If you’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) before, it might surprise you to note that books play an essential role (unless you read this article). While those polyhedral dice (especially your D20) are necessary, it’s awfully hard to play without knowing the rules, getting some guidance, or using a module.
What do I need to buy to start playing D&D?
What you need to play Dungeons & Dragons: The essentials
- One copy of the Dungeons & Dragons: 5th Edition basic rules (available for free from the D&D website)
- One set of polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20)
- One character sheet (these are available for free from the D&D website)
How many D&D books are there total?
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (29 books)
What kind of book do you need to play Dungeons and Dragons?
As a player, the best book you can invest in is the Player’s Handbook. It will give you an overview of how the game is played and what types of players and statistics are available. This tome is a bit lengthy, but reading it will give you a great foundation to build upon your knowledge.
What do you need to play D & D online?
For communication, Roll20 also has video and voice chat integration, but depending on what works best for your group, other chat services (like the aforementioned Discord or Hangouts) work just fine, too. This is the barest minimum you need for D&D books, if you want to get serious.
Do you need a Monster Manual to play D & D?
This is the barest minimum you need for D&D books, if you want to get serious. The Monster Manual is the least crucial of the core books, but it’s still awesome.
Do you have to buy all the D & D books?
As others have noted, different books offer different races, classes, backgrounds, feats, and spells. If you want access to all of these and have a love for paper then yes, you will have to buy many books. However, if you’re not opposed to digital content, you can purchased sourcebooks piecemeal on dndbeyond.com.
