compendium as it has all the rules needed to run and play the game (outside character creation).
  
  These books are under $20 and you may be able to pick them up for less than $10 used. They're also Prime eligible (depending on the seller) on Amazon. They're also digest sized, making them easy to take with you when you travel. The Rules Compendium is available as a digital download as well.
  
  You can also find multiple character creation programs online, such as Hero Lab that are detailed enough you don't actually need the books. I believe the Dungeons & Dragons Insider character generator is still available online. Unfortunately, these require a subscription or software purchase. Other programs can do the same thing, but they're fan created and some of them go way over what's legally allowed by the license to do.
  
  These all assume you're wanting to stick with 4th Edition. If not, you can easily ditch it and make use of the accessories of the Red Box. If you want to go with D&D Next (the playtest of the edition that will launch this summer), you can pick up either of the Encounters seasons written for that edition because they include the playtest rules. Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle and Dreams of the Red Wizard: Scourge of the Sword Coast are available now.
  
  You can also go with Pathfinder, which is a modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition. The Pathfinder Beginner's Box is one of the best introductory bundles I've ever seen, and it has rules for character creation and advancement for 1st through 5th levels (though you're limited to Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, and Cleric and Human, Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling). However, you can use the Pathfinder Reference Document to expand on that for free.

I'm not sure about this subreddit's policies on linking to Scribd and other book sites, but here is the Amazon link.

It's pretty interesting, and like the product description says it adds a whole new dimension to your game, which can be pretty amusing and fulfilling. It talks about different race's ideas on love, how to rp these types of encounters, and how different ideas dealing with this type of stuff would affect the campaign

As a player and Dungeon Master, it makes me so happy to see /r/DnD making it to bestof more than once. :)

For those interested, the newest edition being released book by book right now is 5e (previously D&D Next when it was still in the playtesting phase). Player's Handbook (PHB) and Monster Manual (MM) are the only rule books out right now. The main storyline book out right now is Hoard of the Dragon Queen (HotDQ) and soon The Rise of Tiamat (RoT).

What you need to play D&D IRL:

• D&D Basic Rules for Players and DMs
  
• 3-4 players (PCs or player characters) is ideal
  
• 1 Dungeon Master (DM), who runs the game
  
• Dice (Wiz Dice is a good starting point if nobody has dice. Just buy the big bag.)
  
• Paper and pencils
  
• Optional: A battle mat (like this one from Chessex)
  
• Optional: Miniatures (minis) to represent your PCs, NPCs, and monsters. I use dice to represent monsters in my games, because minis are expensive.
  
  If you want to play a D&D online tabletop:
  
  
• Roll20.net
  
• Use /r/lfg, /r/roll20lfg, or their dedicated LFG function/forums to find other people
  
• Roll20 itself has all you need to play the game - character sheets, dice rollers, built in webcam/mic, special view for DMs versus players, music, handouts, macros, etc.
  
  
  Shameless plug: My group streams D&D 3.5e (older edition) on Twitch almost every Monday night at 8pm EST. I also play and DM 5e, so I'm happy to answer questions about either edition!
  

Seconded.

The problem with DIY low-magic or no-magic campaign worlds for 3.X D&D is that the system is both delicate and interlocking. Change something in one place (like switching to a Wounds/Vitality system, or a spell points system, or trying to move combat into skills, etc.) and you'll find it has wide-ranging and drastic effects all throughout the system. Without extensive playtesting, you're bound to run into all kinds of issues you never imagined.

You can avoid this by going with a published game world and/or modified d20 system, because those companies have done playtesting, taking lots of work and brain acrobatics off your hands.

Look into these:

Iron Heroes

The Black Company

Midnight (The second edition is probably better, but also more expensive. You can find the first edition for pretty cheap.)

Someone else mentioned using d20 Modern, which is actually a good idea, but your players might balk at the different approach to classes (six base classes, one each based on a primary attribute -- Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution).

I picked up the Neverwinter Campaign earlier this year, and I love it. I've barely scraped the surface of it and I've used it to inspire my encounters for half a year now. It's got tons of Faction info, as well as details on dozens of locations in the city (taverns, dungeons, temples), as well as an Neverwinter Woods and the "lost" Dwarven ruins of Gauntlgrym.

The book is just fantastic for giving you a foundation out of which you can build your own campaign. It gives you kind of a freeze-frame picture of current events, and allows you and your PCs to determine where the city and the surrounding area go from there. It's awesome, and you should definitely give it a look-through if you live near any hobby shops that might carry it.

Boy you aren't kidding, there just really isn't much about Sossal in any sourcebooks I can find, even going back to earlier editions. The old boxed set only has:

>AT A GLANCE: Far to the North, on the far side of the Great Glacier, is the legendary kingdom of Sossal. This remote nation is the home of Sossarhim, a very pale, very blond race that dresses in
white, and can conceal themselves among the ice.

...etc. The 3e book has a similar short blurb, where it otherwise explains pages about the other nations of the Cold North. The most interesting sources I could find seem to be from the 2e splatbooks "Wizards and Rogues of the Realms" and "Warriors and Priests of the Realms". From W&P:

> Sossal This fantastic kingdom of pale, blonde humans is the
northernmost nation in the Realms. Their ability to flourish in such frigid conditions is a source of amazement to others. Their warriors are unparalleled in arctic survival and cold-weather combat. Warriors of Sossal have very pale skin, ice-blue eyes, and pale blonde hair.

...and so forth. W&P has some good roleplaying notes for the warriors, and W&R has an interesting take on the wizards. But as for maps or cities or anything like that, it seems to be overlooked.

To be honest, 2nd edition Faerun was really good. We still play in that time period (as did we in 3rd ed, and 4th ed).

The best FR source book past 2nd ed was the 3rd edition book. I would try and find this book in PDF and go from there. It is not bad, but 4E realms was...well we did not like it (your results may vary).

A good all around book for everything is A Grand History of the Realms.

>What are the major 'world changing' books or series

3rd edition - books about the Shadow Weave and the return of the Netherese.

4th edition - The spell-plague.

Also there is also the best Realms Source on the internet (Ed Greenwood posts there): http://www.candlekeep.com/

The absolute best way to get started is the Starter Set. It's everything you need to get started including some dice and an adventure. As you get more into it, you'll want to pick up the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master's Guide (If you don't want to get them all at once, I recommend getting them in that order.) Also very useful is a Dungeon Master's Screen. Moving into more advanced stuff, Xanathar's Guide to Everything is a book full of a bunch of optional rules to spice up the game, and Volo's Guide to Monsters gives more monsters for players to fight, and some you can actually play as. If you need more adventures to run, Tales From the Yawning Portal is a nice big book of dungeons.

I started DMing fairly recently as well, and like you I tried to find some quick reference guides to keep things rolling smoothly. I typed up some stuff, printed it out, had it nearby...

And found I didn't need it. The game is exceptionally deep and complex, but surprisingly accessible. So long as your character sheets are correct then they'll tell you the most important info, you won't need to worry about calculating stuff on the fly. Just ask for relevant checks and make sure your players know what modifier to add (this is where character sheets being correct helps!).

It may be helpful to have a reference of what can be done in someone's turn in combat, but even then when starting out people will just move & attack. I wouldn't worry too much about doing anything else, unless your players ask about it.

