How do I into /d&d/

>>50528473
You can play RPGs online. We have a gamefinder thread here, and there's the LFG listings on roll20 (but those are cancer).

The mechanics of BG are a bastardised version of 2e AD&D fused with real-time combat. That edition hasn't been current for 16 years now, so forget what you know of the mechanics.

>>50528473
Dark Sphere (in the Waterloo-ish area) does D&D Encounters on a Wednesday evening, and most of the people there are fairly pleasant (I used to play Warmachine there on a Monday night). Obviously it'll be a bit hit-or-miss, being as it's open to the public, but it might be a good start.

The RP Haven is in Lewisham and Stratford. I've not been to their meetings before, but the folks advertising their community at Dragonmeet yesterday seemed okay, and a bunch of us were planning to go along to their Stratford meet-ups at some point. Again, open to the public, so could be good, could be bad.

Try them out, make friends in the groups, start your own group based on the people you meet there.

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If you go to a game store, they might have signs advertising groups seeking new players, and sometimes the stores themselves run games. Beyond that, it's almost always better to just take some of your friends that don't play and teach them how to. If you don't have enough friends, go out and make new ones because that should be your primary concern compared to what games you'll be playing with them.

With D&D, you've got two major options, 3.5/Pathinder and 5e, though there's several others including 4e and retroclones. What you learned in Baldur's gate is a good start, but that was 2e and the game has changed quite a bit, but you might even be able to find a group that still plays that edition. Overall, it's probably best to be adaptable and to play what your group wants to play, but more likely than not you're going to want to be playing 5e, since it has the larger player base (largest of all games, in fact) and is also the newest edition. You can find all the books in .pdf form in the 5e general, and the wizards website also has some helpful materials for new players.

http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop/players-basic-rules

>>50528473
>editions
5e is simple enough and has a player base most places. Also has a pretty solid starter box. PF has a player base but is kind of shit for beginners. Has a free SRD if you want to check it out though. 4e is okay for beginners (and probably easiest to GM out of contemporary editions) but lacks player base and is kind of a totally different game (if you care about that). Lacks a lot of really useful support, though a 4e fan might be able to point you to resources. Early editions lack player base and can be a little arcane (out of the bunch, Basic or imitators is usually best for beginners). Has active fan support and relatively good cross-compatibility. You might end up looking for adventures/modules/dungeons from this bunch regardless of what you end up playing.

>finding a group
Probably the harder part. DMing has a high workload, especially for a beginner, but if you're willing to do so it can be much easier to find games. Playing requires less work, but it can be much harder to find a group. And if you're joining a preexisting group rather than getting shit going among friends and their friends, it can be very hit or miss whether you really mesh. You might try an online game. These have better odds of starting but also better odds of fizzling thanks to the whole stranger bit.

I could give you better advice on DMing than the rest of it, if you're going that route. If only because I ForeverDM myself.

>>50528473
First question: You have some options. You can either find some friends that would like to try it for the first time too (safer option), go to your FLGS[AKA traditional gaming store] and look for groups there (medium risk of spergs and assholes), or you can find an online table at the likes of roll20.net (high risk of terrible players and GMs).

Second question: You should pick a d20 system that's either simple enough to start on it or expansive enough that you'll be satisfied with it for a long time. D&D nowadays is a sum of many 'editions' that are independent systems. The most famous is 3.5e and the latest one is 5e.
For newbies, 5th edition D&D(or 5e for short) is the best one to start. It's a solid system and is still getting new content from time to time, so you won't have trouble finding tables to play in.
3.5 is the most common system because it's the one with most content, you can play 6 years worth of campaigns in 3.5 and still have new stuff to uncover.
Pathfinder is a departure/upgrade from 3.5 not made by the same group of people, and while not having as much content, is said to be a more stable and harder-to-break system.

No matter the system, what you'll need to start is just the core books - a player's handbook, a monster manual and a dungeon master guide. You can find them in PDF bundles googling for "[system] core rulebooks pdf"

Lore is what you'll learn while playing. The settings have interesting lore and characters, but they're not really important for a beginner.

