Many people want to get into DnD but are put off by the seeming complexity and amount of rules to learn before getting to play the game. There are so many resources and books in the world of DnD that it might be hard to even know where to start.
It’s understandable, people’s time is valuable and you don’t want to invest too much time and energy into something that might not be for you. All of this begs the question: is Dungeons and Dragons hard to learn?
Dungeons and Dragons is not hard to learn, but it can require some time to get used to all the fundamental rules, such as combat mechanics. A great way of learning the rules is by getting the Player’s Handbook. Other than that, playing a game of DnD can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be, as the game is very flexible. You can play with or without any rules you choose.
Let’s go through the details. How hard is it exactly, and how much time does it take before you can play a session with a smooth tempo? Read more to find out this and much more.
Is DnD Hard to Learn?
So, let’s go through the different factors to consider here. First of all, yes, there are a bunch of rules in DnD, and it can quickly get overwhelming. However, no group uses all of the rules in DnD.
It would simply be too much, and in fact, a lot of DMs just change rules or come up with solutions on the fly to avoid unnecessary breaks and confusion.
So, what resources do you need when it comes to the rules? I would strongly recommend the Player’s Handbook. This way you can easily create characters and understand the basic rules of DnD. Do it together with your party, help each other and look up the necessary steps of character creation in the PHB.
Another thing to consider is that the version of DnD matters. For example, the introduction of DnD 5e a couple of years ago made it a lot easier to get into DnD, as the rules were made simpler to understand for new players.
The DM is vital in a game of DnD, as you might know. The DM ultimately decides the tempo and complexity of the game, and you can look at it this way: if you’re a party of players with no experience, the DM probably won’t be very complex (because he/she won’t know how), and if you’re playing with an experienced DM, he/she will probably know that it’s appropriate to take it easy.
A lot of brand-new players get confused by combat in DnD. For example, armor classes, hitpoints, and hitting stuff in combat. While this can take some time to get your head around, you will learn it quickly by playing.
A good idea for many beginners is to just run a short dungeon to introduce them to the fundamental concepts of DnD combat. You don’t need anything for this, really, just your imagination and the rules of DnD combat.
As I mentioned earlier, no one knows every rule in DnD. This means that you shouldn’t take on every rule at once. It’s completely fine to ignore or make up a solution for something confusing in the beginning. This way, you won’t have to deal with any frustrating information overloads.
Here is a final rundown on the absolute basics of playing Dungeons and Dragons.
- One person acts as the narrator and game master of the game. This player controls all the non-playable characters
- The other people are PCs (player characters), and fundamentally, their job is to say what they want to do based on the things the narrator (DM) has described
- The DM acts as a referee, describing the consequences of the player character’s actions (based on rolling dice)
Well, there you go. That’s not very complicated, is it? As far as resources go, I would recommend getting a set of dice (7 different dice), and the Player’s Handbook.
A lot of new players also get the starter set, which comes with a bunch of good stuff for beginners, such as a really good adventure designed for new players.
How Long Does it Take to Learn DnD?
Now, I’ve gone over the various challenges that come with starting DnD, and every one of them is very much surmountable. Easy doesn’t mean it’s not somewhat time-consuming, however. So, how long does it take to learn the game of DnD?
There is a difference between complexity and depth. For example, chess is very easy to learn because of its low complexity. There isn’t a very big amount of rules, but it has endless amounts of depth.
DnD is kind of like chess in this manner. The fundamental rules aren’t particularly hard to learn. You’ll get it down in a few hours, quite frankly.
However, actually improving your knowledge and getting better at the game can take some time. So, how long does it take to learn DnD? Well, it depends on what you mean.
I would strongly recommend learning as you go. There are just too many rules to learn without actually playing the game. Have the DnD pin the basic rules to his DM screen and refer to those in the beginning (plus, get the PHB).
Then, as you play more, incorporate new stuff. I don’t think you can expect to ever learn every rule of the game and how to apply them in every scenario, so it’s also a mindset thing. Expect to learn new things each time you play.
The three most important books when it comes to learning DnD are the Player’s Handbook (as I mentioned before), the Monster Manual, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The Monster Manual is a book that has stats and information about various enemies.
Finally, when it comes to learning DnD, I would really recommend going with the 5e edition of DnD. It’s the easiest, most popular, and the newest release of DnD that has gotten very good reviews from players.
Is Being a DnD DM Hard?
DMing has gotten a reputation for being very hard to do. Now, this isn’t necessarily the case. One thing that is for sure, however, is that it demands more of you than being a PC.
You have to know the rules and have things prepared. This takes a bit of work, for sure. Furthermore, a lot of DMs like to create their own adventures, and this takes time and knowledge of how to make a compelling story.
For beginner DMs, I usually recommend going with pre-generated adventures. This way, you won’t have to prepare the story, NPCs, balance the combat, and so forth.
A lot of it comes down to willingness, as well. For example, a person that actively wants to DM will most likely do a better job than someone who just agreed to it because no one else wanted the role.
Here are some things you need to DM, and you can decide for yourself if it seems hard or not: You need to be unbiased and fair towards your players, you need some basic knowledge of how to game works, and you need some creativity.
As you can see, there is nothing really inherently hard about it. Most of it comes down to personality factors. If you want to read more about how to DM without experience, check out the article below.
Related Articles: Can You DM If You’ve Never Played DnD?
What Is the Easiest Class to Play in DnD?
Finally, let’s discuss some class options for DnD. This will hopefully help you figure out what classes are appropriate for a beginner player.
The fighter is probably one of the easier classes to start with in DnD. It’s a fairly straightforward class with no complex spell options, and the roleplaying aspect of the class offers a lot of options.
There are multiple candidates for the spot of easiest class, I would say, and people have different opinions on the topic.
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The 10 Most Difficult Classes To Play In Dungeons And Dragons