A group of 15-year-olds want to start a game

[BV210]

Well, the day is drawing nigh, I am going to start my 15-year-old daughter and several of her friends on their initial foray into the world that is Dungeons and Dragons.

For quite some time, my wife has not been too keen on the idea, and my daughter didn't seem interested. It was only as I was preparing for my normal monthly game in October that the daughter voiced an interest and the wife relented. While playing with my normal group, some of my daughter's friends stopped by and one of them mentioned that she'd "always wanted to play D&D but didn't know how". So, this Friday, a rather eclectic group of adventurers will be coming together to begin their (hopefully) illustrious careers while tackling "Mad God's Key." (I toyed with starting with "Box of Flumph" but MGK has a better way to get them involved without the tried and true "hired to do something scene")

I call the group eclectic because the party is composed of:
- half-elf male druid (daughter)
- half-elf male druid (twin of daughter's PC, played by female) - not sure parents will let play
- halfling female monk (played by male)
- dwarf male cleric (played by male)
- half-elf male sorcerer (played by female)
- human male ranger (archer specialist, played by female)
- ?? - played by male
- ?? - played by female (possibly rogue)

I'm sticking to Core only at the start, so an not to overload them, but I'll add more as we go along (I do love psionics).

The campaign is going to be set in a world of my own design with The Game Mechanics' city of Liberty as the centerpiece. I've got a potential campaign thread in the works, but I"ll also let them decide what to do next based on the hints, hooks, and clues I plan to drop along the way.

I haven't played with a bunch of "noobs" (I guess that's the term) since I was one myself, but am looking forward to Friday night.

 

[Corsair]

The only thing to be wary of is some of the friends may only be playing because their other friends are. Keep an eye out for players who appear disinterested, and try to make sure they don't become a distraction.

 

[Quartz]

There's a large element of gender reversal there. Is this deliberate? Might it not be easier for the new players to play their own gender?

 

[tennyson]

There's a large element of gender reversal there. Is this deliberate? Might it not be easier for the new players to play their own gender?

I wondered the same thing. Did the kids pick their own PCs or were they assigned?

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Have you met all the parents of the players? If not, you may want to consider it.

Are they all newbies? That is an awfully large group to handle on your own if everyone else is just learning the rules.

Good luck, I hope it goes well. More young people playing is never a bad thing.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

There's a large element of gender reversal there. Is this deliberate? Might it not be easier for the new players to play their own gender?

When I first started playing, I got a kick out of playing a character totally unlike me. Many of my characters were and still are male. I don't think there's anything to worry about. For some players, part of the joy of the game is getting to be someone totally outside your normal skin and do things you normally don't get to.

The newbies in this person's group may have the occasional "he said/she said" blunder at the table (don't we all--even those of us who've been playing for decades) but I don't think playing a cross-gender PC will dramatically alter anyone's comprehension or enjoyment of the game.

 

[Nail]

...I haven't played with a bunch of "noobs" (I guess that's the term) since I was one myself, but am looking forward to Friday night.

Is there a question here?

I currently (and only occasionally) DM my daughter and several of her friends. Before we started, I talked to all of the parents of the kids involved. I suggest you do the same.

 

[BV210]

I don't think playing a cross-gender PC will dramatically alter anyone's comprehension or enjoyment of the game.

That's my feeling. Since there's no rules differences between the genders, it's a non-issue to me. To answer a couple of the previous posts, all the kids decided on their own race, class, gender. I figure it's essentially being able to "be" something they're not. The female halfling monk may have been born more out of what would be "funny" than "fun", but I think all will work out just fine.

As for the parents issue, the kids have all told their parents that they're coming over to play Dungeons and Dragons, and there's only been one with an issue. And, frankly, I'm not sure there's anything I could say or do to change their mind. They just recently allowed their daughter to actually read a Harry Potter book, after years of cajoling.

All of the kids have played online RPGs of one form or another, Maple Story being the most popular with this bunch. If the parents are like me, they'll be thrilled their kid is out of their room and interacting with people face-to-face.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Its good that the kids have talked to their parents about this, but I still have the question of whether you have met their parents? Its not a question of permission, it is a question of reassurance. I know if my kids were teenagers and were going to be playing a D&D game run by one of the parents of their friends, I would want to meet them. I would not want to find out long after I let them start playing that the parent supplements their core rules with the Book of Erotic Fantasy.

 

[HandofMystra]

I ditto the getting to know the parents. Young people do not have control over their lives, thier parents do. You need to be comfortable calling up the parent and saying "can X play D&D this week" the parents will then let you know if something comes up that makes is not work.
The other thing from my experience is to prepare yourself for dropouts either of a single session or the whole thing. I think that most parents do not get that playing in an ongoing D&D campaign is different than meeting to go bowling - it does matter that your PCs are there. You might explain it like in TV show. Here is a Buffy example, when Oz's actor started getting a lot of job offers, he did not just disappear from the show, he had to be written out.
I am starting my second campaign with young people. The first one fizzled due to some of the young people not having the attention to hang in there. This time we will be playing after they have spent all afternoon in an active LARP, this makes me hope that they will be ready to settle down to do tabletop.
I am actually thinking of running a gameday for this post-LARP crowd early next year. I will report how it goes. I think I have a space, DMs and miniatures as door prizes lined up.