D&D with Children

[Wasp]

Hi everyone

I have promised my niece (12 years old) to DM a game for her and her friends over the summer. She has already read the Starter Set adventure, so this is off the table. So either I create my own adventure or use a different published one. Do you have any recommendations - either what to do with your own creation or a what to pick from the published material with focus it being for younger kids?

And how would you go on with characters? Just use the pregens? Ask them before the game what they would like to play and transfer that into characters? Would you start at first level if it's about getting them introduced but also hooked on the game?

Anything particular I should do or prepare for in a game with a bunch of 12 year olds? Any feedback would be very welcome, especially also regarding 5e material as I myself are relatively new to 5e...

Cheers!

Wasp

[etrpgb]

In my experience playing with children is unexpectedly easy; they like to play make-believe all the time so it will come natural for the most part. The hardest part is, as probably expected, visualize precisely the scenes and the rules.


My suggestions based exclusively on my own experience are:

Make your own adventure. A simple one, for example "recover item in the bottom of the dungeon to save the village from the plague." What is important is that the setting is kinda aligned with something they like, if they imagine a funny and colorful world don't even try to play in Ravenloft for example.

About characters, talk with them and accompany them in the creation of the kind of character they are imaging. In dnd 5e it is really difficult to make an unusable character, so try to balance between what they would like, the rules and power playing.

At this point, during the adventure try to say "yes" most of the time. You should say "no" pretty much only when a request contradicts explicit rules (for example, he wants to do two bonus actions in one turn) otherwise, let the dice decide. If possible use a battle map with some nice looking indicators, I used medieval-like LEGO figurines.

In my experience it works fairly well.

[Mordaedil]

It doesn't hurt to downplay the intelligence of your antagonists for this. Make goblins dumber, make orcs more aggressive and make the villains laugh while running out of the room. Wave the rewards in front of them like a pair of shiny keys and have a friendly mage who actually helps them and gives them riddles that ties into their quest in some way.

Oh wait, that's just the D&D cartoon.

[CTurbo]

I agree with the above. If you keep it simple, you'll find DMing kids to be pretty easy. The hardest part is getting them to understand the rules.

As for character creation, that part can be fun. Ask each player what kind of character they would want to play. Example,.. do you want to be big and strong and hit things with a big axe? Do you want to be super sneaky? Do you want to play a healer? Do you want to turn into an animal? Do you want to use magic for everything? What kind of upbringing did your character have?

Then quick build the characters from there. I recommend an inflated stat array because kids want their characters to be good at everything and will lose interest if their character fails more times than not.

Simplify each class option too. If somebody wanted to play a wizard, I'd probably only give illusionist or evocation as the options. Fighter would automatically be a Champion, Cleric would automatically be Life, Rogue would automatically be Thief. Etc...

Same thing with spell selection. I'd pick quick easy stuff. Magic Missile, Minor Illusion, Find Familiar, Healing Word, etc...

I'd start at level 1 and not allow feats.

I think you'll have fun too.

[Catullus64]

When I ran a game for some kids about the same age (10-11), the notion that in-game actions have lasting consequences didn't get across very clearly, which led to one kid "jokingly" firing a magic missile at another, even as I asked her "are you sure you want to do that?" The other kid was laughing along. She then killed him outright with the spell (it was first level and he had already taken a hit.) When I told him that his character was dead and that he had to make another, he was rather upset.

So yeah, make consequences clear.

[caden_varn]

I ran a little adventure for the children of a friend, about this age, last summer. Went down well with the kids. Their dad was also playing, so was able to keep them going in the right direction. I stole an idea from this forum about subverting standard tropes, so they were rescuing a dragon from an evil princess :)

I used microlite 5E, which simplifies D&D 5E down a bit - may be helpful depending on how easily you think they'll handle it first time. For example, it reduces the stats from 6 to 3. Worth a look at least, unless the kids are already reasonably conversant with the basic idea. I'd certainly suggest a lot of hand-holding on character creation.

I did have a look for the notes from my adventure. I do have them, but they are - not extensive, shall we say. Happy to share them with a bit more explanation if you think they'd be helpful.

One thing I did note was that the kids were surprisingly bloodthirsty. I was glad their dad was in the game, so I could blame him if their mother objected :smallbiggrin:

[Mordaedil]

When I ran a game for some kids about the same age (10-11), the notion that in-game actions have lasting consequences didn't get across very clearly, which led to one kid "jokingly" firing a magic missile at another, even as I asked her "are you sure you want to do that?" The other kid was laughing along. She then killed him outright with the spell (it was first level and he had already taken a hit.) When I told him that his character was dead and that he had to make another, he was rather upset.

So yeah, make consequences clear.
OR, and hear me out on this, change from death to a fainting system seen in Pokemon, where the players falls unconscious, but gets up after a little while.

