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[Play Report] DMing for Middle/High Schoolers
- Thread starter Rechan
- Start date
First session: tell them not to buy books, that you'll supply everything they need, because there are lots of RPGs out there- including multiple versions of D&D- and you don't want them spending money on stuff they won't use.
Wow that is perfect. Thanks.
Also, I was thinking that maybe I will need to make fewer copies of characters if I have multiple types of characters. For instance, instead of having 3 Mages, it might be easier to have 2 mages, 2 warlocks, and 2 sorcerers (Heroes of the Elemental Chaos). All are magic spellcasters, although they do it different ways.
buddhafrog
First Post
It's hard to prepare since you don't know the kids' experience level, but it is safe to assume that at least some kids will have little/no experience. With that in mind:
I think D&D Essentials is a great route. They are slightly easier / more simply than standard 4e. The kids won't think they are too simple / boring. It's great to get players focused on the game instead of trying to manage and understand their characters. Essentials is a little easier to play, I feel. All my new games use Essentials unless its a class that isn't supported (i.e. Monk).
Something that I do and I really like: I give feats almost every level. If you level each week, maybe you don't want to do this. I like giving the kids bonuses of their choosing that are not just more powers, but how they envision their characters growing. Again, I always stay in the Heroic tier so for me this isn't as dramatic.
About the artwork:
If you don't have minis, I'd recommend you have groups of pre-gens with printed images of characters clipped to the character sheet. If they are brand new, combining the picture with the pre-gen really helps them to chose a character b/c they can make pretty decent judgments about a character based on his armor/weapons, etc. However, the trick here is if you have more girls or kids of various races than you expect. In that case, you can un-clip the images and have them chose the pre-gens and images separately. I think giving kids a visual helps them to imagine who they are and more quickly embrace their D&D world and personality.
I think D&D Essentials is a great route. They are slightly easier / more simply than standard 4e. The kids won't think they are too simple / boring. It's great to get players focused on the game instead of trying to manage and understand their characters. Essentials is a little easier to play, I feel. All my new games use Essentials unless its a class that isn't supported (i.e. Monk).
Something that I do and I really like: I give feats almost every level. If you level each week, maybe you don't want to do this. I like giving the kids bonuses of their choosing that are not just more powers, but how they envision their characters growing. Again, I always stay in the Heroic tier so for me this isn't as dramatic.
About the artwork:
If you don't have minis, I'd recommend you have groups of pre-gens with printed images of characters clipped to the character sheet. If they are brand new, combining the picture with the pre-gen really helps them to chose a character b/c they can make pretty decent judgments about a character based on his armor/weapons, etc. However, the trick here is if you have more girls or kids of various races than you expect. In that case, you can un-clip the images and have them chose the pre-gens and images separately. I think giving kids a visual helps them to imagine who they are and more quickly embrace their D&D world and personality.
buddhafrog
First Post
Now I'm hesitating. I don't want to start them down an edition road - they might buy books, or even better, a kid might want to DM - knowing that D&D will turn over in a year or two.
(And yes I know I could do PF or something else but this is what I'm comfortable with)
Now is always the best time, regardless of editions.... Always.
TheAuldGrump
First Post
5e is still at least a year, maybe two years, away.Now I'm hesitating. I don't want to start them down an edition road - they might buy books, or even better, a kid might want to DM - knowing that D&D will turn over in a year or two.
(And yes I know I could do PF or something else but this is what I'm comfortable with
If they want to buy in then suggest the less expensive Essentials books, not too expensive, so easy to get their money's worth in the time remaining.
I am still surprised that Essentials didn't do better. I have heard some of the reasons, but it still seems like a reasonably priced entry point.
Or, buy the Pathfinder Beginner Box for yourself - there is a fair amount of stuff that really does not care about edition, so you won't be completely gipped. Monster standees, flip mat, and the dungeon map will work, even if you decide to stick with 4e.
