My nephew, age 12, has been playing D&D for the last 2 years our group of adults. He is easily the most engaged and creative players in our party. When our group ran into a wounded and angry copper dragon that believed us to be its enemy last year, all 5 of the adults very quickly decided to defend themselves in combat. Not my nephew, he was the only one that decided that this poor dragon just needed a new friend and some help. And thus, through some lucky dice rolls and some compassion, our little Halfling became best friends with a dragon (or a dragon had a pet Halfling, you decide.)
Awesome job ladies. Thanks for sharing your stories. They were great even if Satine makes children cry. Really good suggestions for anyone looking to game with the wee ones. -Nerdarchist Dave
My daughter is 7 now and was 6 when I first introduced her to D&D. My favorite moments are when she pulls something out of left field that an adult player wouldn't. We had a similar moment where she tried to talk things out. Except, she was trying to talk to a monstrosity that didn't understand language. Once she gave the most passionate speech to the mayor, as the town was obsessed with getting rid of foxes. He was not persuaded by the speech because he was part of source of the trouble, and she rolled too low to low... But I gave a high five and inspiration for speech. She cared about those foxes, and she was determined to stop the mindless hunting. She eventually unraveled the mystery and enjoyed "watching" the mayor get his comeuppance. She likes animals, if the fox story wasn't a clue, so I threw in a hurt bird for her help. It was meant to be a small detail on the road to larger adventure. Her reaction to help the bird, and the real worry she had for it, caused me to make that bird a pivotal plot point. The bird was no longer a bird, it was a nature spirit that had taken the form of a bird, and grateful for her help it provided a path towards multiclassing and more stuff down the road.
I'm 14, and I play with my awesome dad and his friends (some I have known for awhile) I'm really proud of what types of games we have, how I can die and understand death and how I'm treated like just another player. It's amazing to be able to enjoy a classic game without worrying about age gaps. It's truly an amazing experience and I look forward to the next game.
I am so glad that you ran with this topic for this week's GM Tips. I have fortune of running a campaign with middle schoolers. In which I am constantly impressed with their creativity and their ability to engage with serious social complexeties in game.
I started playing when I was 10 in 1982 with my uncle and 4 other adults. My very first character I played died in the first session because I ran up and threw open a trapped chest. The rest of the players said "Well that's what happens when you don't let the thief check for traps." My uncle said "Yep! Here is a character sheet, when you are done I will get you back in the game." I sat there, rolled the new character and asked questions as they played. One of the other players died about a half hour later. He laughed, looked at me and said, "It's you and me tonight kid. I think I will play a fighter next. How is that wizard coming along." I just smiled and said "He's an elf." Believe it or not, it was not a traumatic experience that I had to run off and tell my therapist about. I have run games for kids several times, and I am never afraid for their characters to die. Especially these days. They play video games and die all the time, D&D is no different in that aspect, it just takes longer to re-spawn.
John Free That depends on the kind of game you're running. Dungeon crawl deaths aren't super dramatic, and they don't hurt people. Those sorts of games are good for kids, there's adventure and imagination, but no real stakes. And that's good, sometimes. In the kind of game I run, I shoot for free player action, Roleplay, and Narrative investment. If a kid gets real into their character, and then they die and everyone around them chides them for it or laughs at them, that's a potentially traumatic experience for the kid. I think that's what they aim to avoid. I'm glad you got into the hobby the way you did, that sounds like a real cool experience, playing with some old gamers, and having a part in a good old fashioned crawl.
Unless it is just a one-shot, it was never just a dungeon crawl for us. Combat and foolish choices kill characters, whether in a dungeon or in the open world, although if people are dying during RP, then that is some serious stuff. :) *No one should make fun of a child, in a D&D group or any where else.* That being said my wife has cried at the death of a favorite NPC and rest of the group were truly upset. Not even a PC. Any good game has an emotional impact on everyone at the table, not just kids. I don't disagree with you though.
it's a fine line with kids, you never know quite what their limit is. 10 year old me would have been blubbering, 12 year old me wouldn't have been bothered.
That is very true, that is why I will only DM for kids I actually know and I feel that can appreciate and handle the kind of things that are common in D&D. When there are kids I do try to keep things simple and rated PG (killing monster and taking loot from their corpses is hardly G rated lol).
A friend wants to bring his kid brother to our next session and I was kinda freaking out trying to figure out how to include him in the story and make it less M rated. Figured out how to make it PG-13 but still had no idea how to introduce him to it. This actually helped me out alot.
