TEXT: Running an Introductory Roleplaying Game 
  for Kids 
  • 
  Author: Ryan Carlson 
  • 
  https://www.wired.com/2012/11/intro-rpg-for-kids/  
  • 
  11.28.12 
   
  A Jedi Knight and his assigned clone trooper companions fight against enemy battle droids to 
  take control of the bridge of the Separatist warship. Photo: Ryan Carlson 
  
  How do you break the ice with kids and create their first introduction into roleplaying 
  games? 
  As a GeekDad that has been roleplaying since I was about 12 years old, I have been anticipating 
  an introduction to roleplaying for my three daughters. Sharing my love for a game that rewards 
  the use of imagination, math skills, and creativity sounds like a good thing, right? The struggle 
  geek parents generally have are in relation to the timing of when to introduce a roleplaying game 
  and just as importantly, how to introduce it. 
  My opportunity to break new ground in the roleplaying world with the next generation of young 
  gamers was recently presented to me. Recently, my wife and I gave our friends a much-needed 
  date night by watching their kids. Our friends have four kids (ages 2 through 9) and my wife and 
  I have three kids (ages 6 months through 6 years). My primary job for the evening was to 
  manage the nine year old boy since the rest of the kids would happily play with one another or 
  were young enough to stay out of trouble. The nine year old boy was older than all of the rest of 
  the kids and an avid board-gamer, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce him to a 
  roleplaying game. 
  In my preparation for the evening of entertainment I went through the following motions having 
  previously run introductory roleplaying game demos at the local friendly game store (LFGS) 
  back in college and as a volunteer GM at gaming conventions. 
  Step 1: Gauge Appropriateness and the Game Setting 
  It should be apparent, but you don't want to be the adult that introduces mature themes like 
  violence, death, magic, or supernatural horror to somebody else's child. Making this decision 
  without foreknowledge of their current parent-approved experiences might be rather difficult. 
  When in doubt, get permission if it's not your child. 
  Since I didn't want to be irresponsible, I acted on information that I had gleaned from several 
  days before our game night. I knew that father and son had just started watching The Clone Wars 
  animated Star Wars series on Cartoon Network together. This information had provided me with 
  a solid foundation in which to build upon. The beauty of The Clone Wars era is that the 
  wholesale destruction of battle droids at the hands of Jedi and clone troopers cleanly sidesteps 
  the moral implications of murder and the dismemberment of living beings. The Clone Wars 
  setting would allow my young padawan to save the galaxy with a lightsaber and blaster against 
  an army of lifeless robots. 
  Step 2: Oversimplify the Rules 
  The age of your audience will significantly impact the level of complexity that you'd want to use 
  for your introduction to roleplaying games. I decided to skip character attributes and skills 
  altogether in favor of simplicity, rewarding creativity over dice rolls (which is a lesson most 
  GMs should take to heart for games of all ages). I was able to draw upon my vast experience 
  with different game systems to find a few mechanics that seemed to work really well. In 
  
  hindsight I feel that True 20 by Green Ronin and Hackmaster by Kenzer & Company both 
  influenced the following rules. 
  My Sample Generic Adventure Game Rules Summary 
  The primary mechanic that I used utilized the iconic d20 (20-sided dice). Every action would 
  either involve a quick contest (dice-off), or the action resolved automatically if it was a good 
  idea. The reason for eliminating too many dice rolls is because this introductory game would be 
  about fostering the child's imagination through storytelling and simply being the facilitator of 
  cinematic action. It's about the players making choices and seeing what happens as a result. Dice 
  rolls are there to help create tension at appropriate times throughout the adventure. 
  Quick Contest: A player will roll a d20 and adds any appropriate modifier or bonus to the roll 
  and (you) the game master will roll a d20 and add any appropriate modifiers. Whomever ends up 
  with the higher roll after modifiers wins the quick contest. My general rule of thumb is that I 
  only ask for a quick contest when it's the players character performing an action in opposition of 
  something that can actively resist the action. 
  Simple Tasks and Difficult Tasks: If I wanted to make something really easy or convey a huge 
  penalty for good or bad choices on the part of the player, instead of assigning negative numbers I 
  just change the type of dice rolled. So if the player gets the jump on the bad guys by being 
  sneaky, I roll their initiative on a d12 (twelve sided die) and the players get to use the d20. 
  Initiative is the quick contest to see who gets to go first when fighting is about to start. By 
  changing the die-type it still allows for a chance of failure, but helps stack the odds when 
  appropriate. 
  Attack and Defense Values (Player Characters): Players will have "Attack" and "Defense" 
  clearly marked on their character sheet with a numerical bonus. Since the goal is to be an 
  introduction to roleplaying and not a tactical simulation, I recommend giving the players a score 
  between +5 to +10. This split in scores helps translate a variety of character archetypes, such as 
  armored fighters and nimble swashbuckling pirates. 
  Bad Guy Bonus: I realize that the name isn't terribly clever or creative, nor is it my implication 
  that all non-players are bad guys. But it's fun to say out loud and it's a very simple mechanic for 
  an introductory game. The larger the threat, the higher the BGB. The BGB is used for nearly 
  every quick-contest, so finding a way to get players to make smart choices and reduce the roll 
  from a d20 + BGB to rolling a d12 +BGB becomes very important. I recommend asking the 
  players to describe what they are doing and how it might give them an advantage over the bad 
  guys. Be prepared to hear some really creative answers! 
  Example. A Separatist Battle Droid has a BGB of +2 because they are just that bad. Whereas a 
  Droid Destroyer (the rolling droids with deflector shields and heavy blasters for arms) is high on 
  the threat meter and has a +10 BGB! 
  Hit Points: This mechanic is going to be familiar to most people and the number of starting hit 
  points for player characters can vary. In a modern setting with no magical healing, 40-60 hit 
  
