Child Characters

[micahaphone]

If I'm running a campy/goofy campaign where optimization isn't a concern, everyone's making wacky characters and getting into hijinks, sure. If it's anything more serious than The Adventure Zone, then no.

Closer to what I'd call "default" dnd (going off modules/published adventures) the combat and the risk of death just makes me think of IRL child soldiers, and my group plays fantasy to avoid terrible real world issues. Same reason there's no sexual assault or unassailable systemic issues.

[Corran]

I just don't know what you mean, or see how this is.

Or at least, no more than any other concept could do the same.

Other concepts could be problematic too. Segev, to be honest, I am not sure if I can explain it without bringing my bias into it (it is after all a matter of taste; maybe I should have mentioned this to begin with). I just think that child characters can easily feel out of place and make some situations look comical unintentionally. If the intention is comic relief (or maybe horror/post apocalyptic in some ways, most likely in a way that affects survival of the general population), I could see child characters being easier to incorporate (assuming a not all children party). Otherwise it's just unexpected, difficult to explain or to accept, and I fail to see anything good enough to justify going into the effort to make it happen. In fact I can only think of reasons why I dont like this kind of approach to playing characters. It's a character concept I've no interest dm'ing for, mostly because it restricts how I can respond to it. And it's also a concept I have no interest playing with, because I can't think of a way to work with what it is I dont like about it (while this is not true for other character concepts which I also dont like playing myself). There are other stuff I can mention, but I am not sure if this is the kind of conversation you are looking for.

[Segev]

Other concepts could be problematic too. Segev, to be honest, I am not sure if I can explain it without bringing my bias into it (it is after all a matter of taste; maybe I should have mentioned this to begin with). I just think that child characters can easily feel out of place and make some situations look comical unintentionally. If the intention is comic relief (or maybe horror in some ways), I could see child characters being easier to incorporate (assuming a not all children party). Otherwise it's just unexpected, difficult to explain or to accept, and I fail to see anything good enough to justify going into the effort to make it happen. In fact I can only think of reasons why I dont like this kind of approach to playing characters. It's a character concept I've no interest dm'ing for, mostly because it restricts how I can respond to it. And it's also a concept I have no interest playing with, because I can't think of a way to work with what it is I dont like about it (while this is not true for other character concepts which I also dont like playing myself). There are other stuff I can mention, but I am not sure if this is the kind of conversation you are looking for.

That's fair. My main puzzlement was the notion I was drawing from it that there was something uniquely story-bending about "child" as a concept. If it's more that you don't like concepts that have a firm shaping effect on the story at all, and not just "child," that's more understandably consistent. At least, I think I understand you better, now. Thanks for clarifying.

[Asisreo1]

As Michael Jordan may have said one time on an internet meme: F** them kids.

I don't have a problem with child protagonists since prodigy-type children appear in even the most serious fiction. It isn't until they bring Ask Ketchum into The Walking Dead that it starts to become tiresome. Although, I am not opposed to characters that oppose the setting's theme as long as the character reacts as they reasonably would. I don't imagine Spongebob would be making stupid screeching noises when he sees his friends chopped in half.

I've played with child characters as young as 8, mainly because I DM'd a group of elementary schoolers. Yes, everything was PG. They never killed anything, everyone got knocked unconscious. No threat of death and all that. They just wanted to play pretend with dice.

As for an adult game? Like I said, F** them kids. If you make a prodigy-type character, its going to die as brutally as the adult characters will. The only reason you're not allowed to play one is because the rest of the party is uncomfortable with the prospect of a dead child.

But considering my party had no qualms splitting a child in half by the torso in front of their mother because the enemy used them as a form of cover/hostage, I doubt that issue may arise.

[Segev]

It isn't until they bring Ask Ketchum into The Walking Dead that it starts to become tiresome.

I feel the need to bring up that Telltale Games's Walking Dead game featured a young girl (I think about 12, 13?) as a deuteragonist.

