A few months ago, I received a startling call from my sister. Turns out, her oldest son Aiden (who will be 9 in Oct.) ran across a reference to Dungeons & Dragons and became interested in reading about it. I pondered briefly how best to indoctrinate my nephew into the roleplaying fold. Should Aiden be thrust into the rules-heavy editions of today? Or should he be weaned in the same manner I was? One look at the above picture tells you which way I went.
I was fortunate enough to locate a complete and intact Basic Rules red box from www.hitpointe.com for, what I considered to be, a fair price. There's so much D&D history that I want Aiden to be exposed to if he decides to pursue this course. The older editions like the basic one featured here may be a bit clunky rules-wise but one cannot deny the air of freedom it gives. It was written at a time in which roleplaying itself was just finding its place in the world and the promise of a golden future of gaming was at hand. I think one can say the same about a 9-year-old's life too.
As it was with my own formative years, I can only hope that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between a boy and his imagination.
2 comments:
The early 1980s Basic D&D set is the perfect introduction into gaming for a young gamer, IMO. It's easy to understand, covers all the essential elements for a good game, and doesn't get bogged down in detail.
Newer games sometimes get too clever for their own good. 3.5 and 4E are well-designed systems, but they can get bogged down in crunch, and I think they're more designed for older gamers than for kids.
You picked a great introduction for gaming for a 9-year old. Great job!
Thanks, Mike. We turned out pretty good so I guess the red box isn't a bad way to begin. My nephew just asked my sister recently if I was actually going to send anything (it took me awhile to find a complete set that wasn't cost prohibitive). Happy that it will make his day!
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