You don't have to make children cry to have fun, jeez. At least not in their first game.

[Anonymouswizard]

As a note, 12 year olds with standard maths/English should be capable of making their own characters. You might want to restrict them to the Basic Rules races and classes to make it easier, but let them roll and assign their stats and pick their spells.

For adventures, don't have enemies act too smart, but not too dumb. Go easy on them, but don't make it obvious. Give them what feels like a challenge without any serious Faber of losing their characters.

[etrpgb]

...seen in Pokemon...

...and then even the Pokemons can appear

https://www.pirategonzalezgames.com/pokemon-dd-conversion/

[Maelynn]

I wouldn't use dumbed-down rules. Not for 12-year-olds. They may need a bit of guidance when making their character, but at that age they're clever enough to understand character sheet basics. When I was that age I hated it when people approached me as if I was like 9... I mean honestly, I wasn't a little kid anymore! *insert pout of unfairness*

[BLC1975]

I would use the pre-gen characters from the starter set for sure.

I DM for my kids and have being running published and my own plots. I think it is easier to go with your own creation because it is much easier to picture the world in your own head, rather than try to interpret other people's adventures.

I have found creating my own world and then robbing bits and bobs from published modules to be a useful way to go...that plus using maps and stuff from Pinterest.

[DMThac0]

I am currently running my 8 & 9 year old through a homebrew adventure. They've shown an interest in playing Sunless Citadel after hearing stories about me DMing it. They'd already read up on the different races but understanding the classes I knew was going to be a trick. They've spend the past couple years sitting in and listening to my fiancee and I DM. She's running Curse of Strahd, and I'm running a homebrew world; Loromir. I decided I'd take them and their mom through a short adventure to give the kids a taste of what D&D was like before they sit down with my friends and play.

Rather than have them roll up a character, I took the pre-made ones from LMoP and had the kids pick one at random. The decision was made because am only giving them a small taste of the game. This also makes starting the game up quicker, as most of the information they need is on their character sheet, the rest can be filled in with explanations from my fiancee and me. I also know what to expect from their progression as they level up, so that becomes easier to explain as well. When we play Sunless, that is where they can invest their energies into creating a character, they'll be more familiar with how the character sheets work.

I chose to do a short homebrew adventure because I can adapt it on the fly to help teach the kids. First and foremost is framing the world for the kids, showing how far they really can push the imagination. Like when we say "Your imagination is your limitation" and then immediately follow it up with "No, you can't have a T-Rex as a mount", we set the framework for the world. I can show how their choices work, explain why they do or don't, and I can stop to help with the maths when it gets confusing. I can take time to slow down and be silly just the same as the kids too. I can also toss in real life lessons as well, teach something that they can take with them as they grow up.

---

There is no reason you couldn't have them roll up level 1 characters, they're old enough to understand the rules and learn them the same as we did growing up.

If you would prefer to run a module over a homebrew, pick up Yawning Portal, there's a couple lvl 1ish modules you can run that are entertaining. You could also choose to run a harder module if you want to start them at a higher level.

If you run homebrew, just draw up a skeleton of the adventure, that's all you'll need. The kids will give you all the ammunition you'll need to give them plots, story hooks, and everything else. All you'll need to do is prompt them a little, toss out a question or two, and hide it under the paint of NPC.

As to the issues you may come across, the answer is: nothing you're not already prepared for. You'll get the competitive natures, you'll get the one uping, you'll get the showboating, and all of those things that come with games and trying to win. As the game progresses you'll be able to confront and curb those bad habits, just as we do with adults playing the game. The good news is, most kids aren't going to be that bad, they want to have fun, they want to be the star of the show, and they want recognition for a job well done. That said, you'll still find those moments where it feels like you're trying to herd cats.

[Anonymouswizard]

I wouldn't use dumbed-down rules. Not for 12-year-olds. They may need a bit of guidance when making their character, but at that age they're clever enough to understand character sheet basics. When I was that age I hated it when people approached me as if I was like 9... I mean honestly, I wasn't a little kid anymore! *insert pout of unfairness*

I mean, not having to choose between Cleric/Druid, Fighter/Barbarian/Paladin/Ranger, and Wizard/Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock is probably a decent thing for 12 year olds, it's what I do with adults just getting into the game. I agree with not simplifying the rules, I might even turn some class features into feats and make it more complex if they were willing to stick to four classes, but at least starting with fewer classes might be a good idea.

[Xihirli]

I've done it with seven and eight year olds. I put out a simple plot for them to follow and was prepared for them to utterly ignore it and go explore the world. I let them play as fairies and unicorns and such because why not, they're kids.

