6. The Rules of Dungeons and Dragons (5th Edition)

I'll be brief.

Every player controls a character that they have created. This character has a race, a class, and a background. They have ideals and flaws. They have skills that they can bring into the game. They might be a powerful warrior, a clever magician, sneaky thief or charming diplomat, to name but a few. (For more about characters see THIS POST)

The party of characters sets out on a quest. They will need to navigate the island to arrive safely at their destination where they will need to overcome obstacles.

There is no board, no figures. We use pencils, paper, special dice and the story and game unfolds collaboratively around a table, arbitrated by the Dungeon Master.


 A game of D&D is built on three pillars of adventure, namely

EXPLORATION
SOCIALISATION
COMBAT

The players come together, each with a Character Sheet that contains all the info they need about their character.
The Dungeon Master (The "DM") describes the scene the characters find themselves in.
The players decide on a course of action and we use dice rolls and skill checks to see if you succeed. 

It is collaborative storytelling with rules. The only limits are your imagination. Don't think of it as a game, think of it as an interactive story.

Players work together and never against one another. 

A game lasts about four hours and a session can end in victorious triumph or even total defeat. Characters can be killed. There is no reset button. If your character dies, you will need to create a new one before your next session.

Knowledge of the rules is not essential as the DM will tell you what you need to do to resolve your actions and will guide the session. You will pick things up as you go!

However, for those who are interested, the creators of D&D have put the rules up for free on their website here:

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

The most important rule of them all is this: 
If you wish to succeed at a task (jump across a river, sneak past a guard, persuade a priest to help you), the DM will give you a number. Roll a 20 sided dice and add your relevant skill modifier (different characters have different skills!) If you beat the number, you succeed. This simple rule is the main foundation of the game.

See also the topic on HOUSE RULES for information about rules that are specific to our game only.