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I've been playing with my kids for about 10 years. The key is to play extremely loose rules. As a result, we have created a homebrew game that is a completely new game with no resemblance to dnd and a completely new ttrpg. I've even created trading cards that they love.
Awesome. I like the trading cards idea. Maybe something like Pokemon or Magic the Gathering would be good. That is far easier than a game like DND. The math is easier, and the basic rules are simple and straightforward. These games can be really complicated. Don't get me wrong. It is just that the real complicated stuff is broken up into individual cards. This makes for a baby steps situation that is far easier to wrap one's mind around.
"is your 6 year old going to remember all those rules?"... Dude, I am playing with grown ass adults who need to be remembered to add their bonus to basically every single attack role^^
Depends help i feel like most TT games feel like their rules actively hinder the game. Like those minecraft ones that make minint diamonds where you need 5+ pickaxes to do it.
I started with my son and a couple of his cousins in "No Thank You Evil" during a holiday. We transitioned into D&D once he started to learn to read in first class. He has the same character and absolutely loves the game. My number one advice would be to really reward kids for creativity. I'm bending rules to a degree I wouldn't even think of with adults. Children have awesome minds and come up with really cool stuff if you let them. I built an island with a adventurer's school in the middle. He learned D&D mechanics while playing the game naturaly. The school yard has dummies where he learned how hitting enemies works, damage, spells, cover. All kinds of weird teachers up to a mimic who teaches about monster resistances and weaknesses.
DUDE! I used your system to play with my nieces today, and they had blast! They are 8 and 6 and were fully engaged. I can't thank you enough for your advice and tips. Thank you so much!
Lego had game sets called "Heroica", that resembled a kind of dungeon crawler with micro-figures and a lego-D6. Everything was Lego, even a rudimentary kind of "character-sheet" where to track gold, items and health. Played these with my kid up to age 10.
I started playing D&D with my children when they where 6 and 8. We had a great time. I can't believe that was 24 years ago now. By the way, I think rolling 1 on 2d6 should be an amazing success. :)
These are great tips! Definitely being flexible with kids leaving the table or doing something else when it's not their turn is a must in my kids game!
I suppose that goes with ever-shortening attention spans. I'd still believe that encourages selfish gameplay, which will just ruin the hobby in the long term - if not for them, then perhaps for others they sit with at a table in the future.
@@orokusaki1243 I get what you are saying but i am sure getting snacks they like and quizzing them on what happened in the rp and combat scenes going to get them to pay attention. Also idk why but i am picturing a nun smacking your hand if you try to not be bored by a 24 hour sleep stream while she downloads a big download.
@@Subject_Keter Point is: not all kids are ready for RPGs, even with simplified game rules, it is still an interactive social activity that takes a little bit of discipline. Is it still "playing a RPG"? At what point is it actually "something else"?
What that one saying about Age doesnt equal wisdom? Like for me I love to listen to 40k logs about the Emperor of Mankind but my friend would die and want to see Lorgar getting beaten up.
Been running D&D for older kids a couple years now, they’re 10-11 now. Highly recommend Wild Beyond Witchlight for kids that can handle normal most 5e rules. They’re having a blast and modifications are simple, basically just a bit more lenient, no death, if they want to try something I let them. It’s pretty linear and easy to run (I’ve only ever DMed this long, I never even played before and I’m having no major issues)
03:29 When i play with kids i N E V E R let their characters die. No matter what. This is very important. Their feelings of having fun is much more important than whats logical (and other adults opinions). Roleplay is completely different for kids, than computer games where they instantly respawn so it's no big deal. But playing a character you created yourself, sitting around a table with friends, and then have that character die? That sux... for an adult... but to a Kid below the age of 13-14 it's mindshatteringly horrible, because kids don't roleplay the character, they ARE their character. Kids imagination is infinitely more vivid, deep and alive than adults so they really do live in their character and the death of it can seriously hurt them for years. So Never Ever let kids characters die. - TLDR: Think of Kids characters as Anime characters like; One Piece, Naruto, Dragonball etc, take your pick, the heroes get really beat up but they never die. This is how you DM for kids below the age of 14. I wish Luke had put more emphasis on this. But im glad he addressed it at all.
I run for my wife and 2 kids, 13 and 10. Rule of cool is the 1st through 5th rule lol. My son wanted to turn and run but also swing his staff to attack. Not allowed in normal rules but i made it work. He rolled with disadvantage, weapon did less damage, if a success he could only move half movement, fail meant an opportunity attack with advantage.
Brilliant stuff, Luke. My five year old son has played a few D&D games, with him choosing where he goes, based on habitat i.e. forest, city or mountains. Then we roll up a monster and he decides whether to make friends, fight it, etc. Then, of course: treasure :D
thank you for this! I have to run a game for my nephews this summer, aged 7 and 10, so this is a big help! I bought them the "D&D Young Adventurers" books for Christmas, so now I'm on the hook to run a game for them.
I did an on-the-fly 2d6 system as well. I added a bit of more character customization and my nephew (9) and youngest (8) loved it! Had to write it all up so my nephew could take it home to teach/play with the neighborhood kids.
I for sure believe that a Game System is one thing, but Roleplaying is something else. Let the kids focus on the Roleplay aspect and they'll pick up the rules as they apply during play. One-page RPGs (such as Lasers & Feelings) can certainly support robust roleplay despite simple mechanics. Roleplay is the constant - play the role of your character as they interact in the game world setting. It requires social interaction between the players as they collaboratively tell the story from each's character's perspectives. This is where most "problem player behaviors" can be shaken out of existence, as they learn proper roleplay and game table manners. There's thousands of game systems out there with lots of different mechanics - they're all pretty much defining interactions between objects/entities within the game world setting. Can swap out the game system but can't swap out the roleplaying skills.
8:10 Exactly! I was wondering why you'd stick with trying to run D&D with this age demographic at all when there are more streamlined systems specifically designed to accommodate them! "Amazing Tales" has a child-facing ruleset that can fit on an index card; the larger rulebook is basically a primer on how to GM on a developmentally appropriate level. It sounds like your 2d6 system is an even more streamlined take on the core design philosophy of "Amazing Tales," so it really could be a good starting point. Collaborative storytelling actually happens very early; it's the setting of specific rules and adding a randomizer (i.e. dice) to decide uncertain outcomes that turn this form of play into the hobby we more clearly recognize.
