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I agree with everyone here. If they are friends/friendly already then that makes things easier.

I would say that you want to remember that you're the adult in the situation. So you're going to have to be patient. They're teenagers who might get side-tracked or not having the same expectations that you do for the game. So all the normal advice of "talk with your players to resolve problems" goes doubly here, since you have that extra layer of being the "mature one" in a position of power for the group.

Make sure you schedule times. Find out when everyone wants to play and what times work for them. Average sessions are between 2-4 hours. I like 2 hours for weekly games. Try to be flexible, since ideally this is a fun event and not a second job. But it's important to be firm about things like "if you can't make it to the game, you have to let me know at least a couple hours in advance." You might have to figure out ride situations, which means potentially coordinating with other parents. You might have to explain what it is that you're inviting their child to do with you. Some people are touchy about their kids playing D&D for a variety of reasons.

As far as the game is concerned, the D&D starter set has a great intro adventure and is basically all you need to start playing. Give everything a read a couple times to really familiarize yourself with the rules and adventure. You might want to pick up the Player's Handbook (PHB), Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), but I would hold off until you have at least a couple sessions played. You will likely need more dice. I recommend the Chessex Pound-o-Dice. I have a big bowl filled with dice on the table that people can use.

You can get pretty deep down the rabbit hole as far as other accessories go (figures, terrain, dice sets, extra books, DM screen, playmats, custom minis). I find it's best to just play with what you have and then pick up more things as you find them useful ("oh, I wish I had a dry erase mat for that combat, let me pick one up for the future").

As far as play goes, modern D&D is much more narrative. Player characters tend to be more hardy after a couple levels than in older editions. There's less emphasis on plundering dungeons for treasure and more emphasis on telling a combined story (that sometimes involves plundering dungeons). Characters are less likely to die and have a lot of resources at their disposal to succeed.

If you haven't already, I recommend checking out youtube to get an idea for how modern D&D looks when its played. Youtube channels like WebDM and Taking20 have lots of tips on running D&D. There are LOADS of live-play D&D games that you can watch. Something like Acquisitions Incorporated or Force Grey are worth a watch, if only to get an idea of the pacing of a typical D&D session.

Other than that, just have fun man! There's a million different ways to play D&D, and it's nice that you've got an opportunity to use this to connect with your daughter and her friends. You will encounter lots of individual problems as they come up, but that's normal. Being the DM is about being flexible and creative and solving problems. Thankfully there's a lot of resources out there these days for finding how other people handle their issues. A quick google search will provide all kinds of info :)

• To echo everyone else, I would also say start with the starter set because it has everything you need to start, including a pretty nice set of dice. You could get away with this for your first session, but you will probably want some
  
• dice This may be your most cost effective way of having a set for everyone, and enough spares for people to grab from for crits and spells like fireball. Everyone will eventually get nicer sets they like more, but this is a good way to start with matched sets. Depending on how happy people are with the player options in the starter set, your next investment will either be the
  
• PHB for more player options, spells, items, and guide lines for how things should work. This is far and away the most import of the three books. As most people have said, you will probably get to the point where everyone wants access to this book. During play, you will probably want 2-3 of these at the table.
  
• Battle Mat D&D can be played in Theater of the mind, but grid combat makes a lot of rules easier to implement and officiate with a grid. The one I linked is pretty big without being overly huge (there are larger ones), and it is vinyl which makes it durable, and it erases pretty well with good wet erase markers.
  
• Miniatures is something else entirely. Most of the groups I play with have more than enough for me to ever have to buy any. Some players will make or buy a mini for his/her character. There are the round cardboard tokens that you could use for cheap. I run a D&D game on Fridays at the school I teach at and have the students use one of their dice as their mini. Monsters are usually balls of playdoh.
  
• After finishing of the LMOP (the adventure in the starter's set) you will either want to pick up one of the other adventures like Out of the Abyss or Princes of the Apocalypse. You might need a Monster Manual to go with it. PotA has a digital supplement with the extra monsters, while OotA does not.
  
• The DMG is optional really. It is great for magic items, alternative rules you could use, and world building strategies. You'll want a copy eventually, but like the MM, you wont need more than 1.
  
• Other things. Look around for things like the Elemental Evil Player's Guide and Unearthed Arcana articles. They have a bunch of free content you could use in your games. They are usually rough drafts so they might be imbalanced, but you might find something you really like in there. There are also tons of homebrew monsters, classes, races, and items if you wanted to expand your game that way.
  
  angel14995 has a great summary of all the books. This list is more useful as a logical purchasing progression guide.

Okay, so there's a bit to parse here.

First of all the version of the game you linked is the starter set for the 5th edition rules, the newest ruleset. It comes with copies of the Basic Rules for 5th edition, which you also linked. What I mean by Basic Rules is that they use the same basic ideas and mechanics that the full ruleset has, but they are truncated to make learning the system easier.

I don't think it would be particularly useful to go through point by point on everything that has changed since the 80s. I assume you played AD&D 1st or 2nd edition. Since then there have been a 3rd and 4th edition that changed and rechanged things so going through it all would make things more confusing honestly. I think the easiest way is to just dive into those basic rules.

However, since that doesn't answer your question, I will give you a couple things. First of all the core of the game is the same. You pick a race/class, the ability scores are all the same, you roll a d20 and add modifiers to it. One of the only major changes since AD&D is the addition of skills. While AD&D had non-combat skills it wasn't until later that they formalized a skill system. Every character now picks a certain number of skills that they are good at.

The other major change is that it is a lot easier to learn which is why I say you should really just dive into it. There are no longer a ton of charts to consult depending on what class you chose. No THAC0 to calculate, no different amounts of experience to level up, etc. Everything is far more streamlined today to make learning how to play much easier. Bigger numbers are better for everything (No more Armor Class going down), and its designed to be more approachable.

Again, the starter set you linked is really the best entry to the game. It comes with a starter adventure which can serve as a tutorial. It comes with basic rules for characters that limit the options so you can get used to the basic concepts. If you keep going from there then the full ruleset will provide more options to use.

If you have any questions while exploring those rules this is generally a very welcoming place so you can likely find more answers as you run into them.

Good luck and I hope you and your kids enjoy the game.

So for 5e there are a couple of things you can look at getting:

• Basic Rules: Look at the section for "Free Basic Rules". These PDFs are basically what you need to start playing D&D. The D&D 5e Player's Basic Rules has information about the basics of the game for players. It's got 4 races (Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, and Human) and 4 classes (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard) and one "subclass" for each class (Life Domain Cleric, Champion Fighter, Thief Rogue, and School of Evocation Wizard). Items, customization, character building, and the general "here's how you play!" are included in this document. Great resource for a simple lookup if you want to introduce someone to the game, since the characters you can build out of it are generally solid characters. The D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Basic Rules is the starting point for your DM. For the most part is bunch of creature/enemy stat blocks with explanations on how to balance encounters to the players' levels, as well as a quick off-hand on how to generate magic items. DMs are the creative source of the campaign, so there isn't much required to actually build a simple campaign.
  
• Dungeons & Dragons 5e Starter Set: This is the most basic form of the game you can get with most things included. Looks like it's $13 on Amazon right now, which is pretty good. The box set comes with a 32-page player guide (mini Player's Handbook), a 64-page Dungeon Master's guide (mini Dungeon Master's Guide/Monster Manual), a couple of pre-generated characters, and a few dice. It's good for getting into 5e if you've never played before since the rules are greatly reduced down to levels 1-6 and there are only 8 classes. Most of the content is the same stuff you can find in the Basic Rules, minus the story that comes with the Starter Set. If someone gets this, everyone else can download/print the Basic Rules and should be good. Most of the content is all about how to play the characters that are in the starter set, not about character generation and the like, so make sure to look at the Basic Rules if you want to play a Halfling Fighter for example. See this comment for more explanation.
  
• Player's Handbook (Dungeons & Dragons 5e): This is the core of most of your games of 5e at this point. This has all of the basic necessities, like character classes, character races, items, spells, feats, etc. This is exactly what you need if you are a player, since this and some imagination allows you to build some pretty fun characters. If you end up playing 5e a lot, I'd recommend that everyone have somewhat regular access to a PHB, considering that 90% of the characters you make will come in most part from this books.
  
