Quote from: Exploderwizard on March 09, 2024, 08:48:15 AM
Before investing money in anything, you might want to play a few games to see if you really like it. Some people play some games then decide it isn't really for them. If you have friends that know who already play, that would be the best place to start.

To add to that, for most RPGs, you don't need to buy anything to try it out. A group can loan you the rules and dice. Bring some notebook paper and a pencil if you want.
Fish around for a local group. There are stores, gamer pubs and hangouts for these. Check online sources like Discord and Facebook.
The current published edition of Dugeons and Dragons is 5th edition. But there are 4+ previous editions that people still play, various published OSR (old school) games that use old D&D rulesets, and some non-D&D, non fantasy genere games, like Cyberpunk 2020/Cyberpunk Red. Pathfinder is also popular. It's a D&D knockoff that gained a lot of popularity. (The history of the rise of Pathfinder is a side topic.)

Find a local group. See if they'll help you try out the rules with them. Don't give up if your first attempt doesn't work out. (Personality conflict, play style, etc)

I think the big thing to remember is that RPGs are a social activity - they're a way to spend time with friends and potential friends while doing something entertaining.  Choice of game is important, but not as important as the choice of people to play with.  If you wouldn't want to hang out with the folks around the table doing other stuff, then an RPG probably won't be much fun either.  This is the first thing I tell anyone who asks about getting into RPGs, and no one's ever come back and told me I got it wrong.

I've almost always played with friends and acquaintances I knew through school, work, or church.  If you know anyone who plays that would be the best starting point.  Some game shops host games; that could be an opportunity to take a look at how various groups play, and if you see one you like you could ask the guy running the game if they have space for more at the table and they're willing to take on a new player.

5e is pretty easy to get into and the Basic ruleset is free on the wotc site and via their Beyond VTT platform. It is a bit watered down, but better than 3 and 4e. The books are usually pretty cheap off Amazon. I got most of mine in the 30 to 35% range.

3e is the most complex of the editions. But has a ton of material for as well as d20 Modern and more settings for that!

But for pure ease of getting into I personally prefer BX D&D. wotc sells it off Drive-thru but I'll never give them any money for slapping a "This is problematic" flag on everything pre 5e. You can find it off other sites as PDFs.

Fly to Dallas, join my group. You'll never look back. I'll rock your world.

Facebook groups is a good way to play.  As is playing online through a VTT.  I suggest Fantasy Grounds, there is no cost to you.  It does have a learning curve, but you can find older games of D&D there.  I suggest playing Castles and Crusades to start, its a simpler game than 5E and it D&D 2.5E as I call it.

Quote from: Percentimeter on March 09, 2024, 07:57:38 AM
Good morning, people. I'm a 40s male from NYC. I'm interested in getting into TTRPGs, probably D&D to start. I've never played one before (I have played video games like Warcraft/BG3/Pillars), but I've been a lover of fantasy and sci-fi books, TV, movies, video games, etc. since I was a kid. And because I'm a bit older, I started looking for how to find a D&D game without having to deal with the current trend towards overt progressive politics. Which brought me here.

So far, in my research, I've seen suggestions to play D&D 3.5e and something called 'OSR', which I believe is not necessarily D&D. I've also seen suggestions for books to purchase including the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. But I don't know if that would be all I need to get started.

So, my question is, how do I get started in terms the basics? What version would be best to get started with? What books do you guys/gals recommend? Is there a recommended physical game set to buy? Do most of you play online (I've watched a few campaigns on YouTube where they use Roll20 and Discord) or in person? How do you find people to play with (unfortunately none of my friends would be interested)?

Any info and suggestions would be appreciated.

Welcome to the hobby!!!  I hope you like it.  There are many game masters / dungeon masters; who are looking for people like you, to play in their games.  Enjoy the hobby.