Wizards "Character Generation" Article

[wedgeski]

"Explain that class is not really a job or a personality, but rather a set of game abilities."

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I think, like it or not, this is where RPG's are these days. If a person says, "I want to play a valiant leader, a man who inspires his friends to even greater acts of heroism", then clearly the Warlord is a good class option. But the word "Warlord" might imply something about the character's background that doesn't necessarily ring true to the player.

I haven't read the article yet, but I do have experience of this kind of situation. When faced with a new player, I do *not* start with a list of the classes available, I ask them what kind of adventurer they see themselves as. Then find a class to fit, and call it what you like, really.

This makes me think of those early 4E threads where folks would say, "4E doesn't give me what I want because I can't play a lightly-armoured Fighter who finesses his enemies instead of clubbing them. There's no build option for that!" The problem was not that 4E didn't provide them with what they wanted out of the box (it probably did), but that the players in question were too invested in the "Fighter" class and weren't prepared to see beyond it.

 

[erf_beto]

This teaches me that D&D really, really needs a way to just spit out a character and go.

The entire article is all "This is how to condense the myriad meaningless options that complete newbs have into coherent things that they can see the choice between instantly."

Yes, I agree. D&D needs more of that.

Having DM for kids (and a lot of inexperienced people) I found this article rings true most of the time. But, while I haven't really taught 4e to anyone yet, I can see how it might be overwhelming when it comes to all those options, and like KM said, they are mostly meaningless to define your character. Feats are the greatest offender, IMO. And I have to say I didn't consider skills as useful as the author thinks they are, but I'm willing to give it a try. Maybe I'd try to condense the list a little more.

I <3 the part about giving them pets - my cousin only played the game and insisted on playing again because she got so attatched to her animal companion! That seems like crap advice, but it really works!

I wish I could easily whip up a character even less complex than a companion character that would be compatible with the game and as effective as a full min-maxed PC (which is why I like the Essentials direction).

Hmmm this article made me want to re-read those Heroes of Hesiod children's rules, even if they were a little too different from standard 4e...

 

[shadzar]

I think, like it or not, this is where RPG's are these days. If a person says, "I want to play a valiant leader, a man who inspires his friends to even greater acts of heroism", then clearly the Warlord is a good class option. But the word "Warlord" might imply something about the character's background that doesn't necessarily ring true to the player.

I sure hope not, because this would be teaching things wrong or badly because Genghis Khan really doesn't jump up and say "valor" to me.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Oh boy here comes the 70's/80's again!
*snip*
Do NOT use D&D to teach religion. This is between a "younger gamer" and his/her family to discuss, same as you wouldn't try to teach them about sex.

Change clerics if you need to where religion and gods isn't a part of the game, but leave some things for parents to take responsibility for as it is there's not everyone else's. Especially since you are dealing with 7-11 year olds, and you can only risk causing problems for them at home if you push a subject parents may not be ready to talk about with their kids.

A quote from the sidebar,

Kid 1: Can I make up my own god and worship him?
Kid 2: You won't be the first to do it...

I dunno, it sounds like some of those kids can handle the concept of pretend gods without getting all bent out of shape or "corrupted" like the parents from the 70s and 80s feared.

I don't think it was suggested that kids get lessons in faith from D&D, but I will agree with the guy that the game can teach things about the concept of faith, faiths, and religion from a perspective that just doesn't happen IRL.

 

[shadzar]

I don't think it was suggested that kids get lessons in faith from D&D, but I will agree with the guy that the game can teach things about the concept of faith, faiths, and religion from a perspective that just doesn't happen IRL.

Don't see any sidebars myself, probably browser conflicts with the page....

Still there is a reason religion isn't taught in schools, that should also apply to gaming. Let first introduction of some things come from the home.

Also even history can be explained without religion being brought into it. Crusades for an example, boiled down to a land dispute and who had the right to control and live in the area known as Jerusalem.

Teach only the things that cannot be taught in the home. Those things that every home doesn't have access to, or everyone needs for the technology level of civilization.

 

[wedgeski]

Probably best to steer clear of religion in this thread. I'm sure the mods are circling.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

It's like polite dinner conversation: avoid discussing sex, religion, or politics.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

It's like polite dinner conversation: avoid discussing sex, religion, or politics.

So a ******, a ****** and a ******* walk into a bar...

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I sure hope not, because this would be teaching things wrong or badly because Genghis Khan really doesn't jump up and say "valor" to me.

Wrong? No. A class-based system needs names for the classes to identify them. Beyond that your imagination should prevail to explain what your character is. Genghis Khan may be a "Warlord" in D&D terms, but that does not mean all Warlords are Genghis Khan.

 

[shadzar]

Wrong? No. A class-based system needs names for the classes to identify them. Beyond that your imagination should prevail to explain what your character is. Genghis Khan may be a "Warlord" in D&D terms, but that does not mean all Warlords are Genghis Khan.

Then you have to go into why that term was used as opposed to Marshall, etc....

Again, why 4th edition probably isnt the best to use to teach people with, and why there is an age range on it, and I do not think the younger players included in that fit, and such another reason parents should be involved.

Since we are talking about 7-11 year old in the article, what is the age range for the PHB?