• Monster Manual: This is where you'll find the largest collection of all of the "basic" monsters that you can meet in a game of D&D. Enemies in general are in this book, and there is a lot of good explanation into the monsters, their stats, their decision routes, etc. This is super helpful since you can basically do whatever you want with this book and make some awesome fights. Find an enemy you like, but it's too high level? Nerf it somehow, and have your players fight it. I'm actually planning on setting a dragon with her wings clipped and her firebreathing removed, give them a fight, and see how they react.
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide: This is basically world building, combat building, enemy building, item building... basically, if it's not covered in the PHB or MM, the creation of object X or something similar will be in the DMG. It's there for the DMs to be able to balance items or enemies against certain requirements, since there is a lot to take into account. Helpful for the DM who doesn't have as much experience.
  
  So the Basic Rules help out a lot, the Starter Set is basically a physical copy of the basic rules (plus some), and then the core 3 books in order of (my personal opinion of) usefulness are PHB > MM > DMG. I'd say you probably want at least everyone to have a PHB, or access if you guys continue to play.
  
  Aside from that, most of the other 5e stuff you can pick up from wizards are modules. Modules are pre-created campaigns that have quests, items, locations, enemies (number, size, etc.) already pre-designed for you. Each of the following books has some sort of extra character information (like more subclasses, new races, etc.), but nothing is absolutely required. Generally if one person wants to play something (say, an Half-Elf Bladesinger Wizard) they should pick up the book to help build their character and to provide the GM with references to how the character works, but it's not necessary.
  
  
• Hoard of the Dragon Queen and The Rise of Tiamat are two halves to the same campaign aimed at stopping the biggest baddest dragon of them all, the five-headed chromatic dragon Tiamat.
  
• Princes of the Apocalypse is a cool campaign all about cults related to the 4 elements (Air, Water, Earth, Fire) trying to be bad. Pretty well designed, I'm currently running this with my group. They seem to be liking it a lot, but then again, I'm throwing a lot of other things in with it.
  
• Out of the Abyss is a campaign set in the Underdark. it sounds really cool, but I haven't looked into it much.
  
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide isn't a campaign but rather a campaign setting book. It's useful for reading up on how the Sword Coast in Forgotten Realms (the "main" D&D world) works. It's interesting.
  
  If you need any other help, please feel free to ask!

I would suggest the essentials kits of Ice Spire Peak or Lost Mines of Phandelver - though probably the former over the latter.

If you want the full books though, I would suggest DNDbeyond. You'd need a subscription to manage your full party, but that would also be splitting the cost 6 ways, give access to the party entirely all the time, let the DM easily see his player's sheets, and it's very user friendly to certain classes that otherwise are not - such as the druid having to manage wild shape and prepared casting.

My last suggestion is to consider the free Basic Rules to see if it's sufficient for you and if you enjoy using a digital platform. Players can make basic characters this way on dndbeyond for free as well- it'll be restrictive playing free but would be enough to see if they enjoy using the platform. Be sure to use the webpage on whatever device you'd be using in play as well.

Welcome back to the hobby!

D&D 5e is pretty streamlined and easy to get into for new players and returning players alike. It harkens back to some of the older editions in ways and isn't as drastically different as D&D 4e was.

1. Reading the basic rules, checking out some of the tutorials, and jump right into it is the best way honestly. Don't focus on trying to learn what changed, learn it like a new system and when things up being the same they'll be easier to pick up.
   
   
2. I can't see that link at work, but if it's the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure, its the Basic Rules and Starter Adventure for D&D 5e. I greatly recommend it for new folks looking for an adventure to learn in.
   
   
3. The "Basic Rules" document from the WotC site is all of the combat, skill, etc rules with a few core class/race options, and the basic spells. Its basically "Players Handbook Lite"... enough to get you playing the game, but leaving enough in the PHB to make it worth buying.
   
   I teach new folks all the time and will gladly help how I can!
   
   

• • -
    
    Copy/Pasting bits from previous posts that might assist you:
    
    

• You can grab the free Basic Rules PDF which has the core rules and basic character generation options.
  
  
• You can watch tutorials like this video series. Combat episode is particularly helpful.
  
  
• Read the Getting Started Guide in the /r/DND sidebar.
  
  
  

• • -
    
    ((You might already have this, I can't check the link))
    
    If you end up just reading up on the rules and wanting to start your own group. I highly recommend the Starter Set.
    
    It's $15 on Amazon, has the core rules, a set of dice, premade characters, and an adventure that will last you a half dozen sessions or so. It's a great place to start--go figure--and is designed for brand new players and brand new DMs. The adventure is laid out in a way that introduces concepts as you go along rather than expecting you to know everything up front.
    
    The premade characters are big because you want to get straight to the playing not sit there explaining character creation to a brand new player. Without the context of how things are used, its just a wall of data and memorization... which isn't fun.
    
    You can always bring custom characters in once the group gets to town or something if people want, and now they'll kinda know the ropes.
    

I'm a fairly budget DM (but I had an edge as you'll see). Here is what my solution for minis was:

Via BGG I was able to for a few of the Dungeon and Dragon Board Games ex: Wrath of Ashardalon. This gave me a decent enough set of minis but most importantly: multiples of many of them as many of them come in groups of 2-4. This is kind of a cheat as I have a large collection of board games and was looking to swap some out anyway.

Then I purchased Pathfinder Beginner Box. Its a good price and you get a playmat, mini adventure, dice and a bunch of Pathfinder Pawns. These pawns are great and come with bases which lead me to my next purchases.

I was very happy with the way the Pathfinder Pawns worked out for me to "fill in the blanks" where I didn't have any minis. Pathfinder offers a lot of sets for their different adventure paths for between $15-20 via amazon. They don't come with bases but the beginner box solved that for me. Best part of these sets, in my opinion, is they come with plenty of multiples.

My players use a mix of minis from the board games and their own painted ones they bring. I pick a mix of minis and pawns with a preference towards all of one if I can help it. The pawns are fantastic and if I didn't have the option of the board game I would be totally happy just using those. The only thing I might do in that situation would be to pick up individual minis for "bosses". While the art on the Pathfinder Pawns are generally good to excellent quality scale is really lost on the larger creatures imo.

As for actually running combat, I'm style finding my DM style but I've settled on a mix of 4 similar yet different methods depending on what I want the encounter to emphasize.

For quick, "uncomplicated" encounters or ones that I may want to not emphasize combat I use theater of the mind. In my experience the second a grid comes out players think combat. The speed of theater of the mind is appealing to me. As for technique: with theater of the mind I tend to narrate everything except killing blows and run turn order by starting with the characters name and a description of the state of the battle every turn.

If TotM seems a bit too imprecise I break out the minis/pawns and run what I call Table of the Mind. We put the minis/pawns on the table and use them without a grid. Keeps things quick and snappy but gives the players something to reference. For this method and all others below I assign initiative to one of my PCs.

If environmental effects are more of a factor I use "zones". I stole this from Sly Flourish. I tend to use it less often than any other method but I like having it in my bag of tricks so I'll mention it here. Essentially I place the pawns/minis on index cards with each card representing a vague location in the battle and features within that location.

For complicated encounters or for those I get DM Crafty with nothing beats a good ol grid map. The flipmat from the beginner box is always in my bag but I have a larger Chessex map for bigger battles. I like to supplement it with either interesting mechanics or bling. I'm working on a one shot right now for my friend's birthday where two of the battles will take place on gridded maps one of which involves me placing cardboard "trees" on it and the other a complex series of teleportation doors. PCs love bling and I love blinging out. It's amazing what you can do with cardboard and paper; it's equally amazing how a description of a battle changes my awful craft skills into an epic fight!. I do not think I could run my teleporting door encounter without a map to ground my players. It would be too confusing and demand too much memory from all involved.

Sorry this got so long O.o

Buy cork for counters like one of the other posters suggested, or even use things like othello counters or poker chips. Really anything you can mark on ("G is for Goblin guys, H for hobgoblin").

Buy a dry erase board and some markers/eraser for it, it is a bigger investment, but it can at least be used for other things later if you don't end up playing in the long run. Mine serves double duty for homeschool and D&D and I leave it unmounted so we can lay it down on the table we play on.

Buy reaper minis for just the player characters and any really big baddie you are going to face. This gives the players a little more incentive to play and a touch of personal flair. They should pick out their minis that best represent their character concept. If your campaign has a big dragon as the end boss, you could splurge and buy that model to bring out in the last of the campaign as an exciting bit.

Paper models are all over the net. You could even have a whole small village in paper models if you wanted, but make sure if you spend the time investment it can be reused later for other adventures. Generic houses and such are easy, but the "Bridge of Durkon Bronzeweaver" might be a little too specific.

