Sunday, April 19, 2009
Teaching D&D
My youngest daughter wanted me to teach her Dungeons & Dragons last night. Unfortunately, by the time she asked, we only had about 30 minutes. Usually my approach is to get somebody into a game as fast as possible. Maybe next time.
The sad thing was that I had my miniatures out, and she started pulling them out. As we were talking characters, she pulled out a miniature she liked and said, "I want to be this one!" Gah! Sounds like she's a recruit for fourth edition already.
I think teaching someone to play D&D is easier nowadays, because many people are familiar with some kind of RPG-like game that's out there... from World of Warcraft to Pokemon. And of course, in my daughter's case, she's seen and heard the grown-ups play. She plays Wizard 101 online. So the concept - which used to be so difficult for people to get their head around a couple of decades ago - is pretty familiar now.
The trick is, of course, the rules. Which edition of D&D? My favorite edition - 3.5 E (though Pathfinder is starting to steal that crown) - is admittedly insanely complex for beginners. Not that 1st edition AD&D was trivial. Castles & Crusades is perhaps the most streamlined and easy-to-learn "D&D-like." Probably the best edition for learning is the old 1981-era Basic and Expert sets (which, while not my first exposure to D&D, was where I cut my teeth). Unfortunately, that edition is no longer available in a convenient PDF version...
Well, my youngest child now knows the meaning of dexterity and constitution (though she immediately laughed at the latter, since in her mind that word only had to do with the basis for our form of government).
Labels: Geek Life
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 11:00 PM (Permalink)
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You should have a look at Swords and Wizardry by Mythmere Games, and Labyrinth Lord by Goblinoid Games.
Both can be downloaded for free.
http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/
http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.htm
Both can be downloaded for free.
http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/
http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.htm
# posted by 
: April 20, 2009 7:52 AM
: April 20, 2009 7:52 AM
Seconding both of those, although I prefer S&W (and within S&W I prefer the White Box edition), which is pretty much OD&D (White Box being based on the game with less supplemental modifications). LL's later, but I prefer the older game.
It's not literal by-the-book OD&D, but since there are an almost infinite number of variations, all of which could be argued to be the literal interpretation of the rules... it's a pretty good game.
Another advantage of OD&D is that it cries out for houserules, which may be a disadvantage in some ways, but it can be neat to teach new players that yes, it's fine to change the damage rules so that two-handed weapons do 1d6+1 and small weapons do 1d6-1, or two-handers roll two dice and take the highest, with small weapons doing the same and taking the lowest. Gives people a good grounding in fiddling with the rules for their own enjoyment. Of course, supplements already did change the damage system, as does S&W...
If the PDFs were there, I would still suggest getting OD&D - the three core booklets cover a lot of ground, and you don't need any of the supplements to have a great game.
It's not literal by-the-book OD&D, but since there are an almost infinite number of variations, all of which could be argued to be the literal interpretation of the rules... it's a pretty good game.
Another advantage of OD&D is that it cries out for houserules, which may be a disadvantage in some ways, but it can be neat to teach new players that yes, it's fine to change the damage rules so that two-handed weapons do 1d6+1 and small weapons do 1d6-1, or two-handers roll two dice and take the highest, with small weapons doing the same and taking the lowest. Gives people a good grounding in fiddling with the rules for their own enjoyment. Of course, supplements already did change the damage system, as does S&W...
If the PDFs were there, I would still suggest getting OD&D - the three core booklets cover a lot of ground, and you don't need any of the supplements to have a great game.
# posted by : April 20, 2009 10:08 AM
: April 20, 2009 10:08 AM
I don't know if it's available in PDF anywhere, but I have the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, which is essentially all the original D&D material in one hardback book. It also includes a good bit of the Mystara campaign setting stuff in it, including hex maps. IIRC, there's all the weapon mastery, stronghold building, and mass combat info as well. Fun stuff!
You probably already realize this, but her attention to the model isn't such a bad thing. There's something about the model she finds fun, which fires her immagination. So, she probably has a picture in her mind of what that character is like. A little digging could turn up a fun, and unique character that happens to look like the figure.
A.P.: It was, until Wizards stopped selling PDFs - $5 or $6 when I bought it. It's not original, though - it's based on the BECMI sets, which were the... third version? OD&D, Basic/Expert (not the same Basic and Expert that came later - these are closer to OD&D, and IIRC are the first edition in which Magic Missile requries a to-hit roll), then the Basic/Expert/Companion/Master/Immortals rules which were compiled into the RC.
Although the Immortals stuff in the RC is different, I think...
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Although the Immortals stuff in the RC is different, I think...
# posted by : April 23, 2009 2:38 AM
: April 23, 2009 2:38 AMLinks to this post:
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