:::Rasies hand:::

Been very busy. Can't give much input just yet. Are you on my PSN fiends list? Maybe we can talk sometime late tonight.

I have been playing D&D for like 20 years, still do.

All you really need is the core rule books (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual) and a set of dice.

Doing combat with minis makes it a lot more tactical and (in my opinion) fun, but its not needed (though I suggest it...)

You will need 4-5 other people ideally, but at least 1 other. Pick who ever is the best storyteller/most imaginative to be the DM. The 4th edition Dungeon Master's Guide does a great job of teaching you to DM.

Once you get beyond that, there are a TON of supplements. If you really get into it, I suggest D&D insider because it has a great character builder, and a searchable compendium of items, monsters and everything else

Yup, I love me some pen and paper games. I've been playing since D&D 3rd edition came out (about 12 years) and love it. I would have started playing earlier but my parents were pretty sure that game was the spawn of Satan and I would kill myself if I played it so I had to wait until college (when they found out my sister had just the board game, they almost disowned her).

Oddly enough, they didn't have a problem with the content. They knew I played Magic: the Gathering and had seen all the black cards and didn't care, they just thought that if my role playing character died, I would kill myself. For grins and giggles, I told them I was playing the Star Wars D20 RPG (which was D&D with Star Wars flavor) and didn't care. I described it completely and as long as it didn't say D&D they didn't care. Years later they finally found out I played, and found out by my resume none-the-less. They didn't have a cow thankfully and now they know.

Anyways! Whoever is running the game needs to know the rules but don't get bogged down in the rules. It will hurt the game and the players will have less fun. I would say start with a premade adventure, Keep on Shadowfell is a nice starting point. As you get more comfortable, you can start modifying the adventure to suit your needs and eventually create your own completely custom adventure.

As for getting bogged down in the rules, just do what feels right. The rules don't always make sense and if your players can come up with a good justification for using a skill, let them. Think of the rules as suggestions, not strict things you must adhere to. If the player wants to use acrobatics to make a jump check instead of athletics because that just makes more sense for their character, let them. Does it make sense for the barbarian to use diplomacy?  No?  Let him use intimidate.  It will be more fun for everybody.

For the game master, whoever the GM is needs to realize two things-- 1) the players will ruin all your carefully laid out plans, and 2) you're creating a game for the players to have fun, not the GM.

Don't plan games too far in advance because players will break your game. You cannot anticipate everything and the players will always go in directions or use powers you never dreamed of. It's alright to have a huge over-arching story, but learn to course correct. Plan 1-2 games ahead and always point them to a grand goal, but don't be surprised when they go left when you were sure they were going to go right. Always keep some random encounters in your back pocket to stall and just learn to adapt.

For the other point about the game is for the players and not the GM, I know that sounds weird but hear me out. I know GM's that make the game all about them and it's never fun for the players. They railroad the players through complex stories that only the person writing the game can care about and put them in hopeless situations. They plan devious traps that will destroy the players because they can't find that one clue that nobody but the person that made it will think to find. It's not fun at all for the players. If the players aren't having fun, you aren't having a good game. Don't be afraid of difficulty, but always create opportunities for the players to shine.

Well, it wasn't neccesarily I was assuming.  I was really just naming another way to quickly communicate without having to type a lot.  And it's been a while since I've had enough time to really participate in this site so don't blame me too much for not knowing.

:)