Dungeon and Dragons


Gamer Life General Discussion


Hi Guys,

I really want to play Dungeons and Dragons I have all the books and gear you need but am only 10 years old and my Mom wont let me join some group online beacause she wants me to be "safe" from strangers so I was wondering if you now some child friendly group if you do that would be sick and so helpful.

Peace Out, Adoendithas


Starfinder Superscriber

I was 10 when I started. I had the luck of having a few friends in school who were interested, do you have that option?


Seems like starting a group with your friends is your only real option, or maybe putting a flyer up at your school looking for people interested.


Glad you have all you need, except for players.

An older brother got me into it, as well as a large group of gaming friends. You could try pre-gens with friends, easy and simple adventurers/dungeon bashes online, you could also track down the Final Fantasy books by Ian Livingston to play through or use as a basis for a game with no dm necessary.

I started when I was about 8. Good luck to you young adventurer.


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Adoendithas,

Your mom is showing a lot of wisdom in that ruling.

I would recommend that you start by looking for a group at your Friendly Local Gaming Store (FLGS). Many of them have game running at the store during one evening each week. If they don't, ask if there has been any interest in having a weekly game at the store.

If you have the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, you could look for a local Pathfinder Society group. They may or may not meet at a Friendly Local Gaming Store.

Your best bet, though, is to find some friends who are interested in playing, pick up a published adventure, and start playing! That was what I did. You can start without complete knowledge of the rules with forgiving friends and a lot of advice from the boards here. The Beginner Box is a good way to start (with Pathfinder rules).

Another option is to find an adult who is related to you (or one of your newly forming gaming group) who may be interested in being a GM for your group of friends. I'll bet that you could find a parent who would be overjoyed to be asked to GM for a group of your friends!

Most important is keeping your mom involved so that she knows who you are playing with, what the game content is, etc.

Good Luck!

-Aaron


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Good time to start. Itchy's spot on about everything. My dad got me rolling in a group when I was 8 or 9, and I start running stuff with school friends in early high school. Worked well for me, and hopefully it does for you. :)

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 8

I would add to Itchy's suggestion that if you think of advertising at an FLGS, go with your mom to the store and ask the store owner if they have other people your age looking for a game--and if you do advertise, advertise that it is for your age. There's a lot of older teens and adults looking for games too, and you could run into problems similar to the problems with gaming online if you don't advertise at the right store and work to be sure you find a friendly environment in the store.

I agree with the suggestions that your best bet is finding friends at school to play with. Maybe you could try starting an RPG club at school? Maybe you or your mom knows of a teacher who would be open to the idea and help you get started.

Other options might be afterschool groups or church youth groups (if they are friendly to such things; mine was, others may not be).

Finally, I don't know if playing with family seems like a fun idea or a lame one, but maybe your mom and any other family members around might at least be a way to get started, so that when you get into other groups as you get older, you'll have some gameplay experience under your belt.


I also started playing D&D when I was 10 (which was a long time ago).

I think your mother is wise to keep you off the online groups. I will echo some of the other posters' advice: try starting a D&D after-school club at your school. I would be willing to bet that at least a few teachers have played D&D (or some other tabletop RPG) and that you would be able to convince one of them to advise the group.

If that isn't an option, your next best bet would be to get three or four if your friends together to play. You might try to ask your mom to buy you the Pathfinder Beginner Box, which is an excellent way to get started.

Good luck!

Grand Lodge

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Your mother is doing the smart thing, because most online groups are quite frankly, poison.

Otherwise go with Haladir's suggestion above.


Had to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sT54IEORII


There is a lot of good advice here, Adoendithas. I'm sure you and several of your friends share the same interests in movies, tv, books, video games, etc. Talk to them and explain what you're trying to do. Even if a parent or other responsible adult doesn't DM/GM the game, ask one to be present to help you with rules that you might not be familiar with or have difficulty in understanding (several of the rules can be a little tricky to understand). And having DM'd for a group of a half dozen 10 year olds before, things can get chaotic and confusing pretty fast.

If you have all the D&D books you need, just use them to start. Don't invest money in Pathfinder or another RPG until you and your friends decide whether or not you like these sorts of games. Then, branch out and have a blast! You'll never regret it.


Adoendithas,

If your Mom doesn't approve of the local gaming store (assuming there is one) try the local Library. See if the library will post a notice of interest for gamers like you. Getting homework done AND having some fun in a public place should calm your Mom's nerves.

When we started out with the original D&D, it was with a group of local friends and we met at one friend's house.

Not sure of your situation, but for us, we lived in the middle of nowhere and it was a challenge to get that group together. Good luck.


Ask your mom (or dad) if she would like to DM. I am a mom and I am DM-ing for my daughter (13 years old) and her three friends (14, 15 and 11 years old). We have been playing for a year now and everybody thinks it is great fun, including me.
Good luck with finding a group!


Adoendithas: There's a lot of good advice in this thread, and it's great that you are asking for advice — that's a sign of responsibility.

You might try showing your mom this forum thread you started so that you and she can talk about some of the suggestions together. That way, she'll see that you are trying to work with her and not against her. It may also reassure her to read what other parents have said.

If your mom has any questions about how to setup a group at school or church, she could ask in here or send a Private Message to someone who has already replied.

Good luck, and keep your mom in the loop. That way, she will know you are being trustworthy and responsible. :)

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