Playing with kids

[shadowmane]

Okay, so I'm a father of 3 boys. 10, 8 and 6. I've done some roleplaying with them before, using Wushu, but would like to introduce them to fantasy roleplaying. I found this post over at Dragonsfoot that's got me thinking about this. Is this game really capable of having a 10 year old DM it? If I were to, say, introduce them to this game (or D&D BECMI... or... or... even the new playtest I just downloaded), if it sparked their interest, would they have to rely on me, or could they game themselves after a short time?

[Hywaywolf]

Sure a 10 year old could DM it all he needs is an imagination. Of course, it wouldn't be anywhere close to by the book. Just wing it and go. But it would be better if you ran a few games with them to get them in the flow. And go easy on the rules. Wing most stuff and let them die if the die.

[SmootRK]

I was roughly 10 when I was initially introduced to the D&D game (BECMI variety, but I only used the BE portions). Now, I did not get a grip on the game for some time, but I did not have anyone walking me through it. Later, I got together with step-brothers and really put it all together in some semblance that was role-playing, although we had to go through a fair amount of monty-haulism. Still, in the end, we had fun and figured it out eventually.

Now, given that I assume you will guide them through playing for a bit, I have absolutely no doubt that they will play the game well... and in a very short time, be able to play independently of you (or with you as a player). Honestly, I have not met a kid who had interest in 'things fantasy or sci-fi' that could not handle the idea of role-playing games. Specific rules, perhaps are perplexing, but not the playing.

"I attack the kobold" is pretty universal across gaming platforms.

[xav++]

I started when I was ten

[Dimirag]

I started at fourteen with In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas, then play some one-shot sessions of other games, then some Marvel Superheroes RPG and about 6 years ago I started D&D

[Joe the Rat]

10 was when I started playing, but I didn't start running games for a few years. But that's more about me. I'd rather play than run. But given that the fledgling DMs were also about the same age...

[shadowmane]

Here's another question. I'm running them through the beginner dungeon in Morgansfort. What's the XP for a Giant Crab Spider? Its not in the Core Rulebook, or the Field Guide (that I could find).

Edit: Nevermind, I found it. I was looking in the C's when I should have been looking in the S's.

[Joe the Rat]

Base rules, p.107 - and its 100XP

Ah, you found it. never mind.

[shadowmane]

We played for two hours tonight. We got through 5 rooms. We are going through "The Old Island Fortress". So far, they have had one encounter with the Giant Crab Spider (random encounter... the fighter knocked it down to 3 HP with one blow of his two-handed sword... I was impressed). They've found all of the traps so far that they've come across, and managed to avoid encounters while they fiddled with the traps. I've been coaching them and teaching them about searching rooms, and searching for traps and secret doors. We stopped as they were checking a door that was going to have a battle behind it. Their first taste of Goblins. Since there are only 3 of them, I've decided to give them one of the clerics and two of the fighters from the pre-gen PC's. I might eventually take one of the fighters away if things get too easy for them. I should probably replace one of the fighters with the MU or Elven MU/F. Two of them chose to be thieves (I call them rogues) and one chose to be a fighter. I didn't fight them. I simply adjusted the game accordingly. I had fun, and they had fun.

[Ogre]

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.