Beginner's guide

So you're getting into Dungeons & Dragons

You're about to sit down with a group of friends, invent a character from scratch, and collectively tell a story where anything can happen. D&D is easier to start than you think — and the gear list is shorter than the marketing makes it look. Here's exactly what you need for your first session.

By Colin B. · Published May 15, 2026 · Last reviewed May 15, 2026

a man is playing a board game on a table

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle — The official D&D Starter Set — a complete adventure, pre-built characters, and enough rules to play for months.
Chessex Opaque Polyhedral 7-Die Set — A classic Chessex 7-piece polyhedral set — every die you need in one satisfying bag.
Chessex Megamat Reversible Battle Grid — A vinyl grid mat — the fastest way to stop arguing about who's standing where.

Budget total

$40

Typical total

$105

The Starter Set plus one dice set gets you to the table for under $45. Add a battle mat and you're at $100. D&D is cheap to start — the hobby expands exactly as much as you let it.

At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

Category	Top pick	Price	Where to buy
Getting Started	Wizards of the CoastD&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle	$	See on Amazon →
Dice	ChessexChessex Opaque Polyhedral 7-Die Set	$	See on Amazon →
Battle Map	ChessexChessex Megamat Reversible Battle Grid	$$	See on Amazon →
Miniatures	WizKidsD&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Human Fighters	$	See on Amazon →
DM Screen	Wizards of the CoastD&D Dungeon Master's Screen Reincarnated	$	See on Amazon →

Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Buy the Starter Set before anything else. It contains a condensed rulebook, a ready-to-run adventure, and five pre-built characters — everything you need for four to six sessions. The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide are beautiful books, but you won't know what questions they answer until you've actually played. Start the Starter Set first, buy the core books after you know you're hooked.

You only need one set of dice to play. A standard 7-piece polyhedral set (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and a percentile die) is all any single player needs. People buy second and third sets because dice are fun to collect — that's a month-two problem. Start with one set, ideally in a color you like, and stop there.

Theater of the mind is free. A battle grid and miniatures make combat easier to track but are completely optional — plenty of great games happen with nothing but verbal description. Don't buy a mat or minis until you've played three or four sessions and know whether your group does tactical combat or narrative play. Save the $50 until you know you need it.

The gear

What you actually need

a man sitting at a table playing a board game

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash

Getting Started

The single most important decision in your D&D setup is which rulebook to start with. The Starter Set is designed for groups that have never played — it teaches the game through play, gives the Dungeon Master a hand-held adventure to run, and costs less than a nice dinner. The full Player's Handbook covers character creation from scratch and is the book every serious player eventually owns, but it assumes you already understand the basics. Start with the Starter Set. Graduate to the core books once you've played and know you want to go deeper.

Getting Started — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

Starter Set

Pre-built characters, a self-contained adventure, simplified rules. Play tonight.

Price: ~$20–25
Sessions: 4–6 included
Rulebook: Simplified
Character creation: Pre-built only

Best for First-timers, groups who want to play before investing

Tradeoff Can't build your own character — you pick from the five included sheets

↓ See our pick

Core Rulebooks

Full character creation, complete rules, endless replayability.

Price: ~$50+ each
Sessions: Unlimited
Rulebook: Complete
Character creation: Full from scratch

Best for Players who've tried D&D and want the full game

Tradeoff Steep upfront cost and a steeper learning curve — overwhelming for session one

↓ See our pick

Best starter

Wizards of the Coast

D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle

The official entry point to D&D, updated for the current edition. Includes a stripped-down rulebook covering everything you need to play, five pre-made character sheets so nobody has to build a character before session one, and the Dragons of Stormwreck Isle adventure — a punchy 48-page module designed to teach the game while you play it. Four to six sessions of content in one box, under $25.

Watch out for: The included rulebook is intentionally simplified. Some rules from the full Player's Handbook are omitted or abbreviated. That's a feature for beginners, not a bug.

