Monsters like a challenge!

[Wicht]

That blurb should be reworded: "Monsters like to die! In general monsters instinctively know who has the most hit points and the best AC and attack them first. If they draw blood they immediately feel sorry for their foe and attack someone else instead."

I don't think kids really want to play this way. I've always run my monsters semi-intelligently for my kids, basing the skill of the monsters not on the agegroup but on the tactical experience of the players. And there is this to consider too: the best way to learn tactics is to see them in action.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I don't think kids really want to play this way.

I think it really depends on the maturity level of the kids. My 9-year-old could deal with character defeat easily, but my 5-year-old (if I could even get him to sit and play) has a hard time losing at Candyland. He would really want to play this way. Now, the point of whether you want them to play this way or not is a different question. I play fairly and if I win against my 5-year-old I deal with the fallout and teach him to be a good loser. Other parents don't feel the same way though.

 

[Wicht]

I think it really depends on the maturity level of the kids. My 9-year-old could deal with character defeat easily, but my 5-year-old (if I could even get him to sit and play) has a hard time losing at Candyland. He would really want to play this way. Now, the point of whether you want them to play this way or not is a different question. I play fairly and if I win against my 5-year-old I deal with the fallout and teach him to be a good loser. Other parents don't feel the same way though.

I think losing is underrated as a teachable moment. Its nice to win but its important to learn how to handle setbacks and losses, cuz life is full of them. And there's nothing like having a character die to realize that you really messed up.

Still and all, while I don't make combat grueling for my offspring, I would never take it to the extremes of having the monsters stupidly decide to hit someone else each round. Even for young players, I try and have a set of parameters for the monsters: Stupid, mindless monsters go for the one in front of them. Stupid aggressive monsters go for the one that hurt them the most last. Intelligent aggressive monsters go for the weakest looking. etc. etc. And if they are really young players, I will tell them afterwards why the monster did what it did so they pick up on the idea that these foes do think things through.

Of course, I've been playing with my kids now for eight years or so (the oldest is 13) and they are starting to get much more tactically minded. So my monsters have been too.

 

[billd91]

I think it really depends on the maturity level of the kids. My 9-year-old could deal with character defeat easily, but my 5-year-old (if I could even get him to sit and play) has a hard time losing at Candyland. He would really want to play this way. Now, the point of whether you want them to play this way or not is a different question. I play fairly and if I win against my 5-year-old I deal with the fallout and teach him to be a good loser. Other parents don't feel the same way though.

I'm of the same general opinion. My 5-year old can handle getting beat at Trouble because my pawns get into home first, but has more trouble if I send his pawns back to start by landing on them. Given the choice of landing on one of his pawns or simply advancing one of my own closer to the finish, I'll choose the latter even if the former is a better play. In other words, he can handle getting beat, but he has trouble if he feels like he's getting picked on. The advice in HofH would work for him quite well, I think.

And if playing with a group of youngsters, spreading the attacks around could help them feel like they're all in the game together and all bear the same risks if they don't take the monster down.

 

[Celebrim]

So, what do you think of this advice? Applicable in most games? Okay when you're playing with 6-year-olds, but not something you would follow in a game with adults? Bad even when you're playing with kids? Something else?

Applicable when playing with 6 year olds, but otherwise extremely dumb advice.

 

[malraux]

Applicable when playing with 6 year olds, but otherwise extremely dumb advice.

Given that we are talking about a ruleset designed for 6 year olds, the advice would therefor seem sage.

 

[the Jester]

"Running the Monsters:
Monsters like a challenge! In general, monsters like to attack whichever character has the most hit points, as they find characters with few hit points to be less of a challenge. They also almost never attack the same character twice in a row, as that would be boring."...
So, what do you think of this advice? Applicable in most games? Okay when you're playing with 6-year-olds, but not something you would follow in a game with adults? Bad even when you're playing with kids? Something else?

Absolute and total crap.

 

[the Jester]

Do you really want to make some six year old start crying because the monster is picking on him?

Not really, but it's completely acceptable if it happens.

Then you sit down and explain that life isn't always about everyone treating you nice. Teachable moment yadda yadda.

I'm sick of the way our society treats our kids like they're so fragile that they'll die in a stiff wind. Kids can and must be able to handle adversity, because life is full of it and you can't avoid it all.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Not really, but it's completely acceptable if it happens.

Then you sit down and explain that life isn't always about everyone treating you nice. Teachable moment yadda yadda.

I'm sick of the way our society treats our kids like they're so fragile that they'll die in a stiff wind. Kids can and must be able to handle adversity, because life is full of it and you can't avoid it all.

Kids?

If only it were just kids!

We're busy teaching the three little pigs that straw is the best building material, because sticks are too much work, and working with bricks might take you out of the "fun" for too long.

Besides, the pig with the brick house will always save you from a TPK when the wolf comes. That is, apparently, the only reason he has a brick house -- so you can frolic while he works.


RC

 

[Fifth Element]

Games <> Life

Not everything has to be serious business.