Would you GM for Kids at GenCon '06?

[Quartermoon]

Hey, all. A few of you may know that I have two daughters, ages 8 and 11. I brought them to GenCon this year, and for the first time we found that there were a few games that were designed for players who were just their age. It was fantastic, both for me (I knew the content and expectations would meet their abilities) and for them (without grown-ups to overshadow them, they could really have a blast).

I know many of you have kids who would fall in this age group (or will eventually!), and thought you might agree that this is something GenCon needs--games for kids who are ready to play, just not ready to be at the table with Mom & Dad yet.

Two of these games were run by a terrific couple named Peter and Holly Hildreth. They were very pleased with how the games went, and Peter is preparing a proposal for Peter Adkinson to expand on the idea for next year's Con. He is looking to see if a few other GMs might be willing to run a game or two for kids. I've linked him to this thread, and hopefully if there is some interest we can get something going.

Thanks!

 

[diaglo]

define kids?

diaglo "anyone under 21 is a kid to me" Ooi

 

[francisca]

Sure. I'd probably cough up about 4 hours worth of my time, cut into a pair of 2 hour games.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

I'd consider it. I was in a D&D Dungeon Delve demo game at the WotC booth with two boys about 10 years old, and they seemed to be having a great time without knowing exactly what they were doing (and the GM wasn't all that good). I wanted to sit down and run a game for them right there, just a short, this is the basics type game, as opposed to the "Kill-Em Fast" game that the D&D demos seem to be (although our DM was dragging things out for some reason).

Another thing to think about with kids is the Loony Labs Little Experiment. Some of the LL games are easy enough for kids to learn, and next year they will have a few designed just for kids (Family Fluxx/Fluxx Jr. and another one). The games are usually pretty quick to play, and can be replayed for hours without getting boring.

 

[jcfiala]

I'd be interested, sure. One year, as an experiment, I ran a Sailor Moon game at one of our local Denver cons. I got 5 kids as players, and I think they were all girls. We had a rip-roaring fun time, and the only reason I haven't done it again has to do with other factors.

The only problem would be Otakon. I'm already committed to going there to meet some friends for the first time, and if (as it was this year) the two cons are on the same weekend, I couldn't make it.

I'd even be willing to devote 4 or so slots to the experiment. Kids can be a lot of fun.

How are we defining kids? Less than 14? Less than 12?

EDIT: Checking the schedule, they're on two separate weekends. I might be able to make both if I were to make it a big vacation, going to Otakon one weekend, visiting with family, and then driving to Baltimore for Gen Con Indy. We'll see how this project works out...

 

[derbacher]

Absolutely, if I could fit it within my RPGA schedule. I run games at home for kids all the time, ranging in age from 10 to 17. They are open, honest, and a blast to play with.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Yes, absolutely. I have an 8-year-old and a 3 year old myself. I don't expect either to come to the Con for a while, but I know how much it means to a parent who has children to make that opportunity available. My email should be in my sig, but in case it's not it's bill dot collins at gmail dot com. I'd love to do a game.

 

[Quartermoon]

Define kids:

The games that Peter and Holly ran were for kids ages 8-13 (broken up into 8-10 and 11-13). I think teens (14-16) might be turned off by a "kid gaming room", but then they might appreciate having a round or two to themselves, so who knows.

 

[apegod]

Absolutely would DM for kids. I love playing with my kids. It reminds me of when we first learned the came as tweens in 1981.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

Yeah! They thrill to every description and hang on every word. It's wonderful.

True Story. Two years ago at I-Con, a couple asked if their 9-year-old could play. Sure. We had enough adults. She was a good player, fairly quiet, but enjoyed her bard PC. When they got to the fight with the dragon though, suddenly she wanted to ride the dragon. Her mom explained that it wouldn't cooperate. "But. I've got charm monster." I glanced down. Huh. "Okay." I rolled a save for the dragon. 3. "Roll for Spell Resistance." (Mom helps.) Yep. "Okay. You've charmed the dragon."

She was so thrilled, she didn't even notice the rest of the party, with Mom and Dad leading the way, take down the dragon.