The most important thing is being able to improvise. Go with the flow, be flexible, and learn to say 'yes, and...' (unless what they want to do breaks your game).

If you really want a quick reference, then the official DM screen from Wizards has a bunch of useful info on the inside of it: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dungeons-Dragons-C36870000-Dungeon-Reincarnated/dp/078696619X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539533391&sr=8-1&keywords=dm+screen

There's a 2007 book called The Grand History of the Realms

I haven't seen it myself, but it sounds like it should be a pretty good primer on historical events in/around Faerun. It's not a direct sourcebook, but again sounds like it's full of well organized information for the entirety of the campaign setting through the years.

Dungeon World and Fate are great games if you want to cut wargaming completely out of the equation. Both reduce combat to more a narrative exercise than a tactical one.

Savage Worlds is a great, and cheap, generic system that reduces combat to snap, and really amps up roleplaying.

As other suggested, 5e D&D would probably fit your bill too.

As for the story with Pathfinder, it is D&D 3.5+

When Wizards made 3rd edition, they invented something called the Open Game Licence (OGL). They wanted other people to be able to publish material for D&D while still protecting their copyright. So they put out a bazillion books, realized the game needed tweaking and then put out 3.5. At this time a bunch of companies, Paizo, Bad Axe Games, Kobold Press, etc were also pumping out adventures, rule books, and setting books, and Wizards had no control over what got published and the quality of what was out there. So books like The Book Of Erotic Fantasy came out and killed 3.5.

The jump to 4th edition came, and it was not smooth. Wizards changed the game in many radical ways, and a lot of people didn't like it. Some of them never actually played 4th edition, and just bitched about it on internet forums, some of them played it and hated how videogamey it felt, and some were just pissed at the hundreds of 3.X books they own representing thousands of dollars for a now defunct system.

Paizo decided to publish their own game. Interesting thing about copyright law is that you can't actually copyright game mechanics, only the specific words and phrases you use in your rulebook. So if someone came along and made a game where you had stats representing various character abilities, which gave you numbers you add to d20 rolls to check vs a target number, it would be perfectly legal. Furthermore, the OGL states that Open Game Content is defined as

>the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity....

So the rules are Open to everyone to use, but the Game Identity of D&D is not. So Paizo made their own game, used all the rules, and left all the D&D fluff behind. Tensor's Floating Disk became Floating Disk. Tasha's Hideous Laughter became Hideous Laughter. They cleaned up the rules, and packaged it into a neat, new edition. But it still had the heart of D&D 3.X inside.

My biggest concern with converting 3/3.5/Pathfinder campaigns is that the reliance and distribution of magic items is much lower in 5th edition than in previous editions.

That being said, Red Hand of Doom is a pretty awesome campaign for 5th-12th level adventurers from 3.5. I converted the first three chapters for Pathfinder and ran it (I moved away before I could finish it, unfortunately), and my players had a pretty great time.

That's a great question. Especially since the Realms are constantly changing and in flux. Or at least it seems that way. Coupled with a rich history and meta-story, it can be difficult to really figure out what the hell is going on currently aside from trying to read each and every novel out there. While that's do-able for some, it's not realistic for most.

Probably the best book I can recommend is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It came out during the end of 4e and while is considered a 4e book, it really isn't. It's actually "edition agnostic," which is just a fancy way of saying that you can use it with any edition of D&D without any hassle. There are no actual stats for stuff within, it's all story stuff. Which is cool. It's like the gazetteers of old.

The only problem with the above is that it came out in 2012, and so its Sundering info is minimal, if it exists at all.

As far as more up to date information, specifically regarding The Sundering, there is the Forgotten Realms Wiki, though I cannot speak to its quality or accuracy.

Good luck and happy gaming.

If you want a really good book to go for, I have an off the wall suggestion. Pick up, "Elminster's Forgotten Realms".

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

The base setting for 5th Edition is Forgotten Realms anyway, so unless your GM is specifically going against the flow, this will likely be useful. Additionally, this is written (at least in part) by the guy who originally designed the setting of Faerun in Forgotten Realms. It's a great read, and all it is, is background information about how people in Faerun live day-to-day. Things everyone would know like, how the temples are run, what kind of food they have, how the calendar works and what the regular festivals are. It's great for making the world feel like a living breathing world.

The Strike at Shayol Ghul details Lews Therins attempt to shut the bore.

Speaking of the Strike at Shayol Ghul, there is The World of Robert Jordan's a Wheel of Time also known affectionetly as the Big White Book (BWB) or Big Book of Bad Art (BBBA). It delves into a lot about cultures, features write ups of each forsaken, pokes fun at the covers and includes the entire text of Strike.

There was a short story called New Spring included in Robert Silverberg's Legends, this was later expanded into the novella New Spring

The short story about Bao is not considered connanical and is included in the short story collection Unfettered

Eye of the world was re-released for a YA market in two parts with a new prologue Ravens

The Interview Database, just click a topic that looks intresting and prepare to lose a day or two

The Wheel of Time FAQ back in the mists of time (late 90's early aughts) this was the best resource for all things WoT related. It hasn't been significantly updated since about book 10 (i mean, yes there were updates, but nothing on the scale and detail that it used to get). Gives great insight into what the fandom was pulling its hair out about during the two years+ between books. Also, some of the info is evergreen like historical references etc.

There was a terrible video game that has almost zero to do with the series.

There was a d20 based D&D rule set released and a adventure that explained how Taim got to Rand in time to rescue himat Dumai's Wells. RJ later came out and said that this was completely made up by the authors of the module and had nothing to do with the series, which was a BIG clue about Taim's allegiance.

I feel like im missing something, but I can't put my finger on it, so I will leave you with a random fact that you should know

Tar Valon is a vagina

Akuma mentioned it, and I also want to suggest picking up the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It's absolutely phenomenal in terms of detail about regions, events, history, setting, etc. You will see a lot of mechanics for 3.x, but it's easy enough to disregard or even use their fluff to convert and make stuff for 5e FR.

Also worth picking up is the 4th edition book (Ed Greenwood Presents) Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It has a lot of "on the ground, personal level" detail and fluff, like what people eat in different regions, how they worship, etc. Neat book, fun read.

We use this book: https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

I think it might be the same as yours.

​

We haven't started converting it to 5e yet. We agreed to do a few one-shots with the original system and if people feel like it needs work we will convert it. I you start doing it sooner then us I'd be more than interested to take a look at it, converting a whole game to a different system is no small job and I wish you the best of luck!

Not sure how official it ever was but there was a system made for 3.0: https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

Those archetype are certainly a lot more party friendly thanks.

Diablo II actually has a D&D version. Note: "the D2 books were written BEFORE 3.0 was released, using beta copies of the 3.0 books and are therefore full of mistakes." https://www.amazon.com/Diablo-II-Diablerie-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786917601

There's also the secret cow level: https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=d2/d220010302x1

Really, though you're better off using something like 5th edition or Pathfinder, finding monsters that match up and designing the adventure using those systems as they'd be way more balanced (and better written).
Here's a link to some folks discussing ideas on how to set up an adventure: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?66948-Diablo-d-amp-d-3ed-any-good There are some neat downloads in the thread but it just backs up my impression that you'd be better off custom making your adventure and doing it as a one night one-off.

