Too young to play D&D 4e

[chronoplasm]

I taught my little sister to play when she was 8.
She still doesn't have a good grasp of feats or powers, but she understands everything else perfectly well. I try to keep the battles and the skill challenges simple, of course.

*edit*

The first adventure we did was simple. There were evil skeletons, and her dragonborn cleric had to go put a stop to them. She absolutely loved it. Especially the parts with the sludge pit.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

This is my first thread on this forum and I just want to say that you all are great. Thanks all for your suggestions and links -- I'm checking them all out.

The bottom line is that I will definately do this with my kid.

I'll be posting here more often and am glad to join the community.

Welcome aboard!

 

[Rel]

I'm getting ready to run a mini-campaign for my wife and daughter (age 8) and I was considering 4e. I think my daughter is smart enough to get how much of the game works. But ulitmately I decided to go with Savage Worlds because I think it'll do everything I want and with a more open architecture that'll make it easy for her to use her imagination.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I came to D&D in 1977 at age 10.

I probably could have handled it as a younger kid, but time & circumstances prevented.

 

[occam]

I'm starting to lean towards an adventure I create -- although after 20 years away from D&D, I think a premade adventure module might be a helpful crutch. I'm very open to suggestions, please.

As background, I shy away from undead and particularly foul aberrations, and situations where slaughtering humanoids is the expected way to deal with a situation (although you might find some contradictions to that below). I also avoid thorny moral dilemmas (i.e. choices between two possibly evil actions), but seek out ethical and other dilemmas to present (diplomacy vs. violence, trust vs. distrust, money vs. law, etc.). My favorite opponents (using some 3e terminology) tend to be constructs, vermin, plant creatures, oozes, and elementals, and really "monstery" things like cloakers and ropers, because they're relatively guilt-free.

One of my favorite 4e rules for playing with kids is that you never have to kill anything; you can always choose to knock opponents unconscious. You can, of course, house-rule 3e the same way.

OK, 4e adventures that might be suitable for children with little to no modification:

1st level
Kobold Hall (DMG)
Stick in the Mud (Dungeon #171)
Death in the Pincers (Dungeon #172)
Into the Shadowhaunt
The Scorpion Queen (In Search of Adventure)
Legacy of the Labyrinth (In Search of Adventure)

2nd-4th level
Treasure of Talon Pass
Menace of the Icy Spire (Dungeon #159)
Fool’s Grove (2-1/2) -- great for kids!
Remains of the Empire (Dungeon #165)
Stormcrow Tor (Dungeon #169)

7th level (there are some gaps in level coverage)
Treed (Dungeon #171)
Danger at the White Lotus Academy (Dungeon #165) -- great for kids!
Rift of the Hill Giant Thane (Level Up #1)
Heart of the Forbidden Forge (Dungeon #167)

10th-12th level
Hall of the Snake God (Dungeon #169)
The Longest Night (Dragon #370)
The Haunting of Kincep Mansion (Dungeon #156)
Dark Heart of Mithrendain (Dungeon #157)

14th-15th level
Alliance at Nefelus (Dungeon #165)
Sea Reavers of the Shrouded Crags (Dungeon #158)
Throne of the Stone-Skinned King (Dungeon #166)

18th-25th level
Summer's End (Dungeon #160)
Winter of the Witch (Dungeon #162)
Tomb of the Sand King's Daughter (Dungeon #160)

Most of these assume you have a DDI subscription, but others are free on the WotC Website or come from Goodman Games products.

 

[pawsplay]

I started playing Red Box D&D when I was eight, and DMing right before I turned 11. While I am atypical, I definitely would not think 3rd grade is too young. It would definitely depend on the kid's interest and abilities whether it would be a beneficial experience.

While every parent has to make their own decisions what they are comfortable with, I do not worry about exposing even fairly young children to depictions of violence. I am careful about exposing them to depictions of evil, extreme emotional situations, nihilism, and violence that is direct and immenent in their perspective. I do not worry about letting my four year old watch a WWII movie, because I think it's valuable to know that people die in war. But I would not let my kid watch a movie in which a child was hurt or killed. I also haven't let him watch Revenge of the Sith, because I think watching Anakin burn alive while he screams "I hate you!" is probably too intense. OTOH, he watches LOTR and we have yet to have issues with orc nightmares. So know your kids. Be cautious. But don't be afraid to teach.

Table top games are probably less visceral in general.

 

[Mistwell]

I grew up in the early 80's playing original D&D and AD&D pretty heavily -- probably aroung late elementary school through middle school.

I am now 38, and am highly considering DM'ing the new 4e with my son and his friend, 3rd grade and 5th grade. I'm wondering if this is just a little too young. Of course some aspects will be too difficult, but the challenge will aslo be educational. I would highly house-rule to my taste but also to make it slightly easier.

Do you think it will be too difficult for an advanced 3rd grader?
Do you think it is too violent/adult for an advance 3rd grader?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Definitely NOT too young. I know a group of kids who average age 7 who are playing it, and have been for nearly a year (so yes, they probably averaged age 6 when they started).