With twelve I don't think you have to dumb down the rules or just let them do whatever, but I think going back to the fundamentals will be pretty helpful.
Player describes what their character attempts.
DM calls for (or does not call for) a roll and sets the DC.
Player makes the roll and maybe fails.

I would bring some pregens ready and also be prepared to make some characters for them if they have something in mind.

[BeefGood]

Some of these thoughts are because they are kids and others are because they are new to the game.

Use the Basic Rules for two reasons: (1) everyone has equal access to the rules, w/o having to buy or share PHB (2) cuts way down on character possibilities. I think that's a good thing for new players.
If the Basic Rules are used, greatly restricting the character possibilities, then I don't think it's necessary to use the pre-gens. The main question will be how much time you are willing to devote to helping them create characters and level up. Use pre-gens if that's a concern.
Be alert for, and take steps to minimize, perceived unfairness. An easy one--if creating characters, use the standard array. A harder one--the group finds one magic weapon. Who gets it? Suggestion: "I promise that the magic items will even out eventually, but it's going to take more than one session, because you can't explore the whole dungeon in one session."
Have a policy about evil characters, evil actions, player vs player stuff, and tell them the policy. Suggestion--No, No, No.
Provide lots of dice, so that every player can have all the needed dice, and needn't ask to borrow dice in the midst of combat.
Find a way to cut down the time that they spend looking through their spells, and when you have found a way, please share it with me. Apparently some DMs enforce time limits on declaring what your action will be. That may work with some groups of adults, but some kids may just get upset.
Don't let their characters die. Tell them that their characters won't die. If a character fails three death saving throws then...have them be unconscious for the rest of the battle, or something else like that.
Sometimes it's necessary to micro-railroad them: "No, your character will not leave the room and the party in the middle of the battle and go off exploring." "Sure, you can scout ahead. You scout ahead 60' and then you return to the party and report what you found." This is necessary because some kids don't get that the point of the game is to have fun doing things together.
Last but never least, no beast conclave rangers! The beast is essentially a second character. If one kid gets a second character, then every kid must get a second character, and then the game is way too slow.

[Keridwyn44]

I'd recommend using index cards for spells and abilities. That'll make it easier to find what to do, and they can turn the card over when it's used so they know they're done with that one.

[Wasp]

Thank you all for your feedback and advice! That's all very helpful

I think I will create my own short adventure and will try to visualize as much as possible. Lego figures actually sound like a fun solution, but maybe I'll find something else.

I also like the idea to have a talk beforehand and talk about fairness and consequences. I am a little on the edge if it's good or bad if I tell them their characters can't die (even if I won't let them die). Does the feeling of danger makes it more exciting or threatening?

Regarding characters it seems that a simplified character creation may be the way to go. Although I feel limiting it to Basic Rule Classes and Races may be a bit too restricting especially with more than four players (I find this variety to be some of the charm of D&D)... I was thinking about doing the proposed „What kind of character do you want to play?“ and then recommending them some classes from a pool of pre-selected classes (and races). But also limit the pool of spells they can chose from, so character generation doesn't take too long.

I am also thinking about having stats already linked to the class, but allow them to switch stats if they want.

Index cards sound like a good idea, also in regards to the visualization and simplification aspect.

If I would like to allow a little more than just Figher, Rogue, Wizard, Cleric and Elf, Dwarf, Halfling and Human – what would you suggest that's not too complex?

[Knaight]

Twelve is old enough to pose no issue - I'd keep the game PG-13 (though that's where my games usually end up anyways, occasional ventures into bleakness aside), and run something fairly simple. The latter advice is also not a matter of them being 12 so much as it being entirely a group of new players, where something fairly simple is generally advisable. It also sounds like you're relatively new to GMing.

[Mordaedil]

I am a little on the edge if it's good or bad if I tell them their characters can't die (even if I won't let them die). Does the feeling of danger makes it more exciting or threatening?
As adults we deal more easily with death and the like, children might feel it's really unfair if they can't continue to play if they fall down in combat. The time-out they experience with regards to the combat might be punishment enough anyway, considering they'd be eager to get up again. There can be tension even if death isn't a direct consequence, but you could always test their tolerance for it by gradualy making it deadlier. Maybe blunt trauma of clubs isn't enough to kill, but when the enemies start using swords it becomes deadlier. Emphasize the danger by pointing out how sharp and deadly the blades look. Alternatively you could also just ask them if they are okay with dying. But if they start hitting eachother to see if they can, using "foam bats" is entirely within your power.

All it really means, if you have the blunt trauma option, is that you have an early period of the game where they can't access raise dead spells, be made a bit less permanently lethal, until they can at least get enough money to afford a priest to pay for it.

That's another thing, don't be afraid to inform them of what they can do to solve things or hint verbally at when they should rest.