Dungeons and Dragons Gaming Club: Saltmarsh Ongoing Campaign
In this D&D Gaming Club, learners will experience a Dungeons and Dragons campaign; exploring the coastal region of Saltmarsh and dealing with the factional infighting, monster invasions, and eldritch horrors that lurk beneath the seas.
GM Dan - D&D and TTRPGs
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(41)
Star Educator
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 45 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. Learners will need to work with the Dungeons and Dragons rules to update their character (level-up) between sessions. This can be done in 20-30 minutes and will happen intermittently throughout the campaign.Class Experience
Intermediate Level
*Saturday section: room for 1 more player. Level 9, our club is going into last third of the Saltmarsh D&D Campaign. *Other sections: fresh start at level one! In our D&D Saltmarsh Gaming Club, we will cover the Dungeons and Dragons 5e game in the most fun way possible: by playing it! In this Dungeons & Dragons club/campaign, players will solve a number of problems in and around the Fishing Village of Saltmarsh, enjoying a wide-ranging experience that draws from nearly 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons history to explore a seaside campaign featuring Pirates, Smugglers, Sea-Monsters, invasions, eldritch horrors, and the deadliest danger of all: Human Politics! This course will explore the adventures in the "Ghosts of Saltmarsh" DnD adventure book, carefully reworked to seed ongoing plot threads throughout in order to reward long-term players. This Gaming Club is planned to continue through levels 1-14, but new players can join at any time and be worked in seamlessly. My Dungeons and Dragons game sessions all have sound, art, tokens, virtual character sheets, virtual dice, battlemaps, and more, all shared via the zoom call so no additonal logins are required. (By request I can share access to these tools so that learners can manipulate these items themselves through Roll20 or dndbeyond.com). I will cover roleplaying safety tools to ensure that our D&D gaming club stays away from topics that would be uncomfortable for learners. Learners will be briefed on the setting and expectations in order to create characters that fit into the setting, then we will jump immediately into play. Most learning will take place by actively participating in each gaming club session, although access to a basic rulebook will also be provided. The core gameplay of Dungeons and Dragons involves teamwork, cooperation, planning, and execution, with some elements of chance and judgement by the referee (or Gamemaster/Dungeon Master). This means that this will be a very participatory gaming club. Although more quiet students may sit back and enjoy the DnD experience without engaging at all times, there will be times where I will call on them and they should be willing to describe, even in a few words, what their character is doing. Video is recommended as it allows me to read facial expressions and clear up confusion or steer the game in a different direction if learners are becoming bored or uncomfortable, but it is not required. We will conclude each Saltmarsh Gaming Club session with structured reflection on the session and questions and answers about various topics covered (or not covered) in the course of Dungeons and Dragons play. Players may attend any session and will be worked in at the beginning, as needed.
Learning Goals
Learners will learn the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and experience the fifth edition adventures based in Saltmarsh. Dungeons and Dragons features lots of practice with arithmetic, tons of reading and imaginative play, making it a tremendous game for improving reading, writing, and 'rithmetic. We will also cover some ancillary topics like social skills and etiquette at the table, teamwork, and collaboration. The nature of D&D is a social game that forces players to work together in order to achieve their in-game goals. Ultimately, learners will gain enough familiarity and experience with the rules and gameplay of D&D to be able to participate elsewhere on Outschool, at school, at clubs, at the local gamestore, with friends, at conventions, or wherever they might find a game.
Other Details
Learning Needs
As a neurodivergent person myself, I am inclusive when it comes to ADHD, ASD and other learning challenges. D&D provides an unparalleled learning environment that encourages reading, mathematics, and social interaction.
Parental Guidance
Monsters and men working for evil exist as counterpoints to the heroes of the game. Violence is always an option in tabletop roleplaying games, but violence will not be graphically or disturbingly described. (E.g. 'your arrow strikes home' rather than some other more graphic description of carnage). Safety tools will be provided and used so that we avoid sensitive or upsetting topics for your learner.
Pre-Requisites
It is helpful to have played in a D&D campaign previously.
Joined April, 2021
5.0
41reviews
Star Educator
Teacher expertise and credentials
Bachelor's Degree from University of Colorado
Hello! My name is Daniel McVicker and I teach Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPG) like Dungeons and Dragons to learners like you (or your learner)!
D&D and TTRPGs can be a great way to learn and experience:
* SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING with cooperation, empathy building, and teamwork.