As someone who routinely plus at the game store the same time as kids D&D, kids have two defaults when playing: “Why can’t we befriend the goblins?”, and Geneva Checklist
I ran on and off for my kids when they were younger it didnt happen that often. Attention span was the issue, but now they are older running a game for my youngest and friends of hers. Small group, short sessions work.
thanks for mentioning No Thank You Evil, Luke. It's my favorite for kids because there's differing levels of complexity available for PCs, so that a 10 year old could play a more complex PC, while a 6 year old uses a simpler PC, all in the same game. Cool
Very useful video. I've been working on a Harry Potter themed RPG for my nieces, making cards of all spells, but been running into some problems. Now I know how to make it simple enough and enjoyable for them.
As a kid I never had the opportunity to play D&D (or MERP which is what I really wanted to play) because I was embarrassed to tell others I wanted to play TTRPGs and none of my frieds were in to Fantasy RPGs or TTRPGs. So I just read rules and modules 'in the closet'. Fast forward 35 years and i have my own kids (9 & 12) and my 15 year old niece asked if I knew anything about D&D b/c she wanted to play. The little kid in me that never got to play got SUPER excited and I dove down a rabbit hole of Modern D&D 5e and went out an bought the Starter sets and bought old 2e DMG & PHB so I could play the system I never got to with the 5 e adventures. We rolled up characters in a session zero. It took longer than i anticipated and we did not get to play that night. All 3 were super excited to get started next time we met. A week later my oldest so who was in middle school and just navigating social circles/status advised that he didn't want to play anymore because D&D was 'weird' so i lost him even after a few conversations about not judging things before trying them nor judging others for outward appearances or what they enjoy doing for fun. But he was out. My youngest and niece were still in so we ran a short published AD&D 2e module (Treasure Hunt) about a shipwreck and getting off the island. THeir first characters died quickly. THey were fine with that, and just rolled up new characters to continue. They took longer to get going because now they were overly cautios and they were still learning what they 'could do' in the game and how to play - i left it open so they could 'do anything' and I would just explain the mechanics as we went so they were not confined. or restricted with actions. They enjoyed the session and couldn't wait for the next time. But my niece didn't come for again for a while, and my youngest was getting antsy to play again, so I continued the adventure 1-on-1 with him (i added a DM NPC for assistance and 'guodance' when needed). We spent a couple sessions exploring and escaping the island and it was a lot of fun. We sailed to Shipwreck Isle to incorporate the 5e Essential kit adventure, and this is where I lost my youngest. I tried to keep the adventuring pace up and exciting, but he lost all interest when there was any 'town encounters' with NOCs and not enough fighting or exploration. I only found out AFTER our last session was done that he found that part of the game boring and then he also no longer wanted to play. My niece aged out too. TLDR: Start playing D&D or other TTRPGs with your kids when they are younger to get them and keep them interested in the game. Now I have to wait another generation (when my kids have kids) so I can try to play these games....
Not necessarily! You can always try to look for friends or coworkers willing to play, or if you're up for it you can even try to find people to play with online.
@@pugglesmchuggles Ya, i talked to a crystal lady and she said to try meet up if you want to form a group. Or just try that online DnD Platform i am blanking on rn.
Kids can certainly be fickle. Their peers also pressure them to "fit in". Running RPGs for kids can certainly be fun, but they need to be encouraged to give feedback. Before play starts, give them 5 or 10 minutes to talk about what they want to do in the session. After play ends, give them 5 or 10 minutes to talk about what they liked and disliked during the session. Many years ago, I attempted a one-shot for my niece and nephews (11-15 at the time). I picked up copies of the three main 3.5 D&D books for a song, and made some pregens based on their interest. Game day went alright, with 3 encounters and a cliffhanger ending, but one was clearly disinterested. None asked for a part 2. Fast forward to now, and all 3 of them have played plenty of video game RPGs. It was likely the format that didn't gel with them so much, not any dislike of RPGs. Knowing the audience, reading the room, and understanding why and how they want to play can all be important when running tRPGs for kids. If you specifically want to run for kids, perhaps consider West Marches format. The game happens when there's enough interest to go on a mission. They start and end at the home base each session. Can drop quest hooks every so often in a group chat and see who bites. Session duration can vary according to the number of participants, too.
This was a tragedy! For what it’s worth, I was on the edge of my seat scrolling to see if any of the kids made it and I was crushed to find out that they didn’t. Bummer, man!
What about doing averages? Limiting play to mostly the d20, and instead of using the d4, d6, d8, d10 and d12 use 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for things like their spells and their weapon attacks. A kid may not know how much Healing Word, which heals 1d4 + Modifier does, but I assume they know how much 2 + 4 is, or 1d8 + Dexterity for their ranged attack, but I assume they know how much 4+4 is. Also, that way they don't feel frustrated when they roll super low on damage.
Thanks for the Video, very helpful. I love your simple rules, although one sugestion - use a D20, the D20 makes the game special, any kid in the Kita roles D6s that is not special ;-)
If you’ve got any advice for running and designing a one shot for kids i would LOVE a part 2 to this video. Most of my GMing is one shots and I’ve yet to run a prewritten adventure for the baby nieces and nephews that didn’t sort of peter out.
I played drunk as the Australian tradie I am… all my “nerd” mates pretty much held my hand through it all and I had a blast.. I feel like my kid would be better than drunk me 😂 (although it played into my character and sometimes payed off big).