See on Amazon →

Upgrade pick

Wizards of the Coast

Player's Handbook (2024)

$$$

The complete rulebook every D&D player eventually needs. The 2024 revision is the clearest version yet — better organized, better indexed, with improved character creation rules. Buy this once you've finished the Starter Set and want to build a character from scratch. It covers all 12 classes, subclasses, backgrounds, spells, and the full equipment list.

Watch out for: The 2024 PHB is the new standard. Don't buy the older 5th edition printing — it's been superseded and the differences matter.

See on Amazon →

Specialty pick

Wizards of the Coast

Dungeon Master's Guide (2024)

$$$

For the person running the game. Contains everything DMs need beyond the PHB: encounter-building guidelines, magic item tables, worldbuilding tools, and rules for adjudicating edge cases. The 2024 revision is significantly better organized than its predecessor — it actually tells you how to run a session in plain language. Only buy this if you're the DM.

See on Amazon →

Photo by Dan Horgan on Unsplash

Dice

Every D&D player needs one set of polyhedral dice: a d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and a d100 (two d10s used together). You will roll these constantly. The d20 is the workhorse — attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, all d20. Get a set that feels good in your hand and has numbers you can read at a glance. The $8 bags with tiny indistinct numerals are fine for one session and miserable for twenty. Spend $12–20 and get something with clear numbering and satisfying weight.

Best starter

Chessex

Chessex Opaque Polyhedral 7-Die Set

Chessex has made dice for tabletop gamers for decades and the opaque line is their bread-and-butter starter set. Clear numerals, balanced weight, available in a dozen color combinations. These feel like real dice — not the brittle hollow plastic that comes free in some starter sets. Pick a color that feels like your character and go.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

Wiz Dice

Wiz Dice 7-Piece Polyhedral Dice Set

Under $8 and adequate for any session. The color variation between bags is high — you might get something gorgeous or something muddy. Legibility varies. A perfectly reasonable starter if you're not sure you'll stick with the hobby.

See on Amazon →

Upgrade pick

Metallic Dice Games

FanRoll Metal Polyhedral DND Dice Set

$$$

FanRoll's metal dice are heavier, louder when they land, and much more satisfying to roll than any plastic set. They run $25–40. Not necessary, but if you roll a natural 20 on metal dice, you will feel it differently. Buy after you've confirmed the hobby has you — this is a reward purchase, not a starter purchase.

Watch out for: Metal dice can damage wooden dice trays or soft surfaces. They also wear out vinyl mats faster. Roll on felt or in a dice tray.

See on Amazon →

Battle Map

When your party gets into a fight, everyone benefits from a shared visual: who's where, what's adjacent to what, which door is blocked. A battle map is a grid (usually 1-inch squares, with each square representing 5 feet in-game) that lets you track positions. You don't need one — D&D works fine without it — but the first time your fighter asks 'can I reach the orc?' and the DM has to guess, you'll wish you had it. Vinyl gridded mats are the standard: durable, dry-erase compatible, rollable, and usable for decades.

Best starter

Chessex

Chessex Megamat Reversible Battle Grid

The classic battle mat and still the best value in the category. Thick vinyl, double-sided (1-inch square grid on one side, 1-inch hex grid on the other), dry-erase compatible, and big enough for nearly any encounter at 34.5" x 48". Chessex has been making these since the 1990s and the quality shows. A one-time purchase that will outlast every campaign you run.

Watch out for: Dry-erase markers work great. Do NOT use permanent marker — it will not come off. Wet-erase markers (not dry-erase) are even better and won't smear mid-session.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

Paizo

Pathfinder Flip-Mat Basic (24" x 30")

Smaller and cheaper than the Megamat, but more portable and easy to store flat. The 24" x 30" size handles most combat encounters, folds down to notebook size, and works with any wet- or dry-erase marker. A perfectly functional option if you game at different locations or don't want to roll up a large mat every session.

