DnD For the Kids

My most read post on this blog thus far has not been about getting kids into D&D but rather how I made my Waterdeep Dragon Heist kit . This was an artsy-craftsy, "How did he do that?" kind of post. It all started when I posted a photo of my table in the Dungeons & Dads group on Facebook. I had a lot of folks asking where I got my stuff. I put forward my best attempt at a how-to post for design artifacts for my Waterdeep Dragon Heist game. I love making stuff for may games, and had a great time putting that post together. At the time, I was just a guy trying to live the Beadle & Grimm's lifestyle on a Dollar Tree budget. I also noted that if my readers had more money than time, Beadle & Grimm was the way to go. It turns out that may or may not be the case. B&G & NFTs Now with talk going around about the Beadle & Grimm's owners jumping on the Blockchain Bandwagon, maybe you want to live the Beadle Grimm Lifestyle without the guilt of su...

So, I finally did it! I had the opportunity and support to start a D&D club at my Middle School building. Now this isn't a big after-school program or anything. This happens during the school day in our "clubs period" every other Tuesday. Joined by my friend and colleague, Jared Reck  (read his books!), I ventured to come up with a club that would introduce our students to this awesome hobby.  The Setup The advertisement we put in our middle school clubs catalog looked like this:  D&D is exceptionally inclusive. All you need to join is an imagination . Playing is like creating infinite stories that you and your friends write—and rewrite and re-rewrite—together. You’re all active participants in writing a unique adventure through different, fantastical worlds and scenarios. There is no winner. Instead, the goal is to deepen your understanding of your character by interacting with other players and their shared environment. Participation in tabletop cooperative role...

So, it's been awhile... I have been busy! I'm normally a pretty busy dude, what with teaching, coaching Esports, caring for my family, and running all over creation because I co-parent with someone who lives an hour away from me. But let's take a look at what's new:  Moving (I'm moving into an old farmhouse that is still being renovated - I have no kitchen) Teaching (teaching is hard this year... so many new responsibilities with so little time!) Dungeon Mastering I'm still dungeon mastering for a group of adults at home. I'm still dungeon mastering for 2 groups of kids at home. Running D&D club at my school (I started a D&D club at school! Kids are dungeon mastering and playing!) Yeah, so I've been busy. I have a lot to share with you in coming weeks, but here's a preview: Starting a D&D Club Starting a D&D club at school or elsewhere?? I have slide presentations galore to share for you to steal and modify! Look forward to this post ...

I was recently listening to a conversation with Dael Kingsmill & BardicBroadcasts on Questing Beast's Youtube Channel. The discussion was titled, "Why DnD Is So Great", but the group covered many different topics. If any of you spend a lot of your life commuting or driving children all over creation, it's a great conversation to listen to in the car.  Anyway, the topic of Wizards of the Coast's big campaign books came up in the second section of the video, entitled "Most nostalgic module". All of the panelists seemed to make the assertion that they're too big, too cumbersome, and too much of a plot railroad. I think it was Dael who said something to the effect of, "I don't even know what to do with them". I do use Campaign books when running games for the kids, and I'd like to talk about how I think we got here, some of the benefits of the campaign books, what I miss about the old days, and strategies for applying these books...

Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash Do you have a D&D / TTRPG Gamer or Dungeon Master in your life? Trying to figure out what to get them that goes with their favorite hobby, but they buy every book as soon as it's published?  Are you a TTRPG gamer or DM and have no idea what to ask for?  Well, here's my Holiday Gift Guide for the TTRPG enthusiast in your life. Remember, I DM for kids, on a budget, so I'm not going to be recommending any crazy expensive custom engraved wooden dice boxes, $98 Chardalyn Dragon Minis, or Dwarven Forge setups.  These are all gifts that I would love to get or that I plan to get for the other tabletop gamers in my life. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, there are numerous gift-giving opportunities this season and those that come after, so enjoy this guide. May it help you buy cool gifts all the year through!  Top Pick: Pretty much anything from Loke BattleMats Okay, I don't know how I made it as far as I did without discovering L...