Monday 4 April 2011

Playing the OLD red box


It's never too early to introduce your kids to the games we play. Both my girls have grown up with their 'old mans' strange obsession with toy soldiers, but both have also painted miniatures and played games themselves. I might not have made lifelong gamers out of them but hopefully they have a better understanding of the hobby than regular folk.

This weekend I decided to run a quick and easy D&D game with my youngest daughter - or my Padawan Learner as I like to refer to her. She's six and has reached the age where she will sit down and play a game properly (she plays a mean game of Zombies). So instead of rushing out and buying Wizards of the Coasts new red box I dug out my old original game. These were the self same books I first learned to play D&D with nearly three decades ago (god I feel old).

I set up a straightforward dungeon based monster bash. It featured a simple objective (retrieve the magic gem) and a series of easy encounters with various archetype monsters and traps. I didn't want to focus too heavily on the rules - she is only 6 after all - instead concentrating on the collaborative storytelling and problem solving side of the game... just how it was designed to be.

She seemed to enjoy herself although I realize that that doesn't necessarily equate to her becoming a lifelong D&D player. However we both had a lot of fun and that ultimately is the main objective of any game. 

10 comments:

  1. I remember buying that so many moons ago. Lovely time I had as well. Nice to see your daughters taking an interest. I hope my little girl grows into gamer or a part time one.

    Cheers
    Christopher

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  2. Funny, most of us probably have gone through the same expeirience: from fantasy (D&D in my case too)+ table wargaming to historical minis. Have you tried Heroquest? My children love it and it's really easy to set up a game on a table. Recently we have also bought Talisman (reprinted last year here in Spain) and had a lot of fun evenings last Christmas.

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  3. I've got Heroquest and Talisman knocking around in a cupboard somewhere. Now and again we'll pull out a boardgame for a family 'game night' and I can see Heroquest filling that role easily.

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  4. Heroquest is brilliant - I did get all the expansion sets and made up many extra campaigns. All I need to do now is find them. Actually, the figures still need painting.....

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  5. Good to get them interested when they are so young and to enjoy it aswell and hang out with their cool dad.

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  6. It's great to play any game with your kids, I usually have to play Fairy Princess of Hungry Hippos!!

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  7. Good on ya...I´m trying to get my 6yr old daughter into painting bods...she aint that bad.
    Are they your own set of D&D?...I´ve still got mine but they look like they have been used for wedging the door open.
    Cheers
    paul

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  8. That sounds like it'll remain a really good memory for later.

    I do feel sorry for Ray if everybody else grabs up the Hungry Hippo parts and he has to play the other one. That'd be terrible.

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  9. That's cool to play D&D with your daughter. We had a regular game going for a while. Great fun and a good way to spend time together.

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  10. Thats great Lee. My son is turning 5 in May and I pulled out my red box as well... hes just too young still. By the time we realize it theyll be teenagers.....

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