I've been slowly introducing gaming at the school where I teach--miniature modeling and painting, table top wargaming, and recently we've started experimenting with rolling up characters. They are very excited about starting a club. I, however, have never ran a club in my entire career. If anyone has any pointers, do's and don'ts, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, how would I share my Beyond account with students if we were to actually form this club?
I run a club for 12-15 year olds at a local library and honestly it's one of the best things I do, highlight of my week. If you're at a school where you teach then I'm sure someone there can talk you through the logistics of setting up an after school club but here's my advice on the D&D specific parts:
For sharing your DDB account all you need to do is start a campaign and let the players join. So long as at least one member in the campaign (I'm guessing you but it can be a player) has a Master Tier subscription for $6 a month everyone in the campaign can share everything owned by everyone else. It's worth noting that the players can download and read the books you are sharing but if they're creating characters they'll only have access to the free character options unless they're creating characters in the campaign.
For making the club managable how many members are you talking? When we started we had 11 and only one DM which was exhausting and barely manageable trying to get 11 players to agree on anything, we've now got two DMs and one of the kids is preparing to DM his first campaign so hopefully soon we'll have three games running and be able to accept new members. Guess what I'm saying is try to get your party to a size that you can actually run a game without going insane, 4-6 is usually the sweet spot so if you've got more see if anyone else wants to DM a second group.
As for what campaign to run, especially if you've got one of the kids running a party as well, I'd start simple with one of the starter friendly campaigns like Lost Mines of Phandelver, Dragon of Ice Spire Peak or Dragons of Storm Wreck Isle. If you've got multiple parties running with inexperienced DMs we've found it really helpful to be running the same campaign, you'll all end up at different points depending on how quickly everyone plays but you can share tips and experiences and it helps build excitement with the players as they gossip and do the "you've not faced the X yet? Oh wow, you're going to die" thing. Once you've all got your feet under the table you can be a bit more adventurous on the second campaign and each do different things and offer players a choice what they want to do
Thanks, this is really helpful. I think I've got three who are serious about it, but maybe as many as six to eight more who are curious. I think I could handle eight. Only two them have any experience with the game, but I don't think enough to run a game. I was actually thinking of starting them on the updated Keep on the Borderlands adventure. An additional question--have you had any push back from concerned parents, etc. and how did you deal with it?
Also just to add, there are actually a bunch of resources available for setting up school clubs. I personally haven't used them myself as I don't work in a school, but you might find them useful.
Thanks, this is really helpful. I think I've got three who are serious about it, but maybe as many as six to eight more who are curious. I think I could handle eight. Only two them have any experience with the game, but I don't think enough to run a game. I was actually thinking of starting them on the updated Keep on the Borderlands adventure. An additional question--have you had any push back from concerned parents, etc. and how did you deal with it?
We've had no push back at all which has been really nice, the parents have all been really supportive and give us lovely feedback about how much the kids enjoy it and several asked which books or accessories they could buy for their children for Christmas. I do however live in England so we tend to have a lot fewer religious people than some areas of the US and the old "satanic panic" thing of the 70s and 80s never really got going over here
lol Oh, I experienced it first hand. Some ladies from church told my mom she shouldn't let me listen to rock and metal, read comics, watch sci-fi, and especially not play D&D!
I've been running a DND club at my middle school for the last couple of years and have done gaming clubs before that.
I pretty much just let the kids run it. They organized themselves into RP groups and have their own DMs. I just provide the adult supervision.
I second signing up for the WotC school program, though. They sent us a copy of Stormwreck and one each of the DM kit and the Encounter kit. With the size of the group you're talking about, it sounds like it would be a perfect set of tools to start the group off with.
So, I have no experience with clubs, but my recommendation is to find students who will DM. Preferably three if you have enough people for at least three players per DM.
Have them run Dragon of Icespire Peak. This is basically a bunch of quests that the players can choose from, starting with 3 quests. Basically, the players would round-robin with the DMs until everyone has completed the first three quests. This gives the DMs a chance to run the same quest multiple times, and will really give them a chance to see how different players play the same quest. I think it's very valuable experience.
Once the first three quests are done, introduce the next three. Rinse and repeat until the adventure is done. There are some optional quests that you can skip if needed. The first three quests can usually be finished in about 3 hours, but the later quests can take up to six. If you're worried about some groups finishing earlier than others, then have the DMs prepare some encounters they can run to fill in the time. This is a good opportunity to develop content.
Also, meet with just your DMs and let them DM the quests to each other. This gives them a chance to play, and it's a good opportunity to figure out rules and solicit feedback. And it's great practice for their club meetings.
And whatever you do, DON'T DM. Wander the room and help answer questions and adjudicate rules.
I was wondering if you had any guidelines, club rules, things like that you might could share with me?
To be honest the only “club” rules I have for a group of 12 year olds are the same ones I have for my adult group of 40 somethings; don’t be d***s to each other, respect each other’s personal boundaries, we’re all (including me as DM) here to have fun so speak up if you’re not having fun and do each other the curtesy of listening to each other and me when we’re talking or role playing. So far it’s been going well just like that although the last one is a lot harder with the kids than the adults just because they’re more excitable and tend to all talk at once.
