[stevem300]

I was just invited to a game of d&d 4th edition this weekend, I have been telling the people that invited me that I've never played and need some help with the basics, they keep telling me "It's alright it's a new edition we don't know anything either"

They won't let me explain that when I say I don't know anything, I mean ANYTHING. For instance What kind and how many dice do I need? Do I need anything else? What do the stats mean? Stuff like that.

I'm sure it some will be explained as we play, so really the main thing I need answered soon is about the dice, I'm going to a gaming store after work and need to know what I should pick up. I want to make sure that I have the right kind and enough dice that no matter what the scenario I have the die for it.

Thanks in advance.

[Holy Deg]

I can understand how frustrating it can be to try to play without having the rules explained to you. I have not tried 4th edition myself, but I think I can guess what kind of dice you will you need.

In the following d stands for die (dice plural) followed by the number of sides on the die. You technically only need one of each, but some could be useful to have multiple.

d20 (This is the primary die used in the game. Most gamers seem to prefer owning many of these, but you really only need one)
d12
d10 (You should get two of these. See the comment below on percentile dice)
d8
d6 (I recommend 3 to 4 dice)
d4

d100, or percentile dice, is obtained by rolling 2d10. The tens digit is formed from one die, and the ones digit from the other. If both dice are 0, then the roll is 100 rather than 0. It is possible to acquire d10 labeled by 10 rather than by 1 (e.g. 10, 20, 30...).

Gaming stores sell sets of dice, most of which contain at least one of each of the above dice. Chances are also good that an employee will be able to help you find the dice that you need.

Good luck. And I hope you enjoy the game.

This post has been edited by Holy Deg: 24 September 2008 - 06:12 AM

[Hawkofthemay]

I agree with Deg, but if you can get the dice in different colors, it will make it easier to know which die is which. Also bring a pencil and a few sheets of paper to take notes.

Have fun and good luck!
If you have any questions for after the game post them here and we'll try to answer them.

[Shinizak]

They'll probably help you through it. 4e is kinda odd, but it gets better with time. The only thing I can tell you is that if this is your first D&D game EVER, try not to do anything to extravagant with your character .