Reddit reviews Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition

Monster Manual $22.76

Players Handbook $19.62

Dice $4.88

If you are planning on playing 4e with a group of non-gamers, go for the Red Box since it's relatively cheap and is designed for non-gamers. It's not the complete version of the game, it's a tutorial adventure to teach players some core concepts .

If you decide to go with the full game, you need the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. These are three separate books. There are other volumes to each of these (for example PHB II) but you don't need them.

There's also an online subscription called D&D Insider that I've never used, but it seems like about 50% of people find it invaluable and the other 50% call it a racket.

Downsides to switching are well covered in this thread. Personally I found 4e to be so oriented towards combat that every other part of the game suffered. It felt like everything except the tactical combat module had been tacked on half-heartedly.

But this is after 20 years of playing older editions of D&D, so I may just be predisposed against the design changes they made in a way that newer players won't be. You may love it, and that's all that matters.

I think the better question though is what are your reasons for choosing D&D? Is there something about the system that makes you think you'll like it? What are you looking for? What did you like and dislike about Pathfinder? There are literally hundreds of other systems out there, you may want to look around at some of them, and I know /r/rpg loves to give recommendations if you want them to.

My brother got it, and no. The map is kinda cool, and the powers on cards is kinda handy, but I would suggest simply buying or downloading these books.

[The Player's Handbook] (http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Players-Handbook-Heinsoo/dp/0786948671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368486398&sr=1-1&keywords=player%27s+handbook+4) Will teach you the majority of the mechanics and how everything works.

While the Monster Manual Will give your Dungeon Master (DM) tons of baddies to kill everyone

There are TONS of more books, but I would start with these and then get the Player's Handbooks 2-3 for more options.

It seems like a lot of money, but have everyone chip in. For these two books its about the same cost as other prime board games, but months of creative, unique fun that's different every time you play.

(Oh, and just get a medium sized white board for the playing mat. Draw out a grid in sharpie and get pieces of paper or tokens to signify the bad guys and party members.)

This depends on what type of D&D you want to play. I play 4e. From my understanding of previous editions, much more of 4e happens on the table. If you have experience with tabletop games like I, and my friends, had, you should try this out. If not, it's very easy to pick up.

I'm pretty sure that Spencer is DMing a Pathfinder game in the podcast. It's definitely 3.5.

Anyway, back to the starting point. If you're interested in trying 4e, skip the starter set. It's useless. It gives you enough information to get 4 classes to level 2, and incorrectly at that. The provided adventure is boring, and you're not left with a whole lot to do after that.

If you're looking for the cheapest game possible, you'll need:

Players Handbook 1 http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Players-Handbook-Roleplaying/dp/0786948671/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381660555&sr=1-1&keywords=4e+players+handbook

Monster Manual 1 http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Monster-Manual-Roleplaying/dp/0786948523/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381660601&sr=1-1&keywords=4e+monster+manual

Core Rulebook http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Dungeon-Masters-Guide/dp/0786948809/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

If you want to play 4e correctly, these are the three books you need. Characters, maps, and monsters can be improvised as needed.

If you're willing to spend more, I would suggest this map:

http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1381660750&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=d%26d+vinyl+mat

With some wet erase markers (WET, not DRY), you can build any dungeon, castle, or moon colony you can imagine. Beyond those three books, I think this is the best investment you can make to immerse yourself and your friends into another world.

Wizards provides character sheets at the backs of some books, but there are better ones on their website for free.

https://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tool.aspx?x=dnd/4new/tool/charactersheet

Last, if you really want to make things as simple as possible, subscribe to D&D Insider.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/tools.aspx

It's worth it for the character builder alone.

EDIT: Don't forget the dice!

Monster Manual 3: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebooks) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786954906ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_6EcUzb2TK6VSH

Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual: Roleplaying Game Core Rules, 4th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786948523ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_xFcUzb7RERRFK

Monster Manual 2: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (D&D Supplement) https://www.amazon.com/dp/078695101X/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_XFcUzbKECCKSC