DFRPG for kids

[Dalin]

Background: We've got an active gaming community in the middle school where I work. I often sponsor RPG activities for students, sometimes managing 40+ students at tables in multiple classrooms. We've generally fallen back on D&D as the default system since it is better known, it was easier to pick up used rulebooks, and it required less work from me and the other adults. We could pull sets of pre-generated characters from on-line sources, purchase cheap, age-appropriate PDF adventures, and give an initial presentation about the d20 mechanic so that even totally new players could have a game going within 45 minutes. With the arrival of the DFRPG, I have a GURPS-based system that I can easily introduce to younger players. I think it will be a hit.

We're planning on purchasing a few boxed sets and offering a DFRPG activity this spring. Leading up to that, I've got a few questions:

1. Do you think we need to have a boxed set for each table, or could two tables share a single set? (We're not sure yet what our budget cap will be.)
2. Are there any other DFRPG adventures out there that are suited for new, younger players? (In case some groups finish I Smell a Rat and want further material.)
3. Any recommendations for what to go over in an initial presentation? I'm thinking I'll go over the basic skill roll mechanic and model a simple combat. I always talk briefly about the GM's role and the importance of keeping the game fun and moving forward. Ideally, the kids will have enough of an understanding that they can ignore most rules and just fall back on skill rolls.
4. Any other tips or ideas?

Thank you!

[sir_pudding]

2. There is the sequel to I Smell a Rat, Against The Ratmen. After that, there is Mirror of the Fire Demon (which may be too fiddly for inexperienced GMs), The Pagoda of Worlds, and a few Pyramid adventures, all for the DF line, but mostly easily used with the DFRPG.

[Pragmatic]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

2. There is the sequel to I Smell a Rat, Against The Ratmen. After that, there is Mirror of the Fire Demon (which may be too fiddly for inexperienced GMs), The Pagoda of Worlds, and a few Pyramid adventures, all for the DF line, but mostly easily used with the DFRPG.

Against the Ratmen? Where is that?

[Pseudonym]

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Against the Ratmen? Where is that?

It's in the expansion volume, Dungeon Fantasy Companion, along with all the other stretch goal extras.

[ericbsmith]

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Against the Ratmen? Where is that?

Originally Posted by Pseudonym

It's in the expansion volume, Dungeon Fantasy Companion, along with all the other stretch goal extras.

All three expansion that were put into the DF Companion should also have been given out as PDFs to all kickstarter backers. If you weren't a backer I'm sure the Companion and the three PDFs will be made available in PDF and print eventually.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by ericbsmith

All three expansion that were put into the DF Companion should also have been given out as PDFs to all kickstarter backers.

They were. Or, at least I got mine and I was scrub-tier backer. I didn't go deep enough to get anything other than the box set and the stretch goals.

[Pragmatic]

Originally Posted by Pseudonym

It's in the expansion volume, Dungeon Fantasy Companion, along with all the other stretch goal extras.

I'll have to check my tablet to see if I've downloaded it yet.

[Pseudonym]

How old are these "kids"?
How many sessions are they going to play?


The big thing that immediately leaps out to me if you plan to have players ready in "45 minutes" is that it takes much longer to fill out a GURPS/DFRPG character than a D&D character (even if you know exactly what you are doing) simply because there is so much to write.

I think either giving the players pregens, or at least pre-genning some elements (eg, let them fill out the char sheet as they like, but have cultivated lists of spells for all the casters, or figuring out a way to have most of the "mandatory" fields filled out for the templates so that you can at least save them from writing out tennish skills, and 1~4 advantages per occupation)

You might also specifically ban buying up any attributes to start with because that is the biggest headache on the template, and without the relative skill levels on the template, it makes adjusting the skill levels if you DX+1 someone annoying at best for someone that has memorized all of the skills already, and a huge timesink at worse as they have to look up all the skills on a cross-reference table to see if that one gets a +1 or not.

Casting talents are a little better in that regard because spells have their own section on a worksheet so it's obvious that "all these things get a +1"

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Pseudonym

How old are these "kids"?
How many sessions are they going to play?

Ages range from 11-14. Typically we have six 45-minute sessions. I encourage the GMs to focus on having one significant encounter with each session. I haven't plotted "I Smell a Rat" out carefully to see how it will fit, but ultimately it's not that big a deal. Lots of the groups continue playing on their own time once they get the game going.

I will definitely have the pregens from Delvers to Go available for students. In the past, most groups opted for pregens unless they knew the rules already. Even with D&D rules, some groups spent the first three sessions making characters, of course, but as long as they're having fun I don't intervene. (Some groups, in fact, seemed to spend all six sessions vociferously arguing about the rules, and appearing to have a blast while doing so. Early preparation for law school?)

With a less familiar game, I think most groups will dive in with the pregens. Plus, the pregens are pretty great. Might even create a few additional ones if I can find the time.

[(E)]

Are there any criteria that need to be met for the adventures that you are after? Language/content/cultural issues and so forth.