I'm partial to the 2nd Edition Campaign Setting (Grey Box). They look to go for outrageous prices on Ebay, but if you can find one at a used bookstore I'd snap it up.

One of my beefs with Forgotten Reams is that TSR/Wizards took a charming setting, and tried to introduce in-game events to reflect rule changes. Things like the Spell Plague, and replacing cool deities like Myrkul and Bane with lamo poseur deities like Cyric and Kelemvor.

With 5E, I've decided I'm taking my FR back to Ed Greenwood's 2E Grey Box roots, and ignoring all the crap that came after.

Sadly, there is no PDF of the 2E campaign setting on www.dndclassics.com, but the 3E PDF is available for $15.99. I haven't looked at that, but it seems to get high marks on Amazon!.

In addition to the Cleric Quintet, I really liked the Elfsong books by Elaine Cunningham, if you'd rather explore by fiction.

Finally, once you have a general feel for the Realms, Candlekeep! and the Wiki! are great for looking up any particular bit of info.

Agreed. It's ridiculous that they don't have a more comprehensive book for FR given how heavily it's used for 5e.

The 3e edition campaign setting book is still my goto for FR lore. Course it's before the spellplague and a good ways in the past from 5e but it's loaded with great stuff. NPCs, organizations, governments, lore that are mostly still applicable to 5e FR. It details a much larger area than just the Sword Coast North and Chult. It's the best FR campaign book out there imo.

Are you, by chance, talking about Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition?
The rules are just slightly crunchy, all the numbers you need are comfortably listed in small tables, so you don't need to search around. Most of the "heavier" rules, heavy being an overestimate in this case, are optional, and it's up to the group to decide if they want to implement them.
You have two magic systems, divine and arcane, and you can use the psionicist handbook to add psionics.
IF you add the splatbooks, like the psionicist handbook right above, you have multiple options to customize the characters (kits), which don't stray to the point of messing the system.
Characters still have pretty good chances of dying easily, as there's a cap (-10) to Armor Class.

Last, but not least, the three core books (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) have been reprinted lately, and you can find them on Amazon.

And if you want some advice about the rules, you can PM at almost any time...

This is a campaign specific screen for Tomb of Annihilation. If you’re looking for a general screen, the DM Screen Reincarnated that Wizards makes is really the best option. I hemmed and hawed back and forth over which screen to get and I’m really happy with the standard one. I use this because a player in my campaign bought it for me and its great for the specific module.

The best general overview of the Realms I've found is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It's system- and edition-neutral, and talks about many aspects of the Realms, including common festivals, education, literacy, and other elements that explain how this fantasy world is different than others. That said, the 5th Edition Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide gives you more stats and recent history, so it might be the more practical book.

That said, I recommend that you don't try to be completely true to the Realms. There's just far too much history and geography to learn if you want to be accurate. Start small and read up what you can, but feel free to shift things around as you see fit.

While reading the books is the most legitimate source; there is the slim possibility that you could find the D20 RPG book in a library. I did say slim? I probably should be honest and say next to extremely unlikely; as it's out of print from 2001- but it depends on your size of library system, etc. Or you might know a RPG friend that has one.

WoT D20 RPG Source book

Covers the system (while doing some D20 conversions) but does give a great overview of what could be possible with the magic system it and summarizes it in one book.

Thanks again, you've convinced me to get the DM Kit and core rule book (hopefully it supplements the D&D for dummies book i got). Theres been come conflicting advice but your reasoning makes sense.

But for players we'll need at least one players book between them if they want to level and stuff or create new races right? So This?
Or what others have been recommending

Lastly 3 Gameplay questions.

• As a DM when i role for initiative, if theres like 6 minions do i role once for all of them and they all go in a row or is it always a separate role for each creature?
  
  
• When the players enter the room i put down the goblin or two they see. but behind a door or around the corner theres some more. I read i should roll initiative for them from the start. but when do they engage? Would they hear the battle or 'war cry' from a goblin being attacked or is it eyesight or do i make it up based on the environment/creatures?
  
  
• Lastly how do i divvy up treasure? I've found a lot on this and apparently everyones got their own way so im curious as your thoughts? The end of the adventure in red box lists 9 parcels with 3 of them being magic items and i am to divy them out across the adventure. 2 of them are story based and can be unlocked so i assume they count, but there are 7 possible encounters. The others i throw in here or there? some people say its easiest for the party to have a collective bank so i might just wait till the end and let them sort it out. At least my first game so i can concentrate on other stuff.
  
  Thanks again

I'd recommend the Neverwinter Campaign Setting of 4e. While the mechanics are all for 4e, there's a lot of fluff specific to Neverwinter and the surrounding areas. Might not want to use all of it, but it'd certainly be great for background/descriptions/fluff/NPC and faction ideas.

As I recall, it has details for Castle Never as an adventure site, and has info on Lord Neverember and other important leaders of the city.

Here's the amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146

The commonly accepted pronunciation, as determined by the creator of the Forgotten Realms is like now or cow or prow.

EDIT

This pronunciation may be specific to the Realms, or universal to all planes.

Source: This super awesome book I got in the reddit Fantasy exchange.

Not a novel, but Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms is a great resource for Life and Trade in the realms, including information about slave trade. I don't have my copy handy right now, but I think there's a few pages of information about it in there. Overall just a great book to own when playing in the Realms.

I bought the campaign setting book for its background/detail on the BC world, and thought it was well worth the money. The Amazon reviews may be helpful: https://smile.amazon.com/Black-Company-Campaign-Setting/dp/1932442383/

If you do decide to buy it, I would recommend getting it direct from Green Ronin, as the copies on Amazon tend to be pretty pricey and GR has slightly-dinged copies still for sale at $30. https://greenroninstore.com/products/the-black-company-campaign-setting-scratch-dent

For D&D4e, I recommend starting with Essentials. Personally, I prefer 4e because it has balance and encourages working together. You can get the 4e Red Box, but it is slightly inconsistent with everything else and will only take you so far. Anyway, here's a minimal shopping list:

• Heroes of the Fallen Lands
  
• Rules Compendium
  
• Monster Vault
  
  The Essentials DM kit is also good. With the exception of the Red Box, all 4e material is compatible across the board, so adding in new player options or DM stuff is as easy as picking up a supplement or getting a DDI subscription.
  
  If you've never played before, WotC holds an "Encounters" programs on Wednesday evenings at local gaming stores. It is specifically designed to introduce players to D&D as well as sell their latest product. If you live in the DC metro area, I can give you some pointers on where to go, if you're interested.

My recommendation would be to go pick up some 2nd, 3rd or 4th edition sourcebooks for dirt cheap at Half Price Books or online. The Forgotten Realms sourcebook from 3.5 is what I am currently using, it has a removable foldout map of Faerun, and detailed lists of major sights throughout the realms, including descriptions of the major cities, ruins, etc.

I've heard good things about the Greenwood Forgotten Realms book as well.

You can probably also find sourcebooks specific to Waterdeep, Neverwinter, etc. though I don't know the specific titles.