Wow that is interesting. There is good advice. I especially like the part about teaching preserverence. Amen to that. Louder for the helecopter parents in the back. Games are probably the easiest and safest places to teach that lesson. I recommend making losses easier to deal with. In current DND, they are far too harsh. I say set people back a little bit. Maybe they have to return to town and start over. If they are in a dungeon, they have to go back to the beginning of the dungeon. Video games are far more lenient than DND. That is all for the better. I was wondering if there was a gradual way to get into this. I started DND when I was a full grown adult, and even I struggled with the rules. Maybe the first think to do is to buy action figures and a checkers game. They should be easy to find in the toy section in a department store. Then the kid can play with monsters on a checkerboard. Maybe they can play eith checker peices as well. The kid can just play with action figures like they usually do. This is very imaginitive and freeform. Then as the parent plays with the kid, they trickle math. Maybe when action figures fight, there can be some kind of hit points and damage. Then later one can introduce special attacks. Then they can introduce a reasource for special attacks. There can be introduction to things like abolity scores and die rolling. Then a kid can gradually get into DND that way. The kid can get into DND through more kid frendly versions. I think similar video games would help alot. I think Pokemon and Legend of Zelda may help. They are kid frendly. They are in genres that tie back to DND in some way. I am a big fan of both of them. Pokemon is good for understanding basic mechanics. That is ky first RPG. Zelda is good for understanding the flavor of DND. There is a Medeval European fantasy. The hero has to go dungeons and fight monsters to save the day. There are even fantasy races like elves, goron and zora. Note that the elves are called Hyleans. However I still think of them as elves. I got into World of Warcraft. This is more mature as video games go. It is more complex and graphic. I think this was really helpful in teaching me a lot of the concepts in DND.
I am presently surprised that this video recommended My Little Pony. I love that show. One of the best episodes is the very first one. I guess that is like a DND adventure. The first part is about one pony meeting up with five other ponies in town. That establishes a party. The second part is where the party has an adventure in the forest. The ruins is like a dungeon, and the villain is like a boss. My Little Pony has quite a bit of interesting horse lore. I am currently reading the Monster Manuel. The stuff about dragons fascinates me. There is so many kinds of dragons and the creature lore is really cool. Horses are the other main fantasy animal. I wish they got the same treatment. That would be awesome. There can even be a whole book about horses, just like there is a dragon book and giant book. That would be cool to homebrew. The horses don't have to be cute little ponies. They can be regular sized horses with supernatural abilities. Ponies are still cool though. This video later gives an example of a simplified adventure. Then the player character is called Trixie. That reminds me of the Great and Powerful Trixie. She does get an episode in the first season. She becomes more prominent in the last few seasons. There is something interesting that I recently thought about. Some of the ponies are miniature colorful unicorns. The unicorns use their horns to use magic. Most use their magic to supplement some other talent. Rarity for example uses her magic to help with her main career of making fashionable outfits. Some unicorns focus on magic as their main talent. So their magic is extra powerful. The main character of the show is just such a character. She is named Twilight Sparkle. Twilight is basically a wizard in the form of a small purple pony. She reads alot and casts powerful magic. She even lives in a library. In DND wizards are very versatile and they have so many schools of magic to work with. I did a deep dive a while back. I thought it was strange that enchantment and illusion were seperate schools. They seem like they should go together. Then I got a brilliant idea. Illusionist would work better as a class instead of a school. Both illusionists and bards excel at enchantment magic. The illusionist is based on a stage magician. That is a distinct kind of magic user. In real life, stage magicians use illusions to give the appearance of magic. Since they don't actually use magic, it is lame. I thought of a way to make this cooler. The illusionist has real magic. They use enchantment to create illusions. DND has plenty of spells like this. There is invisibility, minor illusion, image spells etc. The illusionist can use such spells to make a great show on stage or confuse enemies in battle. My Little Pony has a character like that, called Trixie. She is a unicorn that focuses heavily on magic. She is little and blue. Twilight and Trixie are rival magicians. While Twilight is the basic wizard, Trixie is an illusionist type. Trixie uses her magic to perform in her stage magic shows. Trixie makes for good inspiration for my idea of an illusionist class. Another good one is Gus from Owl House. Gus is a school boy and one of Luz's friends. He specializes in illusion magic. Like Trixie, he also has actual magic. I did develop my idea of an illusionist class, and even wrote about it. Later there are new reveals for the upcoming DND Player Handbook. I learned that illusionist is going to be a wizard subclass. The official art even looks like a stage magician. That is a funny coincidence. Maybe great minds think alike.
You could have it so the kids got to disarm or restaint the bad guy. Make sure to have it so like not total evil guys can be knocked out subdued and why you have to verify they are evil. Then for like Warlocks have them just banish them or turn them into stone after losing X hp. Friggin mlp would shoot them straight to the sun or trap them in a big t r e e 😂 Doe I think as long as the idea "We only hurt those who are going to harm us" it good since .. i think most kids know about slaying monsters.
Depends on the ages of your kids and what they're used to. Kids old enough to play D&D are probably familiar with defeating enemies in other media, video games, etc. Enemies can disappear in a puff of smoke or turn to dust (or just flee/surrender). Whatever you feel comfortable with, they'll probably go with it. I haven't done this before myself, but I can imagine over-the-top Looney Toons style cartoon violence would probably be fun to run.
Also would be nice to have a range of scenarios and ways to solve them. My dad personally threw Diablo 2 at me so i knew about m u r d e r and stuff. Doe i still think most "Non Lethal" ways that get shown is worst. MLP FIM for exmaple Banished to M O O N Turned to Stone and appearently still able to observe stuff? Blown up and turned to Crystal man Sealed away in the underworld Thrown to a world with no magic And the one that makes me go .. "rip" turned to stone and all mashed up. Bruh.
My kids were about 7 and 5 when we started playing and had never seen anything more violent than PJ Masks and other kiddie shows where there’s never any physical contact made. After a grueling battle, I did the Matt Mercer “How do you want to do this?” And my five year old daughter who hides when characters disagree on a show decided that her ranger shot an arrow directly through the eyeball of the goblin chief, exploding out the back of the chief’s head. All that to say, “I have no idea how to deal with violence in age-appropriate ways because my sweet darling children may secretly be psychopaths”
Kids will feed off of each other. I'd say small party, for sure. One might remember a rule and remind the others, for instance, perhaps explaining it in a more kid-friendly way as well.
My group is my kids. They ages 8-13 and when been playing for two years. Playing 5e isn't hard with kids. You play loose with the rules, at least to begin with, if they want to do something that their character shouldn't be able to do, figure out how to make it work. I also disagree with death. My kids have experienced the death of their characters. You just take a moment to grieve with them and get them excited about making new characters. If they have back stories they will add to it, often. They will stand up and spin and other things when they're excited. Have lots of snacks and lean into the silly. Kids are natural role players. It's a lot of fun.