  points feels right. Whereas fantasy settings with magic potions and healing magic, having 
  players start with a lower hit point value will increase the inherent value of treasure chests that 
  contain healing potions. 
  When a player or bad guy reaches 0 or fewer hit points, they are no longer able to act. Their 
  actual status is open to interpretation for each game since it could reflect sleeping, 
  unconsciousness, dying, or actual death. I usually explain in my games that if you reach 0 hit 
  points, it means you've been knocked out and will be put into the jail by the bad guys (leaving 
  the players to find a way to escape). 
  Causing Damage: Where there are hit points, there are clearly ways of taking them away. I use 
  d6's (six-sided dice) for rolling damage. Basic attacks do 1d6 (1 six-sided die) such as a punch, 
  kick, or thrown object. Weapons do 2d6 (2 six-sided dice added together) such as swords, 
  lightsabers, and blasters. Whereas big things like explosions, big guns, and getting rammed by 
  vehicles or the horns of a charging beast will be 3d6 or more damage. 
  Minions & Bosses: Remember the part about this being an exercise in storytelling? Well, we've 
  all watched the movies in which the minor bad guys don't stand a chance! To keep things moving 
  along when a player character scores a hit against a minor bad guy (like a battle droid) it's 
  removed from the battle with no need to roll damage. I find that the use of minions helps keep 
  the excitement level up because the odds are stacked in the player's favor. When it only takes one 
  successful hit to take out a minion you can have a lot of fun describing the cinematic action. 
  Whether the bad guy is chopped in half, knocked unconscious, or falls to the ground in an 
  explosion of robotic limbs and a spray of hydraulic fluid which now covers the walls in an oily 
  residue, you get to focus on making the player feel like they are a hero. I assign hit points to bad 
  guys with a BGB of around 8+ since it is at this point it might take a few hits to put it down and 
  having the occasional boss fight and mini-boss fight is all part of a fairly standard formula in 
  games of all kinds. 
  The Golden Rule: It should go without saying, but the golden rule in this case is to have fun. 
  You do whatever it takes to keep things interesting and moving the action along. The dice-rolling 
  should create an element of excitement, not an exercise in tedium. If rolling a quick-contest for 
  every single attack drags things out too much, allow players to come up with creative maneuvers 
  that can hit multiple bad guys at a time. Sword combos that strike multiple foes within reach, 
  arrows that can pass through bad guys that are in a straight line, or rapid-fire blasters that can 
  target up to 3 bad guys that are standing close to one another. Don't let a strict set of rules limit 
  your choices, this isn't a linear video game with the number of options being limited to the button 
  and trigger combinations on a control pad. Reward player imagination and creativity; the dice are 
  just that random element to keep things from becoming too predictable. 
  Step 3: Character Creation 
  I don't know about you, but character creation was always so much fun. I still have notebooks 
  filled with old roleplaying characters from early in my gaming career. As the host of the game 
  you can either provide pre-generated character options if the game involves using a formal rules 
  system or you can have your players help make key decisions about their character. 
  