The point is that generally speaking the edition doesn't matter when it comes to background materials, physical descriptions, major characters, history, politics, factions, maps, etc. It just doesn't. So do yourself a favor and buy this stuff cheap from older editions.

Also, keep in mind that while you are building off of an existing world, and there is something cool about that, the minute you start to play in it it's YOUR world. None of these sourcebooks are going to have every single detail fleshed out, and often will just give you the flavor of a particular city, a few major landmarks, etc. From there on you should create your own landmarks, taverns, interesting characters, history, etc.

This is the book that I use a lot:
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478819&sr=1-2&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms

Here are more:

http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

Neverwinter book:
http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478789&sr=1-4&keywords=Neverwinter+source+book

Waterdeep book:
http://www.amazon.com/City-Splendors-Waterdeep-Roleplaying-Supplement/dp/0786936932/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478895&sr=1-1&keywords=Waterdeep

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Realms-Atlas-Karen-Fonstad/dp/0880388579/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478853&sr=1-3&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms

Hope that helps. Also buy 4th edition stuff now if you ever think you want it. Lots of stores are having fire sales moving their 4th ed stuff.

Sorry for the long links but I'm on mobile. I use these. Yes they are intended as dnd monsters but the creatures are very easily adaptable. I'm using these 2 books for inspiration in a dungeon world game at the moment.

Tome of Beasts https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936781565/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wKGzCbCPJ9KQ8

Creature Codex https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936781921/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6HGzCbN9F22K2

www.oglaf.com

Its a comic series. Fair warning, its SUPER NSFW. Its basically if you were cataloging an adventure made from the Book of Erotic Fantasy, and everyone at your table had a GREAT sense of humor, this is what you'd make with it.

Here's the "Pinecone" comic which is one of few comic pages from that site that IS technically SFW (just a big ole gay smooch). Clicking next for page 2 is NSFW, but it continues the skit.

The Xoan Ambassador is my favorite character. He's like everyone's charisma-rogue/bard hybrid type.

More on the Zoan Ambassador nonsense (Nsfw)

I don't have the campaign specific ones. I did want to interject that "crap" is HIGHLY subjective. While it might not be the best per se, it isn't as bad as people say. It just isn't a one-screen-fits-all. Everyone wants something different.

FYI they are putting out a new WotC one this Fall and from looking at screenshots it seems better laid out and more optimized.

The Gale Force 9 screens are made specifically to complement the adventure with adventure art and specific info on the DM's side. So unless you REALLY like that Curse of Strahd art, I wouldn't worry with any of the GF9 screens. But I can't speak to the quality.

Dungeon Master's Screen Reincarnated

Picture of the new screen being used by Matt Mercer

I am a new DM too (we've played maybe 5 sessions?)

I am using the 3 core rulebooks:

The Player's Handbook
http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Players-Handbook-Rulebook/dp/0786928867

The Dungeon Master's Guide
http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Rulebook-Dungeons/dp/0786928891/

Monster Manual
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Manual-Rulebook-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/078692893X/

The players themselves only need the Player's Handbook.

There is no reason to use other books when you're starting out. All they'll do is add complication to an already complicated system. When I was at school and joined a group for just a few sessions to learn what was going on, one guy had several other books he was pulling spells and items from and it only allowed him to make the rest of the party irrelevant. He was able to pull things from other books to circumvent most plot points that required other characters' skills and abilities, and it was just a bad time for everyone involved.

As everyone I'm playing with is new (me too) - we chose to do a premade series of dungeons to get the feel of it. I chose the Sunless Citadel and pretty much completely changed the story within a few sessions and nobody else knows or cares because we're all enjoying it.

I've heard a lot said about buying a premade adventure. If you are running 4e, might I suggest Dungeon Delve?

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Delve-4th-Supplement-Adventure/dp/0786951397/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241077629&sr=8-1

It's a great way to get a bunch of basic encounters ready fast. Just jump in and play, and learn the rules as you go.

The Red Hand of Doom is a classic adventurer for parties of levels 5-12 that most people seem to really enjoy.

There is! Grand History of the Realms at least thats the historic stuff. Faiths and pantheons have all the deities. And theres elminster's forgotten realms for other random stuff.

Disclaimer i only own faiths and pantheons but ive heard good things about grand history.

It's my physical copy of 3.5 edition but I bet there's one online in PDF somewhere. If you just want shots of the two monsters here you go. If you can't find it online, I'll happily send you art from other monsters in my 3.5 or 4th edition Monster Manuals :)

For those interested, In 3rd edition a book was published under the OGL called The Book of Erotic Fantasy It had everything from fertility rates of the races, gestation period, spells for helping birth and curing/causing impotence and love potions as well as more lascivious gaming aids. Among 3rd edition grognards it is a book of much discussion.

FR Player's Guide is a good resource.

If you want detailed history, Grand History of the Realms is a beautifully rendered timeline of all the history of Faerun.

The Wiki is a good resource.

Menzoberranzan comes out next month.

There's a great book came out in 2007 called "Grand History of the Realms" but I'll be honest it reads like stereo instructions. I utilize that, the forgotten realms wiki, and general googling to patch together timelines.

https://www.amazon.com/Grand-History-Realms-Forgotten/dp/0786947314

Diablo II: Diablerie is a d20 D&D supplement that has a great system for magic items. I haven't played it extensively but it does look like it would be a good groundwork for what you're looking for https://www.amazon.com/Diablo-II-Diablerie-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786917601

Esoteric choice ("you've probably never heard of it"): My favorite add-on module has always been Cityscape (3.5e, compatible with Pathdfinder and probably 5e)

Mainstream choice: I've also always loved original Eberron for 3.5e (again, Pathfinder compatible, possibly 5e compatible)

I absolutely love the Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game based on the D20 system for lore. I used to play a lot of D20 on other systems but never this one. Didn't matter though - it's a fun reference. Find it here!

If you are not really concerned about the rules that might be tucked in there then you can go ahead and grab some of the older books instead. For example, you can snag the 3.5 D&D Dragonlance campaign setting for around $12.99 and have everything that you need to run a game in that setting. $20 would get you the 3.5 Eberron campaign setting as well.

Really what you need to know when looking for a setting is what settings are available. There is a pretty decent wiki of D&D Campaign Settings that you can go through to see what interests you. From there do a few searches for used books and you should be fine. Again, unless you really want those modern edition rules that apply to the setting of your choice.

The standard 5E DM screen is excellent.

The starter set is also excellent.

And here is the Amazon page for it.

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Erotic-Fantasy-Gwendolyn-Kestrel/dp/1588463990

God, I love Amazon reviewers.

Probably too late for this weekend, but what you want is this: https://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345/

That's the book Ed Greenwood put together talking about what everyday life's like in the Realms. Very interesting if you're looking for those sorts of tidbits.

Neverwinter is a lot like Waterdeep, Menzoberranzan, and Undermountain in that it is one of the most thoroughly designed, written about places in all of D&D. 4e has an entire 224 page book devoted to it as a campaign setting and the current D&D MMO is set there. There's so much to do there that your heroes could stop, buy a house, and adventure there for the rest of the campaign without stepping foot outside the gates.

There is an official Wheel of Time RPG, and it is, IMO, very well-written. I'd recommend just playing that or adapting it for Pathfinder. It's d20 3.0, so it's pretty easy to make the transition from Pathfinder to either playing or adapting the WoT RPG.

