My 5 year old had a blast. She can't read yet, but she's watched us play her whole life so she's got a rough grasp of the game. I taught her which dice was which, explained the different character rolls. She looked at me, face set with determination, "Daddy, I want to play a Dwarf Fighter. I want a big sword so I can hit stuff." I swelled with pride. My daughter knew what she wanted to play, why she wanted to play it, and what her character was capable of. We bought her stats, picked her abilities, chose a miniature for her ("That one, Daddy. It has a pink cape!") set the Dungeon Tiles out and got started.
In no time, she encountered her first monster - a Goblin Minion. She quickly dispatched it and moved on to her next encounter. Round after round of furious dice rolling she had killed the evil wizard and his summoned minions, looted the treasure and returned home safe and sound with a new level under her belt.
We did this while her brothers were napping. The next day, only one of her brothers took a nap, the other being far to wired from stealing some of mommy's coffee that morning. So we rolled him a Tiefling Warlock , which he picked because it had the coolest picture. His idea of "rolling to hit" means tossing the dice at the miniatures, so it was frustrating for his sister, but she endured as I knew she would. Well, Mommy came out on her lunch break and quickly rolled a Dragonborn Cleric.
We had a family party. Our youngest (the very definition of Terrible Twos) joined us during our third session and helped me roll dice and pick out monsters. All in all, we've been having a blast. Just 1-2 encounters, helping the kids with number recognition, counting, math, and the other skills that D&D teaches on a basic level.
But what's more important than teaching the kids new skills is coming together as a family and leaving memories that will last a lifetime.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Intro
It is important to understand that my family is entirely made up of gamers. My poor mother (and my mother in law) is probably the odd duck. My dad played strategy games growing up, those board games that evolved into today's popular RTS and 4X games. My family grew up on Hero's Quest, Final Fantasy, D&D, and any other type of game you could find. My wife's father played Dungeons and Dragons when it was called Chainmail and came in a green box. She can remember being a small toddler, sitting in her daddy's lap, rolling his dice for him.
Now a days, I find myself playing World of Warcraft instead of table top games. Why? Convenience. Sure, I have a monthly subscription fee, but ask any gamer how much they spend monthly on video games, and I guarantee it'll be less than $15. I know that during my hey day in Magic: the Gathering, I used to drop well over $300 a month on cards.
But back to the convenience of an online game. I don't have to put the kids to bed to do a couple of quests. I don't have to find a babysitter to do a couple of dungeons with the wife. Sure, it can be monotonous to do the same raid week in and week out, but if you're with a good group of people, chances are you're having fun.
This works great when you're kids aren't old enough to care whats going on. A 2 year old is gonna be more interested in the plugs behind your computer than in the video game you're playing. But what about when they get older? What about when they turn 5, or 6, or even 12?
A friend of mine has started doing an after-school D&D campaign with his three boys, the oldest being 10 and the youngest 5. My 5 year old, I know, wants to play D&D with us on the weekends and was devastated when we made her stay home with the babysitter. So, what to do?
Over the next few weeks, I'll be discussing ideas on how to help bring your family closer together through gaming, as well as influence their education and social skills.
Now a days, I find myself playing World of Warcraft instead of table top games. Why? Convenience. Sure, I have a monthly subscription fee, but ask any gamer how much they spend monthly on video games, and I guarantee it'll be less than $15. I know that during my hey day in Magic: the Gathering, I used to drop well over $300 a month on cards.
But back to the convenience of an online game. I don't have to put the kids to bed to do a couple of quests. I don't have to find a babysitter to do a couple of dungeons with the wife. Sure, it can be monotonous to do the same raid week in and week out, but if you're with a good group of people, chances are you're having fun.
This works great when you're kids aren't old enough to care whats going on. A 2 year old is gonna be more interested in the plugs behind your computer than in the video game you're playing. But what about when they get older? What about when they turn 5, or 6, or even 12?
A friend of mine has started doing an after-school D&D campaign with his three boys, the oldest being 10 and the youngest 5. My 5 year old, I know, wants to play D&D with us on the weekends and was devastated when we made her stay home with the babysitter. So, what to do?
Over the next few weeks, I'll be discussing ideas on how to help bring your family closer together through gaming, as well as influence their education and social skills.
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