Starting a D&D club at school...

[PelicanOfDeath]

I'm trying to start a d&d club at my high school. I've been playing on fridays for a few months now and people seem to care(at least to some degree) about what happens in-game, asking questions about familiars and things like that. The problem is, I don't quite know where to start. Any ideas? Anything's appreciated.

[Temotei]

Firstly, this is in the wrong section. I'll report your post so the mods can move it (no worries--people post in the wrong section on accident all the time).

Anyway, what's the issue, exactly? Having your players care about the game is...good. Is this a separate group from the one you want to start at school? In that case, I'd suggest going through Student Activities or whatever equivalent the school has and organizing through there. Otherwise, if you just want a small group, you could just ask around.

[BannedInSchool]

You all meet in a tavern! :smallbiggrin:

[Logic]

You have to figure out waht the focus of your group is going to be. Are you just going to have a game session each week? Are you going to introduce new players to the game? Are you going to debate the finer mechanics of Barbarians and Fighters?

I do recommend you have a good starting point for whatever you focus is to be. For new players, explaining the system should be the first part. For d20 based games, I'd do that with a setup of a 1st level fighter and a 1st level rogue attacking an ogre in full plate.

I also recommend reading a bit of Paizo's recent Pathfinder Strategy Guide for tips on new players. The character sheet explanation is very useful, and you could take that advice and make your own version for every game system and character sheet you could plan to use.

[Drakeburn]

I envy you, PelicanOfDeath. My only regret is not starting a D&D club in High School.

Anyways, a while ago, I found this article about Starting and Running a Role-Playing Games Club (http://www.roleplayingtips.com/gm-techniques/starting-and-running-a-role-playing-games-club/) that is very helpful. I hope this helps.

[inuyasha]

I actually just did the same thing recently, my group has been going for a few months now, I'm afraid I don't entirely understand your question though.

[Thatwarforged]

Okay so when starting a D&D club at school avoid calling it D&D club call it something like Roleplaying Games Club or Gaming Club (This one will attract people who want to play video games though). You need to talk to the office about the specifics about starting a club but you most likely need a teacher sponsor and a Reason for why you are want to start this club and what benefit is it to the school. Be careful about what teacher know about it when starting it, I had two teacher trying to stop and cancel the club (they believed the horrible rumors from way back when).

What I would really suggest if you are just want somewhere to get issues and information worked out start a forum (there a couple free forumbuilding sites). Now if you are looking for space to play in then starting the club is the way to go. Just be warned tough starting the club at school you will have your hands tied about who joins, since you are required usually to let them join.

[Tentreto]

I myself actually run a similar club in the UK, though we focus more on the eurogame/boardgames than RPGs. I would suggest starting relativly small, with maybe a predone campaign or instance to allow players (and you!) to get used to the idea of a relatively freeform game.
For a club, if in school, get a teacher to help or supervise, as this will give you a place to meet regularly at school. Otherwise, maybe at one of your houses? You may have problems depending on what size group you want, as any more than 5 or 6 for an RPG can get a little chaotic.
For my teacher, I was lucky in that he was very much into it, and took us to conventions and stuff. If you need a reason, claim it provides a mental challange or similar, or possibly drama? The main thing though is that it is a hobby, so should be easier to arrange if you argue on these lines.
Aside from that, I would recommend branching out into other games, as this will bring a broader appeal to the club.