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Post by stonetoflesh on Nov 15, 2008 16:15:11 GMT -6
I didn't know it when I went in to work this morning that today is "National Gaming Day at the Library." As part of the initiative, this branch's children's department received a bunch of games including two copies of the "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set." The other librarian on duty knew I was a D&D player, so she said I should just run some D&D games today for kids.
Good thing I had my binder with the OD&D PDFs in them and some extra dice in my bag... None of this sissy 4th edition stuff, these kids are getting an introduction to the real thing!
This morning's adventure was pretty good, although it didn't last too long. Not because of TPKs or anything like that, it was just tough to keep a stable group of players for more than 30 minutes or so because their library time was limited. I wish this had happened on a weekday afternoon when the after-school crowd comes in to loiter for hours on end...
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jrients
Level 6 Magician
Posts: 411
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Post by jrients on Nov 15, 2008 18:48:15 GMT -6
Excellent work, nightlamp! I have hopes that next year that we can organize effort to run games at this event.
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Post by stonetoflesh on Nov 15, 2008 19:48:10 GMT -6
There were some kids who really dug the game, and I think (and hope) they will come looking to use the library's D&D materials in the future. Now I just need to replace the 4e-intro rulebooks in the box sets with OD&D, Swords & Wizardry, or some similarly flexible old-school ruleset to keep them on the shining path...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2008 21:41:40 GMT -6
An EXALT to you, nightlamp, for spreading the OD&D word!
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Post by kesher on Nov 16, 2008 10:21:52 GMT -6
Nightlamp, a couple of questions: 1. How old were these kids? 2. Was it a public library, or a school library? 3. How many kids did you have playing at one time? 4. What adventure were you running? Okay, I guess that was more than a couple...  And, fwiw, I'v gone over the 4th ed Starter Rules pretty extensively, and it ain't so bad, imo, anyhow. Of course, I don't think you would've been able to actually just pick it up and play like you can with ODD. Whatever it takes to get 'em hooked... Dragonborn as a gateway drug! I just think it's awesome that someone decided DnD of whatever stripe should be included in a National Game Day! |
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Post by stonetoflesh on Nov 16, 2008 18:54:28 GMT -6
Nightlamp, a couple of questions: 1. How old were these kids? 2. Was it a public library, or a school library? 3. How many kids did you have playing at one time? 4. What adventure were you running? 1. 9-12 years old + one in his 30s (see below) 2. public library branch, in the children's room 3. I had two groups total -- one at a time, morning and afternoon. Morning was 1 girl and 1 boy, and after the girl left the boy's dad sat in and played her character. The boy and his father had played some 3.5e previously, so they were familiar with how rpgs run and they really got into it. (Fortunately no one asked me anything about feats or skills, which strikes me as a testament to OD&D's flexibility and emphasis on player skill rather than character stats.) The second group was 3 boys. I asked them if they played any rpgs online (Runescape, Guild Wars, etc.); their familiarity with classes, attributes, etc. really helped when it came to rolling characters and explaining the game. At first they seemed somewhat hesitant, but soon they got into it and we played for about 2.5 hours, only stopping because two of them had to leave. 4. The adventures were 100% improvised, with some consideration given to the various dungeon tiles included in the box set. (I used a mix of tiles and paper sketches to help describe their environments.) The first one was more structured - a quest to defeat an evil wizard, modeled on the 5-Room Dungeons format. The second was more in the exploratory, freebooting spirit of OD&D - "you have heard of great treasures in this ruined monastery, but beware of the foul monsters and strange enchantments therein." The other children's librarian on duty was blown away by the kids' enthusiasm and the potential value of RPG play in the library. Now she wants to learn the game so she can run sessions at her regular branch once it re-opens. We may even end up offering "workshops" for other branch librarians interesting in hosting regular games...  Edit to add: regarding 4e, I'm pretty much ambivalent about it. If I had more prep time I probably would have read and used the intro rules (or at least its "OD&D-ized" skeleton), but as things stood I felt much more comfortable using something tried-and-true. |
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Post by grodog on Nov 19, 2008 19:58:44 GMT -6
Wow, this was a total sleeper on the industry lists I'm on: no one was talking about this.
Any word on who the organizer/sponsor for it is---WotC, GAMA, etc.?
