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The Mentalist
2013-05-20, 06:34 PM
One of my friends has two smallish (10 and 12) children that want to get into gaming, what would be a good system for them to get started on. I'm leaning towards GURPS because of how diverse it is and it will let one play a power rangers ninja and the other play a wizard but something rules light/less math intensive might be good as well.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience with this sort of thing?

Raineh Daze
2013-05-20, 06:37 PM
One of the simplest things I can think of is Maid RPG, but that probably wouldn't go down well. XD

Ravens_cry
2013-05-20, 06:40 PM
I hear the Dragon Age pen and paper RPG is a good way to introduce kids to role playing games.

jaybird
2013-05-20, 06:53 PM
Dark Heresy :smallamused:

Grod_The_Giant
2013-05-20, 07:00 PM
Mutants and Masterminds (http://www.d20herosrd.com) might be a better fit than GURPS in that it's (almost) as flexible, but somewhat simpler and more forgiving in actual play. You'll probably have to help a lot with character building, though.

AuraTwilight
2013-05-20, 07:12 PM
One of the simplest things I can think of is Maid RPG, but that probably wouldn't go down well. XD

Your babysitting license has been revoked.

Zavoniki
2013-05-20, 07:26 PM
I'd highly recommend Cortex (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/58488/Cortex-Classic-System-Role-Playing-Game). It's simply and easy to learn but let's you play quite a variety of characters in a variety of time periods.

tensai_oni
2013-05-20, 07:41 PM
Kids aged 10 and 12? We're not talking about 5 year olds that have to be babied anymore. When I was that age I fully understood how RPGs worked. Just play whatever you'd play with adults - skipping on mature themes, of course.

neonchameleon
2013-05-20, 08:29 PM
One of my friends has two smallish (10 and 12) children that want to get into gaming, what would be a good system for them to get started on. I'm leaning towards GURPS because of how diverse it is and it will let one play a power rangers ninja and the other play a wizard but something rules light/less math intensive might be good as well.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience with this sort of thing?

Tell me more about the kids. Seriously, game recommendations are personal things and most games are simple enough for bright ten year olds or twelve year olds. I mean I was wrestling with Gygax at about twelve - almost anything I'd recommend is simpler than that. What interests them?

And whatever you do, don't pick something that looks childish (however awesome Monsters and Other Childish Things is).

Loki_42
2013-05-20, 08:44 PM
I think any of the Fate system games (Fate Core is coming out soon) could actually work really well for kids. I've used them to introduce new players to rpgs before, and they're really simple. They're also very versatile and universal.

erikun
2013-05-20, 08:52 PM
I would look more at the theme of the RPG than the mechanics. After all, you can always interpret the rules yourself if you ultimately need to.

For a recommendation, I would say Mutants & Masterminds is simple enough to understand and flexible enough to do a lot. Mouse Guard is a lot of fun, but the kids may actually think it "too kiddy" sadly enough. HeroQuest is simple and flexible enough that making a character is easy, although as a Game Master you'll need to have your own material.

Fate is a good recommendation as well, with my experience in the system.

Edge of Dreams
2013-05-20, 09:22 PM
FATE Core or FATE Accelerated, which are both coming out soon and have pretty simple rules.

Also, I know nothing at all about the mechanics, but apparently Crafty Games (makers of SpyCraft and FantasyCraft) just announced an RPG specifically for kids called "Little Wizards" - http://www.crafty-games.com/

Joe the Rat
2013-05-20, 09:24 PM
3rd (4th?) for M&M - supers systems tend to give you a lot of flexibility without necessarily getting fiddly. And it fits fairly well with your flexibility. Super-heroic settings handle Kamen Rider meets Dr. Strange as par for the course.


My inclination is to keep things simple. That said, we started a Dads and Daughters group (3 dads, 1 as GM, and 3 (now 4) 10 year old girls) using D&D 3.5. We eased into the system, but when 90% of what you do is "Roll this, add that," And the rest is written out on your sheets, it's not difficult. You just have to start simple, and introduce ideas as they come up: This is what happens when you crit. This is how a savng throw works. This is what happens when you charge into an ambush. This is when you can make an "attack of opportunity," If you want to run after him, you can make it a charge attack for a bonus.

