Is old school a good way to introduce younger players to D&D?

[Aberzanzorax]

I confess, I don't know much about old school D&D.

Do you guys think it would be a good way (perhaps less complicated, fewer rules) to introduce younger players to D&D? My son is 5 now (so too early), but I very much want to play with him when he's older.

I'm thinking that Pathfinder/3e/4e are too complicated for his earliest gaming, so I was wondering about OD&D.

Thoughts?

Also, please, if you think this might be a good idea, what old school version would be best? Actual OD&D? AD&D? BECMI? Castles and Crusades? OSRIC? Some other retroclone?

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Start him about the age of 8 with B/X or BECMI (faithfully cloned as Labyrinth Lord).

Do not start him with AD&D or OSRIC. These are progression systems, you're supposed to learn the basic game first.

 

[Stormonu]

For older editions, I'd probably go with BECMI as well.

 

[Umbran]

Thoughts?

I think folks vastly underestimate the complexity of games that kids can handle. Pokemon and M:tG were driven to their heights by kids, and those games are by no means simple.

What rules you use is not the biggest question when playing with kids. Pacing and structuring a game such that their attention is captured is the far more difficult task for an adult. Other questions, like the level of violence you want to expose them to, also come into play.

Your child is now 5 years old? I've generally seen most folks not have much success with kids and structured tabletop RPGs before they're 8, sometimes much later. So, really, now is not the time you need to worry about what rule set you'll use. You've got years before it is an issue.

 

[steeldragons]

If you're looking to start in the 8-10 (or earlier?) y.o. range, then it seems we have consensus. Go with BECMI. Rules light, creativity/imagination heavy.

 

[Diamond Cross]

Well, I've been playing the game since about 1980 and I don't know what old school is,

 

[jcayer]

This is a topic that I've contributed to a couple times in the past.
I have a 7 year old daughter and a 4 year old. They love rolling dice and playing with minis. Now that my group has gone digital, with a projector, they love seeing the big fancy map on the wall.

At this age, I have no need of a rule set. Whatever the characters they dream up want to have and do, is fine, within reason. We played for 2+ hours this past saturday. They very much enjoyed exploring the dungeon, dealing with a couple basic traps and puzzles, and fighting a few monsters.

Combat, I have them roll a d20, usually over 10, something good happens. They can then roll a d8 or d10 or d12 for damage. I don't keep track of HP for them or the monsters. I don't keep any stats. This is simply a free form game of letting their imaginations run wild. That is all you need at this age.

I will say, last time my group played AD&D, my oldest sat at the table, with a character she and I rolled up and played for about an hour before heading to bed(she cried when I told her it was bedtime). I have little doubt she could grasp the basic rules of AD&D or BECMI. I don't think she is ready for the complexity of 4E. At the same time, I feel old school gaming encourages her to use her imagination more than already having a bunch of powers lined up in front of her and trying to figure out how to use them.

This isn't meant to start an edition war. I think the lack of structure in old school gaming encourages their imaginations more than the rigid rules system of current games. To each his own. In the end, she'll learn how to play both, and Savage Worlds.

 

[jasonzavoda]

I confess, I don't know much about old school D&D.

Do you guys think it would be a good way (perhaps less complicated, fewer rules) to introduce younger players to D&D? My son is 5 now (so too early), but I very much want to play with him when he's older.

I'm thinking that Pathfinder/3e/4e are too complicated for his earliest gaming, so I was wondering about OD&D.

Thoughts?

Also, please, if you think this might be a good idea, what old school version would be best? Actual OD&D? AD&D? BECMI? Castles and Crusades? OSRIC? Some other retroclone?

To start with, go for Heroquest. It isn't an RPG but it can be run as one fairly easily. The rules are simple, the magic system even simpler, and it is a cool, cool, game. It seems like these are getting harder to find but they are worth the cost with excellent plastic figs and furniture. You can easily design your own scenarios and there used to be some online places to expand the game with alternate rules and new scenarios.

 

[jasonzavoda]

Well, I've been playing the game since about 1980 and I don't know what old school is,

Well they do say when you get to a certain age your memory starts to go...

(A joke, my man, a joke, 1e AD&D satisfied my need for RPG game rules and I've been simply salvaging ideas and converting modules ever since).

 

[Diamond Cross]

Well they do say when you get to a certain age your memory starts to go...

(A joke, my man, a joke, 1e AD&D satisfied my need for RPG game rules and I've been simply salvaging ideas and converting modules ever since).

You young whippersnappers just don't know what it means to color your own dice. It helps create a bonding experience between players that you young ones just can't appreciate these days with your entitlement mentality.

(Yes, that's a joke too.)