There's some good stuff here for the kids game I run for the grand kids and their friends.
Thanks!
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Just as a side note, I started to RP when I was about 6 so its not out of the league. You may find it easier to bring them in using a more simple game system, however, teaching them the RP aspects of it and then moving into the more rules heavy system.
Its not around anymore, but about 10 years ago there was a game called 'Dragon Storm' which was done with cards but was roleplaying, you would get new cards that described new locals or gear or character classes and options and you could build characters do adventures through them. I used those as something of a rules light way to introduce some youngins(between 7 and 10) to the idea of RP a few years back.
When they wanted more options, we moved in and started to use the WoD system(minus the more mature aspects, obviously). Playing out a scary story was a lot of fun for them, as was sometimes being the monsters since that let them do something similar to the old campfire game where they passed around what happened next.
I've since moved away, but last I heard as they moved into their teenage years they got a lot more into superhero stuff and the older ones run things like mutant and masterminds and palladium's ninja turtles for the others.
If you are going to start with them that young, I would strongly recommend going with a rules-light system as much as you can and to try and stick with what they have interests in, whether its fantasy, sci-fi, superheroes, or horror stuff.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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+1But it was mainly a rule I instituted to prevent an insidious form of cheating I had noticed a couple of them trying. That is the trick of rolling a good number just prior to being asked and 'keeping' it (whereas if a bad number is rolled you would pretend you were just absently playing with the dice.)I have a sixty-something year old in my game group that does the same thing. :) Guess it isn't just kids!
-Lisa
You mean I didn't invent that trick?
When I was 11, I found a pink DnD boxed set in my parent's closet, and was so intrigued by the cover illustration that I sat up all night reading the book, and quickly got my 2 much younger brothers playing it (ages 8 and 6). Our games were messy, fraught with cheating, power-gaming, and rules arguments, but none of that even mattered compared to the fun of playing the game, which we still do (mostly) every sunday.
I think the best advice for playing with younger folks is to make sure the story stays true to the style of the stories they read and movies they watch. They will "know" how those games "play". Also try to be light on the TPK's, lest you want to see what a kid looks like after bambi's mom dies, and finding out that santa is not real.
Okay, so can anyone here give me a hand? We all know how great of an educational tool dnd is. I'm a school teacher and I'm starting a lunch hour gaming group at my school with 5 grade 5 students. My main concern is that parents or administrators might not think that the game is appropriate for school due to the fact that it has violence involved in it. I think my admin will be fine with it as long as the parents don't mind. But I want to find a way to draft a letter to the parents that would emphasize the value of dnd and convince them to allow their child to participate. If anyone out here can help me by giving me a couple of good paragraphs on how best to give an accurate description of what the game is in a way that will convince them on its educational value, I'd most appreciate it.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Emphasize that it teaches reading and mthmatical skills, problem solving, and teamwork. That should really sell the parents.
D&D also encourages vocabulary development, speaking skills, and creativity. And mapping skills.
EDIT: If it was really a problem, you could create an adventure based off of the Hobbit. The players could roleplay some of the adventures and read the story in between. A lot more work ...
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Okay, so can anyone here give me a hand? We all know how great of an educational tool dnd is. I'm a school teacher and I'm starting a lunch hour gaming group at my school with 5 grade 5 students. My main concern is that parents or administrators might not think that the game is appropriate for school due to the fact that it has violence involved in it. I think my admin will be fine with it as long as the parents don't mind. But I want to find a way to draft a letter to the parents that would emphasize the value of dnd and convince them to allow their child to participate. If anyone out here can help me by giving me a couple of good paragraphs on how best to give an accurate description of what the game is in a way that will convince them on its educational value, I'd most appreciate it.
Hmm. it teaches problem solving, math skills, vocabulary, and improves reading comprehension. D&D helps me everyday at law school. :)
/edit ninja-ed - that's what I get for using tabs.