And work your way up to "If I make my tumble roll, I can slip around the guard here, and get flanking from the fighter to get my sneak attack" or "Can I use Knowledge: Nature to figure out from these scratch marks what dug these caves?" (Yes... They're not claw marks.)

(We also make them do their own math, and they are encouraged to keep an adventure journal for XP awards/writing practice. Education wrapped in a d20!)

Lessons learned: Pick something that's fairly straightforward. If there's a fair bit of crunching to make things work, get the concepts, and walk through how you build them in the rules to match the ideas. Make recommendations, but they get final call. Let them make mistakes, but ratchet up the consequences with experience. If you have a mixed party (adults and not-quite-adults), let the younger ones pick their ideas first, then have the adults fill niches and play support.

Raineh Daze
2013-05-21, 04:25 AM
Your babysitting license has been revoked.

I had a babysitting license? :smallconfused:

Didn't think it was that bad, anyway. :smalltongue:

Kol Korran
2013-05-21, 05:30 AM
I'd third Fate core and similar. Why?
- quite simple rules, yet with lots of room for adjusting things if needed.
- very versatile fitting nearly any genre you can think of.
- focused on making a cool narrative story, and the mechanics are geared towards it.
- a spirit of collaborative story telling, where the players take a very active creative role in the game.
- Quite important as well the system enables the GM to easily improvise when going off track- real esay, so this can happen more frequently.

GnomeFighter
2013-05-21, 05:54 AM
I think a little more info would help.

Whilst GURPS might seem like a good idea I think you would be better off not letting them go completely wild with what they want to play. That way madness lies.

"But a power ranger could kick a wizards ass"
"No they can't. I can cast a fire ball"
"Ye, but my pirate would totally be better than both of you"

And so on... SOME structure helps.

Personally I rather like Mouse Guard, but yes, it has to be with the right kids as some will think it is stupid and childish just because it is mice.

Star Wars: Edge of the Empire would be good, if like star wars. Its a nice system and the box comes with everything you need to run the first 2 adventures. You start with a pre-gen character, with just the stats you need, and as you level up you turn the page and it gives you some more rules/options to work in. You have SOME choice, but not much, in leveling up to start with. All of the rolls are "take the dice listed next to the skills, plus whatever the GM gives you and roll". They just need to count the number of successes and fails and balance them off. There are other things you can do to add good or bad dice to the pool you roll, but its a really nice system without too much maths. There is lots of other cool stuff you can do with successes and critical hits. It is also a nice "game in a box" designed as an intro to non RPGers.

D&D 4th ed should be fine for that age, as long as they have OK maths skills and are interested in playing. Just keep the CR low (at least to start with) and be ready to fudge rolls and hand out res's if it is going badly for them.

InSpectres is a good system. http://www.memento-mori.com/inspectres/ Low on dice, lots of RP, and allot of fun. Very much letting them write the adventure, needs little setup. The GM is mostly just saying "Yes, and".

Rhynn
2013-05-21, 06:07 AM
Kids aged 10 and 12? We're not talking about 5 year olds that have to be babied anymore. When I was that age I fully understood how RPGs worked. Just play whatever you'd play with adults - skipping on mature themes, of course.

I started playing D&D (as the DM) at 10. I wasn't very good, but everyone had fun, even if we didn't get the rules 100% right.

Definitely not GURPS, though. The only criteria I'd have is "not genuinely adult" (Cthulhutech's rape machines, Little Fears with the pedophilia demon, or Carcosa's rituals andentire world) and "simple rules."

To that end, I recommend Basic Fantasy, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry, all free D&D retroclones of the older editions. You could also run Dark Dungeons (slightly more complex, but you can ignore much of the rulebook, at least at first) or Myth & Magic. All linked in my signature, all free for download! I'd think 10-12 year olds will learn them fast and well with some help. Of course, you might prefer to have printed books for the kids to read - several of the retroclones are also sold in print.

