D&D for Kids

[LOTRfan]

Alright, so I've been thinking for a while, and I've been considering introducing my brother to D&D. My brother is seven, and a lot like me. He loves science-fiction and fantasy, and recently I've been reading him a chapter of the Hobbit before he goes to bed (my only regret is that I didn't get to do it before he saw the movie). He likes pretending and can be very imaginitive, too. Obviously I'd be simplifying things a lot, as he's pretty young, but I thought that maybe he (and perhaps our younger sister and cousin) would would enjoy it. So I come to you guys asking for advice.

Has anyone DM'd for a group of kids before? If the other two are interested, I'd have a group aged 6-9, so any help/tips would be appreciated. I figured I'd be handling most of the rolls and boring things like that, as well as being a bit more lenient as to the rules. I'm also thinking of offering only the more mundane classes, along with maybe the sorcerer as the only spellcaster (mostly because that eliminates spell preparation).

[Sylthia]

You might want to try the "starter box" or whatever it's called. I think it has the basic rules and a brief adventure module.

[Flickerdart]

I'd recommend using the Warlock, Warmage, Dragonfire Adept and Beguiler for your "casters". Cuts down on book keeping a lot more than Sorcerer would.

[LOTRfan]

Oh, man. The Starter Box was actually being sold at the bookstore by my house before it went out of business about a year ago. I wish I thought about getting it then. :smallannoyed:

And okay. Warmage is in Complete Arcane, right?

[Keneth]

3.5 isn't really well fitted for kids. I've DM'd a few sessions for the younger public (ages 6-11) and it's problematic to say the least. Obviously not all kids are the same but keeping them interested in a game of high-school-level probability and statistics is a tall order, even if you're the one rolling dice and handling their character sheets. The roleplaying aspect is somewhat easier since a lot of kids are pretty used to doing that anyway, at least until they grow out of it. So the most prudent advice I can give you, is choose a different system. Something simple and abstract enough for the game to proceed quickly and there's little to no perusing of the character sheets necessary. Five-by-five is probably a good example, adjusted for the classic D&D setting, but there's tons of other, simple systems out there that can be used.

[Larkas]

I learned to play D&D myself when I was seven :smallsmile: But I have to at least partly agree with Keneth: 3.5 isn't well suited to little kids. I learned to play with AD&D2nd's First Quest, which is a very simplified version of AD&D2nd. After I learned the basics, I could grasp the full system in almost no time at all, but I imagine that if I had leapt directly into it, I'd be a little overwhelmed. I recommend some starter set. To be honest, I'd recommend Pathfinder Beginner Box. It is widely regarded as the best RPG starter set in, I don't know, 20 years? And I must agree with that conclusion. It is a very nice rule set: simple enough as to not overwhelm newbies but complete enough as to offer a full, satisfying game. I must confess that I never introduced any children to the hobby with it, but I've met much success with complete newbies grown-ups! I totally recommend it.

If you're looking for other systems, I'd have to recommend Gurps Basic. They have a very easy-to-understand basic rule set, taking no more than 32 pages, IIRC. What's best: it's free! Let me see if I can dig up the link for you...

EDIT: Sorry, it's called Gurps Lite! Here it is. (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/)

[LOTRfan]

Maybe you guys are right; I'll look into other systems. And if you can find that link (don't worry if you can't), I will greatly appreciate it. :smallsmile:

[Larkas]

Found it while you were posting! :smallbiggrin: I edited the previous post, check it out. :smallsmile:

[LOTRfan]

Oh, didn't see that. Thanks! :smallbiggrin:

[GolemsVoice]

You could also try something even more abstract, more in the way of shared story experience, where simple dice rolle are used to resolve conflicts (i.E. "You're a warrior, that means you're strong! 3+ means you can bash open the door.")

[Grod_The_Giant]

In general, I'd look at more rules-light, narrative systems. Certainly nothing too lethal. Risus (http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm), maybe. Or perhaps something based on FUDGE-- the Aspects from FATE may or may not be too much to grasp; I've seen experience gamers have trouble adjusting to them.

If you have access, Fate Accelerated looks like it'll be really good for this. It doesn't even use skills, instead, characters have "Approaches." So your character might be +3 Forceful and +1 Quick. If you say "I use my hammer and try to batter past his guard" you'd roll your attack at +3, but if you tried to "hit him before he can get his own sword out" you'd only roll at +1.

[Paul H]

Hi

The Starter Box for Pathfinder is quite simple & 'kids friendly'.