The single best experience I have had in RPGs after playing for 30+ years is teaching my son how to play. Now I enjoy watching him grow as a player and as a DM
He is a member of my regular group and He recently started DMing a campaign for my friend and I, he is 12. My friend and I both agree he is a far better DM then we were at that age. Very story driven with the added excitement of tough combats. Lava recharging beholder anyone??
"Yes And" has saved so many of my games, whether playing with children and/or adults. I'm a total control freak! So using this improv technique was actually hard for me at first. But my games are much better when I am flexible, adaptable to the situation at hand, and only have tenuous control. And my goodness, adaptable is SUPER key when playing with kids!
It feels like "yes and" would really help the GM keep the game on track without feeling like the game is on rails. Give the players the impression they are in control by doing something completely off book and the GM says "Yes, that's awesome! And?" until the player (or players) do what the GM wanted them to do in the first place. :)
I was an improviser first and a D&D player second, but one thing that is shared between both is that we accept that we are all telling a story together. I cannot tell my part of the story if you're constantly trying to block me at every point and visa-versa. When we both say "yes" to what is being created, we accept the reality we are creating together and when we "and" we add our part after we accept our partner's part. This similarity drew me to D&D because a lot of it is very theatrical, and we don't really have scripts... and while we as DMs have a story we want to tell, our characters are a living part of the creative process, and the people who control them have a say in it to. I loved hearing the "yes and" Thanks for a great episode.
TL Frasqueri-Molina - you seem like an incredibly lovely and warm person, I really enjoyed this episode with you 😊 Have you considered producing and GMing your own game show? (Fingers crossed, your answer starts with "Yes, and..." 😁 )
I'm 12 (soon 13), And you all know as much as I, when you bring a LEGITIMATE, ACTUAL POINT in an argument, And all the narrow minded adults go "gO pLaY sOmEtHiNg, ThE aDuLtS aRe TaLkInG!" instantly mad. Sorry for ranting. it just sucks ):
We (me, my wife and 3 kids, 12, 9 and 9 (twins)) have recently started D&D. This is really helpful advice. Sometimes you can see your own children as a lot older than they are (if that makes sense) and this is a good reminder to let them crack on and do whatever, within reason. Thanks
Thanks for this episode. I started a club at my son’s school. There was no club, so I picked up books and became the GM after a thirty year retirement. It was fun to prepare, but I was having issues understanding how the game worked with 10-12 year olds. This video really helped just to get a grip on there age and not to get to serious. The next club meeting was one of my favorites. Thanks!
GMing a game with a 9 year old is a great experience. I would highly recommend it. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but adapting to their expectations can also be richly rewarding. Even if I played D and D with my friends for the rest of my life, there's a good chance I would never encounter a Human Paladin with magical knives that help him see in the dark and who survives on a strict diet of raw potatoes. Awesome video, Geek and Sundry. Thank you so much for uploading it!
That was the cutest thing. Thank you Satine for carrying on with this show. I love what you bring to DM tips. I use yours and your guest stars' advice every two weeks in my own game :)
I learned to play D&D from my friends older brother and his friends when I was 4 (1975). I slowed them down a bit, because they were teaching me as we were playing. I think that way is better than having to read the book first, then play. You learn more by doing, than reading. It stays fresh in your memory as you replay it in your head. I still read the book in between game days... Still have my first character (FMT-32/44/30) and my very first set of dice.
I actually ran a game with a 7 and a 9 year old last week, they were actually pretty fun to play with. They were a little distracted at times, but all in all, it was fun to dm with.
TL Frasqueri-Molina Well it helped that their father and mother were also playing so they helped with getting them to pay attention. Though I do have to say I saw that they payed more attention when I was standing and actually acting out as the npcs, they also seemed to get interested when I did add a murder mystery for them to solve (albeit it was realy easy to solve)
Great episode -- I had a fun time DMing 5e for a group of 1 slightly experienced and 3 totally new 12-year-olds on Tabletop Day. My pregame rules talk was mostly 1 minute of talking with them about other games they had played -- Pokémon, Elder Scrolls -- and saying great, you already know how stats, levels, hit points and damage work, and all of those things originally came from D&D. Then we went straight into telling a story together and adding specific rules one at a time as they were needed.
I am loving these gym tips. As an experienced dm I can say I am always learning and just yesterday played at a table with children and I loved how the dungeon master allowed extra perks for them at the table you could tell how much fun they were having and it improved the entire tables entertainment.
I am so glad I can always count on Critical Role. My 4 yr old found my dice sets and wanted to play. I quickly made a character sheet for her and a graph map and started a unicorn campaign. It was so fun!
