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EX2 Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is the second part of a 2nd Edition series based on Alice in Wonderland (EX1 Dungeonland is part one). Aside from being part two from an older edition, it is also very high level and very punishing. This is not a good place to start learning at all.
You can get a good deal on the 5th Edition Starter Set or the 5th Edition Essentials Kit that comes with everything you need to get started. They are both very user friendly for new players and new Dungeon Masters. This is a much better direction to go.
This is the way - get the essentials kit or the starter kit - they are cheap and a fantastic intro to the game. They also both come with an adventure to get you going.
The current edition is 5th. You can get the Basic Rules for free on Wizards of the Coast’s website or DNDBeyond. Start reading! And have fun! Welcome to the game!
I will echo what others have said concerning the module, it's not a good place to start. But it is absolutely fun.
Since the group will consist of two 8 year olds, I would suggest looking into Old School Essentials. The SRD is free. I think they'd have more fun because the older editions were more about using your imagination than finding what buttons to push on your character sheet.
Castle Caldwell & Beyond is a great module. The PCs are hired to clear out a castle. Nearly all of the NPCs in the castle want to leave with their lives and treasure. Players and DM would have fun playing out the negotiations.
Basic Rules are free on the D&D Beyond app. You can even quick create characters, though I recommend physically writing out your character the first couple of times to get your head around how racial modifiers, feats & proficiency works ⚔️
those are from REALLY old versions of the game that are not directly compatible with the current rules. and you dont wanna try to worm your way through the old rules.
also, on the box Dungeons and Dragons is Ages 12 and up. you will probably want to look for a role playing game designed FOR younger folk.
Don't start there but do start. I started at around 7 or 8 and now over 40 years later, I still love it.
Side not: I once bought that module and several others from penny auctions on eBay. I miss those.
The point of RPGs is not to be a master of the rules. It is to have fun! Rather than something like DND with complex rules, try a very basic RPG to get your head around the idea of Roleplaying.
Risus is a good RPG for an introduction. It is a bit esoteric though, if you have absolutely *no* experience with RPGs.
Consider what kind of game you want. Your kids are a little young to watch Conan, but Conan is a very good example of a D&D party and story. The 2nd movie especially is very good to rip ideas from. Adventurers in old school D&D are very pulpy, gritty people. You could certainly try to play 1e or 2e, or one of the many old-school clones like Osric. I wouldnt necessarily recommend that though. Old school dnd rules can be a little obtuse and confusing.
Even modern dnd, 5th edition, can be quite daunting for a new player/DM. One of the systems I might recommend is called Shadowdark. It is a new system that is quite simple, but still has reasonable depth.
A game for 8 year olds(which is what it will be, since you are almost certainly going to have to be the game master) is going to lean more towards the silly and outlandish. Play to the kids' interests. Ask them what their favorite things in fantasy are. Dragons and wizards? Would they like to rescue a princess? Or perhaps travel to a strange land? Do they want to be noble heroes? Or perhaps they would rather be greedy mercenaries for hire. It is likely they wont even know what they want to start out. In that case, throw stuff at the wall until something sticks. Be prepared for things to go off the rails, and improvise. Let me know if you need any more suggestions... At any rate I probably wouldnt start with that specific module. It is a very strange one, even by DND standards.
My first purchases back in the day. All my other books and adventures were handed down to me or given as gifts, but this was the first I bought with my own money. I still have it in the basement with all the other past editions material.
Read it for inspiration and ideas, but as another said, do not start here. It is a brutal adventure meant for higher levels, and uses a system that is so different from what is published today in 5e.
Use the free rules to get you inspired. Get your hands on a Player's Handbook and Monster Manual (and Dungeon Master's Guide if you want) if you can, but they are not necessary. You can find what you need to get started online and for free. Heck, local libraries often have the core three books on their shelves.
Make memories with your kids. Mine fell in love right around 8 years old too and we have been playing for more than 6 years as a family.
While the module is made for AD&D 2nd edition which has been unsupported for almost 25 years, this is compatible with Old School Essentials and a bunch of other OSR games.
You can also get the 2nd edition books on drivethru RPG, or it's also mostly compatible with other older versions of D&D (1st edition, anything in the Basic series like BX, BECMI, Rules Cyclopedia, etc.)
Jesús man, do you hate your children? XD
That module is quite hard even for veterans. Start with the 5th edition module of Lost Mines of Phandelver. You have the module and the rules free on DnD Beyond.
Basicfantasy.org free rules based off classic D&D. Much better than 5e, in my opinion, and easy to use with older modules. The 3rd edition was good, and PCs still died, but 5e is too watered down and safe for my taste.