The funny thing about Luke's 2d6 system is that it might be more realistic than systems designed for adults! A competent hero shouldn't be struggling with 60% or lower chances to hit the monster with a damaging blow. Nor should they then roll damage less than 25% or even less than 50% of that monster's health score. I'm a huge fan of more successes, but also of the means to mitigate that increased success: like damage resistance. Failures, in a low failure system, should be a bit more serious, of course.
I know that feeling. Like for me, If you are not a nooblet (so level 3 or so) you should be able to hit basic attacks only needing to roll if you want to do something fancy (IE: Leg sweep the guy to trip him) The only thing i say you should roll for is Spells since they range from "just a punch" to "Death nuke"
@@Subject_Keter The simulation can certainly get a bit wonky, and then might require more complexity to resolve, which then slows things down further. In the context of the video's topic, that's a big no-no. Gotta remember that the story is about the Characters as they navigate the game world, doing quests or personal motivations that align with others. "What happens next?" as the story emerges from gameplay (as opposed to gameplay emerging from story). Kids will certainly flex their imaginations, and with a little guidance can certainly get a good story out of gameplay. Progression mechanics could be part of the problem. Nearly every RPG seems to have one, and that creeping power can really stress and even break gameplay in a system. Even in bounded systems, there will be issues. Though if the progression is tied to an item that improves over time and usage, then it seems more organic. That "jar of eyeballs" could certainly improve over time, as could the "fire" ability. The great/success/fail results, never really changing, though is simply balanced by those items being more useful as one gains experience with them. Level the equipment, not the Character.
well i started to watch your videos about 1-3 months ago because i started playing dnd. i host games at the how to be a hero where every roll is basicly a percentage roll. that beeing said, if i may i have a thing to say about the advertisment of your books instead of just saying that it will help and that there is so much brains "blended" into it give, examples in your videos straight from your books like instead of saying that there are many dungeons and what you can learn from it, give like a short example of what is actually in there. "so in my book there is this adventure and these items and mosters how would you deal with them and this is how my players did this and there is so much more" like a little teaser and most importantly a stranger would have an idea and a example of your work and wanting more sry for writing so much and for the bad language as i am from germany and not writing in english so often any more :D
edit: the saying "that is what my charackter would do" can also be used as an adventage to you, as a jerk player having a good charakter would never steal and as such you could say : your charakter would not do that :D:D:D
Hey, can you explain how somebody can do a campaign for umgoblin? Van and having the players play gobbling races in lawyer and albanand how Fast they can Grow up from being a goblin child to a goblin adult send 11.
I am watching a 14 year old dm for a 7, 8 and 14 year old. Very different worlds. Can they work. We will see. I am have to dm this for them of not. Good advice Luke!
Be prepared for children to want to play as animals or monsters rather than humanoids. My 9 year old didn’t have any interest in playing unless he could pick out the biggest, coolest looking mini off of my shelf as his character. This meant he would often be an adult dragon or large fiend. Both he and my 7 year old wanted their character to have as many pets as possible, choosing again from the collection of minis.
I don't understand... are D&D "rounds" based, or does the group advance and make decisions as a group? It's confusing to me? How do you define who gets to play the next move? Is it a group decision, or it is a fixed order?
When i was young, my dad booted up Diablo 2 and Spawn and like half the stuff you shouldnt do. 😂 I think the best way to get a kid hooked on a thing is show them something cool like Skyrim all touched up so kids nowdays dont vomit like we vomit wheb we look at Oblivion and Wind Waker. 😂
This is a good video to have, just not for me. I feel uncomfortable playing with kids. I ran an open game trying to get regular players. A kid (around 10) joined with his father as chaperone who didn't play. To the kid's credit he knew what he was doing, knew the rules, paid attention, but I was still uncomfortable having to hold back on certain events the game would have. Nothing sexual or anything like that, just more violent and gory than a kid that age should experience (plus language the adults would refrain). I talked to the dad and he was understanding. I hope the kid found a game of his age group. Another time I was a player in an online game. The DM was in England. I figured out through the accent he was a young kid. I graciously bowed out because he was so young. The funny thing is he tried to counter being old enough by saying he was 15 years old. I'm sure for himself he was a proud big boy, good for him, but I was old enough to be his grandfather. I feel too old playing with 30 years olds, and I still cringe remembering that one DM who did not know who Ricardo Montalban was. I can reference a pop culture thing, and some player will respond he wasn't even born yet.
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I've been playing with my kids for about 10 years. The key is to play extremely loose rules. As a result, we have created a homebrew game that is a completely new game with no resemblance to dnd and a completely new ttrpg. I've even created trading cards that they love.
Great... now i want to fix myself up, conjure that girl i ought to have and kid it up so I can teach ze kids m a g i c. 😮
H a l p
Awesome. I like the trading cards idea. Maybe something like Pokemon or Magic the Gathering would be good. That is far easier than a game like DND. The math is easier, and the basic rules are simple and straightforward. These games can be really complicated. Don't get me wrong. It is just that the real complicated stuff is broken up into individual cards. This makes for a baby steps situation that is far easier to wrap one's mind around.
"is your 6 year old going to remember all those rules?"... Dude, I am playing with grown ass adults who need to be remembered to add their bonus to basically every single attack role^^
Depends help i feel like most TT games feel like their rules actively hinder the game.
Like those minecraft ones that make minint diamonds where you need 5+ pickaxes to do it.
They're just like me fr
*me rolls attack*
*DM* you hit roll for damage
*me, slowly looking at every dice until I’m told which one is for damage* I’m 30 haha
I think if kids start losing attention or rules I think a more “yes and” improv approach. They will be fine.
no lies
Do you remember when Luke used to introduce himself as DM since high-school??? Pepperidge farm remembers 😅
Now he has wisely chosen to leverage actual years so it is less ambiguous but also adds cred. Glad for the change.
I started with my son and a couple of his cousins in "No Thank You Evil" during a holiday. We transitioned into D&D once he started to learn to read in first class. He has the same character and absolutely loves the game. My number one advice would be to really reward kids for creativity. I'm bending rules to a degree I wouldn't even think of with adults.
Children have awesome minds and come up with really cool stuff if you let them.
