Getting the kids into Dungeons & Dragons

[Deathscythe]

I've never played D&D, but I think my oldest would love it. She outgrew video games a while back but loves fantasy and mythology, so I thought, why not? Any ideas? Just need a starter set and we're off? Thx in advance.

[LordMikel]

Players. She will need people to play with.

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Drag...er+starter+box

https://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Ro...er+starter+box

Those are both starter sets. One is Dungeons and Dragons, the other is pathfinder. Pathfinder is considered an offshoot of Dungeons and Dragons. Similar stuff.

You might have her check out the local gaming stores and see if they have people will to teach her. She could also try gaming on-line. The library or school might also be able to connect her. I hope this helps some.

[Deathscythe]

Thanks, man. How many players are needed? I was kind of hoping to get the whole family in (4 of us) if that's enough.

[Carabas]

RPG.net is a much better forum to ask about this sort of thing than CBR.

[Vic Vega]

Thanks, man. How many players are needed? I was kind of hoping to get the whole family in (4 of us) if that's enough.

Four is fine.

You could do it with as little as 2 people if you are willing to be the Dungeon Master all the time.

Dungeon Master=the guy who creates the scenarios and places the traps and monsters in it.

[MRP]

Some shops host organized play for D&D and Pathfinder.

The D&D one is called Adventurer's League...http://dnd.wizards.com/playevents/organized-play

basically one night a week people can come and make characters and play in an adventure session. I don't believe there is a cost to play. Might be a way for you folks to try the game and see if you like it and possibly meet people to play with or to learn from.

The Pathfinder one is called Pathfinder Society I think (I much prefer D&D to Pathfinder bot hin its classic form and most recent iteration-I wasn't a big fan of the version of D&D that Pathfinder spun off from).

I've been playing since '81, my wife since about '82 and have seen many versions of the game come and go. The hardest thing is always finding a group to play with if you don't have a group of friends already willing to give it a go. Your family of four is a great size to start, but one of you will have to become a little more familiar to fill the role of Dungeon Master (DM), though the starter sets help walk you through that and there are plenty of pre-made adventures for sale that can keep you playing without the DM having to take on too much work on the creative side (though it will cost a little something to buy those).

-M

[zevious zoquis]

Check out BFRPG (Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game) and White Box on Amazon. They are "simulacrum" (basically re-presentations of original D&D) and are very very affordable ways to get into D&D (particularly if you appreciate the "old school" feel)...

[Vic Vega]

I'm sure they still sell Modules, so picking up the game shouldn't be too hard even for the person who is Dungeon Master.

I'd recommend Keep on the Borderland, but I don't know if the Vol. 5 re-release is even out yet. Maybe some of the other
posters could help you in that area.

[MRP]

I stopped in a game shop for the first time in a long time last night, asking about another game, but the clerk also showed/told me about Assault on the Giants a hybrid board game/rpg version of D&D that elimintes the need for a DM.






It was a little pricey, but it might be a way to get the whole family to play the game if no one wants to assume the DM duties.

-M

[Carabas]

I stopped in a game shop for the first time in a long time last night, asking about another game, but the clerk also showed/told me about Assault on the Giants a hybrid board game/rpg version of D&D that elimintes the need for a DM.

Unles all you want out of an RPG is a videogame simulator with a very small catalogue of scenarios, you can't eliminate a DM.

[MRP]

Unles all you want out of an RPG is a videogame simulator with a very small catalogue of scenarios, you can't eliminate a DM.

It all depends on what you want out of the game. I've been playing since '81 and freelanced in the industry (even working with Gygax just before he passed). I've played in every edition from white box onwards and in all styles of games. I've played in different systems form D&D to Fate and just about everything in between. I've been in "beer & pretzel" games where all the DM did was read the boxed text from the module and rolled dice for the bad guys, so you might as well not have had a DM but the games were still fun. I've also been in games that might as well have had no players as the DM tried to dictate the actions of everyone and dictate to the players what their actions were to follow some script he/she had in mind for the game. Most times the DM makes the experience, but if all you want is a night of fun kicking in doors, killing monsters and taking their stuff, something like the board game version could work. If you are looking for something in a long term campaign mode with strong storytelling elements without the use of pre-published adventures, then yes you need a DM. Different people want different things out of their gaming experiences and the role of the DM is dependent on the nature of what they seek. The bottom line is to play something were everyone at the table is having fun. What fills that need can vary form group to group. There's no right or wrong way to play rpgs as long as the group is having fun.

If someone is looking for an intro to the rpg experience, the starter sets walks the DM through an adventure while the board game can put players through the paces of an adventure without someone having to be DM. Either can serve as a gateway into the bigger world of tabletop rpg, which will eventually require someone to take on the DM mantle, but the op was looking for a way to get started and get teach kids the basics of the game, so either the starter set or the board game version could serve those purposes.

-M

[LordMikel]

I was talking to a friend at work today. You might want to look into Zombiecide. It has modern versions and some fantasy ones too.

This is the latest kickstarter being released next year.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e?ref=category


It is for 1 to 6 players. There is no DM, you all work together to escape the town from zombies. You find the stuff, etc. But you are each given a character, and the one mentioned in kickstarter has over 20 I think. But you play it in one evening. But as a character you can roleplay it all evening long.

This might be to your liking and a good way to get your feet wet.

[GRIMGLAMFIRE]

Tell them how easy it is to be mean to their siblings if they're a few levels above the rest of the party

[GOLGO 13]

I was talking to a friend at work today. You might want to look into Zombiecide. It has modern versions and some fantasy ones too.

This is the latest kickstarter being released next year.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e?ref=category


It is for 1 to 6 players. There is no DM, you all work together to escape the town from zombies. You find the stuff, etc. But you are each given a character, and the one mentioned in kickstarter has over 20 I think. But you play it in one evening. But as a character you can roleplay it all evening long.

This might be to your liking and a good way to get your feet wet.

I hear many, many good things about Zombicide: Black Plague which is a cooperative game that takes place in the D&D era. The game has expansions & you can expand the game up to 12 players which could be hilarious or a disaster.

[Cynthia25]

At first my children did not like this game very much. but when they passed the first duel, they now do not tear it away