Beginner DND player Help

[ostamo1]

I own the 3.0 edition PH DM guide and MM and FRCS and the Magic of Faerun
i have never played DND.
I love reading about the forgotten realms and other adventures.
i also own the starter sets for the 3.0 and 3.5 edition.

My issue is i only have one player ..my son
i have barely DM'ed the basic games with him and i do not know how to handle it since i have never really played myself.

is there any advice you can give me on how a game is supposed to play out?

i know very little of playing the game i only just read the manuals.
any help is appreciated.

 

[fba827]

That's kind of a tough question, but a couple random things that came to mind initially.

How old is your son? But the basic thing to keep in mind is, have fun, both of you!
Don't make it adversarial between the player and DM.

Start each game with presenting the plot hook(s) or some basic direction for opportunities (you can even have more than one plot hook that leads to the same adventure, just the player doesn't need to know that it would have been the same either way -- but at least having a choice is a good thing). Then the player generally decides to go off and explore/rescue/kill/etc based on the motivation and plot of the adventure.

he enters the first area, describe thge surroundings and then have him describe what he wants to do (investigate the statue that you mentioend in the description etc) and so on back and forth from room/location to next room/location. Then once combat starts, describe it thematically first (out of the corner of your eye you spot a group of jackle-like humanoids rushing towards you through the bushes) and then ask for initiative.

think of it as a story, there is some pacing involved and some general things in common such as the setup, the buildup, the climax, and the resolution.

try and mix up the types of adventures a little (don't have all underground in dungeons, have some outside in the forest of in an abandoned building, etc). if you're using prepublished adventures those tend to be action crunched and less story, so if both you and your son enjoy some story then use your creativity to add some (even something simple and just make up more as you go along -- you'll find a story can usually build itself based on the types of questions your son may ask of the NPCs etc depending on how inquisitive he gets).


A lot of how the game plays really depends on the style and preference of the DM and players. Some prefer less story more action and dice rolling, others like it the other way around, etc. Some prefer dungeon over wildrness settings, some prefer political and interactive roleplaying over combat where several sessions may go by without rolling a single attack roll.. some prfer low magic of high magic, etc. etc.
so getting a good idea of what type of style(s) you and your son like will make you both more 'in to ' the game and "how it plays out" really comes from whatever natural flow the two of you have -- as long as you're both having fun then you're playing it right!

 

[The Right Word]

You may be well served by trying to find another game in your area. Sit around, throw some bones and watch the magic come alive.

Barring that, here's the advice I try to adhere to;

Have your son make a character. Allow him to make up what ever sort of hero he likes, with personality quirks and exciting moves. Have him imagine his character's background, write it out. Not sure how old your son is, but you're probably okay in the 9+ range. Once he's done all of that, try to invent a story around what he has created. See if you can fit the basic dungeon into that story. From there, it's just his character moving from room to room fighting monsters and talking to other characters (played by you). Your son will have such a good time to see that you've created a world where his character matters. The rules are secondary. Heck, you could make those up on the fly if you don't know them right away (most of us do).

 

[Shun]

Your son's age makes a big difference. But I DM a game for my sons (11, 8, 5) and can tell you that the advice about letting them have a lot of liberty with character creation is important.

Some things my kids like:
- interesting NPC's: allies with quirks and flaws, comic relief guys, officious police/politicians and sinister bad guys
- a variety of environments: cities, high seas, forests, castle ruins, caverns, desert canyons, etc.
- tasks, puzzles, quests
- tension and suspense, not necessarily combat-related (eg. sneaking into buildings, bluffing authority figures)
- animals: give them pets or familiars
- fighting, but surprisingly, not too much of it, and they get very bored with extended battles fighting several bad guys- they'd much rather team up to beat a super-powerful monster

 

[Piratecat]

I know just the thing! WotC just ran the Penny Arcade guys through a D&D session, and recorded the whole thing. Listening to it should give you a good idea of how the game works. Note that there's some swearing, and you may want to hop around, but it's good fun.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080530&authenticate=true

 

[dontpunkme]

The best advice I can give is: remember, its a game. A game is only fun if all parties are having fun.

For first time dm and player, I'd say start with developing role-playing. Take cues from your son, you know when he's bored, you know when he's really in to it. If he asks to invite a friend, let him. Give him a 3 strikes rule with character death (chances are the DM will be responsible for one of them due to a misinterpretation of the rules). Visit your local gaming store. Usually you can find a game going on most Saturdays, sit and watch. Most players do not mind the silent observed, just hold your questions to breaks so as to not spoil the mood. Use props, kids love them. Make photocopies of pictures to hand out to your son. Make print outs of maps, puzzles, riddles and such for him. The big thing with kids is you have to keep them engaged.

Oh and please don't have a good-aligned Drow elf wielding 2 scimitars make an appearance. Eliminster (if the events are important enough or if there's high-level magic being cast) is fine.

 

[roguerouge]

Try this free module:

http://paizo.com/store/paizoExclusives/v5748btpy82qz

Or this slightly more expensive one:

http://paizo.com/store/downloads/goodmanGames/dungeonCrawlClassics/v5748btpy7nkm

Read the module and run the kid through it with the pregen characters or with the pregen characters as sidekicks. I used it for my first 3.5 campaign and it was a blast!

 

[ostamo1]

He is nine years old and we have played through the into the shaddows module and he had fun and the 3.5 basics game to get familiar with the rules.
he seems to enjoy action more...we both play Never Winter Nights as well.

he wants to start as an elven wizard and i do not know what adventure to start him from .....i have sunless citadel and the 2e FRCS and 3e FRCS as well(i love to read )


maybe i just need to go watch someone play and then i might be more comfortable......

 

[Kristian Serrano]

Honestly, just jump into it and don't worry about anything. Create a basic scenario (miners have gone missing; kobolds had taken over the mines; go find the miners and clear out the kobolds).

Grab the monster manual and use the kobolds in there.

Beyond that, it doesn't matter if you're doing it right, just as long as you two have fun. The more you play and read the books, the more you'll learn and make corrections to your play style. You're adventures will become more complex.

Enjoy the game with your son, and let your imagination run wild.

 

[Kristian Serrano]

PS - Grab a copy of Dungeon Master's Guide II if you can afford it. There's some really solid advice throughout that book. It also has a sample town that you can use as a sort of base of operations.