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Kate Welch on Leaving WotC
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<blockquote data-quote="Monayuris" data-source="post: 8077784" data-attributes="member: 6859536"><p>The problem with how D&D 5E explains the rules is that it doesn't really start at the beginning.</p><p></p><p>There is only one rule needed to play D&D:</p><p></p><p>"Tell the DM what you want your character to do, and the DM will tell you what happens"</p><p></p><p>It needs to teach that first.</p><p></p><p>It is this game feedback loop of DM describes the environment, Player describes what they do, DM determines the outcome that is the actual game. If you want to have a successful starter kit (that brand new players can buy and learn the game on their own and without guidance), it needs to explain this and teach how to do this.</p><p></p><p>Once they learn how this works, they can play D&D without needing an experienced player. All the extra terminology and rules and powers will be picked up over time.</p><p></p><p>Maybe already mentioned... but the best version to learn D&D has always been the <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116578/DD-Basic-Set--Players-Manual-BECMI-ed-Basic" target="_blank">Mentzer Red Box</a>.</p><p></p><p>The player's book featured a story of an adventurer starting its first dungeon. It goes through the story explaining the character's abilities and what they mean and the first encounter with a goblin. It teaches how to roll to hit and how to inflict damage in the first few pages. It then presents a dungeon as a choose your own adventure book with text to read in place of the DM. It is only AFTER this that the book then details the rules of the game.</p><p></p><p>It teaches the player responsibility of the game loop first.</p><p></p><p>The DM's book starts with an annotated dungeon where each room presents a limited set of choices. The new DM is expected to read the descriptions to the players and give them the choices the book provides. The annotations explain everything the DM needs to know about the room. The DM simply reads and presents to the players. Only AFTER this dungeon does the book actually get into the rules of running the game (along with monsters and treasures).</p><p></p><p>It teaches the DM responsibility of the game loop first.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Monayuris, post: 8077784, member: 6859536"] The problem with how D&D 5E explains the rules is that it doesn't really start at the beginning. There is only one rule needed to play D&D: "Tell the DM what you want your character to do, and the DM will tell you what happens" It needs to teach that first. It is this game feedback loop of DM describes the environment, Player describes what they do, DM determines the outcome that is the actual game. If you want to have a successful starter kit (that brand new players can buy and learn the game on their own and without guidance), it needs to explain this and teach how to do this. Once they learn how this works, they can play D&D without needing an experienced player. All the extra terminology and rules and powers will be picked up over time. Maybe already mentioned... but the best version to learn D&D has always been the [URL='https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116578/DD-Basic-Set--Players-Manual-BECMI-ed-Basic']Mentzer Red Box[/URL]. The player's book featured a story of an adventurer starting its first dungeon. It goes through the story explaining the character's abilities and what they mean and the first encounter with a goblin. It teaches how to roll to hit and how to inflict damage in the first few pages. It then presents a dungeon as a choose your own adventure book with text to read in place of the DM. It is only AFTER this that the book then details the rules of the game. It teaches the player responsibility of the game loop first. The DM's book starts with an annotated dungeon where each room presents a limited set of choices. The new DM is expected to read the descriptions to the players and give them the choices the book provides. The annotations explain everything the DM needs to know about the room. The DM simply reads and presents to the players. Only AFTER this dungeon does the book actually get into the rules of running the game (along with monsters and treasures). It teaches the DM responsibility of the game loop first. [/QUOTE]
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