DFRPG for kids

[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.

[BrianEye]

It might be useful to make some photocopies of the various back cover reference sheets (for personal use at the table only). I can see kids referencing those a lot, and tucking a few extra copies into the box for each table might go a long way - especially if sharing between a box between tables.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Bruno

If you can wait until the PDFs are available, you're allowed one physical copy per PDF purchased, which means you can have a tablet in play at one table and a physical copy at another, or two copies at one table for character generation.

This is a great idea. We have the big printers with stapler units. This would also be a more cost-effective way to allow more tables to have a copy of "I Smell a Rat," assuming they all want to begin with the starter scenario. Depending on PDF pricing, and including my own copies, I think I'll have enough material to cover as many tables as we're likely to see in action.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

I would spring for a GM screen for at least one table, maybe both so the rule books could be more easily passed around.

Noted and added to the budget.

[Dalin]

What about the optimal number of players at each table? I Smell a Rat is written for six PCs, but seems easy enough to scale down. With short 45-minute sessions, I have generally recommended 3-4 players plus a GM at each table. With more, it can be difficult for everyone to feel included and to make meaningful progress in each session. Does this set off any alarm bells?

[Bruno]

I Smell A Rat is deliberately geared towards challenging (and teaching) totally new players - players who don't know the basic tropes of dungeon crawling.

If your players have played D&D before, then they're going to have experience with that set of tropes: traps, icky goo, ambushes, how undead can really suck but zombies and skeletons aren't that fantastic, what-have you. They may need a shakedown period to get the idea that their PCs have a different dynamic than D20, but smaller groups could work. I'm not sure I'd go down to 3, though: that practically mandates that they have to pick very precisely co-ordinated templates, rather than having some leeway.

[Colarmel]

Originally Posted by Dalin

What about the optimal number of players at each table? I Smell a Rat is written for six PCs, but seems easy enough to scale down. With short 45-minute sessions, I have generally recommended 3-4 players plus a GM at each table. With more, it can be difficult for everyone to feel included and to make meaningful progress in each session. Does this set off any alarm bells?

4 is fine, but make sure the GMs make the necessary adjustments for things like not having a thief.