Go on Amazon and look at bulk bags of dice, we bought the Wizdice 100 random dice bag for $20 and had enough for 17 players to have full sets if we wanted.

http://www.amazon.com/Random-Polyhedral-Dice-Multiple-Wiz/dp/B009R6J8RY

Really worth it since you could have the players pitch in a little bit and have a huge return in selection. Really nice as a dm too to be able to have different color dice represent different monsters.

Two things I think are essential for player 5e are PHB and MM. All other things are nice to haves. Please get those 2 books at a minimum.

Everything else is nice to have. Personally I like having an erasable grid. I like to draw things on the fly and having a grid is invaluable to me. Not everyone likes to draw so if you don't like to draw, this goes down to just above minis. I got this mat for cheap. https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498074621&sr=8-2&keywords=dnd+mat

After the mat, the DMG is great. Esp if you want magical items. If you don't care for magical items in your game(trust me you do cause players love magical items) you can skip it entirely.

After the DMG, Volo's is fun. It isn't needed but fun is always fun! Also in this range is the EE players book and the sword coast adventure guide along with w/e other published players handbook additions that give more playable races/class options/backgrounds and what not. These are nice to have and fun!

Now we're at minis. This is where it gets expensive. If you don't have the budget, use coins, small dice, pieces of paper or anything else you can find. Old action figures, stuffed animals, lego men, toy soldiers literally anything is good. Once you have the budget, a nice set of minis is a great asset.

The last thing is a screen. Literally anything can be used as a screen. I personally got the official screen because I liked the artwork and the on the fly NPC naming.

I would suggest OP purchase:

1. The Players Handbook
   
   
2. The Monster Manual
   
   
3. A Chessex battlemap
   
   
4. Pathfinder Assorted Bases
   
   I feel like the inclusion of the PHB and MM are self-explanatory.
   
   The battemat is something I own and I have used to great effect - It's supremely durable, survived multiple moves, and still looks great. I'm moving more towards tiles now that I have a little bit more money to spend on D&D, but the mat was one of my biggest tools when I was first starting out as a DM.
   
   The token bases are from pathfinder, a related tabletop RPG, but can easily be used in DnD 5E. Simply print out pictures of the monsters that you've found online, cut them out, and place them in the bases, and viola - instant miniatures! They can help tide your players over while you build your own miniature collection.
   
   N.B. I agree with many of the other posters here that the use of a map and miniatures is not at all necessary for doing D&D, however, I have found that using them greatly enhances the experience, and it is my opinion that I like them. If you feel so inclined, OP, instead of the battlemap and bases, purchase the DM's Guide, which contains great advice in building and running your own adventures and campaigns, which might interest you down the road if it doesn't already.
   
   Total cost: $95.86 on amazon.

> So me and my friends want to get into D&D but we don't really understand how/where to chose an adventure to begin with and also confused on some aspects of character creation, such as skill point allocation.

I mean the best place to start is with the D&D starter set because it comes with everything you need to start - an introductory adventure, character sheets, the basic rules, and dice. Since the Lost Mine of Phandelver is a published adventure, your DM can find a lot of YouTube videos of groups running it (I think DM'ing is one of those things that it's hard to understand from just the rules, it's really helpful to see someone do it.)

You say "skill point allocation" which makes me think you have 3rd Edition sourcebooks right now, or that you're mixing sourcebooks between 3rd and 5th edition. This doesn't work terribly well - it's better to start with only 5th edition stuff to begin with, and you can investigate earlier editions of the game later on. The D&D Starter Set is 5th edition, as is the current Player's Handbook.

Good luck, have fun!

• Check out this video for making your own tiles out of cardboard and a regular laser printer. This is likely to be your cheapest option. It will make good looking tiles with low walls for visibility of the figures, and you can modify and change up the options yourself with any old graphics program to make special rooms or differently shaped walls.
  
• If you want to get something that approaches the flashiness of Dwarven Forge items for a fraction of the price, you can build papercraft dungeon tiles. There's tons of options and systems (I like the work of Fat Dragon Games) including free stuff (send me a PM in you want more details on what's out there). You print the pages on good-quality stiff paper and then fold and glue to get really good looking, and relatively durable 3d terrain.
  
• The official Wizard's dungeon times (incl. the new Dungeon Tiles Reincarnated) are really nice and offer lots of versatility in layouts, so you're not limited to snapping the dungeon to a 4x4" grid. The downside is that the layout is going to take a long time to set up -- if you use lots of 2x1 tiles for nice details it could take while. While the tiles themselves are quite portable compared to say, a roll-up battle mat, the set up time is a problem.
  
• The D&D Adventure System board games, like the recent Tomb of Annihilation game each come with a set of ~40 4x4" dungeon tiles that are get for making small rooms and passages (plus you get all the D&D figures and stuff from the game). Matching a map from an adventure is going to be harder with these because of the limited shapes and layouts, but if you're drawing out your own dungeon, they are really great. The ToA one linked above features tiles choked with vines and overgrowth, Legend of Drizzt features cavern tiles, while the others all have stone block hallways and rooms each with different assortments of features like crypts, fountains, altars, or hidden alcoves.
  
• Check out this video for more options and ideas, including [dry-erase dungeon tiles]9https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY) which I have not tries but they look like a good mix between drawing your own map and the flexibility of storage and layout generally inherent in dungeon tiles.
  
• Once you have your versatile dungeon tile option picked out, a great choice to easily and cheaply furnish it is with the Paizo Traps and Treasure set of cardboard cut outs. The vast array of furniture, traps, treasure piles, and architectural features can be used to furnish laboratories, lavish abodes, guard posts, and temples, not to mention dungeons and crypts. Make sure you also get a set of paizo's pawn bases so that the columns and stuff can be stood upright

I was raised (almost literally) playing with minis and a battlemat. I helped my dad build a magnetic dungeon board set when I was about 7 years old. I played recently with a relatively new group of my college age friends who were doing theatre of mind, and I was miserable.

A lot of actions specifically denote spacing, which is very difficult to do in theatre of mind. Attacks of opportunity, spell/attack range, etc all get kinda weird when it's just spoken and imagined. I am certain that other people are better at keeping track of it all, and more experienced DMs could make it more interesting.

I know I am personally extremely biased, but about half way through the session we were supposed to storm a castle, and there was no way I was going to try to keep the different passageways straight in my head without a visual representation. I went out to my car and brought in my tackleboxes of minis, battlemat, and vis-a-vis markers. The DM was a little apprehensive at first, but most everyone seemed to agree that the minis and mat were far superior after playing for about 10 minutes with them.

One of the player's made this analogy: [Theatre of Mind] is like a text based RPG, while minis and the battlemat is like playing Skyrim.




ninja edit

I didn't address prices. Minis can be very expensive. If you get the pre painted figures, they are unbelieveably costly. Here is a site that has all sorts of figures. Their search bar is amazing.

Here is a link to a battlemat on amazon. It may look pricey (I don't know your budget) but this mat is worth more than you can imagine.

Here is a link to a pack of markers that should do the trick for drawing any kind of terrain/buildings/caves you like. Just dip a spare rag or paper towel in some water, and the lines come right off.

It is awesome!!!

It also gives you some nice hero mini's that look great painted up. Its also fun to play with your gaming group if people can not make it for a full session of DnD.

Other games that have a pretty nice selection of mini's, both hero's and monsters are Descent (Which also has mini expansions with 4 heros and 3 lots of various monsters) and also Blood Rage and Dungeon Saga. Likewise they play as fun games by themselves!

Here are some links:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616611898/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786955708/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616618396/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (This is my favorite Descent pack because the hero's are nice and the Ogres and Trolls are SO cheap for mini's their size, and they look nice. I use the trolls as hill giants)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BPQE24C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161661837X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (Another descent pack that has nice mini's. The Windgo's look terrifying painted! )

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Temple-Elemental-Evil/dp/B00TLRT3YC/ref=pd_yo_rr_psims_t_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=48RVXNXYZ3145ZAVR81A (I was not super impressed with the mini's but some, like the dragon, were good, and they have a good selection of elementals. The game its self is ok.)

If the entire group is using the same set of dice that can really slow down the pace. One set of dice goes for like no more than $4 at any kind of comic and games shop and there are good deals online like this.