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Post by grodog on Nov 19, 2008 20:06:57 GMT -6
Hmmm, I did a little digging, and it sounds like this was pretty-well sponsored, just not promoted much in the gaming communities: ilovelibraries.org/gaming/ |
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Post by stonetoflesh on Nov 19, 2008 20:42:55 GMT -6
Here's the American Library Association blurb: www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/mediapresscenter/presskits/nationalgamingday2008/nationalgamingdaytoolkit.cfmThe cynic in me sees a devious marketing ploy by Wizbro to boost their numbers... On a more positive note... Based on our experience Saturday, a librarian colleague and I are hoping to run workshops for librarians interested in hosting regular RPG sessions for kids and teens at their branches. I've been working on an outline for the workshop (short lecture, followed by an OD&D session and some Q&A); if anyone wants to see it, PM me and I'll send it to you-- any feedback or suggestions would be appreciated! |
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Post by grodog on Nov 20, 2008 14:10:29 GMT -6
I'd be happy to check it out, nightlamp. I taught an old after-school program in the 1980s for grade-school kids to learn D&D, and would be happy to compare notes. I have the outlines and such somewhere in my attic (I think), and have been thinking about digging them up....
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Post by dwayanu on Nov 23, 2008 12:45:30 GMT -6
There's something to remember for next year!
It would pretty neat if the board had a calendar feature ...
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Post by stonetoflesh on Dec 11, 2008 0:21:15 GMT -6
UPDATE: I was surprised to learn the other day that the branch where I ran OD&D (where I just happened to be assigned on 11/15) was the only one (of 28) in the city that participated in National Gaming Day at the Library. Strange forces may be at work here...
I've been further developing my gaming-at-the-library presentation outline, doing research and getting some good feedback from other gamers and librarians. A couple colleagues have already expressed their enthusiasm, and the soon-to-be Branch Liaison is hoping I can start offering "Dungeons & Librarians" workshops for interested branch librarians in the spring!
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Post by calithena on Dec 11, 2008 8:21:16 GMT -6
This warms my heart to read about. This was the kind of play I started with back in the seventies, at my local public library RPG club.
One issue we have today is with 'gear'. No matter what we run, excited kids are going to go out and find 4e or maybe 3e books to play it with if they go to the stores.
Since Labyrinth Lord is actually in the distribution networks it might be good to use that as a default for promotion, especially if you can get your library or local bookstore to order a copy. When I run I still use the brown books and will probably continue to until I get my own ruleset out (which, given the work with Fight On!, will probably not be happening any time soon), but if I were trying to build a local scene I'd look at Labyrinth Lord, Mongoose's recent Dragon Warriors, and maybe Tunnels & Trolls as core games that people could actually order and stock.
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Post by chgowiz on Dec 11, 2008 11:04:18 GMT -6
When will they start advertising/organizing for the 2009 day?
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Post by stonetoflesh on Dec 11, 2008 14:08:58 GMT -6
This warms my heart to read about. This was the kind of play I started with back in the seventies, at my local public library RPG club. One issue we have today is with 'gear'. No matter what we run, excited kids are going to go out and find 4e or maybe 3e books to play it with if they go to the stores. Since Labyrinth Lord is actually in the distribution networks it might be good to use that as a default for promotion, especially if you can get your library or local bookstore to order a copy. When I run I still use the brown books and will probably continue to until I get my own ruleset out (which, given the work with Fight On!, will probably not be happening any time soon), but if I were trying to build a local scene I'd look at Labyrinth Lord, Mongoose's recent Dragon Warriors, and maybe Tunnels & Trolls as core games that people could actually order and stock. Thanks for the suggestions. I haven't looked at Dragon Warriors, but LL is on my annotated recommendation list as is Swords & Wizardry and Castles & Crusades. (D&D 3.x and 4e are both conspicuously absent, for reasons I explain on the list.) I didn't even think of Tunnels & Trolls, which is silly of me since there's a copy of the 5th ed. sitting on my shelf! Any thoughts about good non-fantasy games to include? Mongoose Traveller, Mutant Future, and Mercenaries, Spies, & Private Eyes are currently on the list... With regard to the unfortunate reality of "gear creep"... I'm hoping to emphasize in my workshop presentation the DIY nature of old-school gaming, and encourage librarians to foster that spirit in their branch RPG clubs by hosting workshop-style events for map making, adventure writing, setting design, etc. |
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Post by stonetoflesh on Dec 11, 2008 14:11:21 GMT -6
When will they start advertising/organizing for the 2009 day? I'm not sure. You may want to check with your local library to see if they're even aware of the event's existence. Then, if you feel so led, you could inquire about running games for kids or contributing in some other way. |
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Post by calithena on Dec 11, 2008 14:30:51 GMT -6
MSPE and Mutant Future are fantastic choices IMO. But again, I'd focus on games in the distro network - I don't know if MF is or not.