I built an island with a adventurer's school in the middle. He learned D&D mechanics while playing the game naturaly. The school yard has dummies where he learned how hitting enemies works, damage, spells, cover. All kinds of weird teachers up to a mimic who teaches about monster resistances and weaknesses.
DUDE! I used your system to play with my nieces today, and they had blast! They are 8 and 6 and were fully engaged. I can't thank you enough for your advice and tips. Thank you so much!
Lego had game sets called "Heroica", that resembled a kind of dungeon crawler with micro-figures and a lego-D6. Everything was Lego, even a rudimentary kind of "character-sheet" where to track gold, items and health. Played these with my kid up to age 10.
I started playing D&D with my children when they where 6 and 8. We had a great time. I can't believe that was 24 years ago now.
By the way, I think rolling 1 on 2d6 should be an amazing success. :)
Love to see that roll on a bell curve... 😂
These are great tips! Definitely being flexible with kids leaving the table or doing something else when it's not their turn is a must in my kids game!
I suppose that goes with ever-shortening attention spans. I'd still believe that encourages selfish gameplay, which will just ruin the hobby in the long term - if not for them, then perhaps for others they sit with at a table in the future.
@@orokusaki1243 I get what you are saying but i am sure getting snacks they like and quizzing them on what happened in the rp and combat scenes going to get them to pay attention.
Also idk why but i am picturing a nun smacking your hand if you try to not be bored by a 24 hour sleep stream while she downloads a big download.
@@Subject_Keter Point is: not all kids are ready for RPGs, even with simplified game rules, it is still an interactive social activity that takes a little bit of discipline. Is it still "playing a RPG"? At what point is it actually "something else"?
Are my 30+ year old friends small children? You make a compelling case that they are children.
I think every adult is just a aged baby.
Doesnt help we got that lust in our heads making us tilt and fro.
Yes. Don't forget that adult life is heavily based on the social interaction dynamics and ethics learned in K-12 life.
What that one saying about Age doesnt equal wisdom?
Like for me I love to listen to 40k logs about the Emperor of Mankind but my friend would die and want to see Lorgar getting beaten up.
Been running D&D for older kids a couple years now, they’re 10-11 now. Highly recommend Wild Beyond Witchlight for kids that can handle normal most 5e rules. They’re having a blast and modifications are simple, basically just a bit more lenient, no death, if they want to try something I let them. It’s pretty linear and easy to run (I’ve only ever DMed this long, I never even played before and I’m having no major issues)
03:29 When i play with kids i N E V E R let their characters die. No matter what. This is very important. Their feelings of having fun is much more important than whats logical (and other adults opinions). Roleplay is completely different for kids, than computer games where they instantly respawn so it's no big deal. But playing a character you created yourself, sitting around a table with friends, and then have that character die? That sux... for an adult... but to a Kid below the age of 13-14 it's mindshatteringly horrible, because kids don't roleplay the character, they ARE their character. Kids imagination is infinitely more vivid, deep and alive than adults so they really do live in their character and the death of it can seriously hurt them for years. So Never Ever let kids characters die.
- TLDR:
Think of Kids characters as Anime characters like; One Piece, Naruto, Dragonball etc, take your pick, the heroes get really beat up but they never die. This is how you DM for kids below the age of 14.
I wish Luke had put more emphasis on this. But im glad he addressed it at all.
I did a Duck Tales adventure back in my AD&D2e days.
When my child was small and I ran games for young ones, I found that using LEGO or Playmobil figures on a battlemat really kept them interested.
I run for my wife and 2 kids, 13 and 10. Rule of cool is the 1st through 5th rule lol.
My son wanted to turn and run but also swing his staff to attack. Not allowed in normal rules but i made it work. He rolled with disadvantage, weapon did less damage, if a success he could only move half movement, fail meant an opportunity attack with advantage.
Brilliant stuff, Luke. My five year old son has played a few D&D games, with him choosing where he goes, based on habitat i.e. forest, city or mountains. Then we roll up a monster and he decides whether to make friends, fight it, etc. Then, of course: treasure :D
thank you for this! I have to run a game for my nephews this summer, aged 7 and 10, so this is a big help! I bought them the "D&D Young Adventurers" books for Christmas, so now I'm on the hook to run a game for them.
I did an on-the-fly 2d6 system as well. I added a bit of more character customization and my nephew (9) and youngest (8) loved it!
Had to write it all up so my nephew could take it home to teach/play with the neighborhood kids.
I do think the details of how to lead an adventure in Amazing Takes is very helpful.
I for sure believe that a Game System is one thing, but Roleplaying is something else. Let the kids focus on the Roleplay aspect and they'll pick up the rules as they apply during play. One-page RPGs (such as Lasers & Feelings) can certainly support robust roleplay despite simple mechanics.
Roleplay is the constant - play the role of your character as they interact in the game world setting. It requires social interaction between the players as they collaboratively tell the story from each's character's perspectives. This is where most "problem player behaviors" can be shaken out of existence, as they learn proper roleplay and game table manners.
There's thousands of game systems out there with lots of different mechanics - they're all pretty much defining interactions between objects/entities within the game world setting.
Can swap out the game system but can't swap out the roleplaying skills.
I love your system of player facing gameplay. That is a great way to keep kids involved
8:10 Exactly! I was wondering why you'd stick with trying to run D&D with this age demographic at all when there are more streamlined systems specifically designed to accommodate them! "Amazing Tales" has a child-facing ruleset that can fit on an index card; the larger rulebook is basically a primer on how to GM on a developmentally appropriate level.
It sounds like your 2d6 system is an even more streamlined take on the core design philosophy of "Amazing Tales," so it really could be a good starting point. Collaborative storytelling actually happens very early; it's the setting of specific rules and adding a randomizer (i.e. dice) to decide uncertain outcomes that turn this form of play into the hobby we more clearly recognize.
Veteran DM's and players like myself can learn a lot by seeing what works for younger children.
Great video. That system of 2d6 sounds excellent for the task. Thank you fr the video!
Going to run a game for my younger siblings and am quite stressed, this is perfect timing !!!
As someone who routinely plus at the game store the same time as kids D&D, kids have two defaults when playing: “Why can’t we befriend the goblins?”, and Geneva Checklist
I ran on and off for my kids when they were younger it didnt happen that often. Attention span was the issue, but now they are older running a game for my youngest and friends of hers. Small group, short sessions work.