Don't be afraid to end the session mid-adventure. Try your best to avoid ending it mid-combat, but other than that feel free to end it at any time really. Good stopping points are right before/after combat or right before/after a short/long rest. Make sure to just write everything down if you end before a long rest - things like HP/Hit Die/Spell Slots and Class/Feat specific resources like Ki and Superiority Dice. Also make sure to prep the beginning of the next adventure if you end towards the end an adventure.

I use mostly TotM, but I break out minis when we're in a space where exact layouts or distances are important.

I either draw out my maps on a big drawing pad ahead of time, or use this as my map. Dry-erase is a godsend, and the tiles let you expand out your map as the players explore.

I also have a little whiteboard - the kind that goes in a locker - for when I just need to make a quick area sketch, but don't need to actually show distances or do a grid.

I had a friend of mine print a bunch of These paper mini bases, and print out paper minis to go in them. You can easily make your own, or there are wonderful guys like Printable Heroes who make them.

I also have a bunch of old lego that we use when necessary. I don't mind at all if my players want to get fancy minis for their PCs so long as they're the right size.

I seriously love paper minis. You can print anything you want on them. I made a bunch for my husband's CoS campaign just using WoTC art. If they get destroyed, I just print more. They take about 2 seconds to swap in their base if I need to turn a kobold into an orc. You can have about a million of them jammed in an envelope. If you use sturdy paper or cardboard, you can put even gargantuan creatures in the bases.

Player's Handbook is nice, and so is the Monster Manual.
I like almost everything in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, so I think you should grab it after the two above books. It especially offers very good cantrips that open new character options.


If you have some experience DMing, the Dungeon Master's Guide won't be worth it in my opinion. But if you just got started, you will find some good insight in it. You'll like the guidelines to create Magic Items and new Spells. Anyway, I'd recommand you to read the How to F$&%ing GM series, by The Angry GM. Some people don't like the character, but his advice is gold.

Edit: I forgot about the battlemat. I bought one like this years ago and love it. I prefer hex to squares, but having both is great ♥

The 5E Starter Set is currently $14.20 on Amazon. Premade adventures are a god send for new DMs just because it lays out everything for you. There is very little prep work besides reading the actual adventure. The adventure included with the starter set is quite good and offers at least a few sessions of play.

Instruct your players to download and read through the Basic Rules as well as the Pregen Characters, both free on the D&D website. Besides getting familiar with the mechanics of play, Basic Rules also provide guidelines for character generation. If they don't have time they can take one of the pregens and if they choose to, they can use the Basic Rules to create their own characters.

Links:

• 5E Starter Set
  
• Basic Rules
  
• Pregens

you can get the 5th edition basic rules for free on the D&D website.

And I would personally recommend the 5th edition starter set. It's only 20 bucks and is designed specifically for new players. it has everything you need to run the game, and will explain it all really well.

Good luck, I hope you get a good game going :)

I'm assuming you're young, since just the PHB is an acceptable expense (in my opinion) to begin as a player. As of right now it's not even $50, which was the typical price when I began playing in 3.5. So might I suggest this as a birthday or other holiday gift if you're not able to get together the money?

I'm definitely not digging on your for not being able to afford it, that's fine and people have reasons. I'm just saying, $30 entry point is damn good and there's so much meat in this game that I'd pay $50 gladly for the core book.

​

In addition, if you and your gaming group would go in on the core rule set, it's 50% off currently on Amazon, so you're getting each book for effectively $27.50 with a free DM screen.

​

PHB: https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688516&s=gateway&sr=8-2

​

3 Book Core Set:

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Rulebooks-Slipcase-Handbook/dp/0786966629/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=players+handbook&qid=1564688680&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFSNDJCRjExRFA0UkkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTEwMDQwMzU2OUtKM1Y0MjRQRUcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQ5MDAwNDhJSUVBQTU2T0ZPUCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Chessex mega-mat or similar is a very worthy purchase for quickly drawing battle scenes.

I used LEGO figures but I had a huge collection. I'd save your money until you're ready to buy proper figurines for everyone -- find a cheap or free solution in the meantime. Getting proper miniatures is a huge plunge.

You can also check out Pathfinder pawns.

If youre still looking to do dungeons sometime, I have a great site that generates them! I used it all the time its so handy.

http://donjon.bin.sh/5e/

A couple notes, play with the dungeon generator to figure out how big the dungeons are, remember that bigger is not always better, and small corridors force players to choose their actions very carefully sometimes and makes it more exciting.

Also, when you get the stats for the traps/monster look through them before you run the dungeon. I know the traps in particular are very strong in this gen and its ok to nerf them if your players are new.

Also its .. really worth getting a grid mat, even a small one. I have one like this and I love it

http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421947212&sr=8-1&keywords=square+grid+on+vinyl&pebp=1421947216413&peasin=B0015IQO2O

I see what you mean totally, yeah. I've been playing the game so long, I forget that people need to try it out to see if they even like it. Duh. My bad! <3

Specific for 5E. Each edition has vastly different core rules. 5E is beautiful system, and its starter set is excellent. Tons of us have played it.

Feel free to PM me with questions if you have any. I like helping new players and DMs.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503958376&sr=8-1&keywords=5e+starter+set

http://slyflourish.com/guide_to_published_adventures.html

I looked into a couple of options.
First are the DnD Board games. These are about the cheapest pre-made minis I found. Here

The second option was 3D printing. You can definitely get more bang for your buck, but there's a larger up front cost. You can get a low end 3D printer for something like $200-$300.

Third option was the Pathfinder Pawns. Not great, but they're cheap for a lot of them. Someone linked some printables elsewhere in the thread. These are nice because it's good art and a fairly high quality print. Downside is you're probably going to want two boxes. There's not quite enough of anything to cover large groups of mooks. Here

Fourth option I've seen is LEGO. Check out /r/legodnd for more ideas. If you have a bunch of stuff laying around, that can give you some ideas for stuff to do.

Overall, I think 3D printing is the way to go in the long run. It just requires a larger initial investment. It's also dependant on you finding or making your own patterns. The upside is it's fairly cheap and it's the most flexible option. You can 3D print pretty much anything you want. You also have the benefit of making scenery in addition to minis.

I've been DMing LMoP for a few months now, and I did so much prep work, I got in trouble at my real job for it. I have maps of EVERYTHING as PDFs with notes for every single room.

The upshot of this is that I barely referenced my notes last session because I have it all memorized. But notes are absolutely essential.

And like others have said, dungeons just need maps. My group tried theater of the mind for about two seconds before I went "OH MY GOD, I'll just draw it!" I'd recommend getting a big battle mat for that. It's pricey, but definitely worth it. I have this one, it's fantastic. Gotta be careful to use the right markers, though. But you definitely won't run out of room!

You can't go wrong with the starter set. I know you want it to be free, but it's not that expensive. I believe Ecuador now uses USD anyway?

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=starter+set&qid=1566737287&s=gateway&sr=8-4

And it's a good simple adventure to get kids hooked to D&D. You can simply play the first 2-3 chapters if you want to keep things simple for now.

The box contains everything you need to start playing. The adventure book, a basic rules book, pre-generated characters, and a set of dice.

D&D 5e works for stories that are 40%-80% combat and exploration, as it's quite focused on that. It also is quite magic focused, if you cut out all player magic, players can only choose from Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian, Monk. (Others are Wizard, Warlock, Sorceror, Druid, Ranger, Paladin). 5e is also a very popular, well known system, with a good combination of simplicity and depth.

I recommend it for you. To start, all you need is Player's handbook and monster manual , although other books such as Volo's Guide to Monsters and Xanathar's Guide to Everything are also fun.

You can also see some very basic rules at Roll20 Compendium.

Akuma mentioned it, and I also want to suggest picking up the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. It's absolutely phenomenal in terms of detail about regions, events, history, setting, etc. You will see a lot of mechanics for 3.x, but it's easy enough to disregard or even use their fluff to convert and make stuff for 5e FR.

Also worth picking up is the 4th edition book (Ed Greenwood Presents) Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It has a lot of "on the ground, personal level" detail and fluff, like what people eat in different regions, how they worship, etc. Neat book, fun read.

If you're brand new to playing, you might consider picking up the D&D Starter Set; it's 1/3rd to 1/2 the cost of the PHB, and geared directly toward brand new players. It's got a great first adventure and a lot of advice for new dungeon masters. If you're intrepid, you may feel comfortable getting started playing after just reading the basic rules (and so not have to pay anything), but the Starter Set has a ton of good info and it comes with the necessary dice, which make it a better value.