I've seen groups of kids at conventions about that age & slightly older (7-11) being GM's in Pathfinder Society games by a dad. It was good to see them so active & enjoying themselves.

Also, at the last con there was one lad (about 9-10 yrs old) who had his CRB signed by our Venture Captain for being the youngest official PFS GM in UK. (I'd met him before at another convention where we played 4th Ed - he was just as enthusiastic there too)! :smallbiggrin:

Thanks
Paul H

[Sith_Happens]

If my secondhand understanding is correct, 4E cuts down on a lot of the rules complexity, if not the math.

[koboldish]

I'm the youngest in our group, and am still in middle school. Everyone else is in high school. Our old DM went to college. We all have decent system mastery, and can optimize semi-effectively. I have been playing for around 5 years now. I wouldn't see any problems, just make sure to take some time to teach him so he doesn't hold people up too much. It's great that your getting someone else into the hobby!

[Hendel]

I found for my kids when they were that age that the Dungeon board game was just the thing.

They got to pick a character and they knew that they needed to role above a certain number to kill a monster and they got the treasure. That would be more fun for them and you than trying to get through an actual role-play game with them in my opinion.

[Paul H]

Hi

I agree with the previous post. Just ensure everything is Fun - the rest will fall in line.

Thanks
Paul H

[Fates]

At least until they grow out of it.

Heh, most of my old school-friends and I never did. I guess that's why we started D&D.

The first group I was in, back when I was a but a highschool freshman, innocent and mild-mannered, included a 10-11 year old player, and he did well enough (as a barbarian, who always forgot to rage). He had MASSIVE assistance from his brother, and never really learned the system in detail, besides the fact that I had no idea what I was doing as DM.

For a seven year old, though? Obviously, keep it simple. Maybe try and base it around something he's familiar with? I think I was seven when I first read The Hobbit, and it really made my imagination run rampant- if he's really into that, try and do a little game in Middle Earth (A friend of mine got her nieces interested in the game by running it in the world of Adventure Time (which is actually excellent by most accounts. I might watch it if I ever find the time). It really got them hooked)- honestly, the roleplaying should go before crunch, especially at such a young age- I'd suggest not using any system at all to begin with, and slowly administer bits and pieces of order into the game (assuming he's not too allured by the siren-song of shiny dice).


Wow, that was extremely self-centered and overly anecdotal. Hopefully there'll be some shred of wisdom to be found in my ramblings.

[mosesjf]

Maybe try something like Mouse Guard. It is based on the Burning Wheel system and its very age appropriate. http://www.mouseguard.net/books/role-playing-game/

[koboldish]

How about something like GURPS lite? That had very few rules. I wouldn't suggest 4th edition, because it took out a ton of cool things from the game. It is fairly rules light though.

[Cyan Wisp]

Don't underestimate the kids!

I play 3.5e-style with my brood -they adore it. It is the most requested game now - after hide and seek. :smallamused:

The players:
son, 9, human ranger: sociopath gamer, sorry to say.
daughter, 7, gnome bard: she is the most enthusiastic! Pacifistic, diplomatic
son, 4, dwarf warlock. A little passive, but responds well to options for action.
Even my 2 yo plays at the table with the minis and dice.

Pros: they are excellent role-players! They spend most of their time interacting with each other in-character. They can handle action economy, initiative order, skills, attacks, saves, spell selection, diplomacy, imagining the setting and NPCs. They get the "I can try anything" mentality.

Cons: problem solving is tricky because they don't see much past the obvious. I often give them about three suggestions if they are stuck, and they choose. They are sometimes too nervous to actually explore because they love their characters too much.

Some things that make it work:

Simple, visual, end-bonus character sheets
Basic d20 resolution - tell them the DC to beat
No AoO - move freely around a battlefield
No ammo, food or weight tracking
A lot of adjudication on-the-fly
Short sessions (usually 1/2 an hour - 2 hours)
Encounters with many options apart from combat - talkative monsters
Talk about the game afterwards - what worked, what went wrong


I initially tried a 4E-style game with power cards for class features and spells, thinking it would make things easier, but actually it condemned the game to power selection for every situation. No suitable power? No idea what to do next. :smallsigh:

Good luck! Keep us posted.

[Prime32]

Or perhaps something based on FUDGE-- the Aspects from FATE may or may not be too much to grasp; I've seen experience gamers have trouble adjusting to them.And they're not experienced gamers, they have no expectations to adjust, so I don't see what the issue is. FATE sounds good to me.