Good system for kids?

[The Mentalist]

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]

One of the simplest things I can think of is Maid RPG, but that probably wouldn't go down well. XD

[Ravens_cry]

I hear the Dragon Age pen and paper RPG is a good way to introduce kids to role playing games.

[jaybird]

Dark Heresy

[Grod_The_Giant]

Mutants and Masterminds 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]

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Your babysitting license has been revoked.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]

I'd highly recommend Cortex. 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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Your babysitting license has been revoked.

I had a babysitting license?

Didn't think it was that bad, anyway.

[Kol Korran]

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]

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]

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]

I'd recommend Anima Prime: it allows for awesomeness with relatively little rules and is free to use.

[Mono Vertigo]

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]

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, 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), and here's a replay (PDF link) of a GSS session

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

[Ozfer]

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]

I really like the 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]

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]

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]

Actually, speaking of Maid RPG, the same guy who translated that game has translated Golden Sky Stories, 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]

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]

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) 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]

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]

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]

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).