TTRPG system selction: gaming with young players
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:16 pm
I'd like to be able to run a game for two children: 3 and 9 years old. I'm assuming that the young one will drift in and out, rolling dice occasionally (as a previous 3-year-old player did, ~15 years ago).
I'd rather not something like FUDGE, which is essentially story telling with some die rolls mixed in. I want something with educational "legs" (encouraging the elder to read rules, look at probabilities, etc.) without being so free-form that I need to keep shooting down extremely-naive plans.
Two types of TTRPG systems that seem like they could work are:
1. Die rolls for direct and clear contests ("Do I hurt the monster?"), and mechanics or easy improvisation for non-contest activity ("How much can a horse carry?"), with most of the rest (convincing a stranger to cooperate) left to roleplay rather than mechanics. D&D before 2nd edition fits in this group, and is similar to what I used previously when I had a 3-year-old player.
2. Die rolls for near everything, including interpersonal and purely-internal challenges ("Can I resist the temptation?"), along with much more complex character generation -- since there's much more in scope. GURPS is my main experience with this type of game, though HERO fits as well.
My inclination is for a Type1 game, but am fine making characters for a Type2 game (doing character creation out of the players' view) to make it work.
The strength of D&D for the type(s) of gaming I do is that it is (at least in simpler editions) primitive enough to stay out of the way of "normal" human activity. But would I need to go back to the original AD&D to get rules suitable for child's play? Is 5E, with all its flaws, "dumbed down" enough for children to play (not create/run)? Is there another system that is clearly better for cross-generational play?
I'd rather not something like FUDGE, which is essentially story telling with some die rolls mixed in. I want something with educational "legs" (encouraging the elder to read rules, look at probabilities, etc.) without being so free-form that I need to keep shooting down extremely-naive plans.
Two types of TTRPG systems that seem like they could work are:
1. Die rolls for direct and clear contests ("Do I hurt the monster?"), and mechanics or easy improvisation for non-contest activity ("How much can a horse carry?"), with most of the rest (convincing a stranger to cooperate) left to roleplay rather than mechanics. D&D before 2nd edition fits in this group, and is similar to what I used previously when I had a 3-year-old player.
2. Die rolls for near everything, including interpersonal and purely-internal challenges ("Can I resist the temptation?"), along with much more complex character generation -- since there's much more in scope. GURPS is my main experience with this type of game, though HERO fits as well.
My inclination is for a Type1 game, but am fine making characters for a Type2 game (doing character creation out of the players' view) to make it work.
The strength of D&D for the type(s) of gaming I do is that it is (at least in simpler editions) primitive enough to stay out of the way of "normal" human activity. But would I need to go back to the original AD&D to get rules suitable for child's play? Is 5E, with all its flaws, "dumbed down" enough for children to play (not create/run)? Is there another system that is clearly better for cross-generational play?