Socratov
2013-05-21, 06:12 AM
I'd recommend Anima Prime: it allows for awesomeness with relatively little rules and is free to use.

Mono Vertigo
2013-05-21, 07:19 AM
Joke aside, Maid RPG is pretty simple and intuitive, with in-built randomized event and twists. The thing it that it does require refluffing, as well as getting rid of advanced relationship rules. Fortunately, it lends itself quite well to hacks.

CarpeGuitarrem
2013-05-21, 08:48 AM
One of the simplest things I can think of is Maid RPG, but that probably wouldn't go down well. XD
Actually, speaking of Maid RPG, the same guy who translated that game has translated Golden Sky Stories (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nekoewen/golden-sky-stories-heartwarming-role-playing), also done by Maid author Ryo Kamiya.

The Kickstarter for the localization is above, and it's an absolutely lovely game that's dead-simple and dare I say perfect for getting kids into RPGs. The website has Demo rules (including a session outline; PDF link) (http://starlinepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2013-GSSDemo-StarlinePublishing.pdf), and here's a replay (PDF link) of a GSS session (http://starlinepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/GSS-TheBrokenWindow.pdf)

KS is running out soon, though. But the book will be in stores.

Ozfer
2013-05-21, 08:58 AM
One of my friends has two smallish (10 and 12) children that want to get into gaming, what would be a good system for them to get started on. I'm leaning towards GURPS

Uh... I really wouldn't. GURPS is really complicated for a fullly developed gamer, let alone small children.

I would recommend FATE core, for the same reasons as others have mentioned. What's cool about it is there is very little math, and important details are literally set on the table in front of you for all to see.

GolemsVoice
2013-05-21, 09:23 AM
I really like the GUMSHOE system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUMSHOE_System), it has few rolls involved, and I think the concepts are easy to grasp for kids. It's also a good system in general.

Alejandro
2013-05-21, 10:00 AM
Have you considered starting them with one of the 'tabletop RPG' board games, like Heroquest or Dragonstrike? Both are excellent 'D&D lite' and lead well into more advanced play.

WildPyre
2013-05-21, 10:13 AM
Yeah I'd have to go with Mutants and Masterminds for the characters they want to play.

For general fantasy? 4th ed seems like a good starter game.

neonchameleon
2013-05-21, 10:21 AM
Actually, speaking of Maid RPG, the same guy who translated that game has translated Golden Sky Stories (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nekoewen/golden-sky-stories-heartwarming-role-playing), also done by Maid author Ryo Kamiya.

Aggh, no. Please, whatever you do, especially if the children are male, do not offer that to a twelve year old. The rule of writing for young adults is that you write the protagonists older than the intended audience; younger will just put them right off. And that game looks as if it's pitched to seven to ten year olds at most; near-teenagers will see it as childish.


Uh... I really wouldn't. GURPS is really complicated for a fullly developed gamer, let alone small children.

I would recommend FATE core, for the same reasons as others have mentioned. What's cool about it is there is very little math, and important details are literally set on the table in front of you for all to see.

Seriously, remembering my own teenage years, GURPS wasn't beyond me. (I started on GURPS at 13 IIRC). It isn't that complex - and I think I'd have found FATE childish rather than elegant (as I do now).

Or to quote C.S. Lewis "When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up". At the ages indicated the kids will fear being childish and desire to be grown up. Something mechanics heavy and that looks slightly intimidating is probably a good place to start.

The 4e Red Box or PF Beginners Box would both be pretty decent places to start IMO.

Rhynn
2013-05-21, 10:44 AM
Aggh, no. Please, whatever you do, especially if the children are male, do not offer that to a twelve year old. The rule of writing for young adults is that you write the protagonists older than the intended audience; younger will just put them right off. And that game looks as if it's pitched to seven to ten year olds at most; near-teenagers will see it as childish.

