Teaching D&D in 1980
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- An article from 1980 gave some great advice on how to introduce new players to Dungeons and Dragons. In this video we take a closer look.
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3:02 2 to 4 people? Oh, so that's where we went wrong. We played with 6-10 people. We were nuts : )
I find this very good. As a DM I don't mind mixing new and experienced players as long as the experienced player don't over run the game. They can help new players and show by example how game can be played (search for secret doors, traps. unlock chests, hide, barter etc). But I ultimately tell new players to make your own decisions.
I find that REALLY experienced players do well at helping new ones. It's the ones who are in that "few months to a few years of playing" zone that can be the problem.
@@theoldwarlock 👍 agreed
The beauty of old school gaming is that so much of it is fast and loose. I love introducing younger players to the early versions of D&D, where it was more about imagination than strict rulesets for every action.
Couldn't agree more, Michael.
Our campaign was set during the historical "Bone Wars". We had the party split at least once.
We used to pack them in as well. For a while we figured the more the merrier.
I agree 100%. Especially the comment about ONLY teach NEW PLAYERS the very BASICS and ONLY what is relevant to the Game of the NIGHT! Always Great advice from those Old-School-DM's from the dusty Tombs of Yore!!! Chalk it up for the Boys at Warlock who keep that Awesome content flowing. That's why I keep coming back :) Keep em Coming and I'll keep Like'n em!!!
Thanks, Layedout! We're glad you like the content. I'll get back into the dusty tombs soon. KYSAF!
2:55 is possibly the most important sentence in all of TTRPG media. Give this man an award -- scheduling, etiquette, and other social mores are criminally underdiscussed in games media when they should be THE first thing you think about when setting up a game!
They really had a *lot* already figured out in the 80's, man. How on earth do you guys find these hidden gems?
Thanks, Robby. Finding these is my only gift from the cosmos. Won't get me anywhere, but it's something.
I remember reading that article! Had forgotten about it till I watched your video. It was as insightful then as it is now. Thank you for the reminder!
You're welcome, Chris.
Interesting stuff. No matter how much things change they stay the same.
I am switching from 5e back to 1e (via OSE) and one of the best teaching methods for me was watching the Arden Vul megadungeon crawl run by the 3D6DTL channel. Was very good way (and entertaining) to refresh my memory on how to run an old school game.
I'll have to take a look at that channel.
I made the mistake once of telling a new player that they did something wrong. I never did that again.
I always tried to help out new players. Giving them a heads up when something was happening. Asking them what magic items/equipment they had that might be useful. And trying to get them to engage.
Most groups I played with made me the "caller", so I did end up doing a lot of the talking and asking of questions to and for the players.
I think having a "caller" when new players are at the table is a good idea. Helps them to better understand what's happening. Having one was encouraged in the early development of D&D.
Teaching? There was no teaching, not where I grew up. Naw, there was 'borrowing'; you know, cause my friend 'borrowed' his older brothers D&D basic once a week, on Wednesdays, because we got out of elementary an hour earlier than the high school in those days. It was from one of those 'borrowed' sessions that I thought to write TSR's name and address down so I could send for a catalog, which is where my first purchase, the Gamma World box set, came from. Nope, no teaching. Just a couple of youngsters reading and 'guessing' what a rule meant or how it was 'supposed' to work.
I insisted on purchasing a mule! That's something I thought we needed...
Cheers for sharing. Different Worlds was a great magazine with some good advice. I only had a few issues back in the 80s - I remember Runequest stuff and a few Cthulhu articles (because it was published by Chaosium), which was why I'd bought it.
Wish I still had them. Too many houses ago and too much troubled water under my various bridges!
Sorry you lost those. It was an amazing magazine. Had loads of great content.
You really put up with a lot, Jim! Sorry about your goose problem
I know! How much should one guy have to deal with?
Simple rules. Common curiosity. Sometimes the "classic" rules are the ones that allow the most fun.
In my opinion, and it's just an option, it is the responsibility of experienced players to teach new players. Invite newbie to the table. Have a level zero in order to teach. Old hands should DM for a newbie group.
Stay cool Warlocks.
(I learn so much from you two!)
Thanks!
Interesting
I could see this to a point
Completely agree with everything that was said, brilliant article. For starting players I limit the amount of rules I use and ensure their starting characters have just a tiny boost in HP at first level so they don't feel too discouraged right out the gate. Other than that it's everything discussed here.
3:08 THREE HOURS??? This man is silly. 6-12 hours baby 😱😎😏🙂
Oh we can definitely hit that number as well, don't worry.
@@theoldwarlock we played some all-nighters back in the day. Maybe 3 times. That was crazy : )
We took a LONG time for character creation.
We still do sometimes.
In the past, I used to explain the rules before diving into actual gameplay. However, I noticed that this approach often dampened everyone's enthusiasm for the game, as they lost interest during the lengthy discussion about rules and whatnot. This led me to devise a new method where I just distribute pre-made characters and say "I am the rules." I assure them that we'll address rules as we roll dice and then jump right into the action. New players are eager to engage in adventures and do cool sh**. They'll get the hang of the rules at their own pace.
Agreed. Once people get to start the adventure, they're usually hooked from then on. Rules will be figured out eventually.
I did feel somewhat overshadowed by more experienced and/or outgoing players; I think part of it was also choosing to play a young and somewhat naive character.
I think what I would do differently is encourage new players to play more powerful/aggressive characters and experienced players to play less powerful/aggressive characters if they are going to share a campaign.
Not a bad idea.
great 'second' video
Thanks. Practice makes perfect. Or so they say.
Wow, like deja vu... all over again. So does this make you an old Geeser? Har har har (sorry, dad joke)
Geeser? Ohh boy...
Geeser - one who is like the Geese, not Geezer - an old fart like me. ; )@@theoldwarlock
We had a group of paleontologists play "Dungeons and Dragons" this summer. Some had played before, and others had not (me). So we used the "Kids with Bikes" rules, which are simpler than D&D.
I've heard of Kids with Bikes. Need to check it out.
Good thing you're a Scoby Doo and not a Scoby DON'T.
One thing that was slightly awkward for me is that the DM is very much a partisan of O.C. Marsh, and I am on the side of his rival Edward Drinker Cope. So having Cope be the evil villain and Marsh be the good guy...
You stole my video-editing method (rerecord it)!
Oh, but my method sometimes involves re-rerecording it.
The word "Boomer" comes to mind ... 🤣