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D&D 5e suggestions for two beginner children and a first time DM dad?
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<blockquote data-quote="Raven_King" data-source="post: 8356348" data-attributes="member: 7031754"><p>I'm just amazed by the quality and thoughtfulness of the answers everyone's giving here. Thank you for all this help - most of which seems to be in agreement! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>I have both, so I'll take a look. Both seem somewhat complex to me, which will no doubt make the long-time DMs laugh (which is fine by me!) <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>I'm much more concerned about keeping play sessions and adventures short. I can see how it can be fairly easy for me as DM to 'rescue' my young party of two (perhaps plus sidekicks) if they do something too rash or run into a hard fight that they're in real danger of losing because I've not got the hang of balancing things for them yet. Later on, when we're all a bit more experienced, we can take the training wheels off a bit more, but I can't imagine anything turning them off the game faster than having the party wipe - or even getting really badly beaten up - on day one! That can come down the line <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Keeping things short will also help me to get things straight enough in my mind that I can follow an adventure roughly as written, apply the rules and mechanics of play at least roughly correctly, and not have to keep fudging things or intervening too much, which would spoil the flow and feeling of player agency. I'm new to 5e (and wow is it simpler than 1e was - thank goodness!!!), and really want to be able to hold enough of the game mechanics, character stats and attacks/spells, and monster details in my head or have them close at hand, so it doesn't become a dreary reference session! I have all the key books, and I'm working my way through reading them all, but there's a lot there, and I'm very keen on keeping pacing brisk and keeping it fun - and funny! The Starter Kit and Essentials Kit material is clearly designed to help consolidate 'all you need to know' in one place, which I really appreciate, at least until I can remember the order of how to run combat in the heat of the moment without having to look it up. I know where to look it up, but it's no fun for players if I have to during a game, and in any case, it seems simple enough that this shouldn't take very many play sessions to really master. But listening to the early Aquisitions Incorporated shows, it's clear how helpful it is to have a DM who knows that e.g. Healing Word takes 1 bonus action to cast, so a cleric who knows it can make an attack or cast a spell AND cast Healing Word on the same turn. That's not necessarily the sort of thing you might think to look up in the heat of the moment, you kind of need to know. So, I expect to have to learn the key features of the premade characters for good roleplaying/interaction, and learn their actions, attacks, spells, equipment etc. reasonably well before we start playing so this is at least partly second nature. As someone said earlier on, sight-reading this stuff isn't going to work for a first time DM.</p><p></p><p>I also think the stakes my kids have in the adventure - what they stand to lose, their risk - needs to be lower than the stakes an adult party would have (massive loss of equipment, death!), but there still have to be some, and it should not feel to my kids that the outcome is <em>entirely</em> in my hands (even if it basically is, as a last resort). I want them to feel they earned their victories by making good decisions and playing their characters, not (necessarily) themselves.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Raven_King, post: 8356348, member: 7031754"] I'm just amazed by the quality and thoughtfulness of the answers everyone's giving here. Thank you for all this help - most of which seems to be in agreement! :) I have both, so I'll take a look. Both seem somewhat complex to me, which will no doubt make the long-time DMs laugh (which is fine by me!) :) I'm much more concerned about keeping play sessions and adventures short. I can see how it can be fairly easy for me as DM to 'rescue' my young party of two (perhaps plus sidekicks) if they do something too rash or run into a hard fight that they're in real danger of losing because I've not got the hang of balancing things for them yet. Later on, when we're all a bit more experienced, we can take the training wheels off a bit more, but I can't imagine anything turning them off the game faster than having the party wipe - or even getting really badly beaten up - on day one! That can come down the line :) Keeping things short will also help me to get things straight enough in my mind that I can follow an adventure roughly as written, apply the rules and mechanics of play at least roughly correctly, and not have to keep fudging things or intervening too much, which would spoil the flow and feeling of player agency. I'm new to 5e (and wow is it simpler than 1e was - thank goodness!!!), and really want to be able to hold enough of the game mechanics, character stats and attacks/spells, and monster details in my head or have them close at hand, so it doesn't become a dreary reference session! I have all the key books, and I'm working my way through reading them all, but there's a lot there, and I'm very keen on keeping pacing brisk and keeping it fun - and funny! The Starter Kit and Essentials Kit material is clearly designed to help consolidate 'all you need to know' in one place, which I really appreciate, at least until I can remember the order of how to run combat in the heat of the moment without having to look it up. I know where to look it up, but it's no fun for players if I have to during a game, and in any case, it seems simple enough that this shouldn't take very many play sessions to really master. But listening to the early Aquisitions Incorporated shows, it's clear how helpful it is to have a DM who knows that e.g. Healing Word takes 1 bonus action to cast, so a cleric who knows it can make an attack or cast a spell AND cast Healing Word on the same turn. That's not necessarily the sort of thing you might think to look up in the heat of the moment, you kind of need to know. So, I expect to have to learn the key features of the premade characters for good roleplaying/interaction, and learn their actions, attacks, spells, equipment etc. reasonably well before we start playing so this is at least partly second nature. As someone said earlier on, sight-reading this stuff isn't going to work for a first time DM. I also think the stakes my kids have in the adventure - what they stand to lose, their risk - needs to be lower than the stakes an adult party would have (massive loss of equipment, death!), but there still have to be some, and it should not feel to my kids that the outcome is [I]entirely[/I] in my hands (even if it basically is, as a last resort). I want them to feel they earned their victories by making good decisions and playing their characters, not (necessarily) themselves. [/QUOTE]
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