Sorry for the threadjack. Here's the letter I've drafted thus far. If anyone can take the time to read it over and offer any feedback it would be most appreciated. Cheers
Dear Parent,
I have invited your child to participate in a lunch hour games group on Fridays. In addition, to having fun the purpose of this games group is give your child the chance to have some enrichment activities by playing games that will challenge him or her intellectually and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. I have intentionally kept this group to only 5 students who I believe will particularly benefit from this opportunity. The reason for keeping the group small is so that I can directly supervise and participate in the games. The primary game I’m interested in running with them is a role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (Dnd). In the past few years many elements of this game have become much more mainstream due to online computer rpgs (role playing games) like World of Warcraft, and even console games like The Legend of Zelda. However, all these computer games have their roots in this game, which emerged in the mid 1970s. The reason I’m writing this letter is to provide you with more information about this the game- firstly because many people know nothing about this type of game, and secondly because many people that have heard of the game have preconceived ideas about it that are not reflective of what the game is about or how it plays. Secondly, I want to make sure that I have your consent for your child to participate what I feel will be a very fun and enriching activity for him or her.
I feel that the pen and paper version of DnD is infinitely superior to any computerized version of game, and has ties with numerous areas of the curriculum that will benefit your child in many ways, which I will explain shortly. However, I’d first like to give you an idea of what the game entails. First and foremost it as a social game that emphasizes fun. The players must cooperate and work as a team to overcome a vast variety of imaginary challenges. Essentially the game is one of group story telling and works as follows. The students are the players, and they each create and take the role of a heroic fantasy character in the game. A final player that is referred to as the “game master” or “dungeon master” (in this case I would be filling this role) creates an outline for a story that he and the players will tell together. The game master then starts to tell the story and the players decide what their characters will try to do in response the scenario that is described to them. Dice are used to help determine how successful they are at accomplishing their goals. As the story and game progresses (session after session) the characters develop. They build relationships with the imaginary people of the game world (for instance if they saved a village from a plague by recovering a powerful magical artifact that could heal the sick, they might earn the favor of the local lord, and in return he might make them knights or give them lands to rule over), and they gain experience and become better at what they do (for example a wizard character would learn new and more powerful spells). When the game is played most of what happens in the game is visualized in the imaginations of the players. For instance, when the game master describes a ruined castle the players’ characters exploring, words are used to describe it, and the players imagine it in their heads. These descriptions are often enhanced by visual aids like pictures and maps so that all the players are imagining things in the same way.
There are two main concerns that some people have with the game. One is that game contains “supernatural” elements. In this case these are high fantasy elements similar to what might be found in books like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. The game world does contain various imaginary creatures like dragons, ogres, goblins etc… and players take on the roles of fantasy archetypes like wizards that can cast spells.
The second concern that is sometimes raised about that game is that it does contain a certain level of violence. The players are taking on the roles of fantasy heroes and one of the major aspects of the game revolves around the heroes battling villainous fantasy monsters (like dragons). This aspect of the game can be emphasized or deemphasized depending on the type of story the game master tries to tell. Since I would be acting as the game master and the players are children the violence in the game will obviously be deemphasized. The stories we will be telling will focus on primarily on exploration and solving problems in creative ways. However that being said, when “combat” does occur in the game it is very abstract in nature. Miniature figures are used to represent the heroes and creatures in the game on a large grid map that depicts the terrain they are having the encounter in, and dice and basic math and descriptions are used to describe how a combat resolves itself. For example, a player might say that she wants her hero to move up and attack a particular monster. She would then move her figure on the map and roll dice to determine whether the attack hits and how much damage it deals to the monster. Each player has a character sheet that has all the details about the abilities of the character, and this information helps determine the probability of the hero being successful. If the attack was successful the game master might say something like, “you swing your sword at the dragon and slash it for 8 points of damage.” This is about the extent to how such violence plays out in the game. It is certainly possible for a game master to describe what happens in a battle in a much more graphic way, but since I’m running the game for a group of children such visceral descriptions of fantasy violence will not be happening.
If any of these issues are a concern for you or if you have questions you would like answered, I’d be more than happy to discuss them with you. However, I would like to leave you with some of my thoughts on why this will be a great opportunity for your child. Firstly, because of the game’s cooperative nature, it is an excellent chance to develop social and team work skills. Secondly, the books associated with the game provide excellent opportunities to advance one’s reading skills, and the descriptive language use during game play will enhance and build your child’s english vocabulary. The game is also full of basic mathematics. The players will regularly be rolling multiple dice and having to quickly add the totals up in their heads (for example having to roll something like 3d8+5 is very common- this means that they roll three eight sided dice, add the results of the rolls and then add 5 to the total), which will enhance their mental math skills. They also gain the chance to engage in what is essentially a group storytelling session, connects directly to the language arts and drama curriculum. Finally, the game places a huge emphasis on problem solving skills (for example, in a game session the heroes might become ship wrecked, and have to figure out how they will survive and return to civilization), and the essence of our education system is to help develop a child’s ability to solve problems.