This absolutely. It's pretty much unavoidable child psychology that they want the things that appear to be (or are) aimed at an audience slightly older than them. This was part of the charm of RPGs for many people early on: they learned to play from their older siblings and their friends, or a friend's older sibling, and part of the thrill was getting to do something that was an activity for older kids. Dumb it down for kids or make it child-friendly and you risk making it uninteresting or unattractive for the kids. (Really, pretty much half the movies I liked as a kid I was "too young" to watch.)


Seriously, remembering my own teenage years, GURPS wasn't beyond me. (I started on GURPS at 13 IIRC). It isn't that complex - and I think I'd have found FATE childish rather than elegant (as I do now).

Teenage is probably fine, but it is a huge system. I grokked it fine at 13-15, but at 10-12, I got MERP and RuneQuest 3rd ed. all wrong, but was perfectly capable of grasping (most) of the actual rules of D&D (BECM) pretty much right, and had fun mostly regardless of the rules.

LibraryOgre
2013-05-21, 11:39 AM
If you're comfortable with GURPS, go with GURPS. It has a pretty simple set of core mechanics that can be elaborated on as they get more experience.

That said, I'm a fan of Castles and Crusades. Simple mechanics, easy to grasp, and a good entry into heroic RPGs. I understand they also have pulp era game (Amazing Adventures by Jason Vey (http://www.trolllord.com/cnc/aa_preorder.html)) coming out if not already here. I thought they also had a game aimed at children, using a similar system, but I can't find a sign of it.

Savage World is likewise pretty easy and flexible.

And, as others have said, they're 10 and 12... they can probably handle most any game you toss at them. Figure out what they want to play, and how you're most comfortable running it. It's easier to improvise in games you know well, and kids will throw you some wild curveballs. I taught a 10 year old on 3.0 D&D, and he handled it just fine... though he made friends with the kobold he was "supposed to" capture or kill.

snoopy13a
2013-05-21, 11:43 AM
I taught a 10 year old on 3.0 D&D, and he handled it just fine... though he made friends with the kobold he was "supposed to" capture or kill.

Ironically, that's probably the more mature response to an encounter.

Someone mentioned Hero's Quest. That is a good bridge between a board game and a RPG. It might be a good introduction (assuming they still produce it or you can pick it up used relatively easy).

Manga Shoggoth
2013-05-21, 11:49 AM
I'm probably showing my age a little, but Toon (cartoon roleplaying) may be a good possibility. Especially if they have seen and liked some of the old Warner Brothers/Tom and Jerry/Disney type cartoons.

It has very little in the way of rules, and the whole point of the game is to try things out - since it is impossible to kill the characters (you just get a n-minute time-out), there is no bar to trying things for the hell of it.

Magnema
2013-05-21, 11:55 AM
I've run a bunch of games for kids just this age, so speaking from experience with the games I've run:

D&D 3.5: It'll take them a while to pick it up unless they're fairly smart. I've typically DM'd this with a group of people of whom some have played D&D before, so I can't speak to a fully new group, but the core rules (roll a d20, add this number) are simple enough. Don't have prepared casters (at first, at least) unless they're a ranger or something that only gets a few spells. Help them with other casters so they get a spell selection that's decent, while not too complicated (e.g. no Polymorph). Be ready to fudge if need be, but only if need be (do it more if they tend to cry or something like that, I guess). If you disallow prepped casters, then the game opens up at an appropriate rate, in general. Also, be sure to give them plenty of rest time, etc. - this is generally more important than fudging.

Fudge: I played one game of this with 6th graders. It was very freeform, and definitely... an experience. I used Fudge on the Fly and DMed a fast and loose campaign from the seat of my pants. Very fun, but don't expect to get a very coherent story. Let the game go where they take it. Highly recommend if you're a good improviser who lets them go where they want to go (I did a space game).

GURPS: Didn't actually run this myself, but I know someone who did, with a group of 7th graders who had played other games before. I would say definitely too complicated for an introductory game. It'd probably be a lot of fun once they get it overall though.

Kobolds Ate My Baby: If it's not too childish for them, this could be a lot of fun. I've played it with people both younger and older, and I think this could be a good fit depending on the kid.