Excellent video!! I love your 2d6 game!!! It is brilliant!!!
thanks for mentioning No Thank You Evil, Luke. It's my favorite for kids because there's differing levels of complexity available for PCs, so that a 10 year old could play a more complex PC, while a 6 year old uses a simpler PC, all in the same game. Cool
Very useful video. I've been working on a Harry Potter themed RPG for my nieces, making cards of all spells, but been running into some problems. Now I know how to make it simple enough and enjoyable for them.
Great idea for a video. Excellent content as usual.
As a kid I never had the opportunity to play D&D (or MERP which is what I really wanted to play) because I was embarrassed to tell others I wanted to play TTRPGs and none of my frieds were in to Fantasy RPGs or TTRPGs. So I just read rules and modules 'in the closet'. Fast forward 35 years and i have my own kids (9 & 12) and my 15 year old niece asked if I knew anything about D&D b/c she wanted to play. The little kid in me that never got to play got SUPER excited and I dove down a rabbit hole of Modern D&D 5e and went out an bought the Starter sets and bought old 2e DMG & PHB so I could play the system I never got to with the 5 e adventures. We rolled up characters in a session zero. It took longer than i anticipated and we did not get to play that night. All 3 were super excited to get started next time we met.
A week later my oldest so who was in middle school and just navigating social circles/status advised that he didn't want to play anymore because D&D was 'weird' so i lost him even after a few conversations about not judging things before trying them nor judging others for outward appearances or what they enjoy doing for fun. But he was out.
My youngest and niece were still in so we ran a short published AD&D 2e module (Treasure Hunt) about a shipwreck and getting off the island. THeir first characters died quickly. THey were fine with that, and just rolled up new characters to continue. They took longer to get going because now they were overly cautios and they were still learning what they 'could do' in the game and how to play - i left it open so they could 'do anything' and I would just explain the mechanics as we went so they were not confined. or restricted with actions. They enjoyed the session and couldn't wait for the next time.
But my niece didn't come for again for a while, and my youngest was getting antsy to play again, so I continued the adventure 1-on-1 with him (i added a DM NPC for assistance and 'guodance' when needed). We spent a couple sessions exploring and escaping the island and it was a lot of fun. We sailed to Shipwreck Isle to incorporate the 5e Essential kit adventure, and this is where I lost my youngest. I tried to keep the adventuring pace up and exciting, but he lost all interest when there was any 'town encounters' with NOCs and not enough fighting or exploration. I only found out AFTER our last session was done that he found that part of the game boring and then he also no longer wanted to play. My niece aged out too.
TLDR: Start playing D&D or other TTRPGs with your kids when they are younger to get them and keep them interested in the game.
Now I have to wait another generation (when my kids have kids) so I can try to play these games....
Not necessarily! You can always try to look for friends or coworkers willing to play, or if you're up for it you can even try to find people to play with online.
@@pugglesmchuggles Ya, i talked to a crystal lady and she said to try meet up if you want to form a group. Or just try that online DnD Platform i am blanking on rn.
Kids can certainly be fickle. Their peers also pressure them to "fit in".
Running RPGs for kids can certainly be fun, but they need to be encouraged to give feedback. Before play starts, give them 5 or 10 minutes to talk about what they want to do in the session. After play ends, give them 5 or 10 minutes to talk about what they liked and disliked during the session.
Many years ago, I attempted a one-shot for my niece and nephews (11-15 at the time). I picked up copies of the three main 3.5 D&D books for a song, and made some pregens based on their interest. Game day went alright, with 3 encounters and a cliffhanger ending, but one was clearly disinterested. None asked for a part 2. Fast forward to now, and all 3 of them have played plenty of video game RPGs. It was likely the format that didn't gel with them so much, not any dislike of RPGs.
Knowing the audience, reading the room, and understanding why and how they want to play can all be important when running tRPGs for kids.
If you specifically want to run for kids, perhaps consider West Marches format. The game happens when there's enough interest to go on a mission. They start and end at the home base each session. Can drop quest hooks every so often in a group chat and see who bites. Session duration can vary according to the number of participants, too.
This was a tragedy! For what it’s worth, I was on the edge of my seat scrolling to see if any of the kids made it and I was crushed to find out that they didn’t. Bummer, man!
I'm in the minority, but I'm a beginner clawhammer banjo player. Love your energy and the music.
I found that starting with the board game version it a good place to start with kids.
Just what I was looking for
I love ALL the DM Lair videos!!!! ❤
Had a tpk with a group of 7-10 year olds but they had a blast since it was charmander that brutalized them!
Don’t forget Mausritter! Great for Children and Grown Ups alike
I started playing when I was five which is far more complex than d&d could ever hope to be and its most complex form ever... I did just fine
I misread "ruining" and laughed
I am sad that it's *not* that.
Roll a 1 with 2d6... hmmm... nice video, thank you 😀
What about doing averages? Limiting play to mostly the d20, and instead of using the d4, d6, d8, d10 and d12 use 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for things like their spells and their weapon attacks. A kid may not know how much Healing Word, which heals 1d4 + Modifier does, but I assume they know how much 2 + 4 is, or 1d8 + Dexterity for their ranged attack, but I assume they know how much 4+4 is. Also, that way they don't feel frustrated when they roll super low on damage.
Thanks for the Video, very helpful. I love your simple rules, although one sugestion - use a D20, the D20 makes the game special, any kid in the Kita roles D6s that is not special ;-)
If you’ve got any advice for running and designing a one shot for kids i would LOVE a part 2 to this video. Most of my GMing is one shots and I’ve yet to run a prewritten adventure for the baby nieces and nephews that didn’t sort of peter out.
Very cool stuff
I played drunk as the Australian tradie I am… all my “nerd” mates pretty much held my hand through it all and I had a blast..
I feel like my kid would be better than drunk me 😂 (although it played into my character and sometimes payed off big).
Amazing video
Wow that is interesting. There is good advice. I especially like the part about teaching preserverence. Amen to that. Louder for the helecopter parents in the back. Games are probably the easiest and safest places to teach that lesson. I recommend making losses easier to deal with. In current DND, they are far too harsh. I say set people back a little bit. Maybe they have to return to town and start over. If they are in a dungeon, they have to go back to the beginning of the dungeon. Video games are far more lenient than DND. That is all for the better.
