Philotomy Jurament
First Post
Check out what Chris Heard has done with an Imaginext toy inspired setting and hammer1's campaign log with his young kids. Basic Fantasy might be worth a look, too.
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D&D for my 5 and 6 year old-help please
- Thread starter Just_Hal
- Start date
megamania
Hero
My kids are 7 and 11 and I started an Eberron campaign with them. Keep things simple and fun. Give them an easy task with a few challenges that are easy enough for them. The main thing is keep it simple and fun.
Keep the adventures simple also.
The thieves took my necklace. They live in the sewer but I am afraid to get them. Will you help me? The bad kobolds took the princess- rescue her!
Once they become comfortable with it then progress.
A year ago I began and it was slow. The kids knew nothing about the ruules or even role playing. Now my son DMs for his friends (his own special rules but that is okay) and my daughter over acts but really enjoys the roleplaying of it.
You will be happy to do it.
My storyhour with them is the Khyber Crawler and there is a link hidden below if you are curious.
Keep the adventures simple also.
The thieves took my necklace. They live in the sewer but I am afraid to get them. Will you help me? The bad kobolds took the princess- rescue her!
Once they become comfortable with it then progress.
A year ago I began and it was slow. The kids knew nothing about the ruules or even role playing. Now my son DMs for his friends (his own special rules but that is okay) and my daughter over acts but really enjoys the roleplaying of it.
You will be happy to do it.
My storyhour with them is the Khyber Crawler and there is a link hidden below if you are curious.
Someone on RPGnet did a good diceless system for kids:
Each character has five Traits. For the Ranger, those could be: Tracker, Archer, Knows about Nature, Dedicated and Tough
They also have five "Points" (call them what you want).
Each thing they want their character to do has a difficulty number from 1 to 5 (perhaps even 6 for a BBEG). To succeed, they must tell you how they accomplish the task using a number of Traits equal to the difficulty. Points can be used to subtract 1 per point, as can "Stunts" if they think of something cool.
For example, the Ranger wants to find some food for the next meal. It's a difficult environment, so you set a difficulty number of 3. The player says "I track an animal and shoot it with my bow. I also know which plants we can eat". Three traits were used, so he succeeds.
At another time, he's fighting an evil wizard who has taken the rogue prisoner.The difficulty is 4. He can use Tough (the wizard is casting spells at him), Archer (he's fighting back with his bow) and Dedicated (He promised to protect the rogue). However, that's only three. To get a success, he spends a Point. This lets him name a circumstance which will help him, and related to a trait he's using. He says that above the wizard there's something big hanging from a rope, and he shoots the rope.
Experience is handled by giving Points to replae ones that were spent.
Each character has five Traits. For the Ranger, those could be: Tracker, Archer, Knows about Nature, Dedicated and Tough
They also have five "Points" (call them what you want).
Each thing they want their character to do has a difficulty number from 1 to 5 (perhaps even 6 for a BBEG). To succeed, they must tell you how they accomplish the task using a number of Traits equal to the difficulty. Points can be used to subtract 1 per point, as can "Stunts" if they think of something cool.
For example, the Ranger wants to find some food for the next meal. It's a difficult environment, so you set a difficulty number of 3. The player says "I track an animal and shoot it with my bow. I also know which plants we can eat". Three traits were used, so he succeeds.
At another time, he's fighting an evil wizard who has taken the rogue prisoner.The difficulty is 4. He can use Tough (the wizard is casting spells at him), Archer (he's fighting back with his bow) and Dedicated (He promised to protect the rogue). However, that's only three. To get a success, he spends a Point. This lets him name a circumstance which will help him, and related to a trait he's using. He says that above the wizard there's something big hanging from a rope, and he shoots the rope.
Experience is handled by giving Points to replae ones that were spent.
bytor4232
First Post
I've never had to find alternate systems for my kids. Simply have them tell you what they want to do and roll a d20. Did they beat the AC/DC? Then you did it! That simple. They don't have to be rules lawyers to have fun. In fact, the less my players know of the rules the easier my job is 
JoeBlank
Explorer
My sons, ages 4, (almost) 6, and 8 play with a slightly simplified C&C/D&D system. I don't worry about attacks of opportunity, and the more complicated rules of combat. They tell me what they want to do and I apply the rules.
Like your kids, they all wanted something cool to start with, some sort of magic item. I explained that you usually don't get magic stuff when you are just starting out (made them start at 1st level), but they could each have something simple that they inherited from their adventuring parents. Also, the items will get more powerful as they adventure.
Ben, 4 year old, plays Spider, a human wizard. He got the most powerful magic item, but no one realizes is yet. He has a staff of "magic arrow" that fires unlimited magic bolts, requires touch attack. This way, he does not have to conserve spells. I will admit that his brothers and I give him a lot of guidance, but he rolls his own dice and has fun.
Jacob, soon to be 6, wanted to play Regdar. They enjoy the Scourge of Worlds DVD, which also gives kids a good idea of role playing since they have to make choices along the way. I said he could play a human fighter named after the famous Regdar. He wanted a flaming sword, so he got a longsword that can light up like a torch and deals +1 damage when flaming.
Joseph, 8 years old, plays Simton, a dwarf rogue. His item is called a "blink" ring, but for now it only grants one round of invisibility per fight. At first it was per day, but again I saw that kids hate to have to save cool stuff for later, they want to use it now. This gives him a chance to use his sneak attack at least once per fight.
Have fun, Hal. Gaming with my kids is a great experience, and I know you will enjoy it too.
Like your kids, they all wanted something cool to start with, some sort of magic item. I explained that you usually don't get magic stuff when you are just starting out (made them start at 1st level), but they could each have something simple that they inherited from their adventuring parents. Also, the items will get more powerful as they adventure.
Ben, 4 year old, plays Spider, a human wizard. He got the most powerful magic item, but no one realizes is yet. He has a staff of "magic arrow" that fires unlimited magic bolts, requires touch attack. This way, he does not have to conserve spells. I will admit that his brothers and I give him a lot of guidance, but he rolls his own dice and has fun.
Jacob, soon to be 6, wanted to play Regdar. They enjoy the Scourge of Worlds DVD, which also gives kids a good idea of role playing since they have to make choices along the way. I said he could play a human fighter named after the famous Regdar. He wanted a flaming sword, so he got a longsword that can light up like a torch and deals +1 damage when flaming.
Joseph, 8 years old, plays Simton, a dwarf rogue. His item is called a "blink" ring, but for now it only grants one round of invisibility per fight. At first it was per day, but again I saw that kids hate to have to save cool stuff for later, they want to use it now. This gives him a chance to use his sneak attack at least once per fight.
Have fun, Hal. Gaming with my kids is a great experience, and I know you will enjoy it too.
Firefly Games
First Post
You might want to take a look at Faery's Tale, coming out in print in August from Firefly Games. It's a fantasy game based on faery folklore, with an original ruleset designed & playtested for ages 6 & up. We've just posted some info on the game and a preview of the cover at www.firefly-games.com, and we'll have a detailed FAQ up in a few more days, plus tons of other previews & teasers in the weeks ahead. Or take a look at our post in the Publishers forum here at EN World.
I think it's great that so many folks are looking for good ways to introduce their kids to the hobby.
I think it's great that so many folks are looking for good ways to introduce their kids to the hobby.