See on Amazon →

Photo by Osmany M Leyva Aldana on Unsplash

Miniatures

Miniatures are small figurines representing characters and monsters on the battle map. They're not required — many tables use coins, bottle caps, or just call out positions verbally. But if your group likes tactical combat, having a physical figure for your character is surprisingly meaningful. D&D's official unpainted miniature line (Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures) are excellent quality, pre-primed for painting, and run about $5–7 each. You don't need to paint them — grey primed minis work fine on the table. Buy one for your character and let the DM handle the rest.

Best starter

WizKids

D&D Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures: Human Fighters

The official D&D unpainted miniature line. Pre-primed in grey, ready to paint or use as-is, with excellent detail for the price. This fighter pack is a versatile pick for most party builds. They snap into a base, stay upright on the mat, and feel like a real game piece. At $5–7 per blister, buying one for everyone at the table costs less than pizza.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

CZYY

CZYY RPG Hero and Monster Token Set (112 pcs)

A 112-piece acrylic token set covering a full range of heroes and monsters — fighters, mages, goblins, dragons, undead, and more. Each token sits in a clear plastic base and stands upright on the grid. Not as satisfying as a real mini, but the DM will have every monster type covered in one $20 purchase instead of buying individual packs. A smart DM starter buy.

See on Amazon →

DM Screen

The Dungeon Master Screen is a folded cardstock barrier between the DM and the players — it hides the DM's notes and dice rolls, and has the most-referenced game tables printed on the player-facing and DM-facing sides. It's a DM-only purchase, but an excellent one. Having attack bonuses, condition effects, and DC tables at a glance means the DM spends time narrating instead of page-flipping. Buy this when the person running your game has committed to the role.

Best starter

Wizards of the Coast

D&D Dungeon Master's Screen Reincarnated

The official DM Screen, updated with the most useful tables from the current edition — conditions, actions in combat, encounter DCs, light and vision rules. Sturdy enough to hold up through years of sessions. The DM-side tables are actually well-curated, not just decorative. Under $15 and the closest thing to a required DM accessory.

See on Amazon →

Upgrade pick

Game Master Supplies

Ultra-Wide 38.5" Landscape DM Screen

A wide landscape-format screen with dry-erase document pockets and faux dragon skin exterior. The landscape orientation is more comfortable to talk over than portrait screens, gives the DM more workspace, and the dry-erase pockets let you slide in custom reference sheets. A meaningful upgrade once you've been DMing for a while and know exactly what you want on your panels.

See on Amazon →

Going deeper

Your first five sessions of Dungeons & Dragons

Most people spend two sessions not quite knowing what they're doing and one session feeling like they finally get it. That's completely normal — and faster than it sounds. Here's what your first five sessions actually look like.

Read the guide →

Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

The full core rulebook set on day one — The Starter Set covers everything you need for your first 4-6 sessions. Buy the Player's Handbook and DMG after you know the hobby has taken hold — not before.
Painted miniatures — Painting minis is its own hobby, not a D&D requirement. Grey unpainted minis work fine on the table and save you from an expensive side quest before you've played session one.
Fancy dice towers or dice trays — Satisfying accessories, but zero impact on the game. Roll your dice on the table. Add the tray if you find dice ricocheting into the pizza a consistent problem.
Third-party adventure modules — There are hundreds of excellent adventures beyond the Starter Set — from official WotC campaigns to indie publishers. Don't buy any of them until you've finished the Starter Set and know your group is committed.
Campaign management software — D&D Beyond, Foundry VTT, Roll20 — all excellent, and all optional. Paper and pencil work for years. Go digital when your group specifically needs it (scheduling, remote players, etc.), not before.

