Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

New Year's Resolutions…D&D Style

By Shayalyn

Over the years, I've made many a New Year's resolution. I'm not going to tell you how the “lose weight” and “get more exercise” ones turned out, but suffice it to say I keep making that same resolution every year. I've come to the conclusion that New Year's resolutions are one surefire way to plan failure and self-defeat.  After all, those champagne-sodden promises we make and proclaim each January 1st are destined to be broken.

This year, though, along with the impossible lose-weight-and-exercise-more goal, I've added a resolution I think I can stick to. In fact, I've already got a jump start on it. On December 30th my son and I sat down at my computer and ordered up a Dungeons & Dragons starter kit. My resolution: join my 11-year-old kid in getting to know D&D firsthand.

Unlike many of those waiting anxiously for the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO), I've never played the pen-and-paper (PnP) game. Oh, I know of it—who doesn't? The MMOG I cut my teeth on, EverQuest, owes its roots to D&D, as do several other fantasy MMOGs, and fantasy-based games in general. Besides, you really can't grow up in American culture without having some understanding of what D&D is, even if you've never gathered around the kitchen table to roll the ol' 20-sided die (d20). See, I get the gist of the PnP game; I've just never had the experience of playing it. That's about to change.

Do you have to be a D&D player to enjoy DDO? Having played in beta for a while now (read my report here) I can attest to the fact that the game is quite fun without a background in D&D. DDO is an accessible game with many a newb-friendly feature. You could role a pre-made character--letting the game decide your stats, skills, feats, and spells--and you'd still end up with a playable toon. If you wanted to dig a bit deeper and customize more, you could take a look at some of the builds that other players post on the official forums, as well as in our Show Us Your Build forum feature. Or you could let logic and your notions of what make a good character be your guide and you'd probably do just fine.

But, as I scour the official forums and fansites to see what avid D&D players are saying about the game, I realize that DDO has a lot of depth, and I'm not plumbing that depth without at least a base understanding of what it's like to actually play D&D. Sure, I could gain understanding of the game by sitting down with the latest rule books (v3.5, for the uninitiated), a monster manual, and perhaps the Eberron campaign setting guide, and learn all I need to know and more, but…something tells me I'm going to want to have the experience of playing.

To be honest, that “something” telling me I want to play D&D is my son. Ever-curious, he's watched over my shoulder as I've worked on articles for DDO@TTH, and he's begun following the game--not just DDO, but it's beating heart, D&D. He's played the demo you'll find at the Wizards of the Coast website, as have I. I never much thought of myself as a PnP role-player, but suddenly I'm seeing the merit of the experience, in particular, the fact that it'll be yet another tool for inspiring my kid's creative side. When my son asked me to pull out my credit card so he could spend his Christmas money on a D&D starter set, I was all for it.

So, there you have it: my brand new shiny New Year's resolution. While I doubt my treadmill will see any more use than it did last year, or that my refrigerator will see any less, I can pretty much guarantee that my pledge to try D&D is one promise I can keep.

[Share Your Thoughts in Our Forums!]