You are a new Dungeon Master, struggling to develop the Game Management handling skills. Your Players have only heard of Dungeons & Dragons because they found a stash of old Magazines and and books and thought it might be porn. But now, having picked up that jar of odd shaped sex beads and washed them well you now have a Dungeons & Dragons game, even if it is just a hand full of dice and a Players Manual which insists you need some expensive books to play.
Except...you dont. You only need to be able to roll up new characters.
The Watch is all about Basic Training
Having examined the Players Handbook/ Players Manual you as Dungeon Master simply have to have the Players roll up Characters. 3d6 determines Strenght, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma, hit points, Alignment, starting gold (which your players wont even need because the Watch will provide them with what they need). Just fill out the front of the character sheet along with hit rolls.
Hit Roll Chart
To hit AC: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Roll d20: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
The Simplest version of Dungeons & Dragons involves the Players fighting each other... in Basic Training.
It Begins
The Watch Commander steps out onto the steps of the Watch-house, looks about and declares to his Sargent that you are the most pathetic looking lot of squalling babies dragged freshly off the teat.
"However!" The Commander's voice suddenly audible across the yard, "You will be trained, and Gods-willing, turned into Soldiers of the Watch."
Your First Weapon and your First Fight
"Now, fetch a club from the rack each and pair off."
The club can be used by any character class.
Club: 1d4 damage
"You will beat each other unconcious!" The tyrant with the sword seems quite insistent. "Now!"
So have the players pair off as opponents in one-on-one combat and each player determine the order of combat: Roll 1d6 for initiative, and then roll to hit with a 1d20. This is going to be non lethal combat so reducing an opponent to zero hit points here causes them unconciousness, though lets keep it interesting- a critical hit inflicts real damage to the opponent, and a critical miss causes injury to the Players own character.
As Dungeon Master you wont need to refer to the rules, simply have the players roll to hit each others Armour Class (which will be unarmoured with dexterity bonuses/penalties for now).
With the players rolling to hit, their characters beating each other unconcious, you should come away with at one victor from each fight. The Unconcious Player Characters are dragged out of the fight yard. Hopefully if you have four Players you have two Player Characters still standing... the Winners.
Final Round Fight
"On the Battlefield there is only one Winner!" The Commander points to the two remaining champions. "Fight!"
Again have the players roll 1d6 for initative and 1d20 to hit each others character. As before, they must fight until they are unconcious or victorious though they begin with whatever hit points they had left over from the previous fight. Once there is a single character standing, that Character (assumedly a fighter with high hit points) is paid one experience point.
"Well Done!" The Commander looks at you. "See you in the morning." Someone strikes you from behind rendering you unconcious.
If you did this right, your only task as Dungeon Master was to be the Story Teller. The adventure doesnt have to end there. Its best to have the Players undertake basic training until they are all experienced with the concept of combat and have each earned some experience points. It will become apparent after repeating the basic training method that experience points are going to the physically most powerful characters - yhe greatest strength contributing a hit roll and damage bonus, and Constitution to provide bonus hit points to protect against unconciousness. These characters will make the best Fighters.
The Wrong Stuff
Then there are those constantly beaten into unconciousness. They have lower hit points because of low constitution and/or hit dice. These would be better off as Thieves, or Magic-users because they might have a high Wisdom, Dexterity, or Intelligence.
Target Practice
Targets have been erected in the Yard this morning. They are wooden hoops held head height by a pole each side with an old battered helmet hanging by twine in the opening. You are handed a sling and a hand-full of stones. The Commander demonstrates the use of the weapon easily striking a target.
Sling: 1d4 damage
As a missile weapon the Sling is usable by any Character Class.
"You will continue until you are skilled in the striking of the target."
The Players should continue until they have struck their target ten times. The Player Character is then moved back from short range, through medium range, to long range and required to hit the target ten times in each case. The target is AC 3. A critical hit (natural 20) severs the twine (1hp). A critical miss and the player takes damage from their own sling stone. This can be dangerous. The Player Character could be killed from the injury. It should become apparent that the most skilled have the highest dexterity and thus enjoy a significant bonus to their hit rolls when using missile weapons. These are best as Thieves. The Player Characters gets one experience point for a successful target practice.
Turning Undead
You are taken down to the cellar. Here in the Dark is a foul smell. You and the Sargeant, a burning torch illuminating the chamber, find an iron Gate guarding a long cell. There, in the long cell is what you initially take to be a prisoner hungry for food or freedom.
"This is a Ghoul." Its claws rake at the air between you and the cage as it looks to feed on you. "It is an undead thing."
"Now, Present your holy symbol thusly and turn the creature." The Sargeant holds up his holy symbol. "Begone creature of the dark!"
The undead turns and flees to the back of the cage.
You can play this with each Player Character taking turns to test whether they are Clerics...even if they have already become other Characters. Have the player roll 2d6 to turn. The Player rolls eleven, the ghoul turns and flees to the back of the cage. Obviously the low chance (2 in 11), even for clerics, means success is not the most likely outcome.
Eventually the Cleric will turn the Ghoul proving he or she is a cleric. When they do successfully turn the ghoul they would earn experience points for turning undead. For now that is ten experience points. This can only be earned once per undead.
That should whittle the Player Characters determining which Combat capable class suits them best.
Equipment
The Watch are provided with a standard equipment.
General Equipment
All the Characters are provided standard weapons and equipment that will avail them all equally:
- Sling
- Club
- Backpacks
- Tinder box
- Boots
- Clothes
- Long Cloak
- Holy Symbol of the Watch*
*An 'Eagle' tattooed on the palm of the Player Character's hand using powdered gem stone pushed under the skin, and blessed by the Chaplain as it healed.
Other Equipment
Fighters, Thieves, Clerics, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings will be provided with Leather Armour affording them with AC7 before any dexterity bonuses/penalties.
Magic-users will be granted an education in the Watch library and encouraged to learn the Read Magic and Detect Magic spells.
Enjoy!
