Child Players

[Nemi3e]

I've seen several threads on the forum about younger players, and as I'm going to be babysitting two kids this weekend I'd like to get my kit together.

These kids, ah, call them in the 7-8 range, the eldest is developmentally disabled down to that point, and the younger is that age. The elder has a strong imagination and anthropomorphizing of stuffed animals. Likes to make videos on the stuffed animals bowing on their phone. (How this kid has a better phone than me I have no idea.)

They get along well and play together often.

My props are: I've got a big thing of art supplies, access to large meter sized pieces of blank paper, Playdoh, and Wooden block sets. Plus GURPS Basic Set and Lite.

So far I'm planning to use the blocks to cooperatively build a path to an object. The rules being they each place one and I place two. Funnily enough this is basically the means to do a randomly generated dungeon.

Maybe I'll pitch a he's a ____ she's a ____ together they fight crime (who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?) Or something like Pound Puppies since they like animals so much.

So far I've gleaned to use Bang! skills. But really, I don't spend much time with kids, and I don't actually like them much, so I don't know much about what they can handle, or what they like, or what's appropriate. My internal dialogue is something like: "Why wouldn't they like super crunchy math and full racial generation?" I was an odd child.

[Danukian]

Originally Posted by Nemi3e

(How this kid has a better phone than me I have no idea.)

Parents?

Originally Posted by Nemi3e

My props are: I've got a big thing of art supplies, access to large meter sized pieces of blank paper, Playdoh, and Wooden block sets. Plus GURPS Basic Set and Lite.

So far I'm planning to use the blocks to cooperatively build a path to an object. The rules being they each place one and I place two. Funnily enough this is basically the means to do a randomly generated dungeon.

Maybe I'll pitch a he's a ____ she's a ____ together they fight crime (who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?) Or something like Pound Puppies since they like animals so much.

So far I've gleaned to use Bang! skills. But really, I don't spend much time with kids, and I don't actually like them much, so I don't know much about what they can handle, or what they like, or what's appropriate. My internal dialogue is something like: "Why wouldn't they like super crunchy math and full racial generation?" I was an odd child.

This sounds like a good start. A good gage for child level RPGing is the cartoons they watch, but I find robot mooks, basic riddles/problem solving, and a strong contrasts (no grey areas) works well.

[Witchking]

Originally Posted by Nemi3e

Maybe I'll pitch a he's a ____ she's a ____ together they fight crime (who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?) Or something like Pound Puppies since they like animals so much.

Its all about the story...find something they like sooo much that they want to be an "actor" in the story...from there all the crunchy bits will just glide by.

Its worked on me for everything from LoTR to Batman to Star Trek and back again....

[Nemi3e]

So, the day went...badly.

While they play together, they also play in spite of each other. They do play make believe, but one prefers, oh, grocery shopping and going out to buy toys in make believe, the other seems to want talking animals.

Basically, they want to play different genres. Bleh.

So they'll play together and, say shopping for webkins, and the other will make them talk saying how happy they are, and the first will protest and then ignore.

I got a spark of interest when I announced I was going to make a magician, but it was gone when they found out I wasn't going to draw him. Not even curiosity.

The talking animals one gave me an opening to introduce pen an paper rpgs and was interested when I told him about things we did and won on 'quests.'

But he kept on asking "You mean online?"

-__-;;;

I finally got it through to him I meant "With dice," but I get the feeling he thought it meant like playing a game of Jumanjii: you encounter a wolf, skip your next turn and gain a wolf head token.

It took several tries, culminating when they were in the heights of boredom to teach them the idea of "making your own board games."

One seemed to make one based on Kung Fu Panda (which they both were interested in), the other...American Idol.

Then their parents came back and took them home, I'm to understand that they watched DVDs the entire trip back too.

So next time I get these bundles of annoyance, what do you all suggest to improve it? (Besides watching Kung Fu Panda.)

[BaHalus]

How about making one based in kung fu panda? If them both like it, it could work well.

Prepare the templates and/or a list of the ad/disad/skills they will be allowed.

And disappear with the panda before the adventure to avoid both wanting to be the panda.

And try to keep it simple and flexible.

[Jeffr0]

I've had some success running Labyrinth Lord with kids ages 5-8.

I use hand drawn maps, cardboard heroes from e23, and have run both the Tomb of Sigyfel and the first level of Palace of The Silver Princess.

Of all the games I've played with my children, I'd say this is one of the bigger successes.