I used D&D to teach history to my kids and some other kids (nieces, nephews and friends kids) as part of our homeschooling program. The PCs were in a futuristic setting where they would enter a holodeck-type thing that would recreate different places and moments in history. I would look up historical or mythological events to use as the backdrop and details about the locations, then crafted the adventures around that. The players were permitted to use their own knowledge about the people, places and events during the session and there were rewards for doing so, which promoted doing independent research. We ran sessions once a week during the first 4 weeks of the month (taking the 5th week off if our game day came up 5 times in a month). Each session opened with a player volunteering to recap the events of the previous session and the other players being asked to add in extra details that they remember. The players were expected to take notes during the session and then convert their notes into a letter or an essay, which they had to turn into me. After the last session of the month, there was a test of sorts - I would ask them questions about the culture, the historical event that they took part in, and the people and places they were introduced to. The test was kind of a group test - individuals would be called on to answer the question first, then it would be opened to the group to add on to the answer. Our first setting was ancient Greece. The first session had the players exploring one of the city-states and meeting Plato. They then went to Crete and into the Labyrinth, learning about the myths surrounding that and the minotaur. Then they helped the Greeks prepare for war and fought in the Battle of Marathon. Next we went to ancient Egypt and learned about the pyramids, the Sphynx and the Nile River, amongst other things. And then we started to explore ancient China at the end of the Han Dynasty. That was where we stopped playing because I was too busy with work to research stuff for the adventures and some of the kids in the group had gotten into extracurriculars that created schedule conflicts. But up until that point, things had been going well - the kids were remembering a lot of the details that were being presented and some of them did a lot of research on their own, they were all getting good at taking notes and translating those into different writing formats, and they were having fun doing it all.
I work in my school district and my buddy works as a nurse at one of the schools, he opened up a DND club! He even got a 3d printer so the kids can make their own little figures!! It’s so awesome
This video needs to be four times longer. We want more roleplay advice from Jane! In particular, she'd be a great resource for playing Evil characters that don't destroy the party.
They're Pinky...they're Pinky and the Jane, Jane, Jane, Jane-Jane, Jane-Jane, Jane, Jane Jane, Jane, Jane, Jane-Jane, Jane-Jane, Jane, Jane They're Pinky...they're Pinky and the Jane! 🎶
_"How do I act so well?"_ by Sir Ian McKellen. _"What I do is... I pretend to be the person I'm portraying in the film or play... Case in point,_ Lord of the Rings. _Peter Jackson comes from New Zealand, says to me, 'I want you to be Gandalf the Wizard'. And I say to him, 'You are aware that I am not really a wizard.' And he said, 'Yes, I am aware of that. What I want you to do is use your acting skills to portray the wizard for the duration of the film.'"_ _"And this is what I did: I imagined what it would be like to be a wizard. And then I pretended and acted in that way on the day."_ ~ As explained in the documentary _Extras._ Master that skill and you too can be a great roleplayer!
Creating your character's back story as you play is some of the best advice you can give about character creation, it's something I tell all my players old and new. I find that you don't really know your character until you actually play them
"As long as you and your party are having fun, you're doing it right." Why is this such a hard concept to grasp for way too many D&D players? Play D&D vanilla, play any of the other editions, hack D&D until it's not even D&D any more! Are you all having fun? Yes? Then you're doing it right!
Oh wow I needed this comment. About to start my first campaign and I’m so scared I’ll mess up bc I’ve already been told I’m “not playing it right” and that my group is “a bunch of amateurs.” Feel a little better now :)
I haven’t played in over 30 years; not since high school in the old AD&D TSR days. My children are very interested and These videos are incredible. Thank You
What are lovely coverage of the basics helping folks to dip their toe into the lovely pool of role play. Don’t be too afraid to ruffle a couple feathers but just don’t get anyone’s back up. you’ll feel out the group and know what’s right!
Loving this series of basics with Jane! Since D&D has become so popular, I think some of the best role playing advice beyond just have fun is new players need to try and not compare their role playing skills (or lack of) to polished D&D productions like Oxventure, and Critical Role. These shows have helped D&D grow, but they feature professional actors & influencers who've been playing D&D for decades who posses story telling skills the average player might not have, yet. That's OK, and the emphasis should be on friendships and having fun on a casual level with room to grow.
Critical Role & Oxventure are very different animals. CR is very much an unrealistic standard to aim for. Those folks know the game pretty inside & out. Oxventure, on the other hand, are still very much newby players screwing around & having fun. Egbert has literally almost never used a single Paladin ability.
@@VivaLaDnDLogs They are different approaches to D&D, but they're still professional productions starring professionals and many new players may subconsciously compare themselves to them even if they try not to. This is more a cautionary tale to those brand new to D&D who are seeking groups who think the experience is going to be like what they watch on the internet each week when the reality is much more relaxed and informal. This should also help those who are afraid to seek out others to play with who might be intimidated by what they see because they don't realize it's far from that level of polish and story telling (DMing) as well.
When I tried to play in my teens and early 20s, most of the groups near me were more into the stats and combat than RP. RP was what got curious about D&D though. I’m so grateful to all the podcast and streaming D&D games like Critical Role, Titanfall, and The Adventure Zone. I think they’ve really shined a light on the roleplaying aspect and made it less intimidating (showing people that, like you said, they don’t need costumes and whatnot to have fun with the role-play angle). Thanks for the great video.
Her Tshirt reminds me of Bert and Ernie. After the last big WOTC product promotion video, I'm surprised they didn't announce a D&D-Sesame Street crossover: "D&D: S&S"...
While these are well made, they seem to be popping up at the wrong time. WotC just dropped the first UA for the next edition coming in the next 18 months. Seems like they should have waited and made videos to match the new rule set.
I'd argue the exact opposite tbh. The latest starter set, Stormwreck isles, released at the start of this month so this is a good time to tie in promotional videos into attracting new players to the game. The targets for this video series are very much those brand new players. Even if they did do any promotional stuff re. the next edition, this far in advance, it's only going to be the most enfranchised players who would be clicking on those videos. Last I checked you can't even access the latest UA without a d&d beyond account. Making complete beginner videos for the new rule set, even in the next 15-16 months would be pretty meaningless as there'd be little target audience/interest. (There is of course an argument as to whether they needed to release a new starter set 18 or months before a potentially new edition, but that's it's own separate debate).
She looks disconnected and like she is reading something drafted. There is something forced and desperate about Wizards of the Coast these days, as they try desperately to monetize outside of their natural fan base.. They should just relax a bit, and not water down the brand. I am trying to explain the rule set to my niece and haven't played in 9 years or so. Previously played 2nd, 3rd, 4th editions over the years. So bad. This also doesn't represent the 'Stranger Things' dark underworld-heavy- metal retro vibe that attracts the younger newer audience in the first place. (which is exactly what it was like years ago for me in the basement playing till all hours in the morning). So disappointing. Dnd is not a Hasbro game that you play after dinner and before Netflix. Games are about 4 hours long ( or 8hrs! ). I would say and only certain people are attracted to that. And it isn't a gender complaint either, my last DM was female and one of the best and most fun DM's I ever played with. I think this person isn't selling it, at least not the adventuring side. Also what is with the artwork slipping? The artwork was always a huge component. Some of the artwork is spec and some is not rocking