I went for the Dungeons and Dragons DM Screen Reincarnated:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/078696619X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_h4RoDb8RDFYX5

Its not too expensive and comes with all the basic info you would need on hand in a game. But feel free to stick more to it as well Haha.

Edit: edited broken link

The Wheel of Time already has a RPG, based on D&D 3.0 rules:

The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game

Additionally, there was one supplement:

Prophecies of the Dragon

It wouldn't take a lot of work to update that to D&D 3.5, or first edition Pathfinder (aka 3.75), and there's guides to update from first edition to the new second edition, so put in a night's work and you'd be able to play that with a current rules set, if you wished.

Hope that helps!

Oh wow that is tiny. Do you know if all of the 'DnD Adventure' listings on Amazon are all of the campaigns out at the moment?

Such as...
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Tiamat-Adventure-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965657/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616249&sr=8-4&keywords=Dnd+adventure

OP, have a look at http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

It's by the guy who created the Realms, and it's pretty good, I hear.

Yeah, but Reaper doesn't make miniatures like this!
I know it's out of the price range. I just thought it was sweet and wanted to share.

http://www.amazon.com/Colossal-Dragon-Dungeons-Dragons-Icons/dp/0786941685

WotC released these a while back, I have the blue and black, they are pretty big. The Red was the biggest of course, and looked amazing.

There aren't a lot out there specifically for 5e (assuming you're playing 5e, don't remember if you mentioned it) yet. In fact the only ones I'm aware of are of the campaign variety (a string of 'adventures') and there's nothing wrong with any of them. I've run Hoard of the Dragon Queen, The Rise of Tiamat, Princes of the Apocalypse and I'm currently running Out of the Abyss..

You can always take a module from an older version of the game (or from a completely different game even) but you'll have to do some work to get it ready. The stats for the monsters will be different - you'll need to look up the same or similar monsters in the Monster Manual and have the stats ready. Other than that though the plot, maps and the rest can be used as-is.

DriveThruRPG has some modules that don't cost too much. You get them as a pdf instead of a physical book, but everything you need is there. Again, if you use one from an older version of the game you'll have to do some prep work.

You can find them on EBay as well. Some of the most famous ones are Tomb of Horrors (really though - don't do it. Your players will hate you), Ravenloft (my personal favorite module of all time which a Redditor has converted to 5e) and here's a list that I largely agree with.

http://www.amazon.com/Colossal-Dragon-Dungeons-Dragons-Icons/dp/0786941685/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_i

This? I saw it in a video just now and it is a pretty impressive "miniature"!

Alternately, you can get either or both of these for character creation. They offer a different style of characters to play, and will be the same classes that you'll find in the Red Box. In my experience these classes are easier on new players than the PHB classes.

For any backround information, just refer to the wiki:

http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

For the adventures, buy either of the following:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496916563&sr=8-1&keywords=5e+starter+set

https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Kings-Thunder-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786966009/ref=pd_sim_14_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0786966009&pd_rd_r=G32SS8JKKV8E0RJEWD11&pd_rd_w=q2eos&pd_rd_wg=Fl90h&psc=1&refRID=G32SS8JKKV8E0RJEWD11

https://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496916592&sr=1-1&keywords=hoard+of+the+dragon+queen

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Tiamat-Adventure-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965657/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496916610&sr=1-1&keywords=rise+of+tiamat

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=princes+of+the+apocalypse+d%26d&sprefix=princes+of%2Cstripbooks%2C573&crid=1MNP7K2PCNO3F

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Abyss-D-Accessory/dp/0786965819/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496917649&sr=1-1-fkmr0

You could also learn the lore while playing games like:

• Neverwinter Nights (1&2)
  
  
• Baldurs Gate (1&2)
  
  
• Neverwinter Online
  
  
• Sword Coast Legends

If this is the kind of game you want to run may I reccomend this book it's 3.5 but easily adapted:
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Erotic-Fantasy-Gwendolyn-Kestrel/dp/1588463990

If not, "you are now capable of bending in such a way as it is possible" fade to black move on.

>As huge as Eberron is, surely there has to be somewhere one can read about various facets of the universe like the Planes, the history of the different Houses and factions, the deities and religions present in the game, etc. Anything at all.

If you don't want to buy the D&D books, there are wiki sources online with tons of stuff:

• http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
  
  
• http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Eberron_Wiki
  
  I got these two Eberron books at home:
  
  Eberron Campaign Setting
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Eberron-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786932740
  
  Sharn City of Towers
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Sharn-City-Towers-Eberron-Supplement/dp/B000HWY5NY
  
  Plus a ton of AD&D 2 and D&D 3.5 books and novels.

Con respecto a los mapas, si buscas versatilidad por precio, recomendaría comprarte un BattleMat, o busca el básic mat de Pathfinder, es lo mismo que tú hoja A3 pero más grande y podés usar marcadores para dibujar y después borrar tus dungeons o escenarios de combate, yo uso uno y me resulta más fácil para dibujar sobre la marcha pasadizos secretos recién descubiertos, etc. ( https://www.amazon.es/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O )
Ahora, si querés algo más lindo y elegante, compra tiles, son escenarios ya dibujados (de forma muy profesional y realista) que podés combinar para extenderlo, el único problema con este método es que llega un punto que reciclar lo vuelve monótono, aunque es más realista por las imágenes del mapa que el battlemat. ( https://www.amazon.es/Dungeon-Tiles-Reincarnated/dp/0786966300/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=dungeon+tiles&qid=1570868315&sr=8-1 )

Con las miniaturas, lo mejor que te puedo recomendar es que busques las cajas ICONS OF THE REALM de D&D, vienen 4 miniaturas por caja, al azar, 3 medianas o pequeñas y una grande, allí encontrarás más que nada enemigos, algunos muy interesantes, otros meh. ( https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0155L0OKO/ref=dp_cerb_1 )
De la misma línea hay unos basados en el starter set que vienen heroes básicos (un enano clérigo, un humano guerrero, un elfo mago, etc), quizás ahí veas una oportunidad para buscar algo más representativo a tu grupo. ( https://www.amazon.es/WizKids-72779-Realms-Miniatures-Starter/dp/B0722N48N2/ref=mp_s_a_1_15?keywords=d%26d+icons+of+the+realms&qid=1570868365&sprefix=d%26d+icons&sr=8-15 )

Espero te sirva :)

To your first point, I make up cheat sheets for my players and I have the rules distilled down to about 8 pages that are quick to reference. If your players aren't going to read the PHB, then you can control how they upgrade and what spells they have. (More power to the DM! Ah ha ha ha!)

Second, I demand that players stay off the phone at the table. As a GM, I know I can get players and you will too. Rather than making it a direct confrontation though, put tools in place that speed up the game and cause them to pay attention. I use a timer during combat and give 90 seconds per player per round to take their actions. (This is a good thing to do anyway for a good number of reasons. You'll find that once the players get used to it, it's way more time than they need anyway.)

