<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph
{mso-style-priority:34;
margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.5in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:296957336;
mso-list-template-ids:-1966028704;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:1838766295;
mso-list-type:hybrid;
mso-list-template-ids:41721132 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:roman-lower;
mso-level-tab-stop:none;
mso-level-number-position:right;
text-indent:-9.0pt;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I don’t have much experience with Dungeons and Dragons in the library, but I have done a bit of DM’ing for groups of teenagers, so I will base my comments on
that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I would say that success could be a problem in this case because as you stated, more than 5-6 players can be difficult to manage, especially if they
try to split the party during a session (it can be a lot of fun to split, but wow, a bit confusing too). In my opinion in a setting such as you are describing you should always be training up another individual (or two) to start DM’ing at some point. When
you have a second and/or third individual who can DM it relieves a lot of pressure for those nights you are unable to DM, or for when you need to break out another table and have a concurrent session. I would say that requiring registration for the event could
be good for preparation sake, but maybe only after you have an established group and are starting to see some fluctuation in attendance.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">My first foray into DnD was about 5yrs ago when my daughter chose to play as an elective for her home school curriculum. We went to a local game store
together and had a lot of fun, even though it was with a bunch of middle-age men. The guys toned down some of the intensity and seemed to really take satisfaction in helping a younger player get into a hobby they themselves enjoyed quite a bit. I also found
that my daughter would bring up ideas that would often surprise and intrigue the other players because her inexperience and age brought interesting solutions that weren’t as clichéd as what the other players had become accustomed to. At the same time, when
several middle-school kids joined another table at the store it brought a bit of chaos and unhappiness. In my experience groups of kids like to show off to their peers (in doing “stupid” stuff in game) and they also like to test their limits (what will happen
if I kill this NPC?). This often frustrates older players. The flip side is that groups of adults, without youth present, might push into more GoT type scenarios, which may or may not be appropriate for your library environment. In the end, I think having
a mix of players of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences is a great thing, but it might requiring splitting groups up into multiple sessions as described above.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Miniature printing/painting, map making, conlang creation, DM howto seminars, cosplay creation/show, etc… I have included two links below for finding
good 3D models for printing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">4.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">N/A<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2"><![if !supportLists]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">5.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span></span><![endif]><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I would recommend using the Adventurers League campaigns for your sessions as they are usually more episodic in nature, in part to facilitate exactly
what you’re doing. You can find more information here: <a href="https://dndadventurersleague.org/start-here/dungeon-masters/">
https://dndadventurersleague.org/start-here/dungeon-masters/</a> and you can purchase the campaign pieces on the Dungeon Masters Guild, here:
<a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?filters=45470_0_0_0_0_0_0_0">https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?filters=45470_0_0_0_0_0_0_0</a> . Each “chapter” of the season is about $3.99, with the entire season going for a discounted price of about $40 (using
DDAL05 “Storm King’s Thunder” as an example, as seen here: <a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/product/230535/DDAL05-Storm-Kings-Thunder-BUNDLE?filters=45470_0_0_0_0_0_0_0">
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/230535/DDAL05-Storm-Kings-Thunder-BUNDLE?filters=45470_0_0_0_0_0_0_0</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">3D modeler Miguel Zavala, has created models for all the monsters in the Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters. They are available for free download (requires
free signup) here: https://www.shapeways.com/designer/mz4250<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Hero Forge is a great website for designing custom characters and they provide an STL download of your model for $9.99. See here: https://www.heroforge.com/<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Hopefully you find the above comments somewhat useful. I would love to hear how things turn out for your group. Good luck!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black">--<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black">Chris Wells<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black">IT Manager, Genesee District Library<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier New";color:black">THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS EMAIL ARE MY OWN AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GENESEE DISTRICT LIBRARY.</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org [mailto:michlib-l-bounces@mcls.org]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Patrick Cook via Michlib-l<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, September 24, 2019 8:50 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> michlib-l@mcls.org<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Michlib-l] Dungeons and Dragons and Libraries<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Hello there!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">I'm attempting to build a program for my library so that we have a consistent game of Dungeons and Dragons (5E, for those who care). I'm looking for anyone with information or experience
in running library programs which play Dungeons and Dragons. I have a lot of questions about the logistics of playing and running a game, as well as unexpected pitfalls or experiences which may be helpful to know in advance. Some of my concerns and thoughts
include:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">What do you do when the volume of players becomes too high? As of right now, I'm the only librarian on staff who is working on the program, and I'm assuming I would play the role of Dungeon Master for the program.
For those familiar, it's difficult to manage more than 5-6 players, so what do I do if the program is successful enough to gain more players?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">What is your experience with running or attempting to run such programs? Should their be age brackets for potential players? What methods have you used to limit or mitigate the damage from more toxic players? What
are the demographics of your groups?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Any ideas for integrating library resources to keep patrons coming around? Our branch has a 3d printer, for example, which could be used by patrons interested in making a model of their character.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">How was your program received by the community? Did parents complain? Did it get new players?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color:black;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1">
<span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">On a less important note, how do you manage when players come/go unexpectedly? I can foresee a group being pretty fluid as people come and try the game for the first time and then decide they don't want to continue,
or simply can't make it frequently.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Any insights you could offer me would be really helpful. I'd also love to hear about ways of creative materials use, means of holding attention for various age brackets, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Thanks in advance!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="Signature">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Patrick Cook<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">Clerk; Bedford Branch of the Monroe County Library System<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">"Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it." -Lloyd Alexander<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>