Those are the systems I've used and can speak to from experience. Overall, I'd say D&D is acceptable if you're patient, ban prepped casters, and put it on easy mode; GURPS is too complicated for at first; KAMB is good for certain types of kids; and Fudge with the FotF variant is exceptional if you're good at almost free-form improvisational DMing (and especially if they're a bit silly sometimes).

LibraryOgre
2013-05-21, 02:17 PM
Ironically, that's probably the more mature response to an encounter.


Yeah, but whoever accused me of being mature? :smallbiggrin:



Kobolds Ate My Baby: If it's not too childish for them, this could be a lot of fun. I've played it with people both younger and older, and I think this could be a good fit depending on the kid.


I'll say... KAMB is fun, but it can also backfire with kids, who may get a bit too used to the utter lack of accountability the game has.

Lentrax
2013-05-21, 02:45 PM
FirstFable. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/107399/FirstFable?filters=0_0_0_0_0_44772)

It is less roll driven, and more of a 'playing your own fairy tale' kind of game.

Raum
2013-05-21, 05:04 PM
One of my friends has two smallish (10 and 12) children that want to get into gaming, what would be a good system for them to get started on. I'm leaning towards GURPS because of how diverse it is and it will let one play a power rangers ninja and the other play a wizard but something rules light/less math intensive might be good as well.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience with this sort of thing?You might check out a Kickstarter - Adventure Mazimus (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1801360072/adventure-maximus?ref=category).

neonchameleon
2013-05-22, 09:36 AM
You might check out a Kickstarter - Adventure Mazimus (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1801360072/adventure-maximus?ref=category).


- Victor (age 6)
...
- Sophia Vasilakos (age 7)
...
- Liam Hogan (Age 8)


FirstFable. (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/107399/FirstFable?filters=0_0_0_0_0_44772)

It is less roll driven, and more of a 'playing your own fairy tale' kind of game.


Appropriate for players as young as 6 years old, FirstFable...

And both have cutesy artwork.

Put yourselves in a child's shoes. You are a 12 year old who has asked to play an adult's game. Instead you get given a version, very different from the one the adults are playing, covered in cutesy artwork and that says "For ages six and up".

Do you
(a) Think that's it's what you asked for?
(b) Think that it's designed for someone literally half your age and that you are a big kid being given a baby's toy, and mostly feel patronised and that you don't want the little kiddy version?
(c) Feel patronised because it's designed for children half your age but give it a go anyway?

Hint: I doubt it's going to be (a). Gygaxian prose being dense and intimidating wasn't a problem, it was a lure.

I'm not in any way saying the two products linked are bad products. Merely that if they are aimed at ages 6 and up, as both clearly are, nine is the oldest you give them to. For bright ten year olds you are more likely to want to give them something for ages 12 and up (the official target age group for both the 4e Red Box and the PF Beginners Box) and let them feel mature rather than treated like babies.

Lentrax
2013-05-22, 10:17 AM
There is however a difference between wanting a game for kids, and wanting one for preteens.

Black Jester
2013-05-22, 10:49 AM
Gurps is a pretty good idea. It is actually much, much easier than, for instance D&D, mostly because the rules are consistent and intuitive, and follow an actual internal logic which is both consistent and easily understandable, even for younger children. I started playing Gurps when I was 11, nobody ever explained the rules to me, and that was never necessary. And I certainly was not a particularly super smart kid or anything. The rules for Gurps are actually very, very simple, and unlike many other games, they are actually well thought out. Only because they are young doesn't mean that they are stupid or that they deserve some horrible punishment like FATE.

Go and ask the kids what kind of genre or setting they want to experience. They might need some assistance with verbalizing what they want, so it might be a good idea to offer some orientation (for instance books, series or movies they like). Make notes, mix and match, take the Gurps core books and start building characters. For this kind of game, there are no better rules than Gurps (in general, better rules than Gurps are very rare).

Rhynn
2013-05-22, 11:46 AM
There is however a difference between wanting a game for kids, and wanting one for preteens.