If your player knows the tropes, it's on you to get creative and challenge him. This is one where I don't have any sympathy for you. (Ok, I really do, but it's your problem not the player's.) You're basically being challenged to step up your game. If it's combat, be more obscure with your monster choices and maybe use an alternative monster manual like the Creature Codex and Tome of Beasts by Kobold Press. (I had to do this because of the veteran players at my table.) If it's puzzles, you'll just have to dig up more obscure material. For politics and NPCs, read Roger Zelazny novels for non-tropish inspiration. As far as metagaming, watch this video by Seth Skorkowsky for an alternative view: Metagaming Isn't All Bad - RPG Philosophy.

Ah, well that's a whole nother issue, and really depends on what tools you have available to you.

If all you have is a single grid mat, I'd suggest either draw the map as you go or draw the whole thing in advance, and cover up unexplored rooms with paper.

Personally, I only draw/build the rooms where a fight may occur using these or these, but you could use them to create the entire dungeon and just lay out rooms when the party gets to them.

OSRIC is a pretty good free and legal recreation of the 1e ADnD rules. It will at least help you learn the ropes. There are other retro-clones of 2e specifically, but I don't know any specifics about them. Also, WOTC has recently reprinted many of the old 2e books.

Never really counted, about 50 to 60 pieces that vary in size from a 1 square tile, to rooms about 12 squares across. They are placed in the packaging similar to model planes, so you break the tiles out of the packaging. Friendly warning, they wont go back into the original packaging easily once you do break them out. There are wilderness, urban, and dungeon tile sets.

Here is what I'm talking about through Amazon.
D&D DUNGEON TILES REINCARNATED: DUNGEON (Dungeons & Dragons) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786966300/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_k62ADbD2GHTAK

When I started play testing Next I purchased this book: http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

It's Edition Agnostic! (It's just Ed detailing the Realms…) The photo with that link is awful. The material of the cover is fantastic! It feels like suede.

For RPGs, check out Reign which handles low fantasy really well.

The Black Company novels have relatively low fantasy feel (even if high fantasy elements are going in the background), and there's an RPG for it that's pretty snazzy.

As for movies, a lot of 70s/80s fantasy movies were low-fantasy on account of budget limitations. So, movies like Lady Hawke, Sword and the Sorcerer, Excalibur, Krull, and Beastmaster would all be worth checking out.

I underestimated how useful that DM screen is for quick reference. It has so much useful stuff and constantly referencing all the material slows down gameplay to a crawl. I eventually could pull it off the top of my head, but it vastly improved immersion/fun when I picked it up. I got this one but there are others

This book from 3E. Its actually one of the absolute best written D&D books covering a setting there is. Stunningly detailed. Pick it up on Amazon if you can.

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509952365&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=forgotten+realms+3e

There is no purchase. Encounters material is not for sale. It's free to play for the players and DMs as a draw for people to come into their FLGS and play and buy D & D Products.

Also, here is an alternative: http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Delve-Edition-Supplement-Adventure/dp/0786951397

Wizards put out a much, much better 5E screen than the "original":
https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Screen-Reincarnated-Wizards/dp/078696619X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518401829&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeon+masters+screen&dpID=516h6TMiJhL&preST=_SX258_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

This is the one I use now. It's actually useful.

Looks like a good time for the Book of Erotic Fantasy!

You want the Monster Manual that [looks like this] (http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Manual-Rulebook-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/078692893X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451094951&sr=8-2&keywords=3.5e+DnD+Monster+Manual) and the Dungeon Master's Guide that [looks like this] (http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Rulebook-Dungeons/dp/0786928891/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451095029&sr=8-2&keywords=3.5e+DnD+Dungeon+Master%27s+Guide).

Of course, they're out of print now, so you'll probably only find them used for various prices.

Just echoing what these guys are saying. Keep it simple for new players and the best way to do that is with a low level game.

In 4e they [made a book] (https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Delve-4th-Supplement-Adventure/dp/0786951397) entirely of one shots. I don't own it but my DM ran a few of it for us while he was working on his own campaign. Even though it's 4th edition, it's easily adaptable and at worst inspiration.

They typically following the rule of Backstory + 3 encounters.

For example: "You're here in Countryville after being hired by King SoandSo. His daughter, Princess Superimportant is traveling to a neighboring city to broker a new trading agreement between the two kingdoms. The road that will be traveled is dangerous and goes through the mountains where Goblins reside. You're tasked with ensuring her safe arrival." That paints the scene for the players and makes clear goals.

Roleplay meeting the princess, loading the carts and making necessary preparations from taking off.

Encounter 1: 4 goblins are keeping watch of the entrance to the mountain on makeshift watch towers. As the PC's approach a horn is blown alerting their kin. They knock arrows and begin to fire down through the canvas roof of the cart. Roll initiative.

Encounter 2. Along the way they see some fellow humans chained up near in an alcove near the side of the road fixing to be fed to a bugbear, perhaps from Princess Superimportant's kingdom or the Kingdom she is traveling to. Princess Superimportant urges that we stop to save them, even if it's super dangerous. She tasks the players with cutting through the couple goblins and then dealing with a large bugbear beast before he's able to have his meal.

Encounter 3: The players have made it through the mountains, saved some allies and everything looks good. Until the driver of the wagon notifies the princess something is tailing them. They look out of the wagon behind them and there's 3 goblins riding on wolves and one goblin chieftain riding a dire wolf chase after. Perhaps they shoot an flaming arrow to the back of the cart and set it ablaze. There's a hide speed battle while moving to the city which should make a memorable fight.

Bam - there's a one shot.

Just follow the formula of:

Backstory

Encounter

Encounter

Encounter

One of the encounters can be a roleplay encounter should you choose or roleplay between the encounters to mix it up.

To me it reads like a draft of a PHB 2 or D&D Essentials. I don't know what that means, precisely, in terms of what the end book will be, but I have some hope for a PHB 2-style book.

The official DM Screen Reincarnated is probably your best goto at the moment for $10. However, I prefer Stratagem's Master's Tome 4-Panel for $20.

I don't have it with me right now but I think that Elminster's Forgotten Realms is probably the best bet for this.

Yup. Wizards of the Coast had the license to the table top version of the game a while back.

http://amzn.com/0786919965

It's a good starting point if you want to use third edition or even 3.5. Anything else and you might want to write the campaign yourself.

If the thing holding you back from being a GM is minis, I suggest looking to Pathfinder's Battle Pawn series. They have a series where they print their monsters on hard card stock and insert them into plastic bases. Much cheaper than miniatures.

If you buy the Bestiary 1 box you'll get most of the most commonly used monster in RPG games. You could pick up the NPC Codex pawns for a variety of NPC "minis" and minis for players to choose from as well. Round it out with their Villain Codex set and you'll have a wide variety of pawns that will be capable of handling the cast majority of situations. If you don't have just the right Pawn, you'll at least have one that can make for a suitable stand in.

All total it's about $120, which is a lot, but to get even half the equivalent in miniatures, you'd spend hundreds more.

Sure they're not quite as fun as minis, but the thing about minis is, unless you have a lot of disposable cash, getting a good collection isn't easy. Minis are expensive, and prepainted ones even more so. So building up your collection at an affordable rate takes a lot of time and there are some minis that you'll never be able to get without spending hundreds of dollars on, because they were a limited time item. For example, the Colossal Red Dragon costs One Thousand Dollars if you want to own one. To put in perspective as to how much this minis price has changed when it was first released, it was sold for $74.99... Quite a big difference, huh?

