D&D 5E New DM Looking for tips hoping to run starter set with kids 9-12

[discoDM]

I played basic and advanced as a kid, and want to introduce my kids to the game. I thought the starter set would be a good opportunity. The group would consist of 9-12 year olds. I think we would have 4-6 players depending on which neighbor kids decide to participate. Their exposure to D&D so far has been watching the cartoon and a couple of brief attempts to play Wrath of Ashardalon. I'd appreciate any tips that the experienced DM's can offer.

One thought that I had was to add an NPC like a talking hawk that could offer suggestions if they get stuck. She could fly in pretty easily if needed and possibly turn out to be a druid later down the road..

Let me know what ideas you have....

 

[GMMichael]

For what age group is WotC advertising the starter set? Me, if I were running for 9-12 year olds, I'd run the map rules only. Make it like a board game. If they want to roleplay on top of that, more power to them. I'm pretty sure Barnes and Noble has about 5 games like this on the shelf as we converse.

 

[jrowland]

I'd run the starter set as-is. It is marketed for just this purpose, so it should have plenty of tips to help the DM and will likely include nudges for the DM to give the players.

I've been doing D&D encounters now, off and on, through the entire playtest. The purpose, IMO, of encounters is to create enthusiasm for the game such that people want to go run off and play more on their own (and buy stuff of course). To that end, you can't grow wrong by encouraging enthusiasm. The starter set is not a 2+ year campaign so if things get a little out-of-hand, so what? Say yes to anything the kids seem to be enthused about. Try not to set the difficulty "realistically" but rather set it that its achievable by the PCs. Kid wants his character to swing down from a rooftop on a rope he hastily secured to a chimney and on to a speeding carriage? Awesome! DC 10. When they fail the awesome thing, don't be tempted to make it disastrous, rather make it such that they can still do something meaningful the following round: "A 7 fails. You swing down, but don't quite make it onto the carriage. You are on the ground next to the carriage and it is still speeding down the road. Next round you get +10 speed bonus from the momentum of your swing" (they'll need that +10 speed if they are to catch up to the speeding carriage)

I try to tell myself to simply "allow epic moments" when dealing with younger kids rather than my personal, more gritty DMing style I do with the adult group.

Don't be afraid to tell them (leading) their motivation explicitly. "These are the orcs that drove your family from the area. The same tribe that burned your families farmhouse. Do you really want to retreat? They killed Old Yeller!"

They'll be pretty clear about what bums them out and what excites them. That age group has a hard time with the poker face, and it doesn't occur to most to play against their own feelings for the characters. If it bums them personally, it bums their character, even if in the narrative fiction it should be happy news for their character.

 

[discoDM]

Thanks for the input. I haven't seen an age range for the starter set. I don't know if they've made that public. I was planning to modify anything that seemed inappropriate.

What exactly do you mean by map rules? Can you elaborate? I own the 4th edition rule books and the playtest rules, but I'm really not familiar with other editions at this point.

 

[Agamon]

For what age group is WotC advertising the starter set? Me, if I were running for 9-12 year olds, I'd run the map rules only. Make it like a board game. If they want to roleplay on top of that, more power to them. I'm pretty sure Barnes and Noble has about 5 games like this on the shelf as we converse.

See, I'd go the other way. Kids are imaginative. Ask them what they want to do and they'll tell you without having to look at minis or their sheet. I'd be more lax on the rules to best interpret their actions.

Ask a kid if they would rather be constrained by rules or do whatever they want, I know what most would pick. And if that will make the game more fun for them and will bring them back, that's good.

That's overly assumptive though. There are pre-teens that are smart and like tactics, but they won't be in the majority. So depends on the kids, I guess.

 

[Agamon]

What exactly do you mean by map rules? Can you elaborate? I own the 4th edition rule books and the playtest rules, but I'm really not familiar with other editions at this point.

He means play with minis and a map. I'm not sure the Starter is going to have a lot of rules for this though, seeing as it doesn't come with minis or maps and the tactical module isn't coming until the DMG.

I think the Starter will be very well aimed at young players.

 

[Alphastream]

I like the talking hawk idea. You might have it be the familiar of a wizard, who like "Dungeon Master" in the cartoon can provide hints and summarize goals and past events.

I've run some tables for kids in that age group, and especially when they are new to the game I would aim for short sessions. Initially an hour and a half, then slowly stretch it out to two hours or more. They can lack the attention span to stay focused and interested. Watch them for signs that they are getting distracted and call the session rather than let their attention wane for too long.

The starter set should work fairly well. It does have some places where they need to make decisions, but I think if you prepare the material in advance and use the talking hawk you can have fun and steer them in the right direction as needed. Make goals obvious and restate them as necessary.

The starter set is said to incorporate PC backgrounds into the plot. I would keep those really simple and front-and-center. You might make double-sided table tents (folded thick paper) with the PC name, background name, and goal so that they and everyone at the table knows. With kids it works to be really obvious. With an adult if there is a mystery you can unravel it in bits and pieces. Kids won't often have that patience and need fewer steps or recaps to stay focused.

Let us know how it goes and what tips you learn!

 

[MintMMs]

I would also be prepared for the game session to go really off the rails. I had one kid in my son's group exclaim, "I want to set the tavern on fire!" at the very start of the adventure. Rather than try to convince him otherwise, I said, "Sure! How do you want to do that?" This took the campaign a bit off the path, but the kids had a ton of fun escaping from the fire and the law. I was able to work them back on track, but it's these crazy and fun ideas that these kids will be talking about years from now (he still talks about it after 7 years!) and makes lifetime gamers out of them.

So go for fun for everyone over winning the game.

 

[Tormyr]

Thanks for the input. I haven't seen an age range for the starter set. I don't know if they've made that public. I was planning to modify anything that seemed inappropriate.

What exactly do you mean by map rules? Can you elaborate? I own the 4th edition rule books and the playtest rules, but I'm really not familiar with other editions at this point.

D&D has an age range of 12+. My understanding is that kids are just starting to move from being concrete to abstract thinkers around age 12. Note that this is different from imagination play. I am not sure if some adventures/content, including the starter set, would be appropriate for some of the kid's in the age range you are looking at, but your mileage may vary, and I have not seen the starter set adventure. Some of the rules may also be too complex for some at that age. I am sure there are plenty of examples of people on the forums who have had great D&D experiences with children in the 9-12 range.

As for my 7 year old daughter, I have told her that she can try D&D when she turns 12. That lessons any grief I get from uninformed members of my extended family since it sits in the game's age range. In the meantime, I introduced her to FirstFable, which is free on DriveThruRPG. She had a great time playing a faerie princess in the introductory adventure. The rules include combat, but the adventure had non-violent solutions to every encounter with some good problem-solving stuff that encouraged creativity. I plan on rerunning that adventure at her birthday party on Sunday.

On a side note, FirstFable is entirely theater of the mind, and my daughter had no problem role playing her movements and interactions in the scene. So I don't think you need a map for D&D with the kids unless you are going to be heavily tactical.

 

[mechascorpio]

It is rated 12+, but I think that's because any toy/game that is rated younger in the USA has to go through an extensive review by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Because of the dice, it might have led to a delay in the release of the game.