First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

Order the Starter Set so it arrives before your first scheduled session. · Buy
- Jump to our pick: D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Decide who's being the Dungeon Master. The DM reads the adventure module before session one — players read nothing. · Action
Get a dice set. One per player is ideal; two people can share in a pinch. · Buy
- Jump to our pick: Chessex Opaque Polyhedral 7-Die Set
DM reads the Starter Set rulebook cover to cover. It's 32 pages. Budget 90 minutes. · Learn
Session zero: everyone picks a character from the included pre-built sheets. Talk about what kind of story you want — action-focused or narrative-focused, serious or goofy. Ten minutes of alignment before session one prevents a month of mismatched expectations. · Action
Play your first session. Get to the first combat encounter. Don't worry about getting every rule right — the DM makes the call, you note the question, you look it up between sessions. · Action
After session one: if the group wants to come back, the DM picks up the Player's Handbook for the next character-building session. · Learn
- D&D Beyond (free) · Official digital companion — free character builder, spell lookup, and rules reference
- How to Play D&D (official) · YouTube — many good 10-minute primers for players and DMs

FAQ

Common questions

How many people do you need to play D&D?

The sweet spot is one DM plus three to five players. You can technically play with one player and one DM (duet D&D), and there are rules for it, but the experience is different. For beginners, four players total (one DM, three players) is ideal — enough to fill the party roles without the coordination overhead of six people.

Does someone need to be the Dungeon Master?

Yes — D&D requires one person to run the game. The DM describes the world, plays all the non-player characters, adjudicates the rules, and runs the adventure. It's more work than being a player, but also more creative. The Starter Set is specifically designed to make this manageable for a first-time DM. Someone has to go first.

Is D&D 5e the same as D&D 2024?

Mostly yes. The 2024 Player's Handbook is a revision of the 5th edition rules — backward compatible with most 5e content. Starter Set adventures from either era work with the 2024 core rules. When people say '5e,' they usually mean the rules system; when they say '2024 edition,' they mean the updated books. Don't let the versioning confuse you.

How long does a D&D session take?

Most sessions run three to four hours. Shorter (two hours) is common when people have schedules; longer (five to six hours) happens on big nights. The Starter Set adventure is designed for four to six sessions. Plan on an afternoon — D&D rewards unhurried time more than almost any other hobby.

Do I need to buy anything if I'm just a player (not the DM)?

Technically no — the DM owns the Starter Set, and the pre-built character sheets are included. In practice, each player should have their own dice set ($10–20). If you're using the full Player's Handbook instead of the Starter Set, you'll want your own copy eventually — or use D&D Beyond's free digital character builder.

Is D&D difficult to learn?

The Starter Set is designed to teach the game by playing it — the DM reads the rulebook, everyone else learns at the table. The core mechanic is simple: describe what you want to do, roll a d20 and add a modifier, and the DM tells you if you succeed. Most players are comfortable with combat and skill checks by session two. The depth comes from learning when to apply the rules, not from the rules themselves.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

D&D Beyond — Wizards of the Coast's official digital companion. Free character builder, complete rules reference, and spell lookup. Every player should bookmark this before session one.
Dungeon Master's Workshop (YouTube) — Clear, practical DMing advice for new Dungeon Masters. Start here if you're the one running the game — better organized than most D&D YouTube.
How to Play D&D 5e — Treantmonk's Temple (YouTube) — Deep character optimization and class breakdowns. Too advanced for session one, invaluable from session ten onward.
Critical Role (YouTube) — The most-watched actual-play D&D show. Professional voice actors playing at the highest narrative level. Inspiring and occasionally overwhelming — watch after your first campaign, not before it.
Reddit: r/DnD — Enormous community. The wiki and FAQ threads are worth bookmarking. Avoid opinion threads on controversial rules until you've played enough to have opinions of your own.
Reddit: r/DMAcademy — Specifically for Dungeon Masters. Questions like 'how do I balance my first encounter' and 'my players went completely off the rails' get answered here daily.
The Monsters Know What They're Doing — Keith Ammann — A blog and book about running monster tactics intelligently. Makes combat more interesting for players and DMs alike. Read after your first five sessions.

two men sitting at a table playing a board game

Photo by 2H Media on Unsplash