I have a 3d printer so i just make them now (and never paint them), but I also use Paizo Pawns to fill in the gaps - there's like 300 monsters/NPCs in each box in a series of at least 6, and pathfinder has a ton of overlap with DnD. It's amazingly cost-efficient if you have that upfront money.

​

Alternatively, you can check the local thrift stores for old games - there's chess and occasionally Zombies!!!, but if you're lucky you can find Arena of the Planeswalkers and get a pretty nice set of minis for $5.

​

Alternatively alternatively, there are printable monsters on DriveThruRPG for hella cheap too (example)

The three books you mentioned are the Core books. Yes, they're a bit pricey compared to some other systems out there, and that's something to consider then investing in a new game system, but you can sample what this edition has to offer via the basic rules. If you find you like it, or are interested in learning more, try the Starter Set. If your impression is still positive, that's when you can shell for the books.

Yes, it is still the best way, and still considered one of the best campaigns. It's not as long the the hardbound books, but the quality.

For what you get, LMoP is a great value. Right now, it is just under [$15 on Amazon] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0786965592/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=1499696338&sr=8-1). In this hobby, that is cheap.

Check out the Starter set. It's available on Amazon for around $14. It contains 5 pregenerated charactrers, enough rules to get you started, and an adventure. I would also download the basic rules from the WotC website: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules.

Then, if you want to continue, you can buy the Player's Handbook which comes out in a few weeks. That will give you access to all the classes and races to create your own characters. The rest of the core books will follow.

There is also two adventure modules coming out soon as well, (the first concurrent with the Player's Handbook). These will take characters from 1st to 15th level, which will take a few months of play time at the very least.


tl;dr: Get the starter set. $14 on amazon. Have fun!

I'll usually use something similar to this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0015IQO2O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481173019&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=Battle+grid+mat&dpPl=1&dpID=41i0qiG8fUL&ref=plSrch

I'll use wet erase markers and either draw something ahead of time, or draw quick outlines and erase them and redraw as needed if my players go off course.

The fact that it's double sided comes in handy too. You can use one side for improv battles and the other for preset encounters.

I usually only use maps for encounters, I'll use smaller drawings for world or city maps. I typically don't draw too much detail. The outline of the encounter area/room and major defining features that could come into play in the battle(a giant chasm in the floor for example). I'll rely on descriptions and any questions my players may have to fill in the blanks and give any other relevant information about the area.

As far as LMoP goes, in planning each of your sessions you'll probably have a good idea of what you'll be going through in each sitting so you should be able plan accordingly and really only have to improvise if your players go off the rails or decide to pick unplanned fights.

It's also perfectly OK to not use grids at all and just describe the area to you players and let them know where the enemies are on relation to them. You don't have to spend money on this part, especially if it's your first time, but Ive found it easier to use a grid especially for new players. It definitely helps keep things straight.

There are a series of boardgames from WOTC based around 4e i believe. From them my Fiancee bought me:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrath-of-Ashardalon-Board-Game/dp/0786955708

and it's great. Comes with about 40 minis of pretty good quality and a slew of dungeon tiles.

There are also Legend of Drizzt and Castle Ravenloft in that series then a few others.

From what i've seen it's probably the best bang for buck for minis, outside of snapping up a job lot of old warhammer/D&D minis from Ebay.

A Chessex Gridded Role Playing Mat really helped me out (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015IQO2O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). Obviously things like dice are helpful too - I'd recommend this https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-001LBCHX-Pound-O-Dice/dp/B008C0KXYS/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1481377749&sr=1-1&keywords=pound+of+dice because who doesn't want a pound of dice lol.

Miniatures on the other hand are a really fast way of blowing through whatever budget you have and should imo be the last thing you get

The best general overview of the Realms I've found is Elminster's Forgotten Realms. It's system- and edition-neutral, and talks about many aspects of the Realms, including common festivals, education, literacy, and other elements that explain how this fantasy world is different than others. That said, the 5th Edition Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide gives you more stats and recent history, so it might be the more practical book.

That said, I recommend that you don't try to be completely true to the Realms. There's just far too much history and geography to learn if you want to be accurate. Start small and read up what you can, but feel free to shift things around as you see fit.

http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

These are the free rules, which is everything you need to run the game (besides dice). These are a good start to see if you're going to like the game. The Players Handbook includes way more options for classes and goodies.

I would also suggest getting some friends and running thru the Starter Set Adventure. It also includes a print out of the basic rules and some dice.

If your friends arent interested, find a local fantasy gaming shop and see if they have someone running 'D&D Encounters'.

Not sure about anything maritime or mystery for a beginning module. Typically for a newbie I recommend Lost Mines Of Phandelver like already mentioned https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=lost+mines+of+phandelver&qid=1556794978&s=gateway&sr=8-2 (there is also a tutorial on Dungeon Master's Guild that helps ease a player into Lost Mines https://www.dmsguild.com/product/247519/Before-Phandelver--A-Tutorial-Adventure?term=lost+mines+of+phandelver ).

The other one I sometimes recommend is the Sunless Citadel adventure from Tales from the Yawning Portal.

Both of these would guide rookie players and their DM through the process. From there you can branch out into zillions of resources for additional adventures or create your own.

I use The World's Greatest Screen from Hammerdog Games. A lot of people also use the Savage Worlds screen

I think every DM owes it to themself to customize the content on their screen. Not only does it help you familiarize yourself with the rules, it also lets you tune the information for your gaming group. Here's my homebrew reference for the GM's side of the screen, which has stuff like Skill Challenges (from 4e), my custom Monster Knowledge rules, reference grids for the PC's saves (color-coded so I know which characters are more likely to fail a specific save - it's no fun if nobody gets to experience your beastie's cool gimmick), an expanded Travel Rate chart, and a Random Weather Table.

And here's the Player-facing side, which I've never been totally happy with - Either the font ends up too small for the players at the end of the table to read, or I can't fit the info I want. Oh well.

The Starter Set includes a short summary of the basic rules, as well as a complete adventure including monsters with their stats.

To someone who is new at DMing or playing I would recommend this as a great place to start. You can get some experience DMing without having to come up with everything yourself and your players will get a chance to really figure out the basic mechanics of the game before your homebrew campaign begins.

Either way, the starter set includes the stat blocks for 27 monsters, including skeletons (as you mentioned) as well as other iconic D&D monsters. This would probably be good enough for you until the monster manual comes out.

For the level 1 Elf necromancer you could use the character creation rules from Basic to make a full character, tweaking it to suit your needs.

My recommendation would be to go pick up some 2nd, 3rd or 4th edition sourcebooks for dirt cheap at Half Price Books or online. The Forgotten Realms sourcebook from 3.5 is what I am currently using, it has a removable foldout map of Faerun, and detailed lists of major sights throughout the realms, including descriptions of the major cities, ruins, etc.

I've heard good things about the Greenwood Forgotten Realms book as well.

You can probably also find sourcebooks specific to Waterdeep, Neverwinter, etc. though I don't know the specific titles.

The point is that generally speaking the edition doesn't matter when it comes to background materials, physical descriptions, major characters, history, politics, factions, maps, etc. It just doesn't. So do yourself a favor and buy this stuff cheap from older editions.

Also, keep in mind that while you are building off of an existing world, and there is something cool about that, the minute you start to play in it it's YOUR world. None of these sourcebooks are going to have every single detail fleshed out, and often will just give you the flavor of a particular city, a few major landmarks, etc. From there on you should create your own landmarks, taverns, interesting characters, history, etc.

This is the book that I use a lot:
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Roleplaying/dp/0786918365/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478819&sr=1-2&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms

Here are more:

http://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345

Neverwinter book:
http://www.amazon.com/Neverwinter-Campaign-Setting-Dungeons-Supplement/dp/0786958146/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478789&sr=1-4&keywords=Neverwinter+source+book

Waterdeep book:
http://www.amazon.com/City-Splendors-Waterdeep-Roleplaying-Supplement/dp/0786936932/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478895&sr=1-1&keywords=Waterdeep

http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Realms-Atlas-Karen-Fonstad/dp/0880388579/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417478853&sr=1-3&keywords=FOrgotten+Realms

Hope that helps. Also buy 4th edition stuff now if you ever think you want it. Lots of stores are having fire sales moving their 4th ed stuff.

Currently, official resources are fairly scarce, and we won't be getting anything new for a bit, as the next book (The Curse of Strahd) won't have any new character options.

Currently, your official options are twofold:

Elemental Evil Players Companion:
This free resources adds 4 new races and a handfull of new spells.

Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
Currently the most recent book, is roughly 80% setting information, but towards the back contains new race variants, background options, a handful of new cantrips, as well as new class options for the following:

• Barbairan (Path of the Battlerager and more options for Totem Warrior animals)
  
• Cleric (Arcana Domain)
  
• Fighter (Purple Dragon Knight)
  
• Monk (Way of the Long Death and Way of the Sun Soul)
  
• Paladin (Oath of the Crown)
  
• Rogue (Mastermind and Swashbuckler)
  
• Sorcerer (Storm Sorcery)
  
• Warlock (The Undying)
  
• Wizard (Bladesinger)
  
  If you would like, I can go more in depth on those extra class options if any one or all pique your interest.
  
  Your unofficial options are much broader
  
  Be sure to check out /r/UnearthedArcana, as this is the 5e Homebrew subreddit, and there's a lot of good stuff here, but it will require a lot of close monitoring by the DM to keep it fair and in-universe.
  
  Secondly, DM's Guild is the WOTC 'marketplace' for homebrew content. It allows creators to host their stuff and set a price (or not) to purchase it. I would highly suggest looking at Matthew Mercer's Witch Hunter Class and Gunslinger Fighter Archetype (Both are "Pay what you want") as they have gone through some pretty rigorous testing and I can personally attest both are an absolute blast to play.

Something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O

It seems like a great idea to hold off on miniatures. I'll probably use some kind of cheap stand-in in the meantime. Thank you for your response!!!

Here you go.

IMO, just posting a capture onto reddit isn't the way to go. If you like 5e, you should show it by giving wizards money so that they will keep making 5e stuff.

Now, if you want to come up with your own "stuff happens" table, feel free to post it.

More tables are always nice.

I have a box of Pathfinder pawns and they are pretty great. You get a selection of bases. I got one of the evil races boxes but the Bestiary Box 1 seems to have a pretty good overlap with 5e's MM.
https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522671422&sr=8-1&keywords=pathfinder+pawns

Battlemat: Gold Standard - Chessex, costs 20$ or so, pick up some wet erase markers to quickly make and erase rooms and outdoor battlefields.

Miniatures - Paper minis can be a great way to get tons of minis for less cost - some have mentioned Pathfinder Pawns, each set usually has a few hundred paper icons with bases they stick into, for about $30 - theres an NPC one and a number of monster ones.

IF you want something more substantial, for more money per figure you can find Dnd Miniatures on Ebay or buy some new packs. Game Tokens are often cheaper - meeples make great markers and can be color coded. You can find all kinds of meeples at meeplesource.com

Upgraded the Starter Set a little bit!

In total, there is:

• Lost Mine of Phandelver module
  
• Starter Set Rulebook
  
• A copy of each pre-generated character that comes with the adventure
  
• Some number of blank character sheets; I use the Alternate Character Sheets available directly from WotC for this, then on committed groups I usually suggest them to use this Class-specific CSs
  
• Two or three copies of a "what I can do in my turn" cheatsheets for the players, that I honestly don't recall where I took them from.
  
• A blank grid (which hopefully will get replaced with Paizo's flip-map soon!)
  
• 4 sets of dice, I use all-black dice with colored numbers, because they are simple, easy to read, and look awesome together!
  
• The DM Screen, that is made with 2mm thick black cardboard, and THIS DM screen pages printed and cut into them to fit. I will be modifying this sometime in the future as some sections (like the Gods with their symbols and allignments) don't really fancy me, and I'd love adding other stuff, like some of the alt-rules from Xanathar's Guide to Everything like falling, sleeping in armor and etc.
  
• a 36d6 set, for when needing to mark several enemies and the likes; sadly we still don't have minis (sadly off the photos, I just forgot to grab it for the shooting session of sorts).
  
  Aaaand.. that's pretty much it! Add some pen, pencil, eraser (and when I laminate the grid, some eraseable markers) and you are good to go! I'd probably add some character descriptor slips in the future with name, AC, saves and etc. to hang on the screen and use as initiative trackers, plus some general dice (I forgot to include them in the picture, but I always carry a 36-set of d6's for.. general purpose.. using them as enemies on the grid, for example.

Chessex Role Playing Play Mat: Battlemat Double-Sided Reversible Mat for RPGs and Miniature Figure Games (26 in x 23 1/2 in) Squares/Hexes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5CxOCbSK7ND37

EXPO 16078 Vis-A-Vis Wet-Erase Overhead Transparency Markers, Fine Point, Assorted Colors, 8-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wDxOCbB3WHT45

If I don't have a mini for the monster I need I use a cheap, solid color dice from a big set I bought. Looks like the one I got is no longer being made but this is similar:
Yellow Mountain Imports 42 Polyhedral Dice, 6 Colors with Complete Set of D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20, and D% https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07586H7KJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1ExOCbK31AJD9

Pathfinders Bestiary Box 1 goes on sale for 20 something dollars sometimes, tons of monsters from the Monster Manual at a decent price:
Pathfinder Pawns: Bestiary Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/1601255616/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nGxOCbJB02KBK

I wouldn't worry too much about having minis, and terrain, and everything as dnd is more about the imagination and sometimes too much detail at the table can detract from that. My friend runs his campaign mostly "theater of mind" style but has a little tiny dry erase board he draws on to show relative positions and obstacles and it works great.

Hope this helps!

Nice. By the way, if anyone is looking for a screen, I use this one. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1930855591/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These print-outs will fit in it perfectly.

A nice Chessex battlemat is never a wrong choice. My party used this one perfectly fine for years until we upgraded to their "Mondomat" which is 100" long to play out the final fight in a long canyon where we relived the previous fights throughout the campaign.

I bought a Savage Worlds GM Screen used from Amazon on a whim and it's turned out to be awesome -- it's the same concept as the landscape TWGS I think.

I tend to put maps, images and general info in the front (player-facing) and tables and session prep in the back. I also just fold extra notes and keep them behind the "active" panels to use the whole thing as a folder, so all I bring to sessions is the GM Screen and The Noteboard. I keep dice and pencils in the bag with the noteboard. And I use OneNote and GoodReader* on my phone for the occasional additional lookup.

• Not advocating piracy! I buy most things digitally, and anything not available that way I buy physically and then obtain digital copies.
  
  Edit: I think if I had to choose one thing as the most valuable, I'd go with my phone. I could run a game with just my phone (dice rollers, reference material, notes, etc), not sure I can say the same for any other tools.

I use the Chessex battlemaps, they are tan on both sides but super durable, and pretty affordable all things considered.

I have both the both the battle map and mega map, and they have seen near weekly use for the last 3 years without any problems. The only down side is that blue ink does need to be washed off quickly or you will have a faint stain there.

The heavy stock "pawns" from Pathfinder and similar "standees" are a really nice and much cheaper alternative to minis. You can store and transport so many more so much easier. Great art.

https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-Pathfinder-Pawns-Bestiary/dp/1601255616/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=pathfinder+miniature&qid=1566055384&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Yes! It's called the starter set. Your local game store probably has it, if not its on amazon.

It has a premade adventure, premade characters, ect. You'll need a couple more friends, however.

Canadian here too. I picked up an awesome blank grid in a pathfinder box from 411 games in Toronto for 20$. Allows dry and wet erase.

This is the product on amazon. Highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Publishng-Inc-Pathfinder-Flip-Mat/dp/1601255381

If you're going cheap, two 3-ring binders with binder clips to make a three panel screen. You can even add plastic sheet protectors for reference material!

Irresponsible D&D purchases have kind of become a pastime for me, so I bought this screen for $22. There isn't a big selection of landscape screens, and landscape binders are pretty expensive. I'm pretty happy with it FWIW.

wet erase mats work best.

http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422381987&sr=8-1&keywords=wet+erase+mat



[also, in case you're interested: spoiler maps](/s "http://theredepic.bigcartel.com/category/hoard-of-the-dragon-queen-digital-downloads?page=1")

The Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide is probably the best recent source however it isn't free. If you want something free for them to search through there is always the Forgotten Realms Wiki.

There is a new adventure coming up soon called Hoard of the Dragon Queen which is designed as the starting point for player made characters and not specifically the Pre-generated ones in the Starter Set. Although there is nothing stopping you from using those as well. Since this adventure is coming out when the PHB does, expect to see some things in there that are not available in the Starter Set or free DnD Basic Rules.

Sorry, but it's the price you pay by using a pirated copy of the PHB.