Elminster's Forgotten Realms is pretty good, and it's not tied to any edition.

Your best bet is to combine Pathfinder Pawns with D&D Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated.

I found a copy of the dungeon delve. It does not provide enough exp to get through the whole level.

Part of this campaign is to see how much time actually needs to be spent to get from level 1-30.

It is a great place to start. Do you have more recommendations?

iirc, the classes in red box were built from the rules designed for the smaller essentials rule books. They are quite a bit simpler and easier to run than the classes in the original rule books.

see-
http://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Fallen-Lands-Essential-Supplement/dp/0786956208/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Check out the Neverwinter campaign guide. Though written for dnd 4e, I just finished a campaign of 10 levels of D&D Next there and it was a blast.

So much of it is system neutral or portable, and it's just a great setting.

http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146/ref=cm_sw_em_r_awd_2ukwtb15YJ2JD_tt

Get this book, whatever you do. It's both a great resource and a great read. It's rules neutral and is mainly a lore thing but you'll learn more from it than really any other book that I know of, short of reading a whole bunch of the novels.

Understood! THey have been adding more and more content that can be "Printed" each month; you might be able to find a used/new copy of dungeon delve by other legal means like through amazon stores https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Delve-4th-Supplement-Adventure/dp/0786951397

I used to make my own DM screens using a customizable screen, but I really like the new DM's Screen Reincarnated. There's not one way to make a DM screen, so I'll share what I do...

I adapted the 4-panel landscape DM's Screen Reincarnated for my Tomb of Annihilation campaign, customizing with sticky tabs, and have periodically updated it to reflect what was most useful to me over a couple-session arc. Here are the current photos as the PCs spent 3 sessions exploring the lost city of Omu.

Customized cover/front https://i.imgur.com/fUhAlkU.jpg

Trickster Gods & random weather https://i.imgur.com/91NjYbQ.jpg

Trickster Gods https://i.imgur.com/uitLGnp.jpg

Random encounter table, random targeting & tracking max HP reduction due to night hags https://i.imgur.com/0u9k9Yp.jpg

PC stats-at-a-glance & exploration guidelines https://i.imgur.com/uabR1Ai.jpg

The 2e Boxed set campaign guide does a great job of this... if you can find it on ebay, amazon or "elsewhere"
http://amzn.com/B00H80XPBG

if you are looking to add flavor definately check out this book

Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms
http://amzn.com/0786960345

It's the Creature Codex by Kobold Press

It's fantastic, it also includes this thicc boi

https://www.amazon.com/Creature-Codex-Wolfgang-Baur/dp/1936781921/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1539907620&sr=8-1&keywords=creature+codex

Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel, who also did some official work for 3.5, but the Book of Erotic Fantasy itself is 3rd party and not officially part of the D&D collection.

I would suggest buying one of the 3rd or 4th edition Forgotten Realms setting books. You can buy them used on Amazon for a fairly reasonable price.

It will cover most of the game world though it does kinda focus on the Inner Sea and Sword Coast so most of the detail is there.

Being old rule books they will have some old rules and old magic items but you can try to update those if they don't already appear in the Sword Coast guide. I just wish they would put a 5th edition version out. I would grumble but still buy it.

Very nice don't forget about [this.] (https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965) One of the few items I have never had both the money and availability to buy myself.

Neal actually uses the green books aka the premium edition.

Premium AD&D 2nd Edition Handbooks on Amazon

The following books are available:

• Player's Handbook
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide
  
• Monstrous Manual
  
  With the 5th edition just released, i would rather suggest you looking into it, as the edition is actually a combination of the old 2nd edition, a bit of 3.5 and 4th edition. Which ends up having a nostalgic feeling and is easy to handle. So far, you won't be dissapointed imho.

They made both a boxed game as well as a few official D&D Diablo II books back in the early 2000s.

https://www.amazon.com/Diablo-Tabletop-RPG-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/078691548X

https://www.amazon.com/Diablo-II-Diablerie-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786917601

They made one for Starcraft, as well.

https://www.amazon.com/StarCraft-Alternity-Sci-Fi-Roleplaying/dp/0786916184

You're a good man, RussianThunder, and I respect the purpose of your article.

D&D really is a blank slate; I know of people who have gamed Christian settings("Ugh, you can't all be Clerics of Jesus!"), people who use the most terrible sourcebook of all time, and everything between.

They did. I give you The Book of Erotic Fantasy!

​

Edit: u/comics0026 did me one better. His post.

This is a black company campaign setting book for dnd 3.5 that you would probably find extremely useful.

Really hope you bought some protection.

For 5th edition, I think one will be released this year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5SD2VfL5OY

My favorite one will always be this one: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/

I see, thanks for pointing that out. I didn't actually know where the chart came from.

So it's this book (gallery). It just says "OGL", doesn't seem to mention 3E anywhere. I guess that would mean that it's technically still usable in 5E?

>Alternatively, maybe you can research some kind of Magic Circle Against Pregnancy and STDs.

The Book of Erotic Fantasy is helpful for finding a framework for those spells.

That is my fault I should have asked this but when I hear AD&D I automatically think 2nd Ed, cause it's my preferred edition. You said you have the reprints, does your Player's Handbook look like this,

http://www.amazon.com/1st-Edition-Premium-Players-Handbook/dp/0786962437/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1370053296&sr=8-6&keywords=ad%26d+reprint

or this,

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Advanced-Dungeons-Handbook-Rulebook/dp/0786964456/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370053296&sr=8-2&keywords=ad%26d+reprint

The first is 1st ed, the second 2nd ed.

There was a 3rd party 3.5 book that was entirely about sex, it has lots of STDs. It also had rules for pregnancy and sex and monsters themed around that.

EDIT: It has already been linked further down the page then I had gotten to.

I've heard this book recommended several times. It's written by Ed Greenwood - the guy who created the Forgotten Realms - and apparently it just oozes flavor. It's been on my wish list for a while now.

Book of Erotic fantasy it kind of does. Old and not many of them left thats why its so expensive. I got one :) nice but not too much i can use in my game.

Gah. Wrong reply. Sorry friend

FYI, this is a thing that exists, and which I presume is being referred to: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0786919965?pc_redir=1398191149&robot_redir=1

The rest of your inquiry, however, is very valid.

Might check out something like this - https://www.amazon.com/Diablo-II-Diablerie-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786917601

They made a few products in that line...

I recommend that you pick up Dungeon Delve for getting started with pre-made encounters and Masterplan to keep it all together.

The first two are the different core books. Player's Handbook, Monster Manual.

The last is a Dungeon Master Screen, which looks like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Screen-Reincarnated-Wizards/dp/078696619X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511802648&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeon+master+screen

If you need some more inspiration for absurd sexual D&D, look no further than The Book of Erotic Fantasy

Take a look at the Dungeon Delve.

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Delve-4th-Supplement-Adventure/dp/0786951397

Also, if you have a subscription to DND Insider, there are tons of short adventures published in Dragon Magazine. All archives available online.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/tools.aspx

There's the wiki, which can give you some useful info.

If you're interested in a more in-depth reading, you could also try Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms, which is a very long and cumbersome title but it's an edition-neutral setting guide.