I hope that you will be pleased to give your child permission to participate in what I guarantee will be a fun and valuable learning experience.
Yours truly,
PHD -
What a lucky group of kids--wish I'd have had such a teacher. My main thought is length. Isn't this more than a page of text? Pretty dense and long for the harried parent to read after school or in the car when the kid remembers they have this letter that's in their bag. The history of the game is all stuff that I'd save for further explanation, as needed. Just out of curiosity, what are you going to use to run the game? If you ran Pathfinder, you could avoid the whole D&D discussion all together.
Hope you have great success and fun with this.
I hear your thoughts on the length of the letter. I do want to make sure I give the parents a clear example of how the game works and at the same time convince them of its benefits. Any thoughts on how I can trim the density and still accomplish this? I catch the part about taking out some of the beginning parts. Or maybe I an have two letters- the brief one, and the in depth one for those who want to learn more.
Two letters sound like a really good idea. I doubt that there is anyone who would have gone for it the first time, only if they had got the denser letter. So, first letter, main ideas with info on how to learn more, second, maybe less of a letter and more a handout or flier.
What is it?
What are the benefits?
Practical specifics.
And I think at this point, just forgo the negative altogether, because it invites something that might not be out there, based on our past experiences. Just give the positive side of the story, and answer negative stuff if it comes up, would be my thought.
I didn't see if you mentioned this or not, but if I was going to choose, I'd go with Pathfinder just to have a name with no prior associations, and then you can do the literary/movie/game tie-ins with absolutely no need for the apologetics. If the word "role-playing" raises any eye-brows, you've got all the skill-based stuff, and just say it's that plus collaborative story-telling.
Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking the. The first letter could be the permission form and the second one more an informational read.
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I would skip the discussion of mechanics altogether. I would also approach the topic less apologetically. Without rewriting your letter for you I would do something as follows:
I. Explain that you want to start a "gaming club." Explain that you want to initially keep it a small group until you see if you can gather more support for the idea.
II. Explain that there will be an emphasis on role-playing games because they not only encourage problem solving but also personal interaction, vocabulary, and team-work. The emphasis of a role-playing game is on succeeding together with your fellow players - as oppossed to having one win and the rest lose. ()
III. Explain that you will utilize roleplaying games that appeal to the imagination of the children. Explain that role-playing games draw from a variety of myths and story-genres, from fantasy to science fiction. Explain that by using such elements, the child is able to feel heroic and is also encouraged to explore these avenues of literature further. ()
IV. Attach a note getting the parent's permission for this extracurricular activity so that you are covered.
Thats my 2 c.p. anyway. :)
Regarding Wicht's IV -- get a signed permission slip for everything. I'd even have one at the bottom of the first invitational letter:
[] Please send my child, ______________ and me more information about the A-S Gaming Club.
X _________________________
And if you have an informational meeting, think about whether you need to have a signed permission slip for students to come to the info meeting without a parent or guardian.
Then,
[] I have read and understood the information provided about the A-S Gaming Club. Please allow my student, ____________, to participate.
X _________________________ Date: ___________________
After-school Contact Information:
Special Information about my child:
Then keep all these in the big, 50-year-old locking file cabinet that I assume is in some odd corner of your room. (And yes, there are days I miss my old 4th grade classroom.)
So here's my new first letter
Dear Parent,
I have invited your child to participate in a lunch hour games group on Fridays. In addition, to having fun the purpose of this games group is give your child the chance to have some enrichment opportunities by playing games that will challenge him or her intellectually and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. I have intentionally kept this group to only 5 students who I believe will particularly benefit from this opportunity. The reason for keeping the group small is so that I can directly supervise and participate in the games. The primary game I’m interested in running with them is a role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (Dnd). DnD is essentially a group storytelling game, wherein the players have a chance to take on the roll of heroic fantasy characters in a medieval style fantasy world. If you are curious about the game and wish to know more about it, I have provided an additional information sheet for you to read at your leisure. Otherwise, I hope that you will be pleased to give your child permission to participate in what I guarantee will be a fun and valuable learning experience.