This is the only 'app' you really need:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965606?keywords=players%20handbook%205th%20edition&qid=1451935332&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Unless you play as a fighter/cleric/rogue/wizard, then the rules are free as a printable pdf.

$31 here I’m sure you’ve probably seen this price but I got one from this seller and it was perfect.

I have something like tthis which I think is great.

The only thing I don't like about this is I use cards that hang over the top of my screen to track initiative. It's not cheap (in fact it's overpriced), but I use one of these. http://www.amazon.com/Savage-Worlds-Customizable-Screen-S2P10002/dp/1930855591

It has the advantage of closing flat, and has clear pockets on all sides to use with whatever system you want.

http://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410203099&sr=8-1&keywords=Players+handbook

This may seem snarky but someone else already had a cease and desist sent to them by wotc for posting spells out of the players handbook. If people start filling this subreddit with class entries and the like they'll just start deleting posts (at best...)

For now, basic PDF has everything you need to learn and play the game at a basic level.

If you preorder off of Amazon you can get it for around $30. I guarantee with everything in it the $30 price is definitely worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478133433&sr=8-1&keywords=volo%27s+guide+to+monsters

well. Some specialized store or the internet but most of those don't come cheap. My friend bought his in yard sales over the years. In store, the really basic ones will probably cost you 2.99$ each. And you didn't even started to look for specific miniatures, only the cheapest...!

EDIT: As for the grid, we use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY

I own a set of whiteboard tiles similar to these, and they're indispensable for cases like this. As they move deeper into the dungeon, you can wipe off tiles they've already explored and add them to the other side.

https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY

(I can't speak for this specific brand, but the ones I own aren't made anymore and these look pretty similar.)

This is the cart I bought: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OHKVXE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You have to put it together yourself and its pretty simple to put together but it's definitely not the strongest cart in the world. If you fully load it like I have you will be wary of using it as a rolling cart, the whole thing is held together by 6 screws so expect a lot of swaying.

Other links:

Dungeonscapes: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DungeonScapes

Tact Tiles: https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY

alternately, the same link unshortened: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965614/

or the Amazon Smile charity link: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965614/

Best guess is January 20th, 2015.
Based on when Amazon say's they'll get it to me.
LINK HERE

Rise of Tiamat is the second half of the a 2 book adventure, the first being Hoard of the Dragon Queen: http://www.amazon.com/Hoard-Dragon-Queen-Adventure-Wizards/dp/0786965649/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458181435&sr=8-1&keywords=horde+of+the+dragon+queen

I DM'd all of Horde at a store, it needs a serious overhaul in order to be less of a railroad and to actually make sense. After Horde I DM'd the first 2.5 chapters of Rise of Tiamat which is better, but I would prefer it if PCs actually were able to succeed in the goals presented to them in the campaign. I can't give away more without getting spoilery.

The party starts at level 7 or 8 (depending on where Horde left off and if you are just skipping Horde and starting this fresh). The overarching plot is that a combination of factions need the PCs to act as their agents and stop the resurrection of Tiamat, who is being raised from Hell by a cult of dragons.

Also, I believe the campaign is from 7/8-15, but good luck killing the big T.
Neverwinter isn't exactly central to the story, it's just a 'base' for the party and the factions fighting the cult. This base could really be anywhere, it doesn't have to be Neverwinter. I don't know the lore behind Neverwinter, but apparently Neverwinter needed to be rebuilt and New Neverwinter is where you all are, or something like that? I can't remember, it's been a while.

So I just ran a session in Death House and also felt the need to use visual aids just to let the players get their bearings. We did theatre of the mind combat, if only because the spaces were too confined for minis to really be necessary or even helpful, but I traced a VERY rudimentary map as they moved through the house so they could better picture their choices and where they were.

There ended up being a whiteboard available in the space, but I had brought a pathfinder flip-mat for the same purpose. (And it would work just as well. I plan to use it for when we DO use minis in combat.)

This is the mat I have, though I got mine from our local game store.

Are you looking for bulk dice or fancy dice? because that changes things.

If you want bulk dice, you can get the chessex pound-o-dice or wizkid's random polyhedral dice. I believe the pound-o-dice is generally considered better, as the dice are slightly more well made (i.e. more balanced and such).

If you're looking for fancy dice, i'm pretty fond of artisan dice, though i've heard some people who had horror stories with them messing things up.

I've never purchased anything from Q workshop, but i have heard of them. They're fine for dice, as far as I'm aware.

Surprised no-one has mentioned Elminster's Forgotten Realms yet. It's one of the best pure fluff books for FR in my opinion.

The starter set is probably your best entry point.

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Set-Roleplaying/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1449995620&sr=8-3&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

I don't print maps for my players at all. I only draw a map when a situation is complex enough that we need the help tracking where everyone is. I use something like this mat with wet-erase markers as a reusable surface for drawing maps on: http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O

Here, let me change your life:

https://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY

These things are hands down the best grids I've used.

edit: there are other sizes, too. I have the 5" ones

For me:

• Macbook Pro: Acts as my “screen”, though, I roll in front of my players.
  
  
• Google Drive for Initiative tracker, Monster Stats, Music, Campaign notes, name list, Etc.
  
  
• 3 ring binder for maps and a store that I
  hand to my players should they want to go shopping.
  
  
• Chessex Dice + 3 extra D20s from a loosey bin. edit This purple is regal as fuck.
  
  
• My books (DMG, PHB, MM, Volo's) are kept on a side table to be referenced in disputes.
  
  
  For Combat:
  
  
• Chessex Battlemat: Larger size means everyone can use it to take notes, remain entertained (read: doodle), track damage on things, etc. Rolls up and stows without taking up a lot of real estate.
  
  
• EXPO wet erase markers, Dollar store spray bottle, Dollar store microfiber cloths.
  
  
• Pathfinder Pawns I print out my own and glue them on.
  
  
• Foam core and cardboard for terrain - Theatre of the mind ain't my bag. Tabletop wargame skillz recycled.
  
  
  For my players:
  
  
• G2 Mechanical Pencils
  
  
• Poker chips to track spell slots
  
  
• Assortment of Minis from my table top wargaming days or a pathfinder pawn if they like how it looks better.

If you're just starting out, I recommend the 100-dice package from Wiz Dice. Even as a player, you'll find having multiple sets really handy, and the quality's a little bit better than Chessex's equivalent.

Get this book, whatever you do. It's both a great resource and a great read. It's rules neutral and is mainly a lore thing but you'll learn more from it than really any other book that I know of, short of reading a whole bunch of the novels.

Check out the Roll20 Compendium for a lot of info to get started, try out the Starter Set which will put you through Lost Mines of Phandelver.

If you enjoy that, the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual from Amazon (I say this because they have the cheapest prices) will be all you need to run the game.

Dmsguild is a great site for additional resources, paid for and free.

You can buy modules which will put you through more campaigns, but they aren't required to play the game. You can make up your own settings and story.

Fifth edition means that this is the fifth iteration of the game to be released, and it has its own mechanics unique from previous editions, since the release of ad&d in 1972.

It's really hard to beat Chessex dice... I've tried several more expensive sets (including a synthetic turquoise set) and none of them were worth the money. The dice I use are all Chessex.

I think the grid is worth it, it doesn't really matter what kind you use. We use this one which I didn't realize was also Chessex until right now... it's nice because it's wet-erase (we tried dry erase, but it's nice to not have your walls disappear while you're moving around your minis) and it has the dual side, so you can use square or hex grids.

It should be noted that the starter set, which is an excellent introduction, is on sale today.

In this order, if you don't have them (and don't have alternatives):

• Player's Handbook (you should have one, and ideally each player should have their own -- but start with 1).
  
• An eraseable grid and markers. Even if you plan on printing out maps, this helps enormously for impromptu encounters and the like.
  
• Extra dice, particularly if your players don't bring their own. Will speed up the game enormously to not have to hunt for and pass dice around all the time (or worse, re-roll the same die over and over when you need 8d6 damage).
  
• Monster Manual (basically essential)
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide (magic items, tables to help build random things, and general advice) and/or Volo's Guide to Monsters (more monsters, monster lore, and more player races)
  
• Tales from the Yawning Portal (more dungeons/side-quests you can add to your game) and/or Sword Coast Adventure Guide (lore on the sword coast region and a few extra character options)
  
• More minis, other adventures, and so on.
  
  

You can order it on Amazon; https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

Alternatively search for "The Delian Tomb", it's an easy oneshot/intro that Matt Colville wrote up.