[micahaphone]

I feel the need to bring up that Telltale Games's Walking Dead game featured a young girl (I think about 12, 13?) as a deuteragonist.

The game my friends call Stress Simulator 2k12? Yes, a good story but that is not the vibes I want in my tabletop games.

That's a new word, thanks for my "learn a new thing every day" quota.

[Segev]

The game my friends call Stress Simulator 2k12? Yes, a good story but that is not the vibes I want in my tabletop games.

That's a new word, thanks for my "learn a new thing every day" quota.

You're welcome!

I also wouldn't hold it up as a great game; Telltale was already going downhill in quality by then. (I think Sam & Max and Monkey Island were their best works.)

[Unoriginal]

You're welcome!

I also wouldn't hold it up as a great game; Telltale was already going downhill in quality by then. (I think Sam & Max and Monkey Island were their best works.)

Man, I miss Monkey Island.

[Greywander]

deuteragonist.

That's a new word, thanks for my "learn a new thing every day" quota.

"We've had one, yes. What about second protagonist?"

[MagneticKitty]

I think it depends on how much you trust the person playing a child character.

I played a child character kind of. She was an 8 year old kobold (technically a young adult for kobolds) Named Lorit. She had a rough time growing up when she was experimented on by a dragon. She escaped, meeting a wolf (she names him Jesk) whose entire pack was eaten by the same dragon. They became fast friends and she rides the wolf into battle. She's a UA revised beast master ranger / scout rogue combo.

The party quickly adopted her and she had really two dads in the group:
The simple minded but lovable half orc pugilist who has a soft spot for kids. One of his anger triggers was anyone being mean to kids.
and the half elf spy rogue. He used to body guard a royal kid who got killed on his watch. he almost died in the same attack, and now does spy type things trying to track down who ordered the attack on his former job.
Because the kobold is a more grisly character, and by that I mean: she knows death and the horrors of the world; they don't have to baby her in that regard. We have cute moments of the bard trying to explain marriage to a tiny lizard person who doesn't have that in their society. Then when the bard gives a magic ring to another party member little lizard child asks when the wedding is. XD
The party called her like "Murder child" and "the blender" and things like that tho... so she was not innocent/afraid of the world like a child could be. We had a great time trying to overthrow a corrupt king where we all got split up and eventually regroup and the kobold reveals she was able to complete the assassination of the corrupt king, who she had the head of in her backpack of holding.

I think it can work. Maybe ask them why they want to play a kid?

You need a person who is mature and is not going to just be annoying. You also need a child character who wants to adventure / is capable of adventuring. They don't have to be callous, I did have her go in the other room and color on the wall when the characters were torturing a bad guy into giving answers.. you can have them step away from a situation they would feel uncomfortable with.
you also probably need to justify why they are battle capable probably more than normal.. they don't have experience. My character lived in the woods for a few years with her wolf before she joined the party (we started lv 3). I think having some things they are good/comfortable with helps.. my character just wasn't good with people and society.

Sorry my post is so ramble-y
That game ended with Lorit (the kobold) and her newly mutated wolf-dragon buddy (Jesk) going around freeing slaves. Which was what she mostly stood against before the end of the campaign, having been slave to a dragon at a young age.

EDIT:
I forgot our current game also has a different player (the bard player from above) playing a child. I don't know exactly how old she is, but I think low teens (12-16). She was an orphan who ran away joining a crime ring for a while as a signaler / lookout. She used lighting for signals and named herself Glim. My character the large burly beast barbarian (the new one) half dragon (reflavored simic hybrid) named Sharyu. He's kinda a muscle for hire.
It's kinda cute, her character the smart arcane trickster is my character's boss. They kinda adopted each other. They are kinda robin hood type mentality, both coming from lives of crime, not wanting to be evil, but not able to completely abandon their main specialties. They have an Older brother - little sister relationship. My character is more childish than the rogue often, her talking him out of starting fights. It is cute how they look out for each other.