How to Play Dungeons & Dragons: Step by Step Guide For Beginners

by Charles Goodwill

In many ways, there has never been a better time to get into Dungeons & Dragons . More people are playing the game now than ever before and along with that expanded player base has come a wealth of new ideas and content that, thanks to the internet, can be easily disseminated amongst the player base. It excites me to see so many people I would never have expected to have an interest in this incredibly nerdy hobby not only give it a try, but find that it can be more than a fun pastime that provides them with momentary escapism, and can actually add value and meaning to their life and relationships. It is my hope that this is your experience with this game, as it has been mine.
Now get out there. Adventure is waiting.

Genres: Dungeons and Dragons, Nonfiction

147 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2022

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview, especially since I haven’t played since 1988. Some things have remained the same, some things have changed and a few new things have been introduced to the game in the past 35 years.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide for a beginning player or an old player to get refreshed on the history and basics concepts behind table-top Dungeons & Dragons and other similar role plying games.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed this to read the history of d&d and how we arrived at 5e today, instead accidentally read the whole thing because I’m a nerd

[Krisko Isackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

as somebody with no experience taking on the mantle of dm for a group of others with no experience, this was a good way to ease me into a lot of the basics before getting into the crunchier official rule books. it gave me enough basic knowledge that learning the rules is now a less daunting task, and i appreciated the little bits of history and explanations of the various editions.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun how to play book. As a D&D player since the early days of 1976. I will say that I got reminded about the early years of D&D, and learned more about the current version. I highly recommend the book.

[Karin Rosner · Rating 4 out of 5]

a really good overview of 5e

I needed a refresher on the basics since I’m coming back to the hobby after decades away. This is an extremely well-written introduction for newcomers.

[Bill Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

solid advice and concise information

Recommend for anyone who wonders if they need to get the Players Handbook before they play their first session.

Get this first!

[Maureen Lerch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good basic overview and history and development of the game.

[Kylie Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful. I’m going to be the DM in my groups next session and it’ll be my first time. Although there was quite a bit of information I already knew, this book explained to me some things that were hard to grasp through just the players handbook. Highly recommend.

[Tod Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct and interesting guide for playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Goodwill spends the first third of the book presenting the history of D&D, which I found quite interesting. The remainder provides succinct and pragmatic guidance for playing the game, how the classes work, creating a character, and more—a useful addition to the Players Handbook. It was a valuable refresher after many years away from the game.