Yours truly,
A bit of context- I was of course going to add a sign here part after the letter. I just didn't bother to put that in my post.
Secondly, the kids I have in mind are all students I taught last year in grade 4 and I already have a positive relationship with their parents, though they aren't in my class this year.
Thirdly, the school I teach in has a high immigrant population. All of the kids are the children of relatively new immigrants-(China, India, Pakistan etc...). I would be a bit surprised if any of the parents have even heard of the game. Which of course raises the ESL issue. English is a second language for the parents, so that is yet another reason to keep the letter brief (though I know that all of these parents have good english skills). I just don't know how to explain the game in a simple way that gives enough information to allow them to make an informed decision about allowing their kids to participate.
Finally, the kids I picked were deemed for gifted enrichment, so this is intended to be justified partially as an enrichment activity.
A bit of context- I was of course going to add a sign here part after the letter. I just didn't both to put that in my post.
Secondly, the kids I have in mind are all students I taught last year in grade 4 and I already have a positive relationship with their parents, though they aren't in my class this year.
Thirdly, the school I teach in has a high immigrant population. All of the kids are the children of relatively new immigrants-(China, India, Pakistan etc...). I would be a bit surprised if any of the parents have even heard of the game. Which of course raised the ESL issue. English is a second language for the parents, so that is yet another reason to keep the letter brief. I just don't know how to explain the game in a simple way that gives enough information to allow them to make an informed decision about allowing their kids to participate.
Finally, the kids I picked were deemed for gifted enrichment, so this is intended to be justified partially as an enrichment activity.
Didn't mean to be patronizing -- just since I don't know you, you might be a new teacher, and Wicht's comment sent me into extreme CYA mode. (#1 thing about teaching college: distance from crazy parents.) Ah ESL...this could be such a great experience for them. Yay, PHD! Yeah, I doubt your parents will have ever heard of any of this, so the whole thing can be new and a postive experience.
Some good suggestions. Thank you.
I would skip the discussion of mechanics altogether. I would also approach the topic less apologetically. Without rewriting your letter for you I would do something as follows:
I. Explain that you want to start a "gaming club." Explain that you want to initially keep it a small group until you see if you can gather more support for the idea.
II. Explain that there will be an emphasis on role-playing games because they not only encourage problem solving but also personal interaction, vocabulary, and team-work. The emphasis of a role-playing game is on succeeding together with your fellow players - as oppossed to having one win and the rest lose. ()
III. Explain that you will utilize roleplaying games that appeal to the imagination of the children. Explain that role-playing games draw from a variety of myths and story-genres, from fantasy to science fiction. Explain that by using such elements, the child is able to feel heroic and is also encouraged to explore these avenues of literature further. ()
IV. Attach a note getting the parent's permission for this extracurricular activity so that you are covered.
Thats my 2 c.p. anyway. :)
Here's a slightly revised version of the permission letter.
Dear Parent,
I have invited your child to participate in a lunch hour games group on Fridays. In addition, to having fun the purpose of this games group is give your child the chance to have some enrichment opportunities by playing games that will challenge him or her intellectually and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The primary game I’m interested in running is a role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). I have chosen this game because it is a cooperative game that emphasizes team work, problem solving and storytelling. DnD is essentially a group storytelling game, wherein the players have a chance to take on the roll of heroic fantasy characters in a medieval style fantasy world. In the game they go on various quests and face a variety of different challenges. If you are curious about the game and wish to know more about it, I have provided an additional information sheet for you to read at your leisure. You can also call me, and I can answer any questions you might have. Otherwise, I hope that you will be pleased to give your child permission to participate in what I guarantee will be a fun and valuable learning experience.
Yours truly,
Mr. Langston
Here's a slightly revised version of the permission letter.