"Preteen" is a (vague) subset of "kid"/"child" and the OP did specify the ages to be 10 and 12.

Basically, kids - particularly in or approaching their teens - have a strong aversion to doing things they are "too old" for and a strong attraction to doing things they are "too young" for. (E.g., most smokers started smoking before age 18.)

And in D&D, specifically, many players who started as kids were specifically attracted to it because it wasn't "for kids." And I know some kids were, for instance, put off Basic D&D (and onto AD&D) by it being for "ages 12 and up" - to kids, "12 and up" means that if you're older than 12, it's "for babies." The words "Basic" and "Advanced" in the titles helped.

Verte
2013-05-22, 01:37 PM
Hmmmm...I would personally lean either towards GURPS or FATE, but that's probably because those are my two favorite systems right now. I honestly think it's funny that GURPS is considered too complicated on a forum that mainly focuses on D&D 3.5. I mean, I think that the core mechanics of GURPS are very straightforward and that character generation encourages considering the PC's personality before play. However, I would pick a genre and focus on that - having a power ranger with a wizard will just bring out the weaknesses of the system. Also, while GURPS is IMO less complicated than D&D 3.5, the combat system may seem too complex at first glance and chargen may be time-consuming. If using GURPS, I would probably start out with GURPS Lite and one clear-cut genre and scenario.

As far as FATE is concerned, I've really enjoyed it, but I wonder if it's actually harder to really appreciate until you've played other rpgs. With preteens, I think something a little more clearcut (like GURPS) and less based on gentlemans' agreements that everyone will get along (like FATE).


And both have cutesy artwork.

Put yourselves in a child's shoes. You are a 12 year old who has asked to play an adult's game. Instead you get given a version, very different from the one the adults are playing, covered in cutesy artwork and that says "For ages six and up".

Do you
(a) Think that's it's what you asked for?
(b) Think that it's designed for someone literally half your age and that you are a big kid being given a baby's toy, and mostly feel patronised and that you don't want the little kiddy version?
(c) Feel patronised because it's designed for children half your age but give it a go anyway?

Hint: I doubt it's going to be (a). Gygaxian prose being dense and intimidating wasn't a problem, it was a lure.

I'm not in any way saying the two products linked are bad products. Merely that if they are aimed at ages 6 and up, as both clearly are, nine is the oldest you give them to. For bright ten year olds you are more likely to want to give them something for ages 12 and up (the official target age group for both the 4e Red Box and the PF Beginners Box) and let them feel mature rather than treated like babies.

Yeah, I'm kinda inclined to agree with this. Those two games seem to be intended for six to nine year olds. When I was ten to twelve I probably would have not been interested in them, especially since I already had a rough knowledge of the rules to AD&D 1, D&D 3E, and Call of Cthulhu by that time. When you're that age, you really hate feeling that you're being talked down to (not that I think the creators of those games are actually talking down to kids, just that a 10 year old might feel that way).



And in D&D, specifically, many players who started as kids were specifically attracted to it because it wasn't "for kids." And I know some kids were, for instance, put off Basic D&D (and onto AD&D) by it being for "ages 12 and up" - to kids, "12 and up" means that if you're older than 12, it's "for babies." The words "Basic" and "Advanced" in the titles helped.

Ironically, my copy of the AD&D Players Handbook says it's suitable for "ages 10 and up."

The Rose Dragon
2013-05-23, 03:53 PM
Faery's Tale Deluxe. Not just for kids, but for anyone who is either very new to RPGs or very experienced with them. Beyond the advice for roleplaying with small children and the cutesy example sections (and how you are playing a tiny friend to all living things) lies a surprisingly mature and intuitive game. It would have to be, since it's designed for parents to teach their children how to play and other important life lessons.

CarpeGuitarrem
2013-05-23, 09:16 PM
You could also, y'know, try talking to the kids, which is much less condescending than presuming "there is no way any kids would like these" (since the success of picture books suggests otherwise)...

