Hi! I'm running a middle school D&D club and I'm putting together what's basically a kid version of The DM's Guide haha. What kind of advice would you give for little DMs? (Keep in mind many of my students have very weak reading and writing skills, part of the reason for this club is my attempt at fighting illiteracy lol)
Having run clubs for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and on a college campus, the most important thing to impress upon anyone, but especially the younger ones, is that there is NOT a correct way to play D&D. Yes there are basic rules for combat, skill checks, etc, but the job of the DM is to be a referee, and guide the experience. The experience might be a dungeon crawl only, it might be one that includes roleplay. Either way, the DM needs to guide it so that everyone has fun and enjoys themselves. The game is about community and cooperativeness. Young kids do well with this when you ensure they do not introduce competition. They also do well when they realize that the dice determines the outcomes.
The most important thing I learned from the younger ones, be real with them. They understand far more than you think. And when you engage their creativity, that really shines through.
Lastly, as for the reading and writing, one way to work on that, is to encourage (never impose) that they write a backstory for their character. Offer to help guide them. Then when the game is running, encourage them to write a summary of their session. Did they fight BBEG? Did they discover something cool? Encourage them to write it, then, at next session, whoever did write it, give them a bonus of some kind. A free saving throw, a plus 1 to hit for that session only, something of that nature. Then, you ask the group to vote (secretly) on who had the coolest write up. Give that person a healing potion or something that might matter to their character. Maybe by the end of the school year, you take those experiences and put them together in a book for the next years club to read. The more you engage, the better it will be.
Hi! I'm running a middle school D&D club and I'm putting together what's basically a kid version of The DM's Guide haha. What kind of advice would you give for little DMs? (Keep in mind many of my students have very weak reading and writing skills, part of the reason for this club is my attempt at fighting illiteracy lol)
I would include many of the elements from this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTD2RZz6mlo&list=PLlUk42GiU2guNzWBzxn7hs8MaV7ELLCP_&index=3
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Having run clubs for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and on a college campus, the most important thing to impress upon anyone, but especially the younger ones, is that there is NOT a correct way to play D&D. Yes there are basic rules for combat, skill checks, etc, but the job of the DM is to be a referee, and guide the experience. The experience might be a dungeon crawl only, it might be one that includes roleplay. Either way, the DM needs to guide it so that everyone has fun and enjoys themselves. The game is about community and cooperativeness. Young kids do well with this when you ensure they do not introduce competition. They also do well when they realize that the dice determines the outcomes.
The most important thing I learned from the younger ones, be real with them. They understand far more than you think. And when you engage their creativity, that really shines through.
Lastly, as for the reading and writing, one way to work on that, is to encourage (never impose) that they write a backstory for their character. Offer to help guide them. Then when the game is running, encourage them to write a summary of their session. Did they fight BBEG? Did they discover something cool? Encourage them to write it, then, at next session, whoever did write it, give them a bonus of some kind. A free saving throw, a plus 1 to hit for that session only, something of that nature. Then, you ask the group to vote (secretly) on who had the coolest write up. Give that person a healing potion or something that might matter to their character. Maybe by the end of the school year, you take those experiences and put them together in a book for the next years club to read. The more you engage, the better it will be.