What are you doing this weekend?
How about planning a campaign... with your kids?
There can be no doubt that ours is an aging hobby, but it's also true that more and more of you are bringing your kids to the conventions, the game stores, and having them hovering around the game table, asking that heartstring-tugging question -
"Can I play?"
We here at DriveThruRPG have teamed up with some extraordinary people across the gaming culture to push forward a new idea, one that celebrates parents bringing their children into this wonderful hobby of ours, as well as honoring all those who work with kids through gaming to make their lives brighter and full of imagination. We'd like to encourage each and every one of you to get involved and help us spread this vital message for our hobby and community. Some ways you can get involved include:
• Check out Notes from the Experts on our Facebook Page.
• Post your own stories and testamonials on Facebook, as well. Or join us on our new Google+ Page, if you like.
• Join us by "attending" the Event on Facebook.
• Take a look at the various postings all over the net by our Affiliates, like this one on the One Year blog.
• Perhaps you'd like to just grab some kid-friendly games, like this sample selection?
And, of course, please spread the word! We think this is a powerful and important message to share with everyone, and we'd greatly appreciate your involvement. Let's get the kids rolling the dice and sharing what we love - they really are the future of our hobby.
Part of our efforts revolve around getting respected professionals and experts to chime in with some great advice and stories about getting kids to game. We're thrilled to have Bill Walton, one of the RPG hobby's greatest advocates and the master of The Escapist, present a wonderful essay on the subject -
A Few Tips for Roleplaying with Kids
Getting kids involved in tabletop roleplaying games is incredibly rewarding - not only because you are bringing young people into a creative, engaging hobby that keeps their minds active, but also because you are helping the hobby itself thrive among future generations.
But, it's also a bit challenging. Running RPGs for young people takes a bit of special preparation. Kids don't necessarily respond to the same sort of roleplaying sessions that adults do. It's not always easy to keep them interested and participating in the story. And their parents may have some concerns about what goes on during your game sessions.
Here are just a few tips and suggestions for anyone who feels that they are up to the challenge, in three general topics - Preparing an RPG for kids, changing your GM style to suit younger players, and keeping parents comfortable with the hobby.
Preparing an RPG for kids
As with adult gamers, it is always a good idea to have a discussion with your prospective players about what sort of game they'd like to play. With kids, this will mostly be about genre - fantasy, sci-fi, superheroes, and so on. Find something that your entire group can agree on, or come as close as possible. Once you have agreed on a genre, discuss what types of characters your players would like to play. (Tip: Pre-teen kids generally like to portray teenaged characters. If they don't think of it themselves, suggest it.)
Do most of the character creation process yourself (based on their character concept), rather than letting them make all of the decisions, at least for the first session you play with them. This will save a bit of time, and keep interest high as you dive directly into the action. If some or all of your players show an interest in making their own characters from scratch, that can be an incentive to have them back for future games.
Make custom character sheets for your players. Keep information to a minimum, and stick to just the bits that will be used most often during the game. Leave off skills that the character doesn't have, for example. Simplicity and legibility are key here.
Have a list of NPC names handy for those times when the PCs wander off of the story and start talking to shopkeepers or random passersby. One tool that may help you here is the Everyone Everywhere List, a comprehensive list of names from various cultures around the world.
How to change your GM style for kids versus adults
Once you're ready to run your game, you'll want to start thinking about how running an RPG for kids is different than running one for adults. Here are some pointers on adjusting your GMing style accordingly:
- Limit your play sessions to around two hours. From my experience, this is the perfect amount of time to keep their interest, and leave them wanting more at the end.
- Create opportunities for every character to shine, even if it means creating those opportunities on the fly. If the party has a rogue, make sure there are locks to pick and traps to disarm. It may help to have a list of the characters and their special abilities with you behind your GM screen.
- Make sure every player is involved and having fun. Find some way to draw them in if they aren't - this is where your improvisation skills will really be put to the test. Have an NPC approach them with some vital information, or drop a highly prized item into their lap - anything to get them into the action.
- Ham it up! Kids love it! Use props (but make sure they're safe), do voices for every character, make (or buy) actual puzzles for the players (as their characters) to solve in order to open that locked door or find another clue for their quest.
- Don't allow player-versus-player combat or conflict, when possible. There are times when you may feel you have the right group of players to do so - but until then, just encourage teamwork, and try to avoid any hurt feelings.
Kids don't like to hear "No" when they ask for something. Consider using the "Yes, but..." style of GMing, in which you answer every request with a "Yes," but also include some kind of limitation to certain requests. You can find out more about this style of play from a collection of Robin Laws' column See Page XX.
How to keep parents comfortable with the hobby
General acceptance of the roleplaying hobby has come pretty far in the last thirty years or so, but there are still some parents who may have some bad information on what RPGs are and what really happens at a gaming session. Others may have a better understanding, but still have some concerns about the activity. It's up to you to inform them, and make them more comfortable about what you are hoping to accomplish.
The best way to accomplish this is to have them attend a game with your regular gaming group. See if they are willing to participate, and if they are, run a one-shot adventure for them.
If you think you may need help explaining the hobby to them, consider sending them to
www.theescapist.info - this is a site I have set up to explain the basics of the hobby to newcomers. If they express concerns about roleplaying based on some of the old misconceptions and urban legends that have collected over the years, have them look at the Basic Gaming FAQ at the main Escapist site - it addresses these legends and explains the true story behind them.
Explain the benefits of the hobby (I have a video on YouTube right here that may help), and if your gaming group tends to include adult themes, be certain to explain that these themes will not be a part of any game that you run for their children.
Bear in mind that some parents may not be comfortable with certain elements of fantasy games, such as supernatural themes. Always respect their concerns, and let them know that there are plenty of alternatives.
And there you have it - just enough information to get you started at running adventure games for kids. You can find more RPG advocacy resources on my website - theescapist.com - and more tips and advice on running RPGs for kids, plus an extensive list of suggested RPGs, at The Young Person's Adventure League.
If you have any other advice to share, or would like to share your experiences with running RPGs with kids, feel free to email me at
RPGadvocate@gmail.com
