D&D Board Games Question

[Suicane75]

I have a friend whos 13 year old son asked her for A Dungeons & Dragons board for his Birthday, but she has no idea about D&D, what versions of the game there are, what age range they are etc... She asked me about it but I have no idea either so i thought this would be as good a place as any to ask about. I need to be pointed in the general direction of a good D&D game for a 13 year old, I'm pretty sure he's a newbie at it so a real advanced thing isn't what I'm looking for I don't think. Any helpful sugestions?

[jamesUMD]

I suggest starting at Wizards of the coast if they have one around you. If I was 15 years younger I could run on for hours about D&D but that was a lifetime ago. Wizards of the coast produces the most recent D&D products, but don't quote me on that.

[Marc Vaughan]

The old 'basic D&D' boxed set was great for kids coming into the game (thats how I started playing) - but I have no idea if they still make it.

[Bee]

I don't really understand what he's asking for...D&D isn't really a board game. You have manuals and dice basically. You can buy miniatures and some companies offer mats, but we use 2'X3' sheets of graph paper.

The latest version is 3.5e. He'll need a set of dice, a player's guide, and a DM guide at the minimum and some friends to play with. It really depends on how much the mother is willing to spend because there are tons of manuals and books out there.

Man I'm such a geek...I used to beat up people like me. :(

Edit: I don't think they make the boxed set anymore. You have to buy everything individually.

[Honolulu_Blue]

The old 'basic D&D' boxed set was great for kids coming into the game (thats how I started playing) - but I have no idea if they still make it.

If he's looking for a "board game", I think they published a new version of the old, classic board game "Dungeon" a few years back. May be called the "Dungeons & Dragons" boardgame now.

I did a search on amazon.co.uk and it came up.

Here's a link to the homepage:

http://boardgames.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.danddgame.com/


Apparently it's available in Europe, but not the U.S. which is fine for you.

That's a totally different game than the RPG, mind you.

I don't think anything exists like the old "Basic D&D Box Set." It's where I started playing as well.

If he's looking for the books, I'd recommend getting him the new Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual.

It's all on the D-20 system now. It's much easier to learn than the old system which was overly confusing and made little sense. At age 13, he should be able to handle it. Hell, I started playing when I was 6.

It could still be a little overwhelming and cost a bit. I reckon those three books together would cost around US$80-$90.

[Celeval]

This might be a good thing to start off with:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndcore/863490000

It's a (over-simplified) version of D&D in a box - includes dice, map, adventure, premade characters, etc. While not really useful imho for playing for an extended time, it might be a good 'starting point' to see if he enjoys the game enough to peruse through the regular 3e rulebook.

[Honolulu_Blue]

This might be a good thing to start off with:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndcore/863490000

It's a (over-simplified) version of D&D in a box - includes dice, map, adventure, premade characters, etc. While not really useful imho for playing for an extended time, it might be a good 'starting point' to see if he enjoys the game enough to peruse through the regular 3e rulebook.

That's an excellent find. Seems like it's the equivalent of the old box sets. Seems a decent place to start. Though, as Yoda says, once down the dark path... forever will it dominate your destiny!

[Bee]

Of course if he's wanting to join a group of his friends that are playing, they'll make fun of him if he shows up with the boxed set. :D

[Honolulu_Blue]

Of course if he's wanting to join a group of his friends that are playing, they'll make fun of him if he shows up with the boxed set. :D

Yes. A valid fear indeed. To be mocked by geeks is a cruel fate for anyone.

[sachmo71]

And don't forget to welcome the kid to deviltry!


http://www.macgregorministries.org/cult_groups/dungeons_dragons.html

[Grid Iron]

I have a friend whos 13 year old son asked her for A Dungeons & Dragons board for his Birthday, but she has no idea about D&D, what versions of the game there are, what age range they are etc... She asked me about it but I have no idea either so i thought this would be as good a place as any to ask about. I need to be pointed in the general direction of a good D&D game for a 13 year old, I'm pretty sure he's a newbie at it so a real advanced thing isn't what I'm looking for I don't think. Any helpful sugestions?

I'm sure the mom doesn't know what an RPG is, so she mistakenly thinks D&D is a board game. Wizards of the Coast is releasing a new "Basic Set" (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/966470000) in September 2004.

However, since he's 13 and on the cusp of beginning a four-year high school career as a D&D geek, he probably wants the regular Dungeons & Dragons game (Wizard of the Coast re-named Advanced D&D just plain old "D&D" a few years back).

