How to play Dungeons and Dragons in the Philippines

Want to play Dungeons and Dragons, but aren’t sure how to start? Maybe you’ve seen Mike and his friends playing it on Stranger Things, or you’re a fan of hit podcasts like Adventure Zone and Critical Role. Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) and other tabletop RPGs are becoming more popular nowadays, and it’s no mystery why. You get to be creative, hang out with friends, and have fun! 

Here’s a simple guide to get you started on your adventure!

1. What is a tabletop RPG?

A tabletop RPG is also known as a pen-and-paper RPG, because all you need to play are a pen, paper, dice and your imagination! You and your friends get to weave your own stories and create your own original characters. Think of it like a video game, except battles and conflict are solved through dice rolls. 

If the number you get on the dice you roll (plus some additions or subtractions, depending on the scenario) reaches a certain number, then your action is a success! If it doesn’t, then your character suffers consequences. It’s that simple!

2. Choose a DM (or a GM)

In Dungeons and Dragons, you’re either a Player or a Dungeon Master. The players create Player Characters (PCs) who act as the main characters of the stories, but someone in your group has to take the role of Dungeon Master. 

The Dungeon Master (DM) is also known as a Game Master (GM) in other games. The GM acts as the narrator of the story, steering the characters to locations and throwing obstacles and conflict in their way. The GM usually plays the villains, supporting characters, or wildlife, making the world come alive in the story. Furthermore, GMs make preparations for the game, like making stats for the non-playable characters (NPCs), and coming up with some of the plot.

Here are a few tips for first time GMs:

• Expect the unexpected. You’re going to have to be flexible. A few lucky dice rolls, and some annoyingly clever players might accidentally take down the final boss at the start of the campaign.
• While it’s fun to make your own world and own story, it’s also very time-consuming and difficult. The good news for first time GMs? DnD and a lot of other systems offer pre-made adventures.
• Set aside some time or even an entire session just to discuss your characters and to go through character creation together. This way, you can make sure players are doing things right and everyone is familiar with the other PCs.
• Don’t antagonize your players. You should provide conflict and obstacles to overcome, but don’t forget that you’re all there to have fun!

3. Decide on a tabletop RPG system and setting

Did you know that there are actually different variations of Dungeons and Dragons? The most recent version is called the 5th edition or 5e. The rules and feel can differ a lot between systems. DnD 5e is much faster when it comes to combat, leaving more time for exploration and interacting with other characters. DnD 4e has a more complex combat system that relies heavily on figures and maps, making it the perfect edition to play if your players enjoy fighting monsters.

Furthermore, while the classic world of elves, dwarves and paladins beholden to godesses is what Dungeons and Dragons is most known for, DnD actually has a lot of different settings. There’s Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, which are your classic fantasy settings. There’s also Ravenloft, a gothic horror take on DnD, or Spelljammer, which features spaceships powered by magic. GM who love to create worlds and places can even make their own setting, known in the community as a “homebrew”.

And DnD isn’t even the only tabletop RPG system out there, though it’s certainly the most popular. Think about what kind of game you want and do some research! Some people might find the combat of DnD too time-consuming. There are a lot of great alternatives out there that also have multiple settings. You can play pirates, cyborgs or cowboys in games such as FATE and Savage Worlds, which offer quick and dynamic systems, and make it easy for players to pull off cool moves and stunts as if they were in a movie.

If you want games that focus more on story, you can try Call of Cthulhu, another popular system where players are investigators who try to maintain their sanity and survive incomprehensible monsters of horror icon, H.P. Lovecraft. Another beloved story-focused system full of intrigue and drama that goths and urban fantasy fans are sure to love is World of Darkness. Players in World of Darkness play vampires or werewolves, or the humans that hunt them, and deal with more personal stories. 

A few of the newer tabletop systems do away with dice, such as the horror system, Paranoia, which replaces the dice mechanic with jenga!

4. Get your equipment

The first things you need are rulebooks. You can buy rulebooks at Fully Booked or local hobby stores, or you can buy them online as PDFs.

Next, you need some dice. d20s are the iconic 20-sided dice you might have seen in DnD merch or on TV. In a tabletop RPG, you indicate dice with number of dice + d + how many sides the dice has. For example, 1 dice with 20 sides is known as a 1d20 or a d20, while 3 dice with 6 sides are written as 3d6.

A typical set of polyhedral dice contains a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 and a percentage die (a d10 with 10, 20, 30, etc.). Depending on what tabletop RPG system you use, you’ll need either one of each or multiples. GMs, in particular, should have multiple sets of dice in case you need to roll for multiple characters at once. You can buy a set of dice from shops like Neutral Grounds, Dragonforge or Fortress Games. Natural 20 Gaming Goods also offers hand-made resin dice. 

Games like DnD can also use map mats (maps with grids), though a whiteboard marker on manila paper or tarpaulin work as well. You can also use figures that you move across the board for combat and dungeon exploration. 

5. Find some friends!

It’s time to get the adventuring party together. Call your friends over and make plans to hang out at someone’s house or a cafe. All you need is a table and some chairs. You can also go online to look for players of GMs. Facebook Groups such as D&D Adventurers League Philippines and Call of Cthulhu TRPG PH are good places to start interacting with the community and finding people to play with. 

No time to meet up with friends? Get your friends to log onto Roll20, an online tabletop RPG platform that allows you to make virtual maps, add music to your game, and play with your friends without leaving the comfort of your home. The site has a Looking For Group (LFG) section to find new people to play with.

Once you have your friends, you’re ready to take on any adventure!

Have you ever played  Dungeons and Dragons, or any other tabletop RPG? Let us know about your games and adventures in the comments!