Dungeons and Dragons 4.0

Last Sunday evening I played the new version of D&D for the second time. This brings the number of games I currently participate in to two. We play on alternating Sundays, so as not to burn anyone out or conflict with pre-existing schedules. The gamers I played with most recently are a fairly large group for D&D. There are nine of us playing together in this campaign, including one other girl besides myself. This is the first time I've really gamed with another female player. Since it's such a large crowd, I imagine it'll be a rare night when a full party is present.

The Dungeon Master is none other than my boyfriend, the handsome David. He's an old hand at this. He started playing D&D when it first came out. He was very young then, and his dad DM'ed the games for him, his older brother, and their nephews. Even his mom would get in on the action occasionally, usually playing an elf. If there's anyone more qualified to run a campaign, I haven't met them.

David is an avid gamer. He spends hours making and drawing characters for his campaigns, planning encounters and researching rules and stats. If only I could be that focused at something, anything.

The majority of the evening was spent making our characters. I've gotten pretty quick at it over the years, but there are new books and new quirks to deal with. I had a few questions. This is the side of D&D that annoys me to no end. As a woman, I run into plenty of sidelong glances from male players once they realize that yes, I really am here to play and also, I am good at it. I know the rules. I know the system. I can role play. While creating my character, I asked one guy a question. One, single question. I was immediately bombarded with answers from three different male players, all of whom kept rambling on about the rules even after they'd answered my question with their first sentence. I actually had to hold up and hand and say, "Guys, I got it. Thanks." One of them even continued arguing with me after I asserted that he was wrong on one point about a racial bonus. I had the book right in front of me. If I'd wanted to be really catty I could've held it up and rubbed it in his face that a girl was right where he was mistaken. Instead, I let this slide. If you're a woman, you learn to pick your battles with male gamers early on. I'll make a mental note of it and save it for later in case it comes up again.

The game itself was lots of fun. The story was well thought out, as I knew it would be. Two of the players in our group were first time gamers, and after the session they seemed enthused to be part of our campaign.

Dungeons and Dragons is the granddaddy of role playing games and 4.0 simplifies the rules and streamlines character creation. In particular, I like the new skill point distribution system. Instead of being given a set amount of skill points to allocate as you see fit and add to the ability modifiers, you're given a choice of (usually) three or four skills to be "trained" in. You receive 5 extra points to add to those scores and that's it (at first level, anyway). I'm also digging on the new daily, will and encounter powers. Health surges are a nice touch as well. And kudos to whoever designed the new character sheets!

Overall, this most recent incarnation of D&D has it's kinks, but a good DM will iron those out as appropriate in their game for their specific group. I'm satisfied.

Happy gaming!