Help with public library children's program one-shot

[RangerWickett]

A friend of mine is a children's librarian, and she asked if I could arrange a one-hour D&D game for the summer reading program. Since there are tons of fantasy youth books, she thought it would be fun to show kids different ways to engage the stories. Also, y'know, we're gamers. Gotta represent.

It'll be for 9- to 12-year-olds, so I'd definitely be simplifying gameplay a lot. I admit that I'm not an expert on what kids are reading these days, so I could use some suggestions on what kind of characters to make available and plots to use. I know several people have posted about their experiences running for younger kids, and I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.

It won't be for a few months, so I've got time to work out the kinks and, ideally, make some pretty character sheets. I was thinking something maybe Goonies-esque, where the kids have to find a Macguffin in a dungeon to save the day. But I don't want to create anything that's a) too involved, or b) too childish, so I'm open to suggestions.

 

[Crothian]

Meddling Kids which you can get in PDF for $6 is perfect for that age group. The game is basically Scooby Doo, the rules are well done and simple.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

One common trope among the most popular children's fantasy is the child who thinks they are perfectly normal who discover they actually have special powers (Harry Potter and Percy Jackson instantly come to mind for this. I'm sure there's more).

Actually, thinking about it the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon might be a good place to look for inspiration.

 

[UselessTriviaMan]

A one-hour game?? Ouch. Is there any chance of extending it at all? Even considering the short attention span of kids that age, that's not much time to get anything accomplished.

I haven't used it myself, but friends have raved about Laser Ponies. (And it's only $1.99 for the whole game!) It might get you started in the right direction, anyway.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

1) Given age & time constraints, pre-gens are clearly a must. Find a simple system and generate a couple dozen to pick from- you don't want to ruin some kid's day when the only Unicorn Wizard (or whatever) is chosen. If you have any insight to the # of kids And general personality, you can trim your list a bit through targeting.

2) While Harry Potter or Golden Compass stories seem an obvious place to pilfer an adventure idea, you might also check out the various cable cartoon networks/shows. I know they're not on anymore, but I could easily see kids this age enjoying something lifted from Powerpuff Girls or Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends- the shorter plotlines of TV episodes will be easier to work with for your purposes than paring down stuff from novels. Scooby Doo is another obvious choice. A bit less obvious would be the comic book PS238.

 

[nedjer]

Happen to be in mid conversation with some librarians - initially via the Google Library Gaming group - about free resources, eventing and gamifying RPG e-commerce, family-friendly play and playing with kids.

Posted this on Friday: RPGs and the Killer App and another post that might be worth a glance is RPG Fun: Kids. The 5 Room Dungeons can be useful models for packing a session into a short time frame.

 

[Gilladian]

I'm a teen librarian.

I would not try to use "real rules". An hour is so short, by the time you're done explaining, game time will be half over. How about something like this "Cornucopia Game" for Hunger Games, properly lightened up for the younger audience?

Cornucopia-Challenge

To make it more interactive, when I played it, instead of having the "item" already prechosen for the situation, I allowed EACH TEAM to tell me how they used an item they had to respond to the situation. I then picked the best (of the four teams I had) solution, and awarded a point to that team.

So: "You see the enemy downriver from you about 30'. They don't know you're there. You can try to get away, or try to disable them. What do you do?"

One team poured poison in the water, one team used their slingshot to "kill" the enemy, etc...

Once an item is used, it is "gone" and may not be re-used.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

2) While Harry Potter or Golden Compass stories seem an obvious place to pilfer an adventure idea, you might also check out the various cable cartoon networks/shows.

That reminds me, the new incarnation of Thundercats totally reminding me of an adventuring party in an RPG.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Too bad this is a one shot- otherwise, you could freely mine the plots and storytelling techniques of the old movie serials. Every session a cliffhanger!

 

[saskganesh]

use animal companions and comic relief. they could be the same thing.