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View Full Version : Running a game for my little brother; need help.



RFLS
2013-05-29, 12:15 AM
My little brother got interested in D&D in the last few months and wants me to run a game for him and a few of his friends this summer. I figured it'd be fun, so I agreed to do it. Problem is, I'm drawing a blank on what to do. They mentioned a steampunk setting'd be cool, so I'm doing that (this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252794) will probably be background stuff). I've also decided to show up with a stack of premade sheets that they'll pick from for their first character, rather than spending 3 hours playing math games rather than stabbing stuff. After that, though... I'm drawing a blank.

TL;DR: What kind of game would you run for a 13 year old kid?

Barsoom
2013-05-29, 12:23 AM
Dungeon magazine has several great premade Eberron adventures. Check here: http://intwischa.com/dungeon/ and sort by setting. I was particularly impressed by Chimes at Midnight.

JusticeZero
2013-05-29, 12:25 AM
A morally simple one with a basic and cliche setting with four-color heroics against enemies that you can feel happy destroying, like constructs, undead, plants, or some such thing.

Tysis
2013-05-29, 12:26 AM
Could you tell us a bit about your brother and his friends and what they expect from the game? Like how much RP they want, how challenging they want combat to be, stuff like that.

Mordar
2013-05-29, 12:05 PM
Like Barsoom, I recommend tapping into pre-made resources, particularly of the "one-sheet" variety or those presented as short adventures in magazines (or something like the Dungeon Delve book or resources). You can re-flavor them if you want it steampunky without having to make any huge changes. Don't be afraid to use those kind of options!

Keep things simple, but not simplistic. By that I mean avoid multi-layered plots, but do have decision points and opportunities for more than just "bash in the orc's head" fun (though be sure it has that too). Stereotypes are okay - the slimy vizier probably is the bad guy...the farmboy with a yen for adventure probably is a stout ally...and the absent-minded old academic is probably a potent archmage out for a stroll.

Aim for a fun action movie feel and I think you'll have it.

- M

Twilight Jack
2013-05-29, 12:15 PM
When you say D&D, what iteration are you talking about? 3.x? 4e? Earlier editions? Old-school Basic D&D (Moldvay or Mentzer) is a great system for introducing folks to the hobby, if you can get your hands on the rules.

My oldest son is 12, and plays in a D&D (now Pathfinder) game I've been running for him and his mom since he was 8 or 9. My recommendation is to start simple and delve some dungeons, preferably in search of treasure. Save the high fantasy plots and any possible moral dilemmas for later. I know because I did the exact opposite with my son, and it led to some dissatisfaction in our early days of play. If I had it all to do over, I'd have started him out with a B/X sandbox game, and let him come looking for the plot and the complexity as he was ready for it.

atomicpenguin
2013-05-29, 02:37 PM
I think the question here isn't really what game would a 13 year old boy like. The question should be what game your brother and the other party members would like. What books does your brother like to read? What movies/shows does he watch? You could approach this by saying that he's a 13-year-old and simply shut out more complex themes and moral gray areas, but I read the extended edition of The Stand by Stephen King when I was 12 and 13-year-old me could probably have handled some more complex stuff. So find out what your brother likes and use that to judge what he can handle.