Playing with kids

[dymondy2k]

Glad to see people getting their kids into the game.. I think thats how we keep the world of RPGs alive. I would say my son was 10 and my daughter 12 when I first got them into Role Playing. I used the M20 ruleset which is a VERY simplified D20 and they loved it and are now hooked! My daughter (now 17) plays in a Pathfinder game with me and my son (now 14) plays in a Star Wars game with me.

[Hywaywolf]

My 8 year old nephew runs games, they are definitely wonky but they build his experience as a story teller.

They don't have to run "good" games, just have fun doing it.

Putting good in quotes is right, because a good game has nothing to do with how closely the game is run to the rules, but in how much fun/enjoyment/fulfillment the gaming group gets out of playing together.

[shadowmane]

I agree. I don't worry about the rules when I'm running it with the kids. I just let their imagination take over, while following along in the module book. The module provides the encounter, the kids provide the story around that encounter. Its interesting how a story will tell itself. I've found that in my fiction writing too. When you think about it, you get writer's cramp. When you just let it flow, it writes itself. Same with roleplaying. The story just sort of writes itself.

[dymondy2k]

its funny because I everyone who played D&D or other RPGs as a kid thinks back on those days and thinks.. 'damn some of the rules weren't even close!' but nobody cared at the time because we were all having a blast.

[Ogre]

its funny because I everyone who played D&D or other RPGs as a kid thinks back on those days and thinks.. 'damn some of the rules weren't even close!' but nobody cared at the time because we were all having a blast.

When we first started playing the game, we had the rules cyclopedia, the 2nd edition players hand book, and the 1st edition dmg.

We cobbled together everything from that, and we did it "wrong" but we had "fun"

[Hywaywolf]

I first played on a ship in the Navy in 1980. There were two or 3 DMs and the game pretty much ran around the clock and people came and went according to their work and sleep schedule. Only a couple people had a complete set a rules. All I had was a couple mimeograph sheets from a rule set. Probably mostly chainmail, but I am not sure, there seemed to be a lot of different source material. It was awesome.

[Steveman]

I first played on a ship in the Navy in 1980. There were two or 3 DMs and the game pretty much ran around the clock and people came and went according to their work and sleep schedule. Only a couple people had a complete set a rules. All I had was a couple mimeograph sheets from a rule set. Probably mostly chainmail, but I am not sure, there seemed to be a lot of different source material. It was awesome.

Sounds like the worksups I did in 2003. I guess, even after 20 years Navy Nerds don't change.

Well, except that the games were always a rules reduced 3rd-ed...

[shadowmane]

When I was in the National Guard, I never came across anyone gaming. I didn't encounter gaming until I went to college.

I just picked up the Supplement where we left off. The boys did good against the Goblins. I even made them fight one room by themselves without any help from the NPC's. I did have a fumble, which I ruled that he dropped his sword. But right after that, the next boy got a natural 20. I gave him double damage. Since it was a low hp Goblin, he pretty much splatted it. We're on break so they can get their jitterbugs out right now, and will pick up again before they go to bed. I hope to have at least one more encounter with them today before we put the game up for the night.

[shadowmane]

Tonight, my middle boy was lucky I was rolling low. He got hit by an Orc for 1 point of damage once, and 2 points a second time. With 5 hp, the Orc could very well have killed him in one blow. They earned 500 XP tonight by beating 5 Orcs and 6 Wolves. And the cleric had to cast heal light wound in the end. We had fun.

[shadowmane]

Well, I got to get the boys together this morning for another game. They got to the prison and torture room. They managed to avoid the yellow mold. I had the first one go down when the Giant Crab Spider jumped out and attacked. The dice weren't being nice to my middle boy. He missed and was knocked to -1. I don't rule going 0 death. I go with the -10 rule, so he wasn't dead, just out of the action. After the action, he was healed by the cleric (they had an over-night rest in the cave above the dungeon that the wolves ran in and out of. They were able to defeat the spitting cobra. Finally, they fought the room full of wolves (room 2) and defeated them, with one of the NPC's going down. I think I showed them how lethal combat could be (though they are still gung ho to attack just about anything... a youth... hack and slash all the way). By the time we were done with the wolves, the two thieves had leveled up to level 2.

Question. Is there anything besides upping the HP, saving throws and thief skills that I need to do? I'm pretty happy with the adventure so far, and so are they.