It’s been a good two years since I last rolled my D20 for an attack, initiative or a skill check. I wasn’t going through withdrawals, per se, but I just missed it so darn much! I knit myself multiple dice bags, for heavens’ sake! I wanted to open them and spill those beautiful gems and roll them again just for the fun and the strategy of it all. I felt like something -nay, someone- was missing… and that someone had perfect hair and an amazing Dex modifier.
I wanted to get back into the groove of playing D&D with a group of friends, but I didn’t know where to start. I came up with this simple and easy-to-perform checklist to get yourself set in joining your local Adventurer’s League!
1: CALL YOUR LOCAL GAME SHOP
I called up the one and only game shop within 20 minutes of my home and asked them about open D&D night and the guy on the line delved into a huge explanation of what to expect in that evening. Get times, requirements, cost (if any) and what you should come ready with for your first attendance. They might even tell you to just bring a pencil and the DM will have it covered; otherwise you can move onto step 2!
2: GO TO THE WIZARDS OF THE COAST WEBSITE & MAKE YOUR CHARACTER
While sometimes difficult to navigate, they have a basic player guide as well as blank and pre-generated Character Sheets. Read through both to understand what you want to do and how to construct your Character Sheet. If you’re short on time, just grab a pre-generated character at level 1 and you’ll be good to go.
You can also build your own character. Keep in mind: You have to start at level 1. Even if you have a level 9 character in 4th edition, 5th edition is a whole different ballgame. In order to customize my character a bit, I used the pre-generated character sheet and just built on it based on the Basic Player Guide. I then went onto OrcPub and put in all my information so my Character Sheet would look slick and easy to read when it came down to the actual game-play (this is not a necessity…I’m just a weirdo that way). You can also use the Form-Fillable Character Sheet provided by WOTC.
3: GO WITH YOUR GUT
This applies to all aspects of the game. Pick a character style that you feel you’d be comfortable relating to, determine your fighting style: do you want to hang back and shoot arrows at the baddies? Do you want to be a healer? Do you just care about money and treasures? The possibilities are endless, but go with what makes you happy. You have 5 levels to change anything, or everything, about your character, so the sky truly is the limit.
4: BRING A NOTEBOOK, PENCIL, CHARACTER SHEETS AND DICE
The notebook is so you can try to remember names of NPCs that come up or locations you need to remember, the pencil is because only those who live dangerously use pens on their character sheet, and the character sheet and dice are obvious.Don’t have any dice? Find some pretties at your local shop. If you come to Adventurers’ League completely empty handed, the DM can very likely hook you up; they typically come with pre-generated characters you can choose from, dice and usually extra pencils because someone always forgets.
5: HAVE FUN!
Don’t stress the little things when it comes to this game; it’s always going to work out! Adventurer’s League is great to start with, especially if you have no experience with D&D. If you’re used to the older versions, it can be tricky to figure out what aspects aren’t available anymore and which have been expanded upon. But go into your event with an open mind, a sense of humor and just have a ton of fun.
Featured Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast
Blog Image Credits: Wizards of the Coast, Teri Litorco