  My conversation for my Star Wars icebreaker game went something like this. 
  Me: "So do you want to be a Jedi Knight like Anakin and Obi-Wan? Perhaps a soldier with 
  heavy weapons, a bounty hunter, or a sneaky spy guy?" 
  9-Year Old: "If I'm a Jedi, I get a lightsaber right?" 
  Me: (grin) "True. You can even choose the color." 
  9-Year Old: "Cool! Since I think red is already for the bad guys, I'll pick green!" 
  Me: "Great choice! Now it's time to review your character sheet and discuss what these numbers 
  are for. But before we can move onto that we need to pick out the name for your Jedi." 
  Step 4: Pick a Character Name 
  Every hero needs a name and this is where the imagination comes into play. Let them use any 
  name they want, even if it's silly. Letting a kid choose their own characters name will be more 
  memorable for them. The hero in this tale was "The Thing, Jedi Knight." Sure, the name was a 
  bit silly but what do you expect from a young boy? My young gaming padawan grinned every 
  time an NPC (non-playing character) he was interacting with used the name he picked out. 
  Step 5: Tell a Story 
  The very nature of what makes a roleplaying game so unique and interesting for kids is that they 
  get to play an active role in telling a story. The story does not need to meet any literary 
  standards, it just needs to be simple enough that kids can follow it. The story that I had created 
  involved a Separatist warship that was bringing spare droid parts to the front lines of a battle. A 
  single Jedi star fighter outfitted with a stealth emitter could sneak in undetected, disable the 
  engines, and drop the shields from the bridge. It felt a lot like a Dora the Explorer adventure with 
  very clear milestones established from the beginning. We had made a mantra of the mission 
  goals that after being repeated over and over again, the young boy felt that he was taking 
  ownership over what was happening. Board the ship, kill the engines, drop the shields, call in the 
  clone troopers. Whether the quest is finding a lost pet in a dungeon, saving a princess from 
  pirates, or fighting robots in space, it all comes down to telling stories. 
  Step 6: Create Opportunities to Win 
  Rewarding creativity and using your imagination are key factors in making this a fun memorable 
  experience. The very first icebreaker game should be about highlighting cinematic action and 
  memorable (and silly) character interactions. If things seem to be losing momentum don't be 
  afraid to make quick changes to the story to bring the game back on track. Kids won't be 
  bothered by overtly convenient turns of events. Asteroids that fall from the sky to splat the bad 
  guys or being saved by friend at the last minute can actually be pretty fun if done right. As long 
  as the kids' characters are at the center of attention, that is all that really matters developmentally. 
  Let's face it, you've already got a vast mental catalog of children's stories, television shows, and 
  
  movies in your brain. It's time to put that knowledge of story, adversity, setting the stage for right 
  and wrong, and the inevitable happy ending in which the day is won and the heroes have a party. 
  Set the players up to win and always be ready to make the appropriate changes to your story if 
  necessary. 
  Wrapping Up 
  I've been doing a lot of thinking and looking into what other parents have been doing to 
  introduce roleplaying games to their kids. Seems I'm not the only geek parent that has had the 
  same idea to create a simple story and provide a basic set of rules in which to work from. I'm 
  now aware of several published sets of rules that are available for purchase on the internet in 
  PDF format. The first is RPG Kids and it was written by a veteran gamer so he could play with 
  his own children. A similar story is shared by Ben Garvey, who with the help of his 4-year old 
  daughter created Kids Dungeon Adventure. This is a clever game geared towards younger kids 
  with a set of rules I plan to try with my 4 and 6 year old daughters in the near future. Ben was 
  interviewed and featured in GeekDad back in 2011 by Dave Banks about Kids Dungeon 
  Adventure. The gist is that you build your dungeon out of the stuff you have lying around in your 
  playroom and send your kids' favorite toys on an adventure to fight against silly monsters and 
  collect edible treasure and other small prizes. 
  So if you're ready to take up the gauntlet and have some mini-geeks that are primed to give 
  roleplaying a try, just know that many geek parents have tried and succeeded. If it wasn't for my 
  friends dad back when I was a wee lad, my friends and I would never have started our regular 
  roleplaying game. To be honest, we spent more time in our own imagination than we did reading 
  the rulebooks. It was that early storytelling experience that ended up shaping much of where I 
  am now today. A love for literature, statistics, strategy, and history all followed as a result of my 
  experiences with roleplaying as a child. 
  If this quest sounds like something your willing to accept, start with these basics and work your 
  way up from there. In my experience if you can run a game for adults, you can run a game for 
  kids. You just might find that although there are fewer tactics and rules there will probably be 
  less whining playing with the kids. 
  Game on! 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Kid Friendly/1. Parent & GM Advice & Helpful Hints/GMing Games for Kids/Running an Introductory Roleplaying Game for Kids.pdf