eed your sword sharpened? How about some armor polish today? Wash your feet? You've entered the Player's Guild, where you will look at Dragonraid from the player's persepective. Let's learn the basics of the game, and examine how you create a character to play!

   You'll find that Dragonraid shares a lot with many of the "pen and paper" Fantasy Role Playing Games (FRPG's) out there. In a well-lit room, you sit and interact with the AdventureMaster, the game referee who tells you what you see and hear in the adventure. But before you swing your first sword in the defense of the innocent, you have to create the character you are going to play. You will need also to think about the character you are going to play, and consider the character's "backstory." But at the first, it all comes down to rolling those dice! (In this case, a ten-sided one that comes with the boxed Dragonraid game!)

Rolling your Primes

ou begin by "rolling up" your character with a Starlot, the 10-sided die that comes with the boxed version of the game. (You can also get this "d10" die at any gaming store.) In other FRPG's, your character is determined mostly by die rolls for physical and mental stats; they set your strength, or how smart you are, or how fast. However, in Dragonraid, you start with a higher calling...you begin with rolling your die for every one of the "Fruits of the Spirit" listed in Galatians 5: 22-23.

   All of your other abilities and skills in the game flow from the 1 to 10 scores you hold in Peace, Patience, Kindness, and the other Fruits. This enhances the great teaching and discipleship aspects of the game, for as these Fruits improve in gameplay, your other skills get better. You also make rolls for Strength and Dexterity. Based on these scores and armed with a calculator, you figure your Armor scores, other abilities (Vision, Wisdom, Knowledge, Courage and others) and then choose special abilities like Swimming or Talk with Animals. (You'll need to buy the boxed game to get the various formulas that figure the skills and let you actually play the game.) If you are playing by my improved rules, you may also have the option to play a dwarf, elf or gnome character. (Ask your AdventureMaster.) 

Skills and Development

our primary and secondary skill ratings (plus a dice roll!) determine how well you are able to do tasks in the game. Every task or problem has a "Difficulty Level", or DL. The player rolls two d10, and the result is matched against the needed percentage for that difficulty. Beat the numbers and you did it!

   As you progress, you may gain special skills as a Knight of the Way, a RescueMaster, a LionLord or other special class. As an ongoing story, the game unfolds...every choice you and your fellow adventurers make can dramatically alter the game's path. You are part of the OverLord's plan to change the world! Grab your sword & shield, and let's go fight some Evil!