Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - How to teach roleplaying games to teenagers?

L.J.Steele · 02-04-2023, 08:54 AM

Anathema as they can be on this forum, I'd look into the rules light/story forward games like Apocalypse Keys, or Scum and Villainy, or even Masks. In many of those, one fails forwards so there's less fear of doing the wrong thing.

You could also look at the various iterations of Star Wars RPGs as something where the action (what to do) is familiar and they can jump in pretty quickly. Kids on Bikes (and its Hogwarts counterpart Kids on Brooms) might be an option for Stranger Things fans.

For young players (elementary school), try Magical Kitties Save the Day. Dead simple and open-ended rules set and who doesn't like kitties!

You could also try game-adjacent warm-ups like Fiasco, For the Queen, and even Once Upon a Time that focus on improv.

Check with your local libraries as well -- some have gaming groups.

02-04-2023, 08:54 AM	#15
L.J.Steele Join Date: Apr 2005	Re: How to teach roleplaying games to teenagers? Anathema as they can be on this forum, I'd look into the rules light/story forward games like Apocalypse Keys, or Scum and Villainy, or even Masks. In many of those, one fails forwards so there's less fear of doing the wrong thing. You could also look at the various iterations of Star Wars RPGs as something where the action (what to do) is familiar and they can jump in pretty quickly. Kids on Bikes (and its Hogwarts counterpart Kids on Brooms) might be an option for Stranger Things fans. For young players (elementary school), try Magical Kitties Save the Day. Dead simple and open-ended rules set and who doesn't like kitties! You could also try game-adjacent warm-ups like Fiasco, For the Queen, and even Once Upon a Time that focus on improv. Check with your local libraries as well -- some have gaming groups.