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Post by chgowiz on Dec 11, 2008 15:01:09 GMT -6
When will they start advertising/organizing for the 2009 day? I'm not sure. You may want to check with your local library to see if they're even aware of the event's existence. Then, if you feel so led, you could inquire about running games for kids or contributing in some other way. Thanks! I've got notes in my google calendar to start asking about midway through 2009, but perhaps I should ask sooner? Would OSRIC or Swords/Wizardry be in the "distribution network"? It would be great to do some "old school" examples. Even perhaps use one of the d20 lite variants? |
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Post by dwayanu on Dec 11, 2008 18:27:27 GMT -6
If "the distribution network" is defined as the shelves of the local "geekdom" stockist or branch of a bookseller's chain, then even Labyrinth Lord may not make the cut. It beats me why my FLGS has a copy of Mongoose's Spinward Marches, but not the core book for that version of Traveller; the shop requires prepayment for special orders, and anything RPG apart from WotC D&D (4E plus a heap of 3E back stock likely to be remaindered eventually) , World of Darkness, Pathfinder, Warhammer, Rifts and GURPS (plus perhaps a few I overlooked) is "off the radar" nearly to the extent that it may as well not exist. Someone apparently thought it a bright idea to invest in Mongoose RQ, including multiple copies of the Ducks supplement!?? Never heard of the award-winning (and apparently well-selling) Aces & Eights! Reissues of Dragon Warriors and Titan = Whazzat? As the other stock in trade is superhero comicbooks, I'd think Mutants & Masterminds a natural ...
... but to grasp the thought processes of the worthies who manage games shops probably calls for a Sanity check.
As I'm not an employee of a company's marketing department, I don't see why I should feel bound by such concerns when conducting an event in a publicly funded venue. To the contrary, it seems more appropriate to demo something readily accessible by free download from the Internet. By analogy, the mission of the Extension Service for farmers and gardeners is not to sell Archer Daniels Midland or Monsanto.
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Post by badger2305 on Dec 11, 2008 21:43:16 GMT -6
You can still get Classic Traveller from Far Futures - both the three booklet reprint and Books 0-8.
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Post by calithena on Dec 11, 2008 21:53:59 GMT -6
Depends what you're doing, Dwayanu.
If you want a library, bookstore, etc. to buy or stock a copy of a game, it may (not will, but may) be easier to do this if they can order it through a distributor. People want to avoid hassles so they use small numbers of distributors as sources.
If you're forming a tight social group this is all irrelevant. The issue is if you're trying to introduce a play-practice and you want the stuff to be 'around' in your area to support that, as opposed to all being on lulu or some website or whatever.
On the other hand, who knows, maybe it's cooler if you have to look for it. And maybe the kids now buy everything on the web anyway. I'm not an expert on this stuff. I was just speculating that games in the distro network had a better chance of being picked up by ordinary folks for libraries and local stores.
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Post by dwayanu on Dec 11, 2008 22:15:39 GMT -6
Not so bloody much better a chance, when Castles & Crusades was as far as I could see some obscure flash in the pan -- not the blazingly contentious item it is online. Now that I've bought the only copy of it in town, it is nothing hereabouts (as opposed to formerly a lonely book in the discount pile).
(Wish I knew then what I know now about the passions at a certain forum ...)
Option A must be bought (for $20, $30 or more) sight unseen. Option B costs nothing but downloading capability to see in PDF. The 'net is the new showroom, complete with test drive! Plus such gentlemen as Matthew and Stuart, Daniel and Geoffrey, who will not only pay attention to your inquiries but have well-informed and thoughtful answers!
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Post by stonetoflesh on Dec 12, 2008 13:11:07 GMT -6
In my annotated recommendation list I try to strike a balance between normally-distributed and PDF/POD games. I own print copies of nearly all the games on the list (except for a couple retro-clone pdfs), so local librarians who attend my workshop can evaluate the materials firsthand.
I also suggest that librarians make these games non-circulating items (library use only), unless they are cheaply replaced; otherwise, experience tells me that they will be stolen or checked out and never returned. If kids want their own copies, we'll be glad to direct them to the appropriate store/website. We also have printers, so if they want to shell out $0.10 per page we'll help them out.
Hmm, maybe we could do an artsy-craftsy workshop on PDF-printout bookbinding...
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Post by dwayanu on Dec 12, 2008 17:29:01 GMT -6
The bookbinding workshop is a great idea!
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