Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 9764810" data-attributes="member: 6809274">Today I played for nearly two hours with my wife, daughter (age 8), and son (age 6). My wife had never played D&D before. My kids have played 5 or 6 times using Shadowdark. At this age, the rules are more of a guideline, regardless. I was curious to see how all the physical components like maps, tokens, and cards would go over.I had browsed the booklets and listened to [USER=11365]@Alphastream[/USER]'s excellent breakdown on YouTube, but otherwise had done no prep.Here's what happened:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Everyone selected their character class, species, and background. We ended up with a dwarf rogue (son), elf cleric (daughter), and elf fighter (wife).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I placed them on the Trail map, set out the wagon, and decided that Mallyn was the driver.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The players investigated the wagon and found an unconscious Mallyn beneath it. The cleric used her magic to revive Mallyn. Mallyn said she had been attacked by goblins, who had taken her horse, which she loved.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At that point, three goblins appeared and attacked. The combat lasted three rounds. Two players took damage. The rogue rolled his first crit, ever!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">They dragged Mallyn's cart to the Keep. At the gatehouse, they met Bartho and Gala, who marveled at their fight with the goblins and told them there were more monsters to be found in the Caves of Chaos.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Inside the Keep, the players had free rein. They decided to split the party.The cleric helped Mallyn get her cart to the Trader's Shop. The dwarf rogue went to the Traveler's Inn and secured a room in return for waking some early risers the next morning. Haldryck, the owner, was happy to make a deal with a fellow dwarf.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Everyone got a good night's sleep.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In the morning, the dwarf rogue got another natural 20 on his Stealth check to awaken the early risers without waking anyone else in the common room. They thanked him with a gold piece.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Returning to the Trader's Shop, the players helped unload the cart and got a few gold pieces. The cleric sold her mace and bought a spear.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The owner, Oleira, made them a special offer. She took out a wooden case from beneath the counter. Inside was a magic short sword. The sword was theirs if they could defeat it! Flying out of the case, the animated sword attacked the elf cleric and dwarf rogue. The fight lasted two rounds and neither player character got a scratch. The rogue got to keep the sword, but gave his dagger to the cleric to sell.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Next stop is the Provisioner's Shop.</li> </ul>When we were done, both kids wanted to keep playing. All the physical components definitely increased their sense of immersion. Even when they struggled with the reading, they could follow the flow of the game. My daughter kept suggesting dialogue for the NPCs, so we may have a DM in the making!</blockquote>

Verification