I was wondering if there was a gradual way to get into this. I started DND when I was a full grown adult, and even I struggled with the rules. Maybe the first think to do is to buy action figures and a checkers game. They should be easy to find in the toy section in a department store. Then the kid can play with monsters on a checkerboard. Maybe they can play eith checker peices as well. The kid can just play with action figures like they usually do. This is very imaginitive and freeform. Then as the parent plays with the kid, they trickle math. Maybe when action figures fight, there can be some kind of hit points and damage. Then later one can introduce special attacks. Then they can introduce a reasource for special attacks. There can be introduction to things like abolity scores and die rolling. Then a kid can gradually get into DND that way.
The kid can get into DND through more kid frendly versions. I think similar video games would help alot. I think Pokemon and Legend of Zelda may help. They are kid frendly. They are in genres that tie back to DND in some way. I am a big fan of both of them. Pokemon is good for understanding basic mechanics. That is ky first RPG. Zelda is good for understanding the flavor of DND. There is a Medeval European fantasy. The hero has to go dungeons and fight monsters to save the day. There are even fantasy races like elves, goron and zora. Note that the elves are called Hyleans. However I still think of them as elves. I got into World of Warcraft. This is more mature as video games go. It is more complex and graphic. I think this was really helpful in teaching me a lot of the concepts in DND.
I am presently surprised that this video recommended My Little Pony. I love that show. One of the best episodes is the very first one. I guess that is like a DND adventure. The first part is about one pony meeting up with five other ponies in town. That establishes a party. The second part is where the party has an adventure in the forest. The ruins is like a dungeon, and the villain is like a boss. My Little Pony has quite a bit of interesting horse lore. I am currently reading the Monster Manuel. The stuff about dragons fascinates me. There is so many kinds of dragons and the creature lore is really cool. Horses are the other main fantasy animal. I wish they got the same treatment. That would be awesome. There can even be a whole book about horses, just like there is a dragon book and giant book. That would be cool to homebrew. The horses don't have to be cute little ponies. They can be regular sized horses with supernatural abilities. Ponies are still cool though.
This video later gives an example of a simplified adventure. Then the player character is called Trixie. That reminds me of the Great and Powerful Trixie. She does get an episode in the first season. She becomes more prominent in the last few seasons. There is something interesting that I recently thought about. Some of the ponies are miniature colorful unicorns. The unicorns use their horns to use magic. Most use their magic to supplement some other talent. Rarity for example uses her magic to help with her main career of making fashionable outfits. Some unicorns focus on magic as their main talent. So their magic is extra powerful. The main character of the show is just such a character. She is named Twilight Sparkle. Twilight is basically a wizard in the form of a small purple pony. She reads alot and casts powerful magic. She even lives in a library. In DND wizards are very versatile and they have so many schools of magic to work with. I did a deep dive a while back. I thought it was strange that enchantment and illusion were seperate schools. They seem like they should go together. Then I got a brilliant idea. Illusionist would work better as a class instead of a school. Both illusionists and bards excel at enchantment magic. The illusionist is based on a stage magician. That is a distinct kind of magic user. In real life, stage magicians use illusions to give the appearance of magic. Since they don't actually use magic, it is lame. I thought of a way to make this cooler. The illusionist has real magic. They use enchantment to create illusions. DND has plenty of spells like this. There is invisibility, minor illusion, image spells etc. The illusionist can use such spells to make a great show on stage or confuse enemies in battle. My Little Pony has a character like that, called Trixie. She is a unicorn that focuses heavily on magic. She is little and blue. Twilight and Trixie are rival magicians. While Twilight is the basic wizard, Trixie is an illusionist type. Trixie uses her magic to perform in her stage magic shows. Trixie makes for good inspiration for my idea of an illusionist class. Another good one is Gus from Owl House. Gus is a school boy and one of Luz's friends. He specializes in illusion magic. Like Trixie, he also has actual magic. I did develop my idea of an illusionist class, and even wrote about it. Later there are new reveals for the upcoming DND Player Handbook. I learned that illusionist is going to be a wizard subclass. The official art even looks like a stage magician. That is a funny coincidence. Maybe great minds think alike.
That's "Mo-no-no-ke" 😊 もののけ
Great topic, great video, thank you!
How would you deal with violence in such a game? What is ok, what is too much?
You could have it so the kids got to disarm or restaint the bad guy. Make sure to have it so like not total evil guys can be knocked out subdued and why you have to verify they are evil.
Then for like Warlocks have them just banish them or turn them into stone after losing X hp. Friggin mlp would shoot them straight to the sun or trap them in a big t r e e 😂
Doe I think as long as the idea "We only hurt those who are going to harm us" it good since .. i think most kids know about slaying monsters.
Depends on the ages of your kids and what they're used to. Kids old enough to play D&D are probably familiar with defeating enemies in other media, video games, etc. Enemies can disappear in a puff of smoke or turn to dust (or just flee/surrender). Whatever you feel comfortable with, they'll probably go with it. I haven't done this before myself, but I can imagine over-the-top Looney Toons style cartoon violence would probably be fun to run.
Also would be nice to have a range of scenarios and ways to solve them.
My dad personally threw Diablo 2 at me so i knew about m u r d e r and stuff.
Doe i still think most "Non Lethal" ways that get shown is worst.
MLP FIM for exmaple
Banished to M O O N
Turned to Stone and appearently still able to observe stuff?
Blown up and turned to Crystal man
Sealed away in the underworld
Thrown to a world with no magic
And the one that makes me go .. "rip" turned to stone and all mashed up. Bruh.
My kids were about 7 and 5 when we started playing and had never seen anything more violent than PJ Masks and other kiddie shows where there’s never any physical contact made. After a grueling battle, I did the Matt Mercer “How do you want to do this?” And my five year old daughter who hides when characters disagree on a show decided that her ranger shot an arrow directly through the eyeball of the goblin chief, exploding out the back of the chief’s head. All that to say, “I have no idea how to deal with violence in age-appropriate ways because my sweet darling children may secretly be psychopaths”
Question for you, do you think it would be better to run sessions 1 on 1 or with a small party?