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>>50528528
Do people on here tend to do voice or text? I get really uncomfortable talking to people if I either don't know them or am not next to them. It's weird, because I'm quite comfortable with strangers in person.

>>50528537
Lewisham's actually really useful for me, I'm on the DLR so I'm already nearbyish. Do you know if they're good with newbies?

>>50528588
I have plenty of friends, but despite being a nerd most of the time, my friends are or were the cool kids at school, so they're not too keen on things like D&D. I can barely get them to play poker.

>>50528600
I've DMed a homebrew before back when I had a more consistent group, I like working on things. It's just a case that I wouldn't want to DM a complex system straight up in case I screw it completely. I like DMing, but I never get to be a player and I've got a rogue/warlock craving.

I'm OK with basic mechanics, I'm intelligent enough to get along well with it. It's just when I start wading into character sheets that ask a billion questions that I start getting antsy.

Particularly things like dual-classing and EXP. The way those work in D&D make my brain fizz. And "taking levels in" as a phrase makes me back away in fear.

>>50528746
Would you say there's any sort of system that DMs are less likely to roll their eyes at me when I fail to know what they're talking about?

>>50528850
>I'm OK with basic mechanics, I'm intelligent enough to get along well with it. It's just when I start wading into character sheets that ask a billion questions that I start getting antsy.
>Particularly things like dual-classing and EXP. The way those work in D&D make my brain fizz. And "taking levels in" as a phrase makes me back away in fear.

If character generation is a chore I'd go with Basic or 5e out of those listed. If you're not running the game, the DM should be able and willing to help a bit with building a character. After that the rules mostly consist of pass/fail checks whose DC you don't need to know and damage rolls. Also odds are good your DM will discard a lot of rules. The dual-class XP nonsense is a prime example.

>>50528974
>>50528850
Dual-classing hasn't even existed for 16 years.

>>50528850
Last answered here.
You just have to make sure your DM knows you're a newbie. You won't lose anything saying it's your first game, and a cool DM will help you make your first character and such. Some DMs put a focus on tactical combat too, so it's better for both of you if he knows you're not experienced with the system.

That's also why I suggest you find some friends you know, so there's no elitism from shitty players/GMs that are kinda common in online play.

And, for another point,
>Particularly things like dual-classing and EXP. The way those work in D&D make my brain fizz. And "taking levels in" as a phrase makes me back away in fear.
A class is more of a baseline for skills than a determining factor of your character. You should think about a character as concept first, class second. Say, you want to play a strong burly guy that gets scary when mad, but can use tactics and maneuvers he learned through his time as a city guard some years ago. That would be a simple Barbarian with levels in Fighter, or a Barbarian/Fighter. Most classes grant you bonuses without forcing something on your character(that is, except the divine classes like Paladin and Druid; those are better dealed as a single class character). Usually a single-class character is totally fine, you only multiclass when you want something cool another class has.

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>>50528974
I like making the character, I just remember seeing a character builder that was about 24 pages long and asked what class I wanted, everything from sun-warrior to sheep-herder, I think.

Your advice is welcomed. Have a mildly amusing picture as thanks.

>>50529014
This is why Baldur's Gate has let me down. Has it all got less mind-boggling in recent editions?

>>50528850
I don't know if they're good with newbies, I only signed up to their mailing list yesterday. However, the people that I spoke to that were manning their table at the convention were friendly and personable. They do charge a fee though (I think it's like £2.50 a night), but the first one is free, so you can go along, see how they treat a new guy, and it all costs is a trip on the DLR.

>>50529014
Thought he might have meant multiclassing. Dude's homebrewing but hasn't tried D&D somehow. It's hard to get a bead on what anon actually knows.

>>50528473
I suggest you don't break into D&D. None of the editions are particularly good or beginner-friendly.

If you can find a group at a FLGS, you're set. Though again, try to stay away from D&D. It's a trap that won't let you go.
If you can't find one or want to create your own group, grab a copy (or pdf) of either Apocalypse World or Ryuutama. Both do a great job of showing new GMs how to run a game.