The only real extra thing I needed for the club is more to do with the parents and that’s please do me and the other DM the curtesy of letting us know if your children can’t make it so we’re not hanging on waiting for people who never turn up before we start to play. Sadly that’s also been the hardest rule to get people to stick to
I've been slowly introducing gaming at the school where I teach--miniature modeling and painting, table top wargaming, and recently we've started experimenting with rolling up characters. They are very excited about starting a club. I, however, have never ran a club in my entire career. If anyone has any pointers, do's and don'ts, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, how would I share my Beyond account with students if we were to actually form this club?
I run a club for 12-15 year olds at a local library and honestly it's one of the best things I do, highlight of my week. If you're at a school where you teach then I'm sure someone there can talk you through the logistics of setting up an after school club but here's my advice on the D&D specific parts:
For sharing your DDB account all you need to do is start a campaign and let the players join. So long as at least one member in the campaign (I'm guessing you but it can be a player) has a Master Tier subscription for $6 a month everyone in the campaign can share everything owned by everyone else. It's worth noting that the players can download and read the books you are sharing but if they're creating characters they'll only have access to the free character options unless they're creating characters in the campaign.
For making the club managable how many members are you talking? When we started we had 11 and only one DM which was exhausting and barely manageable trying to get 11 players to agree on anything, we've now got two DMs and one of the kids is preparing to DM his first campaign so hopefully soon we'll have three games running and be able to accept new members. Guess what I'm saying is try to get your party to a size that you can actually run a game without going insane, 4-6 is usually the sweet spot so if you've got more see if anyone else wants to DM a second group.
As for what campaign to run, especially if you've got one of the kids running a party as well, I'd start simple with one of the starter friendly campaigns like Lost Mines of Phandelver, Dragon of Ice Spire Peak or Dragons of Storm Wreck Isle. If you've got multiple parties running with inexperienced DMs we've found it really helpful to be running the same campaign, you'll all end up at different points depending on how quickly everyone plays but you can share tips and experiences and it helps build excitement with the players as they gossip and do the "you've not faced the X yet? Oh wow, you're going to die" thing. Once you've all got your feet under the table you can be a bit more adventurous on the second campaign and each do different things and offer players a choice what they want to do
Good luck
Thanks, this is really helpful. I think I've got three who are serious about it, but maybe as many as six to eight more who are curious. I think I could handle eight. Only two them have any experience with the game, but I don't think enough to run a game. I was actually thinking of starting them on the updated Keep on the Borderlands adventure. An additional question--have you had any push back from concerned parents, etc. and how did you deal with it?
Also just to add, there are actually a bunch of resources available for setting up school clubs. I personally haven't used them myself as I don't work in a school, but you might find them useful.
https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/educators
We've had no push back at all which has been really nice, the parents have all been really supportive and give us lovely feedback about how much the kids enjoy it and several asked which books or accessories they could buy for their children for Christmas. I do however live in England so we tend to have a lot fewer religious people than some areas of the US and the old "satanic panic" thing of the 70s and 80s never really got going over here
Greatly appreciated.
lol Oh, I experienced it first hand. Some ladies from church told my mom she shouldn't let me listen to rock and metal, read comics, watch sci-fi, and especially not play D&D!
I've been running a DND club at my middle school for the last couple of years and have done gaming clubs before that.
I pretty much just let the kids run it. They organized themselves into RP groups and have their own DMs. I just provide the adult supervision.
I second signing up for the WotC school program, though. They sent us a copy of Stormwreck and one each of the DM kit and the Encounter kit. With the size of the group you're talking about, it sounds like it would be a perfect set of tools to start the group off with.
So, I have no experience with clubs, but my recommendation is to find students who will DM. Preferably three if you have enough people for at least three players per DM.
Have them run Dragon of Icespire Peak. This is basically a bunch of quests that the players can choose from, starting with 3 quests. Basically, the players would round-robin with the DMs until everyone has completed the first three quests. This gives the DMs a chance to run the same quest multiple times, and will really give them a chance to see how different players play the same quest. I think it's very valuable experience.
Once the first three quests are done, introduce the next three. Rinse and repeat until the adventure is done. There are some optional quests that you can skip if needed. The first three quests can usually be finished in about 3 hours, but the later quests can take up to six. If you're worried about some groups finishing earlier than others, then have the DMs prepare some encounters they can run to fill in the time. This is a good opportunity to develop content.
Also, meet with just your DMs and let them DM the quests to each other. This gives them a chance to play, and it's a good opportunity to figure out rules and solicit feedback. And it's great practice for their club meetings.
And whatever you do, DON'T DM. Wander the room and help answer questions and adjudicate rules.
Good luck!
I was wondering if you had any guidelines, club rules, things like that you might could share with me?
To be honest the only “club” rules I have for a group of 12 year olds are the same ones I have for my adult group of 40 somethings; don’t be d***s to each other, respect each other’s personal boundaries, we’re all (including me as DM) here to have fun so speak up if you’re not having fun and do each other the curtesy of listening to each other and me when we’re talking or role playing. So far it’s been going well just like that although the last one is a lot harder with the kids than the adults just because they’re more excitable and tend to all talk at once.
The only real extra thing I needed for the club is more to do with the parents and that’s please do me and the other DM the curtesy of letting us know if your children can’t make it so we’re not hanging on waiting for people who never turn up before we start to play. Sadly that’s also been the hardest rule to get people to stick to