The Auld Grump
Right now I'm working on that first dungeon for the kids. I have yet to find out how many/how old/how experienced, but this is being designed for more newbies than veterans. What I have so far is:
[sblock]Reading aloud: You all are residents of Riverbend, a farming community along a slow-moving river. One morning just before dawn, you hear a great big CRASH! Then lots of shouting! Do you investigate?
You find that a cabin at the outskirts of the community has had a cow fall on it. The cow is quite dead, with large bite marks in its carcass, as well as claw marks in a gripping pattern. Other, smaller livestock have went missing while in their pens, but this is the first cow. The community is outraged! Some monster is afoot! Someone has to do something about this!
You all are competent, hardy adventurers. And you decide to go track this monster down. There aren't any nearby caves, so the most likely location for something this big to lair is an abandoned church a few miles west.
You reach the church...
A young white dragon has taken residence in the church's steeple (really just a third level room with a few small brass bells). It has destroyed the stairs going up to the room, so the players will have to climb to reach it.
The rest of the church has various Stuff in it. What Stuff I'm still working on. So far I've decided:
One room has a magically locked door. Hidden in front of the door is a magical ring; put the ring on and you can open the door. This is possibly a store room for a smuggler, a lab or bolt hole for a warlock, or some other nefarious type who is not actually there right now. A few items/clues will be stored here, like a map.
(One thought was that this room is on the second floor, and a bunch of alchemical/magical potions have broken and leaked through the floor and into an old holy water basin below the room. These have all mixed together to make a magical pool of some type. This could also fit for the room mentioned below).
An upstairs room/area has been sealed off, but a hole has rotted through the floor, allowing the players to climb up through the hole.
The main level's floor is weak, and a PC will hopefully fall through into the nest of a few (insert 1st level unintelligent monster here) in the basement.[/sblock]
[sblock]Reading aloud: You all are residents of Riverbend, a farming community along a slow-moving river. One morning just before dawn, you hear a great big CRASH! Then lots of shouting! Do you investigate?
You find that a cabin at the outskirts of the community has had a cow fall on it. The cow is quite dead, with large bite marks in its carcass, as well as claw marks in a gripping pattern. Other, smaller livestock have went missing while in their pens, but this is the first cow. The community is outraged! Some monster is afoot! Someone has to do something about this!
You all are competent, hardy adventurers. And you decide to go track this monster down. There aren't any nearby caves, so the most likely location for something this big to lair is an abandoned church a few miles west.
You reach the church...
A young white dragon has taken residence in the church's steeple (really just a third level room with a few small brass bells). It has destroyed the stairs going up to the room, so the players will have to climb to reach it.
The rest of the church has various Stuff in it. What Stuff I'm still working on. So far I've decided:
One room has a magically locked door. Hidden in front of the door is a magical ring; put the ring on and you can open the door. This is possibly a store room for a smuggler, a lab or bolt hole for a warlock, or some other nefarious type who is not actually there right now. A few items/clues will be stored here, like a map.
(One thought was that this room is on the second floor, and a bunch of alchemical/magical potions have broken and leaked through the floor and into an old holy water basin below the room. These have all mixed together to make a magical pool of some type. This could also fit for the room mentioned below).
An upstairs room/area has been sealed off, but a hole has rotted through the floor, allowing the players to climb up through the hole.
The main level's floor is weak, and a PC will hopefully fall through into the nest of a few (insert 1st level unintelligent monster here) in the basement.[/sblock]
Last edited:
nedjer
Adventurer
TheAuldGrump
First Post
From the first part of your intro I was thinking 'wyvern', a smallish dragon is pretty close.
I am fond of having wyverns swoop down, grab something up, then drop it....
The Auld Grump, cows, horses, people....
I welcome any suggestions for the Abandoned Church Exploration.
There's a type of eagle that will drag mountain sheep off cliffs. And of course eagles do it to turtles...
My thinking is that the dragon wasn't strong enough (or didn't have a good enough grip) to handle a cow, and lost it.
Hee hee.
There's a type of eagle that will drag mountain sheep off cliffs. And of course eagles do it to turtles...My thinking is that the dragon wasn't strong enough (or didn't have a good enough grip) to handle a cow, and lost it.
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