Kids will feed off of each other. I'd say small party, for sure. One might remember a rule and remind the others, for instance, perhaps explaining it in a more kid-friendly way as well.
rare example of a DM lair video under 30 minutes
My group is my kids. They ages 8-13 and when been playing for two years. Playing 5e isn't hard with kids. You play loose with the rules, at least to begin with, if they want to do something that their character shouldn't be able to do, figure out how to make it work.
I also disagree with death. My kids have experienced the death of their characters. You just take a moment to grieve with them and get them excited about making new characters.
If they have back stories they will add to it, often. They will stand up and spin and other things when they're excited.
Have lots of snacks and lean into the silly. Kids are natural role players. It's a lot of fun.
The funny thing about Luke's 2d6 system is that it might be more realistic than systems designed for adults!
A competent hero shouldn't be struggling with 60% or lower chances to hit the monster with a damaging blow. Nor should they then roll damage less than 25% or even less than 50% of that monster's health score.
I'm a huge fan of more successes, but also of the means to mitigate that increased success: like damage resistance.
Failures, in a low failure system, should be a bit more serious, of course.
I know that feeling.
Like for me, If you are not a nooblet (so level 3 or so) you should be able to hit basic attacks only needing to roll if you want to do something fancy (IE: Leg sweep the guy to trip him)
The only thing i say you should roll for is Spells since they range from "just a punch" to "Death nuke"
@@Subject_Keter The simulation can certainly get a bit wonky, and then might require more complexity to resolve, which then slows things down further. In the context of the video's topic, that's a big no-no.
Gotta remember that the story is about the Characters as they navigate the game world, doing quests or personal motivations that align with others. "What happens next?" as the story emerges from gameplay (as opposed to gameplay emerging from story). Kids will certainly flex their imaginations, and with a little guidance can certainly get a good story out of gameplay.
Progression mechanics could be part of the problem. Nearly every RPG seems to have one, and that creeping power can really stress and even break gameplay in a system. Even in bounded systems, there will be issues. Though if the progression is tied to an item that improves over time and usage, then it seems more organic. That "jar of eyeballs" could certainly improve over time, as could the "fire" ability. The great/success/fail results, never really changing, though is simply balanced by those items being more useful as one gains experience with them. Level the equipment, not the Character.
Yay!
well i started to watch your videos about 1-3 months ago because i started playing dnd. i host games at the how to be a hero where every roll is basicly a percentage roll.
that beeing said, if i may i have a thing to say about the advertisment of your books
instead of just saying that it will help and that there is so much brains "blended" into it give, examples in your videos straight from your books
like instead of saying that there are many dungeons and what you can learn from it, give like a short example of what is actually in there.
"so in my book there is this adventure and these items and mosters how would you deal with them and this is how my players did this and there is so much more"
like a little teaser and most importantly a stranger would have an idea and a example of your work and wanting more
sry for writing so much and for the bad language as i am from germany and not writing in english so often any more :D
edit:
the saying "that is what my charackter would do" can also be used as an adventage to you, as a jerk player having a good charakter would never steal and as such you could say :
your charakter would not do that :D:D:D
Hey, can you explain how somebody can do a campaign for umgoblin? Van and having the players play gobbling races in lawyer and albanand how Fast they can Grow up from being a goblin child to a goblin adult send 11.
I am watching a 14 year old dm for a 7, 8 and 14 year old. Very different worlds. Can they work. We will see. I am have to dm this for them of not. Good advice Luke!
Be prepared for children to want to play as animals or monsters rather than humanoids. My 9 year old didn’t have any interest in playing unless he could pick out the biggest, coolest looking mini off of my shelf as his character. This meant he would often be an adult dragon or large fiend. Both he and my 7 year old wanted their character to have as many pets as possible, choosing again from the collection of minis.
My son has a mouse wizard. He started just a little bigger than a rat and is now about half halfling sized at level 5.
I initially read the title of this video as RUINING d&d for children. I was (slightly) disappointed that it was not that. 😅
I don't understand... are D&D "rounds" based, or does the group advance and make decisions as a group? It's confusing to me? How do you define who gets to play the next move? Is it a group decision, or it is a fixed order?
jackie chan adventures.
Episode 1 I meant to write.
I love Bacon!!🥓🥓
Oh Luke.... how do you roll a 1 on 2d6? lol
Seriously, though, great game design on your kids game.
A Jar of Eye Balls??!!! That's disgusting!!!! How about a Jar of Pixie Crystals???
Listen to episode of the podcast "Dungeons & Dragons & Daughters". Its like hurting cats!
I think you mean "herding cats"... 😊
I listen to it with my son, great podcast
I have a 9 month old a 13 year old with special needs, I'll definitely be referencing this video later rofl
For my group of 10 year olds i feel they are just old enough for essentials kit level of dnd.
as an adult woman, I do *not* get over character deaths lol. probably because I'm neurodivergeant.
When i was young, my dad booted up Diablo 2 and Spawn and like half the stuff you shouldnt do. 😂
I think the best way to get a kid hooked on a thing is show them something cool like Skyrim all touched up so kids nowdays dont vomit like we vomit wheb we look at Oblivion and Wind Waker. 😂
I'm a girl and I play d&d
This is a good video to have, just not for me. I feel uncomfortable playing with kids. I ran an open game trying to get regular players. A kid (around 10) joined with his father as chaperone who didn't play. To the kid's credit he knew what he was doing, knew the rules, paid attention, but I was still uncomfortable having to hold back on certain events the game would have. Nothing sexual or anything like that, just more violent and gory than a kid that age should experience (plus language the adults would refrain). I talked to the dad and he was understanding. I hope the kid found a game of his age group. Another time I was a player in an online game. The DM was in England. I figured out through the accent he was a young kid. I graciously bowed out because he was so young. The funny thing is he tried to counter being old enough by saying he was 15 years old. I'm sure for himself he was a proud big boy, good for him, but I was old enough to be his grandfather. I feel too old playing with 30 years olds, and I still cringe remembering that one DM who did not know who Ricardo Montalban was. I can reference a pop culture thing, and some player will respond he wasn't even born yet.
The new Ducktales is way better than the old one.
Comlete guide is 1 word: Don't.