Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site daemen.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!rocksanne!sunybcs!daemen!fox From: fox@daemen.UUCP (Merlin) Newsgroups: net.kids Subject: D&D Message-ID: <1373@daemen.UUCP> Date: Mon, 11-Nov-85 18:54:20 EST Article-I.D.: daemen.1373 Posted: Mon Nov 11 18:54:20 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 20:54:44 EST References: <123@mit-hector.UUCP> <327@pedsgd.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: Daemen College, Computer Science Department, Buffalo, NY Lines: 59 For those of you who do not know about D&D and are worried about your kids playing it let give you a basic background. Dungeons & Dragons is a Fantasy Role Playing game (FRP). This means that the person playing the game creates a charaters which he role plays as if he were that character. This is done thru the use of special dice. There are 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 10-sided, 12-sided, 20-sided, 30-sided. These dice control (more or less) the outcome of events, be it a fight with a monster, an attempt to hide in shadows or whatever. The Dungeon Master (DM) or Game Master (GM) controls the game. He decides which monster will attack who, if he will attack, etc. etc. The DM usually does not control what the players will do, unless you have relatively inexperienced players who do something like this: DM > You have a solid oak door in front of you. Player1> I'm going to bash it in with my shoulder DM > Why? Player1> You said it was solid DM > I said it was solid but I didn't say it was locked or jammed Player1> Then I'll try to open it. DM > The door opens into a 40 X 50 foot room, in which you see...... This may seem unitelligent but I have had people try to do this. Many people question this game because of the use of "spells". I use (") because any intelligent person knows that "spells" do not exist, the only thing that does exist is ignorance. When a person doesn't understand how something is done, then of course it HAS to be magical. In one of the rule books called The Players Handbook ([TM] this book is made by TSR) it has listings of magical spells. Without the use these spells, this game would not have much fantasy in it. The spells are said to be cast or thrown. This means that the character in the game is casting a spell. Remember, the characters are in an alter world where virtually anything is possible. So when the character throws a spell the person playing is not in anyway throwing a spell. Many people question the game because of the use of demons, devils, angels, gods, etc. Well on the use of these monsters, these are just like any other monster in the game they are to be either overcome in some way it is the same with these monster as with anyother monster. (By the way the term monster is a general term meaning anything other than my character, after all if a martian is a monster to me, what am I to it?) They are nothing special other than being tougher to deal with. One other thing that people don't like is that the Christian God is excluded in the game, not to mention the Moslum God, the Buddist God, etc. I believe in the Christian God myself and I cannot see how anyone can put set statistics upon him. After all what would people think if statistics were put on him and some Greek god happened to have statistics higher than those? After all we just want to play the game to have fun not to say 'This god is better than that god.' We just want to use our imaginations. The biggest thing with this game is the you can use your imagination. Thus anything that can be thought up can be done. If a kid using his mind is bad than why be a kid at all? Anyone wishing more info on this game ask about it in net.games.frp or send me E-mail. Dave Fox All statements enclosed herein are mine (and possibly somebody else's)