Getting parents to play D&D

[KnowTheToe]

You should look at the free adventures at the enworld main page. There is a variety of well written adventures and or encounters. You will not need to buy anything and will cut down on the prep work you need to do.

 

[BMF]

I know they'll hate the game...

If you really believe that, then they will hate it. Don't go into it with that sort of expectation or you will end up creating the very reality you fear. You must first believe that they will have a good time.

Also don't be too worried about the outcome of this one game. Not every game session is filled with edge-of-your-seat excitement. Besides, this is the first adventure for both of your parents, so it is going to be a little stilted and slow. In fact, it would be a good idea to warn them about that before hand. Say something like, "this being the first game, it might not be quite as fun as a second or third game would be."

This helps lower any expectations they might have and makes it easier for you to hit it out of the park.

I don't really know what would be the "best" type of adventure to run, but I'd guess something with choices, not a railroad. Something with NPCs to interact with, not a lot of combat. Something fairly low level, so it doesn't get too confusing.

You might also want to make it as rules-light as possible for them. Instead of having them make their own characters, ask them beforehand what they want to play and you can make their characters for them. Of course, your sister sounds like she might enjoy making her own character. Your mom and dad probably wouldn't mind if you made their characters for them though.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?!

Well, here are some really old verbal riddles I got from playing Might and Magic III....LOL They're pretty easy though. Answers are in italics

The more there is of me, the less you see of me? What am I?
darkness

What is nothing but holes tied to holes, yet is as strong as iron?
a chain

Automatically it's done, I don't have to think, it darkens my world for a bit.
It comes and it passes quick as a wink, with a two-fold, cleansing flit. What is it?
Blink

A window they seem, that leads to no corridor, their color's lucid like a gem.
Reflections they cast, though not a mirror, beauty resides within them.
What are they?
eyes

Here's some from one of those puzzle a day calender I think...i cant remember the source of all of these things in my riddle file.

As I was going to St. Ives
I met a man with seven wives.
Each wife had seven sacks.
Each sack had seven cats.
Each cat had seven kittens.
Kittens, cats, sacks, and wives,
How many were going to St. Ives?
one

Choose the correct letter from each clue in the rhyme below. When put in order the six letter will spell the answer to the riddle.
My first is in seek but not in leak.
My second is in find but not in peak.
My third in look you’ll always see.
My fourth in vase but not in tree.
My fifth in brave but not in bold.
My last in rose but not in hold.
My whole is valued by young and old.
SILVER

Sir Thomas has 100 blue bottles hanging in his chamber wall. He gives his sister Katherine one-fourth of them. Then he accidentally breaks 15 of them while practicing his sword stroke. He gives half of what is left to his lord for decoration. How many does Sir Thomas still have?

30 (He gives 25 to Katherine, leaving 75. He breaks 15, leaving 60, then gives half, or 30, away. He has 30 left.)

 

[Richards]

Moe - If you want to give "Gorgoldand's Gauntlet" a try, and don't have it either in Dragon Annual 5 or on the freebie CD that was given out with issues of Dragon and Dungeon magazines about a year or so ago, you can download it for free as a 536 Kb ZIP file from the following location:

www.dndadventure.com/html/adventures.html/adv1.html

Scroll down the page; the adventures are pretty much alphabetical.

Johnathan

 

[Ycore Rixle]

I agree with Dr. Midnight. A dungeon adventure is the way to go.

I'd also recommend asking them ahead of the game what types of things sound fun to them - slaying monsters, solving puzzles, talking to magical creatures. Let them know the game could go in any direction they like. Hope you have fun!

 

[I'm A Banana]

This is a single, great peice of advice that I've discovered when getting people involved:

~*!!!create their characters for them!!!*~

Part of the overwhelming nature of D&D is the many options that can easily overwhelm people. Creating a character sheet for each character allows you to specifically tell them, during play, "Roll a melee attack roll. A melee attack roll is a 20-sided-dice, plus the number in parenthasees after your strength, plus your base attack bonus. You can find your BAB on line 3, 4th column, under "class features." Also, because you all have masterwork weapons, add another +1. Masterwork weapons add +1 to that." or something like that (you could even put the total melee and ranged attack bonuses in big boxes and tell them to look there). Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Also, if your dad hates fantasy, you want to play that down. Your enemies shouldn't be exotic creatures and wierd beings with occult magical powers. They should be normal people, with understandable motives. Use mostly human enemies. Try to avoid spellcasters. Avoid flash-bang effects, and focus on more mundane things. Even in D&D, you can echo the Real World. Include a plot to blow up some important figure in the town of the PC's, and have them try to save the day. If you want to twist it, make it so that the figure they are going to save the day from is actually the bad guy, in the end.

Look to popular books or TV shows. You could even make it sitcom-esque. But instead of Phoebe getting pregnant, one of the PC's starts experiencing visions of destruction, and feels the need to prevent them.

Also, when making the characters, if they don't specify what they want, make a selection. Put emphasis on personality and motives, not on mechanics. When you hand out character sheets, tell them to "pick a character whose personality appeals to you." That way, there is a link to all the weird stuff they might do.

 

[fba827]

Also, I have no ideas about what level they should start at

1) Stay at 1st level (maybe 2nd!) the higher in level you get, the more complex these things become!! (imagine if one of them makes a 10th level wizard, all the spells and what not you have to go through, or a 10th level fighter... all the feats you have to explain!) -- low level is much better for people who have no played before!

2) Seems you want to impress the parents with the concepts of the game. As such, show them the inteligent aspects of the game - will probably loose the little sister a little but I would definatly push the role-playing interaction. And, like you said, the puzzles, and what not.

i'm tired, will add more later...

 

[mmadsen]

This is a single, great peice of advice that I've discovered when getting people involved: create their characters for them

Absolutely! I'm surprised sometimes that this even has to be stated, I feel so strongly about it. Certainly you can ask them ahead of time if they have any preferences, but they probably have very, very little to go on. Normal people don't have a mental model of Clerics vs. Wizards vs. Sorcerers vs. Psions, etc.

Make up an Awakened Talking Animal for the little sister, a kindly healer Cleric for the mom, and a gruff Fighter for the dad.

Part of the overwhelming nature of D&D is the many options that can easily overwhelm people. Creating a character sheet for each character allows you to specifically tell them, during play, "Roll a melee attack roll. A melee attack roll is a 20-sided-dice, plus the number in parenthasees after your strength, plus your base attack bonus. You can find your BAB on line 3, 4th column, under "class features." Also, because you all have masterwork weapons, add another +1. Masterwork weapons add +1 to that." or something like that (you could even put the total melee and ranged attack bonuses in big boxes and tell them to look there). Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Make up some character sheets in Word or HTML, and precalc everything. Don't ask the Cleric or Wizard what spells he wants to memorize; list the ones he has memorized. Don't expect the Fighter's player to calculate his to-hit bonus; list: Sword, +4 to-hit, 1d8+3 damage.

Ignore any and all complications, even "necessary" rules like Critical Hits.

Ideally you'll mix puzzles and combat and exciting locales into a very, very short adventure.