Edit: Delian Tomb link - https://youtu.be/zTD2RZz6mlo

Must be a European thing it looks like. If you scroll a little down the page to the "Frequently bought together" section, you'll see all 3 of the Core books in a bundle, as well as their individual prices (~$30 for the PHB, up to ~$36 for the MM)
https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503071617&sr=8-1&keywords=d%26d+5e+player%27s+handbook

EDIT: Forgot link -_-

This. I bought it along with a set of dice when I started playing and we use it all the time, I can't imagine using anything else. We also bought a couple of markers in different colors, so we can easily draw things like spreading fire.

These are the mats I'm talking about: https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-PZOSQW30024-Pathfinder-Flip-Mat/dp/1601255381

The party gets enveloped by mist and finds themselves transported to a realm of darkness ruled over by an ancient and powerful evil.

$64 CDN on amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/

A little too rich for my blood. I think I'll pass.

For my game I bought two packs of these http://www.amazon.com/Dry-Erase-inch-Dungeon-Tiles/dp/B016H0TNFY

Since they are modular I can go from a 5 foot by 2.5 foot giant map to a whole bunch of smaller sized maps. You can draw out a dungeon then take it apart and lay the map down as the party explores. Also, they are double sided so you can do that with two maps if you really want to plan out something massive ahead of time.

I think it's this Chessex map, but there different types, prices and sizes, this one is like a tablecloth. Note you cannot use regular whiteboard eraser on it, you need "dry erasers", and then just a damp rag or something to wipe it off at the end of the session (it it's there for longer the color can stick a bit).

It seems like the books have been at this reduced price most of the time they’ve been on Amazon. It only occasionally goes back to MSRP according to this

The 5e official DM screen doesn't come out till January, I believe.

http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Screen-Accessory-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965630/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1406924495&sr=8-2&keywords=dm+screen

A friend of mine is working on a custom 5e DM screen, when he is finished with it, i'll have him post it on this reddit so you all can print it out and make your own custom screen.

I normally draw the whole map on grid paper beforehand and cover parts of it with plain paper, then reveal it as the players explore. I also use these reusable grid mats for impromptu locations, which might be good for you if you want to stick with drawing maps as you go.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549402191&sr=8-1&keywords=starter+set

with this and 3 to 5 friends

its 30 now Still good deal tho

Have you looked into a Paizo flip-mat? Folds up nicely.

https://www.amazon.com/Paizo-Inc-PZOSQW30024-Pathfinder-Flip-Mat/dp/1601255381

nice discount on the pre order http://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407370457&sr=1-1&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons

> Buy a dry erase grid map and markers

I recommend the Chessex wet erase mat rather than a dry erase.

What you're looking for is what the community refers to as an FLGS (friendly local game store). Usually these aren't chain stores. So, unfortunately, you'll have to do a little bit of searching. Often times you can just google "D&D store" or "game store" and your city/town name and you'll get a good place to start. If your town has both a video game specialty store (at least one that isn't Gamestop) and a tabletop gaming specialty store, usually the employees of both will know where the other one is and will happily send you to them. Your FLGS will have all the books you need (and if they don't, they'll order them for you) as well as the official character sheets from Wizards of the Coast, and all the dice you could ever need.

Here's the shopping list for you to get started strong.

• Player's Handbook
  
  
• Dungeon Master's Guide
  
  
• Monster Manual
  
  
• Dice
  
  
• Character Sheets (if you have a printer, you can download them and print them off here)
  
  
• Pencils & Paper
  
  The following are optional enhancements.
  
  
• Graph Paper
  
  
• A Vinyl Battle Mat
  
  
• Wet Erase Markers for your battle mat
  
  
• Figurines for your battle mat

Start with either the Starter Set Adventure $13 on amazon or look at the basic rules pdf in the sidebar and take it from there.

As an example: PHB on D&D Beyond is $29.97. Prices on Amazon range from $23-30.

The digital product is consistently more expensive or the same price, not lower.

It's sub $30 on Amazon if you have prime, too!

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Core-Rulebook/dp/0786965622/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420399819&sr=1-1&keywords=dungeon+master%27s+guide

I have this one, it is quality and large worth the money imo

http://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IUAAG/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1450652471&sr=8-7&keywords=gaming+mat

Oh, maybe that's the expected price?

I know Amazon is carrying them for $40. It says it's a sale, but it's been that price since release.

https://www.amazon.ca/Xanathars-Guide-Everything-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966114/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517864848&sr=8-1&keywords=xanthar%27s+guide+to+everything

Its only 13 bucks on amazon https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

This product is $10 on amazon and is literally designed for your exact purpose.

The PHB is basically always $30 on Amazon: https://camelcamelcamel.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/product/0786965606

$34.80 @ Amazon

https://www.amazon.ca/Players-Handbook-Wizards-RPG-Team/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500131655&sr=8-1&keywords=dnd+player%27s+handbook

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606

amazon afaik

http://www.amazon.com/Players-Handbook-Dungeons-Dragons-Wizards/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407316829&sr=8-1&keywords=phb+dnd+next

This book, Amazon link

Yep, it's called the Player's Handbook. It has all the current versions of the official classes. Beyond this is only the PHB Errata

Everything else you may be referring to is called Unearthed Arcana. This is playtest material, is not balanced for multiclassing, and is not the current version of anything. The only "exception" to this is the Revised Ranger, which many people would say is the new Ranger class, but it's technically still unofficial at this point.

If you're asking for a compilation of Unearthed Arcana, just do a quick google search, there is nothing official but many have put this together.

Although you'll probably want more than one set of dice... I got 17 complete sets in my:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009R6J8RY?cache=58d233ee12d986b748be90cd4a423fdc&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1412777273&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

Buy the starter set.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

Buy a pound of dice

https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-001LBCHX-Pound-O-Dice/dp/B008C0KXYS

Buy 18 sets of dice

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FRQI6CA

Buy a battlemat

https://www.amazon.com/Chessex-Role-Playing-Play-Mat/dp/B0015IQO2O

That's all you need to get started. Don't spend $300 buying EVERYTHING. That's just a silly thing to do.

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Wrath-Ashardalon-Board/dp/0786955708

Buy that it has everything you should need to get started.

To any future person inquiring about the same thing:
https://www.amazon.com/Greenwood-Presents-Elminsters-Forgotten-Realms/dp/0786960345/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474567765&sr=8-1&keywords=Ed+Greenwood+Presents%3A+Elminster%27s+Forgotten+Realms

You might try the 5th Edition Starter Set. It's cheap, gives a basic introduction to the rules (which are now free to look at on Wizards' website, or in pdf form for printable goodness), and comes with what I'm told is a decent length module to start you off.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

It could also just be shortened to https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Starter-Wizards-Team/dp/0786965592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550551171&sr=8-1&keywords=dnd+starter+set+5th+edition


dnd starter set probably would cover it

Also, the D&D 5e Starter Set is only $8. right now!

typing "[text](link)" will hyperlink, by the way.

• [You can order it on Amazon](amazon.com/yourMassiveLink)
  
  becomes:
  
  >You can order it on Amazon

https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop/players-basic-rules

That will give you equipment, and all the rules stuff. For race and class, the only legit way is for them to buy the Player's Handbook.

Same for Canada.

https://www.amazon.ca/Players-Handbook-Wizards-RPG-Team/dp/0786965606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520473948&sr=8-1&keywords=dungeons+and+dragons+players+handbook+5th+edition

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0786965630/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just bought mine off Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Screen-Accessory/dp/0786965630/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420912376&sr=8-1&keywords=dm+screen

Is it this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Screen-Accessory/dp/0786965630/

It's from the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide.

The spell description can be found in a variety of places, such as here.

Here it is

http://www.amazon.com/Curse-Strahd-Dungeons-Sourcebook-Supplement/dp/0786965983/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453048283&sr=8-3&keywords=curse+of+strahd

Now at Amazon.ca:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0786965983?redirect=true&ref_=s9_im_co_g14_i1

http://www.amazon.com/Curse-Strahd-Dungeons-Sourcebook-Supplement/dp/0786965983

Cheaper

https://www.amazon.com/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017

new monsters and races for 5e

Do they change the price depending on the customer. I see £40.08 in the UK. (surfing from Denmark)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Volos-Guide-Monsters-Wizards-Team/dp/0786966017/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478324723&sr=8-1&keywords=volo%27s+guide+to+monsters

The Regular Cover is so boring in comparison, but it'll be a while before I can get a copy.