Hey Veeky Forums, I'm a bit of a newbie to tabletop role playing games...

Hey Veeky Forums, I'm a bit of a newbie to tabletop role playing games, I've played maybe a total of 10 times and don't really understand how things work as the advanced players I tried with took no time to explain anything to me, I was basically just told when to roll dice and what numbers to beat. I've rounded up a group of other newbies to play with, but the stipulation is that I have to dm the first campaign. since the group seems set on dnd I was wondering what ruleset we should go for? Keep in mind as a first time dm/rare player, I'm looking for the simplest version, not necessarily the most fun.

tldr; Which dnd ruleset is simplest to run for a brand-new dm?

5th edition. Unironically its the best for newer players. maybe PF. but if you rarley play you shouldn't DM need to play longer first

Basic, either Moldway or Mentzer will do.

5e is far too wordy and takes way too long to get to the important parts, and its "iconic characters" mean nothing to a complete D&D newbie, but I guess it's not that bad otherwise.

Honestly, the only other group of people I've played with are the advanced players. There aren't really any other options and as they lack the patience to teach me anything and I lack the patience to deal with their smugness over my lack of knowledge. Honestly dealing with them in rp weakens my friendships with them, but that's kind of besides the point. Is there another option for play that I haven't considered?

Moldway and Metzer are definitely terms that I don't understand.

What kind of game you and your players want to play? I'm asking both in regards to fluff and crunch (for example: heroic low-fantasy with a focus on combat). I mean, as newbies it's possible you don't know what you want to play, but if you don't grasp the rules of a crunch-heavy system well, maybe try something lighter.

>but if you rarley play you shouldn't DM need to play longer first
No, you don't, you brain-damaged fucking chimp. Learn by doing, OP, it's the only way.

There are no "advanced players". Fuck 'em in the ass.

Just get your hands on the 5e book if you're not a complete mongoloid, and try your way forward from there.

One of the guys seems like he just wants to kill things, the other 2 seem like they want an epic tale. I'm not sure that answers your question, but it's the best I can do

Any chance this kind of thing comes in ebook format? I'm not one for physical copies of things that can be easily damaged.

Are you set on dnd for any particular reason? In that case 5e but there are definitely easier games out there if you are ibterested.

>Moldway and Metzer are definitely terms that I don't understand.
Surely google couldn't help you with that right?

They are, I wanted to do something modern day honestly because I understand very little about tolkenesque fantasy. I think they just want to play it because it's the famous one. My options for play groups are pretty limited though, so if I can't make this work I will pretty much just live without playing these kind games.

All google taught me is that they are authors of dnd, I can't seem to locate anything specific about them though. Unless Holmes is just the maker of a bad 5 book and anyone but him made the good ones?

Use the (free and more basic) 5th ed SRD rules, and don't worry about making mistakes. Grab The Wizard's Amulet or another 1st level adventure. Go have fun. Everything will work out. If the game gathers momentum, you can easily expand into the full 5th ed game.

Then go for 5th ed, no issue there.

oh man, free ruleset. You sir are a gentleman and a scholar. I'm kinda unclear about how to get started though. Is there a basic rules for beginners section I'm missing?

Get more matches as a player under your belt before you GM. Pirate the rulebooks. Learn to roleplay.

Go check out Da Archive in the PDF share thread, It has links to the 5e SRD which is a starter set of D&D5e rules. Lots of other first level stuff is available and the people there tend to be nice and helpful. The people in this thread are being nice and helpful also, thanks guys.

The 5th ed DMs guide has advice on running games. Get a published adventure to start with. It doesn't matter if it is superbly crafted, players tend to make any game fun.
Don't worry, have fun, jump in with both feet. It will be fine.

Oh dear, I forgot to thank you guys. Wow I'm a dick. I do appreciate all the help and general lack of shit talk going on in here though. Also gonna check that out. Does anyone have any tips for avoiding the game going off the rails at first btw? I'm not sure I've flexed the improv muscle enough in recent times to handle that.

Have decent people at the table. If there is difficulty due to inexperience, tell them this is a shakedown session to learn the rules, please follow the mission. It is also handy to start everyone off with a patron who will give out missions and reward them when it is over. This gives a reason for everyone to cooperate even if the characters don't know each other.
Example: James Bond has a boss who assigns jobs and helps equip him to do the job. Mr Bond usually doesn't want to cheese off M so he goes and does the job.
You have great manners and use punctuation. Welcome aboard.

grab the Basic rules directly from the D&D website or from the trove

>ebook
no but the 5e general has pdfs in the trove.
the link is in the op.

Stick with 5e. I would also recommend doing pre-written adventures so you don't have to focus as much on the finer points of GMing and can keep your attention on learning the basics. After a few sessions like this, you should have the hang of it.