* CREATIVITY with improvisation, imagination, and world-building.
* PROBLEM SOLVING with reading comprehension, lateral thinking, rapid arithmetic, and logic.
I began playing Roleplaying Games when I was in middle-school and they helped me in all of these areas and more. Being an active and autonomous participant in your imagination with other like-minded players can truly be a rewarding experience and I want to share these kinds of experiences with others.
I have been playing and Gamemastering TTRPGs for over 30 years and I bring a wide variety of professional experience to the play table, most recently in the Information Technology field. I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
NAVIGATING MY CLASS OFFERINGS:
-AGE RANGE-
Ages 8+: I will run a simplified version of D&D for these learners. (Please note that simple is not worse! My adult players frequently gravitate to these simpler rule-sets because they allow a lot of flexibility)
Ages 10+: I will typically run 5e for these learners. Important caveats about these sessions: due to COPPA regulations and Outschool policies, I cannot share links to many useful resources to these learners. I will have an entire screen dedicated to what your learner can see, but I will move all tokens for them and help them manage their character sheets.
Ages 13+: I will typically run 5e for these learners. From a technical standpoint, these players will get an identical experience to the adults I play with, but the experience will be tailored to their developmental needs and desires. I will share links to and freely discuss all useful online tools like Roll20, dndbeyond, and others.
-EXPERIENCE LEVEL-
BEGINNERS: Have played in fewer than three sessions, do not know how to make a character. Depending on the class we will be focused on the very basic rules, navigating the character sheet, and understanding the concepts of roleplaying. These classes will be paced to the learner who has the least amount of experience in the class. No prior experience is necessary!
INTERMEDIATE: Have played in three or more prior sessions and know how to make a character. These learners have a basic understanding of roleplaying and the layout of the character sheet, the names of each die, and so on. At this level, we tend to work on deepening the understanding of character dynamics (playing "in character") and mechanics (advanced rules interactions and character 'builds') as well as understanding some of the software (e.g. Roll20, D&D Beyond) that can help make playing online a deeper, more rewarding experience.
ADVANCED: Have played in a campaign or multiple single-session games, are running or planning to run their own games. At this level we will mostly be discussing topics like preparing a game or session, dealing with player dynamics, improvisation, voice acting, and world building.
ALL LEVELS: I use this to describe when a class is appropriate for beginners to advanced - typically we will play with a simplified game that is easy to learn, teach, and create characters for for a "one-shot" game that is intended to be experienced entirely in a few hours.
Systems I currently run games in include:
DUNGEONS and DRAGONS 5e - Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is the current version of the world's most popular tabletop roleplaying game.
RETRO DUNGEONS and DRAGONS - the B/X (Basic and Expert) version of Dungeons and Dragons. First published in 1981, this version of D&D is a fan favorite and is a darling of the OSR (Old-School Renaissance) scene that publishes hundreds of fantastic modules and settings today.
MICRO-DUNGEONS are one-shots that are meant to be experienced entirely within a few hours of play and will typically be run using "Maze Rats", or "Knave": cousins of D&D that have been heavily playtested with 10-11 year-olds and are simple to learn and play at any level and only requires raiding a board game like Yatzhee! or Risk for dice. Rules will be provided to all learners.
LASERS & FEELINGS is for those who are looking to enjoy a Sci-fi adventure. This game is very simple to learn and play, and can be played with normal dice. Again, rules will be provided to all learners.
If your learner or group is interested in playing any kind of tabletop RPG, please reach out. I will put together a custom session, short multi-session adventure, or ongoing campaign and work with them to play almost any kind of game they can imagine.
Some of the games I have played and/or run include:
D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e, World of Darkness (Vampire the Masquerade/The Street Fighter Storytelling Game etc.), D&D 3.0 and 3.5, Shadowrun, Star Wars, Blades in the Dark, Apocalypse World/Powered by the Apocalypse/Dungeon World, AD&D (1e and 2e), Mutants and Masterminds, d20 Modern, Old School Essentials aka B/X D&D, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Palladium Games (Rifts, Robotech, After the Bomb, Ninjas and Superspies, TMNT and other Strangeness, Heroes Unlimited), Mothership, Kids on Bikes, Tales from the Loop, Lady Blackbird, Scum and Villainy, Lasers and Feelings, Knave, and On The Fly.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$28
weekly1x per week
105 min
Completed by 24 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-14
2-6 learners per class