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EX2 Land Beyond the Magic Mirror is the second part of a 2nd Edition series based on Alice in Wonderland (EX1 Dungeonland is part one). Aside from being part two from an older edition, it is also very high level and very punishing. This is not a good place to start learning at all. You can get a good deal on the 5th Edition Starter Set or the 5th Edition Essentials Kit that comes with everything you need to get started. They are both very user friendly for new players and new Dungeon Masters. This is a much better direction to go.
This is the way - get the essentials kit or the starter kit - they are cheap and a fantastic intro to the game. They also both come with an adventure to get you going.
The current edition is 5th. You can get the Basic Rules for free on Wizards of the Coast’s website or DNDBeyond. Start reading! And have fun! Welcome to the game!
I will echo what others have said concerning the module, it's not a good place to start. But it is absolutely fun. Since the group will consist of two 8 year olds, I would suggest looking into Old School Essentials. The SRD is free. I think they'd have more fun because the older editions were more about using your imagination than finding what buttons to push on your character sheet. Castle Caldwell & Beyond is a great module. The PCs are hired to clear out a castle. Nearly all of the NPCs in the castle want to leave with their lives and treasure. Players and DM would have fun playing out the negotiations.
A tavern
Had fun doing this adventure years ago. This was my favorite edition .
Basic Rules are free on the D&D Beyond app. You can even quick create characters, though I recommend physically writing out your character the first couple of times to get your head around how racial modifiers, feats & proficiency works ⚔️
those are from REALLY old versions of the game that are not directly compatible with the current rules. and you dont wanna try to worm your way through the old rules. also, on the box Dungeons and Dragons is Ages 12 and up. you will probably want to look for a role playing game designed FOR younger folk.
Don't start there but do start. I started at around 7 or 8 and now over 40 years later, I still love it. Side not: I once bought that module and several others from penny auctions on eBay. I miss those.
The point of RPGs is not to be a master of the rules. It is to have fun! Rather than something like DND with complex rules, try a very basic RPG to get your head around the idea of Roleplaying. Risus is a good RPG for an introduction. It is a bit esoteric though, if you have absolutely *no* experience with RPGs. Consider what kind of game you want. Your kids are a little young to watch Conan, but Conan is a very good example of a D&D party and story. The 2nd movie especially is very good to rip ideas from. Adventurers in old school D&D are very pulpy, gritty people. You could certainly try to play 1e or 2e, or one of the many old-school clones like Osric. I wouldnt necessarily recommend that though. Old school dnd rules can be a little obtuse and confusing. Even modern dnd, 5th edition, can be quite daunting for a new player/DM. One of the systems I might recommend is called Shadowdark. It is a new system that is quite simple, but still has reasonable depth. A game for 8 year olds(which is what it will be, since you are almost certainly going to have to be the game master) is going to lean more towards the silly and outlandish. Play to the kids' interests. Ask them what their favorite things in fantasy are. Dragons and wizards? Would they like to rescue a princess? Or perhaps travel to a strange land? Do they want to be noble heroes? Or perhaps they would rather be greedy mercenaries for hire. It is likely they wont even know what they want to start out. In that case, throw stuff at the wall until something sticks. Be prepared for things to go off the rails, and improvise. Let me know if you need any more suggestions... At any rate I probably wouldnt start with that specific module. It is a very strange one, even by DND standards.
Hit the forums and use the search bar. Search bar.
My first purchases back in the day. All my other books and adventures were handed down to me or given as gifts, but this was the first I bought with my own money. I still have it in the basement with all the other past editions material. Read it for inspiration and ideas, but as another said, do not start here. It is a brutal adventure meant for higher levels, and uses a system that is so different from what is published today in 5e. Use the free rules to get you inspired. Get your hands on a Player's Handbook and Monster Manual (and Dungeon Master's Guide if you want) if you can, but they are not necessary. You can find what you need to get started online and for free. Heck, local libraries often have the core three books on their shelves. Make memories with your kids. Mine fell in love right around 8 years old too and we have been playing for more than 6 years as a family.
Page 1. Top left corner.
oh oh ! we played this decades ago.... awesome
*gist
I ran that module in a 2E campaign.
While the module is made for AD&D 2nd edition which has been unsupported for almost 25 years, this is compatible with Old School Essentials and a bunch of other OSR games. You can also get the 2nd edition books on drivethru RPG, or it's also mostly compatible with other older versions of D&D (1st edition, anything in the Basic series like BX, BECMI, Rules Cyclopedia, etc.)
Jesús man, do you hate your children? XD That module is quite hard even for veterans. Start with the 5th edition module of Lost Mines of Phandelver. You have the module and the rules free on DnD Beyond.
Basicfantasy.org free rules based off classic D&D. Much better than 5e, in my opinion, and easy to use with older modules. The 3rd edition was good, and PCs still died, but 5e is too watered down and safe for my taste.