Dear Parent,
I have invited [AM INVITING? or have you already invited them before the letter?] your child to participate in a lunch hour games group on Fridays. In addition, to having fun[comma] the purpose of this games group is [TO] give your child the chance to have some enrichment opportunities by playing games that will challenge him or her intellectually and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The primary game I’m interested in running is a role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). I have chosen this game because it is a cooperative game that emphasizes team work, problem solving and storytelling. DnD is essentially a group storytelling game, wherein the players have a chance to take on the roll [ROLE] of heroic fantasy characters in a medieval style fantasy world. In the game[comma] they go on various quests and face a variety of different challenges. If you are curious about the game and wish to know more about it, I have provided an additional information sheet for you to read at your leisure. You can also call me, and I can answer any questions you might have. Otherwise,[Delete, unneeded] I hope that you will be pleased to give your child permission to participate in what I guarantee will be a fun and valuable learning experience.
Yours truly,
Mr. Langston
Bracketed comments above.
Might be more than you want, but just in case it is of use. Further stylistic comment: "games" group doesn't roll off the tongue easily. I'd go with game or gaming.
Here's my revised information sheet.
First and foremost Dungeons and Dragons is a social game that emphasizes fun. The players must cooperate and work as a team to overcome a vast variety of imaginary challenges. Essentially the game is one of group story telling and works as follows. Each player creates and takes on the role of a heroic fantasy character in the game. A final player that is referred to as the “game master” or “dungeon master” (in this case I would be filling this role) creates an outline for a story that he and the players will tell together. The game master then starts to tell the story and the players decide what their characters will try to do in response to the scenario that is described to them. Dice are used to help determine how successful they are at accomplishing their goals. As the story and game progresses (session after session) the characters develop. They build relationships with the imaginary people of the game world (for instance if they saved a village from a plague by recovering a powerful magical artifact that could heal the sick, they might earn the favor of the local lord, and in return he might make them knights or give them lands to rule over), and they gain experience and become better at what they do (for example a wizard character would learn new and more powerful spells). When the game is played most of what happens in the game is visualized in the imaginations of the players. For instance, when the game master describes a ruined castle the players’ characters are exploring, words are used to describe it, and the players imagine it in their heads. These descriptions are often enhanced by visual aids like pictures and maps so that all the players are imagining things in the same way.
The players are taking on the roles of fantasy heroes and one of the major aspects of the game revolves around the heroes battling villainous fantasy monsters (like dragons). This aspect of the game can be emphasized or deemphasized depending on the type of story the game master tries to tell. Since I would be acting as the game master and the players are children the violent aspects of the game will obviously be deemphasized. The stories we will be telling will focus on primarily on exploration and solving problems in creative ways. However that being said, when “combat” does occur in the game it is very abstract in nature. Miniature figures are used to represent the heroes and creatures in the game on a large grid map that depicts the terrain they are having the encounter in, and dice and basic math and descriptions are used to describe how a combat resolves itself. For example, a player might say that she wants her hero to move up and attack a particular monster. She would then move her figure on the map and roll dice to determine whether the attack hits and how much damage it deals to the monster. Each player has a character sheet that has all the details about the abilities of the character, and this information helps determine the probability of the hero being successful. If the attack was successful I might say something like, “you swing your sword at the dragon and slash it for 8 points of damage.” This is about the extent to how such violence plays out in the game.
Here are some ways in which the game ties in with our curriculum and can function as a valuable educational tool. Firstly, because of the game’s cooperative nature, it is an excellent chance to develop social and team work skills. Secondly, the books associated with the game provide excellent opportunities to advance one’s reading skills, and the descriptive language use during game play will enhance and build your child’s english vocabulary. The game is also full of basic mathematics. The players will regularly be rolling multiple dice and having to quickly add the totals up in their heads (for example having to roll something like 3d8+5 is very common- this means that they roll three eight sided dice, add the results of the rolls and then add 5 to the total), which will enhance their mental math skills. They also gain the chance to engage in what is essentially a group storytelling session, which connects directly to the language arts and drama curriculum. Finally, the game places a huge emphasis on problem solving skills (for example, in a game session the heroes might become ship wrecked, and have to figure out how they will survive and return to civilization), and problem solving skills are of course invaluable. After all, the essence of our education system is to help develop a child’s ability to solve problems.
If you have any questions or would like to know more feel free to contact me at the school.
