read the players and the DM manual to get to know the rules then if you want to learn more there are plenty more books or you can wing it depending on your freinds/DM.

Creativity is key in my opinion. There is nothing I hate more than a Dungeon Master that punishes innovation and tries to force characters to follow his storyline. I also detest when players can't think outside the box. The whole point of role playing is to try thinking and doing things you would never do in real life. I live in my own skin all day every day, role playing gives me the opportunity to try someone else on for a few hours.

As someone BRAND new to the Pen and Paper game (I just started my first rl day of our campaign yesterday) I have these pointers: *It is NOTHING like the MMO's you may or may not have played. Everything you think you know (besides the general- spell names, general rules of class specifics, etc), because it doesn't work in D&D. *Read up as much as you can. I didn't read very much and picked random things, and now that we've started I'm wishing I knew a whole lot more. I'm hoping my DM will understand and let me tweak a thing or 7. Heh. :/ *Don't let the other players talk over you all the time! I'm the cleric so most of the time I felt like "call me when you need a cleric then"- but there's all these other creative things to add as well. Don't let them be pushy bastards- because they will. *It's not all fighting, as in an MMO. (See first blurb.) Most of the time it's actually using your skills, looking for traps, talking, trying to get away, not necessarily hack and slashing anything that comes through. *And last but not least- you'll always have to look something up, so keep your books near. There's always a debate about rules and symantics. It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I hope that someone else's first time doesn't suck like mine did!

Be creative. :) Try to imagine the action in your head, rather than getting over-focused on miniatures and battle-mats. Read the rule book more than once if you're having a hard time understanding the mechanics. Roll up a bunch of characters as well if you have time. That helps me figure out how an rpg works. A lot of GMs/DMs roll up characters just for fun, even if they never use them. Also, remember that not all gaming groups play D&D the same way. If you find that you're not having fun, then look for a new group if your problems can't be resolved.

Unless you are a rogue or regularly group with a rogue, keep a 10-foot pole around at all times. Use it to activate traps, or just about any other dangerous things, from a distance.

My advice is find a good group of people, and at the start, keep it simple. Don't go getting stuff from 14 books and taking 3 classes then 4 prestige classes, all with 56 scrolls and wands. My first, and still favourite, character was a dwarven fighter named Barendd Balderk. Just the first male name and the first last name in the Player's Handbook, but it worked. I didn't grapple, or disarm, I just charged and whacked, and I had a great time.

Start them at 1st level, keep to races and classes, feats etc purely from the PHB (Players Handbook). Keep it simple and fun. That's generally a winning combo. Eventually, your players get more advanced. Don't be afraid to ask them. Sometimes your players know more than you will. For one, I can guarantee, having played a rogue for 8+ years, I know more about the class than anyone in my group. A DM who forces pedantic rules on players because they don't know the true ones but claim to the old "My word is law" won't get far :). That said, shield your dice rolls. It works both ways. If you are getting slaughtered and misjudged the difficulty, oops.. The creature just gained hp. Or if you are annihilating them.. Oh dear, it rolled a 1.. you get my drift :). Most of all. Have fun!

Find a good DM, start out with something easy like a fighter or cleric and have a good time. Learn by playing. Don't spend the bank on books at first . play for a while and find out if you like playingif you do then go nuts and welcome.

A handful of ideas: 1. Keep some 3 1/2x5 inch cards handy with various monsters (i.e. 2nd level goblin fighter etc). 2. If your players are reading during combat, give them very little time to decide their actions. If they take more than a few seconds, they attack with whatever weapon they have in hand. Make sure you don't take too long either. 3. Introduce them to another adventuring group (a handful of paladins for instance). Don't take too long, maybe they meet at a tavern or cross on the road. Then bring them back into play a few sessions later. All the sudden it feels more like a real world. You can also use them as backup if your players are getting destroyed by a monster (and paladins can even heal them afterward!). I'd make sure the players are at least one level higher. It's only fun if they get to be the heroes after all.

Find a good DM. There's nothing worse than a DM that cannot run a good, fun campaign and really make it a good adventure. Someone that really paints a picture and weaves a good tale. Without that , your just sitting around a table rolling dice and tweaking stats. I'd also advise finding a small group, preferably friends where you will not be a n00b to a DM that just likes to pick favorites/friends within the "regulars" clique and crush other players. Some DMs just like to punish players. Especially outsiders.

when getting started cheat some ... for stats role 5 dice and choose the 3 that work best and role 25 chars. use the hopelessly small numbers to get race stats in line to get 5 or 6 that work for you, and to keep track, name them alphabetically; this will give yous some keepers and some cannon fodder. Obtain a bag of holding or 2 for the party. Then you can loot the dead to the skin. missiles in back, tanks and cannon fodder up front, one tank last row as rear guard. healers and mages in the center. Now that the question was new in'07 i wonder how she did.