Megadungeon: Delve Into OSR Dungeons & Dragons
In this ongoing course, we will delve into a Megadungeon, a classic form of Dungeon-Crawling DnD play. Using lightweight rules, we'll play a game where you can pick up and leave anytime.
GM Dan - D&D and TTRPGs
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(41)
Star Educator
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 30 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
In this ongoing Dungeons and Dragons adventure, we will play an old-school game where monsters are dangerous and frequently deadly, and player characters start out as treasure hunters and slowly grow into heroes. Characters will start out fragile and need to rely on their players' wits to survive. This is not a 5e class, this is new twist on old-school dungeon crawling using rules from the Old-School Renaissance including Basic Fantasy, Knave, Maze Rats, and Old-School Essentials.
As Ben Milton, author of "Maze Rats" and "Knave" puts it:
“The more of the following a campaign has, the more old school it is: high lethality, an open world, a lack of pre-written plot, an emphasis on creative problem solving, an exploration-centered reward system (usually XP for treasure), a disregard for 'encounter balance', and the use of random tables to generate world elements that surprise both players and referees. Also, a strong do-it-yourself attitude and a willingness to share your work and use the creativity of others in your game.”
Each session will start in a nearby town or safe place in the dungeon. Adventurers will find and contract with hirelings (if desired) then sally forth and attempt to conquer more of the dungeon. At the end of the session, any treasure (GP) and experience (XP) will be fairly divided. This way, a different mix of students can explore each session, but learners who return for multiple sessions will see their characters grow and change. The dungeon is a living, breathing place and will change from session to session as new monsters arrive and take over previously safe areas, so the experience will always be fresh. Throughout, learners will learn about the tropes and play style of old-school dungeon crawls done in the OSR (old-school renaissance) style.
The end result is an experience that is incredibly interactive and learner-driven. Learners will define what their goals are ("let's see if we missed a secret door in that room!" "Didn't we find another entrance to the dungeon last session? Maybe we can find some treasure deeper down.") and then find ways to execute them ("If we used a rope, we might be able to trigger that trap on command. Then we can use it against the skeletons further on..."). For this reason I recommend video for students, as there will be no lecture, and feedback from and communication with (and between) students is essential.
If this is your first experience with old-school games, welcome! Making a character for an old-school game is much less time consuming than making a character for 5e, and I've included extra time for each session to help onboard new players. Safety tools will be discussed at the beginning of each session to ensure a fun and safe game for everyone.
We will start with the lower levels of a beginner dungeon and progress in multiple directions as the players proceed and as they desire. The world is genuinely open and the experience will change based on the decisions that learners make during the course of gameplay.
#builderLearning Goals
* SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: cooperation, empathy building, and teamwork.
* CREATIVITY: improvisation, imagination, and world-building.
* PROBLEM SOLVING: reading comprehension, lateral thinking, rapid arithmetic, and logic.
...all while learning about old-school Dungeons and Dragons.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Dungeons and Dragons can have violent content but safety tools will be provided in order to ensure a positive experience for each player.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
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
$25
weekly1x per week
90 min
Completed by 10 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-12
2-6 learners per class