Hey, I've managed to play DnD for a decade now without using that book. I don't want to have to start now.

You can still buy the original RPG on Amazon.

This is the version I was thinking of using.

I'm a fan of Dungeons and Dragons so this Dragon will be my submission.

I've found just the 3.5 book for you, OP!

Remember to LARP as appropriate ;-)

yeah, you can buy it here https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521698985&sr=8-1&keywords=wheel+of+time+RPG and you might be able to find a PDF of it online somewhere

RA Salvatore wrote the books the current Neverwinter lore is based on.

Neverwinter

• Gauntlgrym (October 2010) (Between 1409 DR and 1462 DR)
  
  
• Neverwinter (October 4, 2011)
  
  
• Charon's Claw (August 7, 2012)
  
  
• The Last Threshold (March 5, 2013)
  
  
  If you want straight lore...
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146

I had the same problem. When my son was born, I had to change the game style.

In 4e, Wizards released a book called Dungeon Delve. The book brought back the idea of the mini adventure: the one-hour dungeon. It features a three-to-four encounter mini-dungeon for each level 1-30.

I adopted this style in my game. I've got about ten or twelve dungeon delves all written out for my players, levels 1-10. On top of that, I've got some non-combat mini-adventures, too. Mysteries the party can solve, that sort of thing.

All of these mini-adventures is based in a central quest hub. You can build it however you want, but I chose the Dwarven version of Key West. It's a campaign where you might have to charter a fishing boat, explore an ancient temple ruin, then finish off the night with peel-and-eat shrimp and a beer while listening to halflings playing pop-song covers where the lyrics are replaced with dick jokes.

On any given night, my party can start and finish an entire adventure. That was the whole idea.

I'm a 3.5 man myself. The 2e guys and I will have our disagreements but we're all pretty much unanimously agreed that 4e is not the way D&D was meant to be played.

Player's Handbook 3.5e

Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5e

Monster Manual 3.5e

However, every D&D group will play differently anyway. You will NEED the PHB and the DGM. You will also need a full set of poly-dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, d%). Stories, additional material, models, boards, scenery is all optional. We tend to switch between zero physical assets, just talking (usually only if free-roaming and/or lack of confrontation, etc.), and a white-board where areas are drawn in erasable marker, with warhammer miniatures.

You can still find the Book of Erotic Fantasy on Amazon, though it's out of print so all the prices are stupid high.

It was a little silly but a good amount of the material was actually decent.

No Wheel of Time RPG, 8/10. Just kidding nice collection. Mine is mixed between physical and ebooks and still feels a bit incomplete.

I think, in general, reading the settings books should give you enough background - since they usually incorporate much of the history.

One suggestion though is the Grand History of the Realms: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-History-Realms-Forgotten/dp/0786947314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500408654&sr=8-1&keywords=grand+history+of+the+realms

It's pricey currently, but it it is basically a history book of the realms.

If you have the 4e Character Builder from WotC, then you don't need to read "a bunch of books for various benefits or character creation," because everything is in there.

Sadly, if you want to play D&D and have a long term campaign, someone's gonna have to suck it up and be the DM. With the DM, you could find the Dungeon Delve book which is just a series of adventures organized by level. You could just run through that with the same characters, and level up each game.

You mean like this?

Based on the very real copyright battles going on with WoT, you may want to tread carefully when a product has already been created. Admittedly, the D&D system did not translate well for WoT the official RPG, but you could still get trampled over rights usage.

Looks like HOTDQ and Rise of Tiamat are also on sale for around $20:

• Hoard of the Dragon Queen
  
  
• Rise of Tiamat
  
  Volo's and Xanathar's are around $30:
  
  
• Volo's Guide to Monsters
  
  
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything
  
  SCAG is $30, as is the not-yet-released Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes:
  
  
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
  
  
• Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (pre-order)
  
  ...and scrolling down the list, it seems a bunch of normally $50 adventures are also on sale around $30-34. The DMG is $32 and the Monster Manual is $34:
  
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide
  
  
• Monster Manual

Here's what you need. It's got NO D&D statistics, it just talks all about the realms - the people, the way they talk, what they wear, their food, some history, etc. It's fantastic and written by Ed Greenwood, the guy who created the Forgotten Realms so many years ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409860576&sr=8-1&keywords=forgotten+realms+ed+greenwood

Try to get your hands on the 3e setting book. It comes with a giant map and a lot, I mean a lot, of content. Here's the Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365

RHoD is a collectable, apparently. But I haven't done any digging past checking amazon. Those prices could be malarkey

And it's right here on Amazon
Dungeon Master's Screen Reincarnated https://www.amazon.com/dp/078696619X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ypXdAbANRGBRS

The official DM screen is available on Amazon for cheap (https://www.amazon.com/dp/078696619X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_rWNPBbMBCSYCD).

Amazon has the official DM screen. Link here

First, hey, look at this. I really like this book. It does some stuff to handle things in 3.5 that I don't like, is well flavored, and worth your time.

I used it to run a 3.5 variant, even though I'm really not a fan of 3.5. It works, at least at the level and scale that I ran it, although I essentially used the world post-glittering stone, so my players that hadn't read it wouldn't be left out.

As far as command, the players were largely in the employ of a crimelord in a faction-ridden city, mostly acting as his officers to a certain degree. Running the command structure as the GM, especially in the beginning, I find to be in keeping with the feel of The Black Company.

I never really made full use of the mass combat rules in the system, as I prefered to focus on the small unit engagements, in the midst of an abstracted conflict. YMMV.

Not pathfinder, however it is compatible...

You want to look at The Book Of Erotic Fantasy^Fantasy^Fantasy^Fantasy (Dramatic Echo) It shouldn't be hard to find a pdf and covers what you are looking for.

There is a D20 Wheel of Time game you could start from if you wanted.

Someone gave converting the D20 WoT game to Pathfinder a go. I can't really speak to the conversions quality though, I haven't messed with it.

I have the wot d20 sourcebook its out there

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

Might want to look at it as a reference for classes and stats and stuff the d20 ruleset is public so you wont get sued referencing it.

Have you considered adapting the 3rd edition Diablo 2 book for use with d20 Future? It has lots of charts for random magic item properties.

http://www.amazon.com/Diablo-II-Diablerie-Dungeons-Dragons/dp/0786917601

Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is an official book from Wizards of the Coast. It was printed during 3.0, but the genasi races shouldn't need anything changed to be usable in 3.5 games.

You can also find each race online:

Air Genasi

Fire Genasi

Water Genasi

Earth Genasi

Is this the one you are referring to?

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459344620&sr=8-1&keywords=forgotten+realms+campaign+setting

You're right, there are a lot of books that focus on specific aspects of FR, but this is the book that I'm using for general knowledge.

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483555257&sr=8-1&keywords=wheel+of+time+rpg

http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game

The Wheel of Time: Prophecies of the Dragon

https://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

Wheel of Time RPG

Have you read the wheel of time compendium for the d20 system? It might give you some ideas.

http://www.amazon.com/Wheel-Time-Roleplaying-Game-Fantasy/dp/0786919965

Also wheel of time pathfinder

http://www.jessesdnd.com/sites/default/files/WoTPathfinder.pdf