If he's new to the game, all he needs are special dice (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/881550000) and the Player's Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786928867/qid=1091022628/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl14/102-1555764-5505709?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). If he wants to be a Dungeon Master, then he'll need the Dungeon Master's Guide (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786928891/ref=pd_sim_books_1/102-1555764-5505709?v=glance&s=books) and the Monster Manual (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/078692893X/ref=pd_sim_books_2/102-1555764-5505709?v=glance&s=books). You can get all three at once in the Core Rulebook Gift Set (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786934107/qid=1091023067/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-1555764-5505709?v=glance&s=books).

If he already has the Core Rulebooks, then he'd probably want one of several accessory books, or even the new miniatures (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/078693316X/qid=1091023170/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-1555764-5505709).

[GrantDawg]

I don't really understand what he's asking for...D&D isn't really a board game. You have manuals and dice basically. You can buy miniatures and some companies offer mats, but we use 2'X3' sheets of graph paper.

The latest version is 3.5e. He'll need a set of dice, a player's guide, and a DM guide at the minimum and some friends to play with. It really depends on how much the mother is willing to spend because there are tons of manuals and books out there.

Man I'm such a geek...I used to beat up people like me. :(

Edit: I don't think they make the boxed set anymore. You have to buy everything individually.

You're a geek? I'm 35 and still playing. :)

[Bee]

You're a geek? I'm 35 and still playing. :)

heh...I'm 36 (almost 37). Of course, I'm about the middle of the age bracket in my group.

[Suicane75]

Thanks for all the links guys, I'm not sure exactly what it is the kid wants but i'm gonna refer my friend to all of these links and i'm sure she'll be able to figure it out, I really appreciate the help.

[sterlingice]

To get into it, you're going to need a good DM because that's the difference between a fun game and a chore, sometimes. The best way to get good at DM'ing is to play under a really good one to help give you ideas how to play but if you don't have one, it'll be tougher to get into things.

SI

[CamEdwards]

I don't really understand what he's asking for...D&D isn't really a board game. You have manuals and dice basically. You can buy miniatures and some companies offer mats, but we use 2'X3' sheets of graph paper.

The latest version is 3.5e. He'll need a set of dice, a player's guide, and a DM guide at the minimum and some friends to play with. It really depends on how much the mother is willing to spend because there are tons of manuals and books out there.

Man I'm such a geek...I used to beat up people like me. :(

Edit: I don't think they make the boxed set anymore. You have to buy everything individually.

Bee, do you actually still play D&D? I'm going to reveal (as if it was some huge surprise) my geekitude, because I'd love to get involved again. I had such a great time playing D&D when I was younger. Let me know if you ever have an open seat at the table.

[sachmo71]

I still play too. I stand by my brother Grantdawg.

And CamEdwards, who could have played if he were still living in Oklahoma.

[CamEdwards]

Bee lives 15 minutes away from me. You live three and a half hours. I don't know how frequently you and I would have played D&D... although we WOULD have gone to a Rangers/Red Sox game again. :)

[Sporkimata]

Wizards of the Coast stores no longer exist unfortunately. D&D is a great game. Ive been playing since I was in 1st grade, to this very day.

[Bee]

Bee, do you actually still play D&D? I'm going to reveal (as if it was some huge surprise) my geekitude, because I'd love to get involved again. I had such a great time playing D&D when I was younger. Let me know if you ever have an open seat at the table.

Yep, I just recently started playing again (after not having played for about 15 years). I was really selective in finding the group because I didn't want to get stuck with a bunch of teenagers or people who knew nothing about life except D&D. Everyone is at least 30 and all are professionals (a couple computer folks, a couple lawyers, a statistical analyst and myself). I'll be sure to let the DM know that you might be interested (although we just added a new player, so I'm not sure if he will want to expand the group any further right away).

[CamEdwards]

yes, definitely interested. I live in Burke, so I'm nice and close. How often do you guys get together?

[GrantDawg]

To get into it, you're going to need a good DM because that's the difference between a fun game and a chore, sometimes. The best way to get good at DM'ing is to play under a really good one to help give you ideas how to play but if you don't have one, it'll be tougher to get into things.

SI
I think players make as big a difference. Currently we have a pretty good DM....

[Bee]

yes, definitely interested. I live in Burke, so I'm nice and close. How often do you guys get together?

Every other Sunday. We have quite a few folks who travel extensively, so it's not uncommon to have to juggle things quite a bit though. I'm pretty nervous about football season coming up and how it will conflict with the Sunday games...

I lived in Burke for a couple years when I first moved to the area. The game's out in Chantilly, so it's probably about 20 minutes for you on a Sunday.

[CamEdwards]

that's not too bad. I'm slowly learning my way. I think I've been to Chantilly once or twice.