Week Thirteen: Dungeons & Dragons...At Home

Yes, I got Amy to give Dungeons & Dragons another try. In fact, it was a negotiation, as last week's event, included the kids (and that was the deal, if Amy would give DnD another go, then we could have kids along for her event).

So, a couple days before the game, I created a 2nd Edition character and came up with a simple little adventure scenario. I went with 2nd Edition, because it has a lot less rules and jargon than 4th Edition (which is what we played at the convention back in January and Amy really didn't like).

The adventure was basically Amy's character waking up on a beach with amnesia. I emphasized survival instincts, which Amy did well at. She found some food, made a fire, took shelter and hunted. The early part of the game, she wasn't entirely sure what to do or what she could do, but I left it open on purpose.

After she got a little more adjusted, I moved the plot along and she found herself in the midst of a couple of tribes, elves and goblins. She ended up helping the elves get back an ancient, magical sceptre, from the goblins, in exchange for killing a large monster that was antagonizing the goblins.

It wasn't anything fancy, but I felt, at times, Amy was playing and having some fun without thinking about it. This was much more of the experience I was hoping she had and I should have known it would have been better to start with a more one-on-one experience, tailored and focused on her, than to toss her to the gaming dogs and have her feel lost for four hours.

Things I Learned:

• Group activities that are too far out of one's comfort zone may be better done in moderation and/or in a smaller, more intimate way, first.


• Amy can endure a game of Dungeons & Dragons, but she still doesn't like it.


• No more forcing Amy to play Dungeons & Dragons!