Beggining DnD
 

If this is put in the wrong section please feel free to move it.

Me and some close friends of mine have always hang out and played games together at a mutual friends home. We leave and hangout with girlfriends and family and such, but my friend Jeffs home is where we always return to nerd it up, actually I'm writing this from one of his computers right now! I mention this to say that we have a group and a place to play at.

We've occasionally discussed DnD and a few weeks ago, I mentioned how my cousin was really into it and told how he seemed to really enjoy it. Now the other night I mention to Jeff that I would enjoy trying it out. He came back with an answer that surprised me, he asked if I really wanted to and that we should try it.

Now the rest of the group doesn't really know but I would really like to get something going but I don't know where to start or really, even how to play the slightest bit. So I come to these forums and humbly ask; How do I start towards the next level of nerd that is DnD?

You can either go to the Wizards website and view their SRD or you can wait a few more weeks and wait for the release of 4.0 D&D which will hit the stores in June.

The new edition (4.0) is supposed to make things easier to understand which may benefit your entire group seeing as how it seems like only one person has played D&D before.

If you decide to go with the current edition (3.5) there's plenty of places you might be able to pick up the books and more splat books (books with additional rules, new classes/races/spells/items/etc...) than you'll know what to do with and may overwhelm new players.

None of you has ever played before, then?

I've never been in the situation myself, but I can imagine a few things that could be helpful. You could ask your cousin if one or two of you can sit in during one of their games and watch. I'd also probably start off with a pre-made adventure to play, that way the DM can get used to the mechanics. If you don't have a designated DM yet, you could play a few very short adventures, rotating the DM role so you see who might have a knack for it.

Also, the fourth edition of D&D is coming out these days. You might want to consider jumping right into that as the volume of existing materials can certainly be overwhelming. If you check forums and communities for play strategies and character building, that too. Even if you do stick with the existing edition I'd definitely recommend you limit yourselves to the three core rulebooks until it doesn't do it for you anymore.

EDIT: Ninja'd! Though I did want to comment on the 4th edition as well:
From what I've seen, which is quite a lot by now, it certainly does that.

Yea, Id just hold out till 4th Ed.

So, what can I do until the 4th edition comes out?
I think I'm going to try and be the DM by the way.

Probably the best thing to do is read the Wizards message boards to read up on 4th edition material. At least you'll see a few sneak previews of things that way when you buy the books in a few weeks you'll have some material that you've read before-hand and have had time to digest completely so you're not overwhelmed. It'll also give you an idea of what to expect.

Another option you could do is read some of the message boards (either Wizards or anywhere really) of their D&D experiences in roleplay. It might give you ideas for interesting traps to put into dungeons, or story-lines that might pique your interest and give you an idea of what you might want to try out with your group depending on your and your group's tastes. You may also find cool ideas for a villain, artifacts, town politics, tales of bravery, tales of stupidity, etc... to give you an idea of what to expect or what to try out on your group.

If you really want to you can read some of the excerpts in the 3.5 books that give details on how D&D usually goes. The 3.5 Player's Handbook, 3.5 Dungeon Master's Guide, and even the 3.5 Player's Handbook II has plenty of great ideas on all of those mentioned earlier.

It's actually coming out in only a little over a week. Apparently some people who preordered even received their books already.

If you're going make your own campaign you'd be well off not assuming anything will go like you plan it.

Damn I didn't realize it was only a little over a week away from being released.

With that being said, PurpleMage you should also probably find out from everyone in your group what they want to play and what type of game-style they'll want. For instance someone in your group might want to play a Fighter-type character and prefer combat heavy sessions, while another person may want to play as a Rogue-type character and prefer more roleplay and espionage type sessions. Figure out what everyone wants and what everyone's game style is and you'll have a better idea what to expect or cater your adventures and campaign towards.

And if they conflict?
Then what?

Then you gotta include something of everything and maintain a balance. Also make sure everyone knows about it so the Fighter isn't taken aback by the odd infiltration session.