Vaalingrade
Legend
I know I joke about the 'too dumb to operate Rage' thing, but what age of kids are we saying 'remember page on book, add die number to stat' is too complicated for?
D&D (2024) What innovative elements from Baldur's Gate 3 would you like to see implimented in 2024 D&D?
mellored
Legend
Depends on the child. But IMO...
8+ with a patient DM guiding them.
13+ to do it by themselves.
Scott Christian
Hero
From years of running different high school D&D clubs, which often attract the two extremes of student population: honors and special education students, most of them have a very difficult time applying the ruleset as written. I would say out of the 150 students I've seen try to learn the game, 25% at tops knew and understood the rules. The rest were just guided.
Most would eventually understand the attack roll, modifiers, etc. But things like I attack, therefore, the target needs to make a save, often went over their heads or they could never remember. More specific things, such as class features, were almost always explained by the 25% that knew the rules. And it often was explained every session.
One thing to note, only about 10% of the students ever read the books. The others just used Beyond for character creation. So, asking them to understand the nuances of rage without having the information of gameplay from the book to attach it to, makes it really difficult to learn it.
Most would eventually understand the attack roll, modifiers, etc. But things like I attack, therefore, the target needs to make a save, often went over their heads or they could never remember. More specific things, such as class features, were almost always explained by the 25% that knew the rules. And it often was explained every session.
One thing to note, only about 10% of the students ever read the books. The others just used Beyond for character creation. So, asking them to understand the nuances of rage without having the information of gameplay from the book to attach it to, makes it really difficult to learn it.
This seem to suggest that there is some societal issue with RTFM than a specific D&D thing.
Scott Christian
Hero
I am just stating what I see. Reading the rulebook might be outdated to many students. Not when it can be explained by watching videos or the person sitting next to you. (Or just having the computer do it.)
But I do find it interesting that the one thing that used to coalesce the community when we were kids (reading all the books and memorizing them) is now not even done. It shows you the evolution of the game in some odd way.
It is an interesting data point and one too small to conjecture too much on but when you put it like that WoTC's pivot to digital may not be 4D chess to kill the third party market but a necessity to extend the life of the game.
Incenjucar
Legend
I was playing D&D in middle school after learning about it and getting books in elementary school, but reading how to play was the norm back then.
TheSword
Legend
Let’s be clear, kids have been playing D&D since it came out 50 years ago. It’s not exclusively an adults game. If you disagree I’ll refer you to Stranger Things.
Trying to claim otherwise is gatekeeping.
It definitely can’t be used to justify some pretty dubious stuff in the computer game on the basis that dnd is ‘for adults.’ My objection isn’t just that it’s too adult either. It’s that it’s purile frat boy humour and we should be able to do better.
Trying to claim otherwise is gatekeeping.
It definitely can’t be used to justify some pretty dubious stuff in the computer game on the basis that dnd is ‘for adults.’ My objection isn’t just that it’s too adult either. It’s that it’s purile frat boy humour and we should be able to do better.
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Jefe Bergenstein
Legend
Do you own the game? You seem really caught up on optional boobs and a crude joke here and there, when that is hardly representative of the entire story.
TheSword
Legend
I most certainly do own it. Therefore am entitled to an opinion.
If this was published in a TTRPG product everybody would be rolling their eyes and adding them to the list of books we don’t go near. Frankly I don’t know how they got WotC to sign off on it. Then again there has always been an element of WotC courting edginess. Like it would somehow make D&D cooler.
I must admit I don’t get it. Adding soft core porn and bestiality into rpg games definitely seems seedy and crude. I mean I get how pretending to get laid might float some peoples boat but I don’t really want that kind of flavor around my favourite crpg franchise
There have been suggestions that FR/BG has always had this level of smuttiness. Which is clearly just not true. Veiled illusions and fade to black have been replaced with an order of magnitude stronger stuff. I guarantee no official FR product has shown images of a bugbear and ogre on all fours making the beast with two backs.