Thanks for the edit. That's exactly what I need.
We have technically started already because we got together last week and I introduced the game and we started creating characters. I just didn't want to bother drafting a permission form until I had gauged their interest. However, they seem very excited about it so...
Here's a slightly revised version of the permission letter.
Dear Parent,
I have invited [AM INVITING? or have you already invited them before the letter?] your child to participate in a lunch hour games group on Fridays. In addition, to having fun[comma] the purpose of this games group is [TO] give your child the chance to have some enrichment opportunities by playing games that will challenge him or her intellectually and develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. The primary game I’m interested in running is a role-playing game called Dungeons and Dragons (DnD). I have chosen this game because it is a cooperative game that emphasizes team work, problem solving and storytelling. DnD is essentially a group storytelling game, wherein the players have a chance to take on the roll [ROLE] of heroic fantasy characters in a medieval style fantasy world. In the game[comma] they go on various quests and face a variety of different challenges. If you are curious about the game and wish to know more about it, I have provided an additional information sheet for you to read at your leisure. You can also call me, and I can answer any questions you might have. Otherwise,[Delete, unneeded] I hope that you will be pleased to give your child permission to participate in what I guarantee will be a fun and valuable learning experience.
Yours truly,
Mr. Langston
Bracketed comments above.
Might be more than you want, but just in case it is of use. Further stylistic comment: "games" group doesn't roll off the tongue easily. I'd go with game or gaming.
I made a few more minor changes to the information sheet.
First and foremost Dungeons and Dragons is a social game that emphasizes fun. The players must cooperate and work as a team to overcome a vast variety of imaginary challenges. Essentially the game is one of group story telling and works as follows. Each player creates and takes on the role of a heroic fantasy character in the game. A final player that is referred to as the “game master” or “dungeon master” (in this case I would be filling this role) creates an outline for a story that he and the players will tell together. The game master then starts to tell the story and the players decide what their characters will try to do in response to the scenario that is described to them. Dice are used to help determine how successful they are at accomplishing their goals. As the story and game progresses (session after session) the characters develop. They build relationships with the imaginary people of the game world (for instance if they saved a village from a plague by recovering a powerful magical artifact that could heal the sick, they might earn the favor of the local lord, and in return he might make them knights or give them lands to rule over), and they gain experience and become better at what they do (for example a wizard character would learn new and more powerful spells). When the game is played most of what happens in the game is visualized in the imaginations of the players. For instance, when the game master describes a ruined castle the players’ characters are exploring, words are used to describe it, and the players imagine it in their heads. These descriptions are often enhanced by visual aids like pictures and maps so that all the players are imagining things in the same way.
As mentioned above, the players take on the roles of fantasy heroes, and one aspect of the game revolves around the heroes battling villainous fantasy monsters (like dragons). This part of the game can be emphasized or deemphasized depending on the type of story the game master tries to tell. Since I would be acting as the game master and the players are children the violent aspects of the game will obviously be deemphasized. The stories we will be telling will focus on primarily on exploration and solving problems in creative ways. However that being said, when “combat” does occur in the game it is very abstract in nature. Miniature figures are used to represent the heroes and creatures in the game on a large grid map that depicts the terrain they are having the encounter in, and dice, basic math are used to describe how a combat resolves itself. For example, a player might say that she wants her hero to move up and attack a particular monster. She would then move her figure on the map and roll dice to determine whether the attack hits and how much damage it deals to the monster. Each player has a character sheet that has all the details about the abilities of the character, and this information helps determine the probability of the hero being successful. If the attack was successful I might say something like, “you swing your sword at the dragon and slash it for 8 points of damage.”
Lastly, here are some ways in which the game ties in with our curriculum and can function as a valuable educational tool. Firstly, because of the game’s cooperative nature, it is an excellent chance to develop social and team work skills. Secondly, the books associated with the game provide many opportunities to advance one’s reading skills, and the descriptive language used during game play will enhance and build your child’s english vocabulary. The game is also full mathematics. The players will regularly be rolling multiple dice and having to quickly add the totals up in their heads (for example having to roll something like 3d8+5 is very common- this means that they roll three eight sided dice, add the results of the rolls and then add 5 to the total), which will enhance their mental math skills. They also gain the chance to engage in what is essentially a group storytelling session, which connects directly to the language arts and drama curriculum. Finally, the game places a huge emphasis on problem solving skills (for example, in a game session the heroes might become ship wrecked, and have to figure out how they will survive and return to civilization), and helping children develop problem solving skills is one of our main goals as educators.
