My nephew just turned 7...

[Simplicity]

Introduce them to pbp. That way, you can play the game long distances and even get the parents involved if you can. Or heck, even an Instant message game could be fun if distance is a problem.

I think this is a *terrible* idea. It's a crude facsimile of a real D&D game that can turn off even hardcore D&D gamers. If you're going to introduce D&D, do it for real.

Now, I think you could probably grease the wheels by buying the kid some Fighting Fantasy books or Lone Wolf books, since he seems to be into reading already. I recently bought myself the old Sorcery! series as a boxset by Steve Jackson. Great stuff. Hard to find though. Had to go through abebooks.com.

 

[BryonD]

My daughter is 7 and I've been running a mini game for her for a little over a year.
I run it in very minimal fashion with mostly letting her do what she wants and the roll to see if/how well it works. She loves it and is starting to show some interest in using more of the rules.

Last time she leveled up she went runnning around the house with her arms up yelling "YES!!!" I complained to my "real" group that they never show that much enthusiasm.

For reference she is an excellent reader. She reads classics illustrated books a lot and can go through one is under a week.

I agree 100% with Simplicity. Face to face is certainly the way to go.

 

[megamania]

Introduce them to pbp. That way, you can play the game long distances and even get the parents involved if you can. Or heck, even an Instant message game could be fun if distance is a problem.

PbP suck!

I'm sorry- a kid needs constant stimilus and PbP is not that by any means. I run a PbP and I hate to say it but they are slow and do little to excite me. Guess that's why I dislike computer games also. I need that interaction. Kids need it even more.

 

[kirinke]

I actually like pbp myself. Mainly because my schedule is so weird. At least this way, I can actually play. and if distance is a problem, pbp or Instant message/chatroom play may be the only option.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I actually like pbp myself. Mainly because my schedule is so weird. At least this way, I can actually play. and if distance is a problem, pbp or Instant message/chatroom play may be the only option.

I'm willing to bet, though, that you're older than 7.

 

[kirinke]

I'm willing to bet, though, that you're older than 7.

Growing older isn't an option. Growing up is.

 

[diaglo]

how well does he like board games?

if he can play well with other games like Chutes & Ladders or Candyland or Monopoly and if he likes to play "Lets pretend" he may be a good candidate. If not, then I'd say give him more time.

 

[Dr Awkward]

I've got an Adventure Night report in my sig, if you're interested. My kids were 5 and 8 at the time. It wasn't the first time I had run an RPG for them, but it details some of the methods I use with them whenever we roleplay.

- DocAwk

 

[Sleepy Voiced]

Over this last Christmas I introduced my then 7 year-old nephew to D&D via the new Basic Set. He loved it. In fact, in a strange moment in my life as a gamer, my parents for the first time ever showed an interest in the game. It was an interesting scene, my nephew, two of my sisters, my nephew's step-father, a boyfriend of one of my sisters, my wife and I sat around the table playing, while my other sister (the nephew's mother), her daughters, and my parents sat around the periphery watching us play, getting as excited by the events as we were.

The next month I sent my nephew the Basic set for his eighth birthday along with Matt Forbeck's D&D book for young readers.

To put this all in the context of kids and their varying maturity and intellegences: My nephew is quite good with math, but was struggling with reading (in fact at the bottom of his class). He has since his birthday read the book I sent and the rules of the Basic set. He has made a concerted effort to work on reading because he is now excited to use that skill. He has begun writing his own adventures for friends and creating new characters. One of the signs to me that he really "got it" was that after that first night, when he insisted on naming his character Gandalf, he bagan creating his own names for characters that were reminiscent of other characters he likes (his Sorcerer is now named Kendabi, after Obi-Wan).

I live in New York, and my nephew lives in Minnesota. I usually only see him about twice a year (at Christmas and again in the summer). My wife and I are going to MN in August for one of my sisters' wedding, and my nephew and I have been talking on the phone regularly about playing D&D again.

I had been very worried that the Basic set might even be too much for him at first. But he rose to the occasion. I think if the child is shown how fun it is before introducing all the rules and record-keeping, it inspires him/her to make an effort to learn how to play.
I guess this sounds a bit too much like an ad for the Basic game and how it "changed a life". But it was really a great experience, and I highly recommend introducing your nephew to the game. Even if you only get to play twice a year, it is something fun you can talk about on the phone and in letters (I occasionally send a letter with images from the D&D online art gallery printed on the page).

In a couple of years my nieces will be getting old enough to play, and I can't wait to bring them into the fold as well.

 

[Zaukrie]

I live in MN, and am going to teach my 7 (nearly 8) and 9 year old the game this fall. Too busy in the summer with other stuff. They both play DDM, my 9 year old is pretty good (2 years of chess club - he better be!).

We will start with the basic game. We will play by whatever rules seem to encourage fun, but we will try to stay true to the rules. The DDM game is great for math, and for thinking about the future (next moves...). My boys play with SW legos, DDM minis and other things nearly every day, and my 9 year old loves to read (he claims that the first Narnia book is his favorite yet).

I think that diaglo had some great questions, answer those.

I anticipate that my entry level game will have 2-3 other young children, and maybe a few other parents. Maybe your nephew and brother want to join in, if this turns real.