I mean, you have pictures, you can get them rules samples, I don't think they're going to think less of you for asking if they'd be interested in something. I happen to think it's presumptuous to say "no kids will ever like anything cutesy".

Scow2
2013-05-24, 03:41 PM
I happen to think it's presumptuous to say "no kids will ever like anything cutesy".You'd be wrong. Maybe if there were 99 kids of that age, there might be one interested in a cutesy RPG - but this is preteens, not children/toddlers. More interested in Call of Duty than Seseme Street.

I'd suggest GURPS, Dungeons+Dragons (3rd or 4th edition), Pathfinder, or Savage Worlds.

The biggest problem I've seen with GURPS and Savage Worlds is that they're so open you need to restrain yourself, and high-level stuff is mixed in with low-level stuff. D&D and Pathfinder are just fill-in-the-numbers.

Man on Fire
2013-05-24, 05:24 PM
One of my friends has two smallish (10 and 12) children that want to get into gaming, what would be a good system for them to get started on. I'm leaning towards GURPS because of how diverse it is and it will let one play a power rangers ninja and the other play a wizard but something rules light/less math intensive might be good as well.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience with this sort of thing?

Pick up Savage Worlds, rules are fairly impel and it's flexible enough for a lot of diversity.

Raum
2013-05-25, 08:57 AM
Put yourselves in a child's shoes.
Sure. Dad says "Let's play this game I really love!" Kid 1 looks at the stack of books while kid 2 never looks up from the Street Fighter XXI game he's playing.

Any bets on whether it's easier to rope them into a simple game vs one needing a couple hours of character creation / set up?
-----
Shrug. We can play the put yourself in their shoes game or we can just put out suggestions and let the OP who knows them decide. :smallwink:
-----

@ the OP: I would tend to opt for a rule set with fast set up the first few times. However, I think your biggest draw is going to be the setting. What settings/stories/movies are they excited about? Iron Man 3 perhaps? Grab Savage Worlds' Super Powers Companion, it's the simplest supers rules set I know of. (Not best, just simplest.) Perhaps better yet, grab WaRP or Risus and let them create their favorite character!

Tengu_temp
2013-05-25, 09:48 AM
If you've shown me a pile of books when I was a kid and told me all of them were for the RPG we'll play, I'd be even more eager to start. Especially if they had cool illustrations with dragons and names such as Monster Manual.

Young teens, boys at least, generally don't want cute and cozy games. They want games that let them feel like awesome heroes. Stay away from really mature themes, but don't make the mistake of thinking you have to get rid of violence and death.


Actually, speaking of Maid RPG, the same guy who translated that game has translated Golden Sky Stories (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nekoewen/golden-sky-stories-heartwarming-role-playing), also done by Maid author Ryo Kamiya.

Crap, how did I miss that kickstarter? This is not a game I'd like to play when I was 12, but it's certainly one I wouldn't mind playing now. Glad to see it's getting a translation.

Need_A_Life
2013-05-25, 12:03 PM
Fate Accelerated.
Not too many fiddly mechanics, easy action adjucation and a greater focus on telling a good story rather than tweaking and fine-tuning numbers. Also: Easy to hack for whatever setting they like best; Harry Potter, superheroes, fairy tales, Lord of the Rings etc.

Asmodai
2013-06-03, 08:57 PM
Did you consider Grimm or Monsters and other childish things?

Grimm is about a darker take on the classic fairytales, and how children get lost in them, while Monsters and other Childish things is the game about kids and their imaginary friends. They should seem great for kids.

... on the other hand I've found kids the most interested and eager for Deadlands and Hell on Earth, so I guess it really depends on the kids :P

Lord Torath
2013-06-03, 10:45 PM
If you want to do D&D, I'd recommend the BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia ruleset if you can get it. I started playing those rules when I was about 7. And aside from thinking the spell Magic Missile should be a lot more potent than it was (I know what a missile is! They use them all the time in GI Joe! One of those should easily kill a giant crab!), I had a blast! The rules are simple and easy to grasp. And there's a lot of great old modules around.