I made a few more minor changes to the information sheet.
First and foremost[COMMA] Dungeons and Dragons is a social game that emphasizes fun. The players must cooperate and work as a team to overcome a vast variety of imaginary challenges. Essentially[COMMA] the game is one of group story telling and works as follows. Each player creates and takes on the role of a heroic fantasy character in the game. A final player that is referred to as the “game master” or “dungeon master” (in this case[COMMA] I would be filling this role) creates an outline for a story that he and the players will tell together. The game master then starts to tell the story and the players decide what their characters will try to do in response to the scenario that is described to them. Dice are used to help determine how successful they are at accomplishing their goals. As the story and game progresses (session after session)[COMMA] the characters develop. They build relationships with the imaginary people of the game world[PERIOD F]or instance[COMMA] if they saved a village from a plague by recovering a powerful magical artifact that could heal the sick, they might earn the favor of the local [LEADERS], and in return [THEY] might make the[ THE CHARACTERS VARIOUS REWARDS IN THE STORY. AS THE CHARACTER PROGRESS, THEY] become better at what they do [DELETE EXPLANATION]. When the game is played most of what happens in the game is visualized in the imaginations of the players. For instance, when the game master describes a ruined castle[COMMA] the players’ characters are exploring, words are used to describe it, and the players imagine it in their heads. These descriptions are often enhanced by visual aids[COMMA] like pictures and maps[COMMA] so that all the players are imagining things in the same way.
As mentioned above, the players take on the roles of fantasy heroes, and one aspect of the game revolves around the heroes battling villainous fantasy monsters (like dragons). This part of the game can be emphasized or deemphasized depending on the type of story...
More suggestions above in brackets. If I can come back later, I'll take a look at the second half. Although, it might be easier for me to get it if it was split off in a second post.
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I recomend creating a Blog, and posting the game mechanics stuff there. You can also put updates on the game sessions on the BLOG, so concerned parents can get an update on what's going on. My wife uses blogs in her teaching, and it really helps her keep things going. I think it could possibly create a level of transparency that might comfort parents on the edge.
Then again, there are quite a few of us parents that grew up with RPG's. That might lead to some interesting commentary. "I cannot in good concsience allow my daughter to play in any Ebberon based camapign." or even better "It has come to my attention that your current gaming club is sanctioning Fortgotten Realms play that completely violates canon. I have contacted Wizards of the Coast about this dire matter." :)
For me, I have 3 daughters, 11, 8 and 4. The oldest 2 started playing with me (mom loves making fun of this to no end), but a few folks here gave me some ideas about playing with the smallest. The story from the guy role playing his little daughter putting the orc to sleep to steal back the villagers food sounds like something my little one would do.
For my other two, that orc would be toast. Ironically, my middle daughter is most enthusiastic, as she now spends time looking through my maps and game books, trying to develop her character's back story.
Another interesting development is a new PNP RPG build around the Warriors series of books. The system is free and involves a dice free system that uses chips. The setting is based on a series of books about clans of feral cats. They are kid books, but oddly have about as much violence as the average Godfather movie. I guess its OK when its just about animals. My oldest, at 11, has downloaded the rules and is running her own games. You can find more information here:
http://www.warriorcats.com/adventure.html
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I just want to give you a warning that some of their parents may flat out refuse anything you could possibly offer.
I was in that position myself, in my senior year of highschool we had an afterschool D&D club that I ended up sneaking to every week because my family are religious extremists when it comes to dungeons and dragons.
With people so locked into their ideas like that, no amount of logic or reason will persuade them, believe me, I used every arguement you've brought forward and many many more.
So just try not to let it get you down if one or maybe two of the children have parents that refuse to listen.
Would changing the name of the game being discussed to Pathfinder help when dealing with people like this? The D&D term has so much baggage, however undeserved but maybe Pathfinder won't get such a negative reaction.
(I assume you are playing by Pathfinder rules.)