The timing of this video is perfect, I just started a project for class that involves using D&D as a sort of program for children who find socialising with peers difficult. These are really helpful tips!
@TJ Tubular I do think it is fair to think that children require different handling or treatment. My mother told that there is a comedian who mainly dose satire, and this comedian dose not let his children watch his show because most children struggle grasping satire. So with that concept in mind I think it is fair to consider, are there some thing that children might struggle to grasp? Are their some ways we can avoid dose scenarios? And there is the fact that some children may be more sensitive to some things. For example, when I was a child anytime I saw character die in a movie or television show I would turn into an upset basket case and cry for hours. To be clear that is not an exaggeration, I mean I literally would cry for hours. With those things in mind I do think there some valid reasons for treating children differently.
Emotions perceived as negative are not a bad thing to experience. We must go through many valuable bad experiences, learning from them and growing as a person. Otherwise we would always react to undesirable circumstances poorly.
TJ, I agree with you as a father of two, my kids love horrible stories about monsters and grim happenings. Never coddle your kids they are tough enough to handle more than you think. If a kid cries about somthing let them, that's how we all learn to grow.
I agree not to treat kids like babies, however I also agree that it’s a good idea to take their individual personalities (just like anyone, I suppose) as well as their age into account, and - most importantly - *the parents have the final say.* Take my friend’s triplets for example. They each deal with negative situations differently. Say their favourite toy got broken. Hannah would scream and hit until she got it fixed. Lucy would just assume her parents can fix it. Ruby would be in tears thinking his best friend was dead. Okay so they’re only 3 but the point I’m making is that each kid reacts differently even if they’re the same age and raised the same way. Plus - I’d like to add - that nobody likes to see a character they care so much about die. It sucks. But as an adult you understand that that’s just part of the campaign. Even if you explain that to a child, that won’t sink into them until they realise that their character is gone. Take The Lion King for example. Mufasa outright told Simba that he wouldn’t always be around, but it wasn’t until Simba saw it for himself that it got through to him, and he was devastated. I’m not saying kids should be coddled, or never allowed to deal with the negatives - that’s part of life after all - I’m saying that each person is different, and while some kids can handle things, others who aren’t ready shouldn’t be expected to just “handle” it. TL;DR: *Children shouldn’t be treated like babies, but not every child is equipped to deal with everything another is. Ultimately, the parents have the final say.* (I reworded this like 5 times, so I really hope it makes sense this time...)
Rules-lite systems are generally pretty good for this depending on the age of the youth. Younger ones, you don't even need a ruleset. You can find some resources on what are recommended systems with a little digging. My go-to has always been Dungeonworld. D&D 5e is also pretty easy when you get them through the character creation with either pre-made characters, or co-creation. The moment to moment gameplay is easy.
You also have other systems that are both kid and adult friendly. I recently backed a rpg called 'laser kittens' its cute, kid approp, but more then good for adults to play without kids, that kinda thing.
I did some looking into systems aimed at kids. Here are some that I came across, all available on DriveThruRPG: -- First Fable (My favourite! This is amazing and the pdf is FREE! It has a great philosophy behind it and the character booklets encourage the kids to draw their items and characters.) -- Argyle & Crew - Adventure in the Land of Skcos (sock puppet roleplaying) -- Hero Kids (Simple and quick. I find it has a focus on dungeon crawls, at least in the material that I've read. Probably the most popular system for kids) -- Little Wizards (Beautiful, the rule book looks like a children's book! Also, what kid wouldn't want to play as a kid sorcerer?) -- No Thank You, Evil! (A major production by Monte Cook games. The system is based on the one used in Numenera. Amazing thing: there are three sets of rules of different complexities that can be played at the same time. This allows younger and older kids to play together) -- Yarr! The Rules Light Pirate RPG (Simplified D&D rules, but lots of cool things to make it work for kids. Also, you get to say AAAARPG a lot!)
I watched this video plenty of times just like many other GM tip video like this. I gotta say the "Yes and..." tip for me is one of the best things i could have gotten as a beginner GM. This mentality made the rule of cool much easier to execute. Because whenever something silly or stupid happened in my games i thought about this tip and i just went along with stuff that otherwise i wouldn't have. I think it won't surprise anyone if i say that the most memorable moments came to be because i let silly things unfold in my games.
Great episode! I think Satine is coming across more relaxed and comfortable each episode. Good info for gaming with kids. My 7 and 9 year old have been begging me to play soon, and this will help.
I love this! I have been playing DND on and off with my daughter, who is seven. She absolutely loves it. Recently, she came in as a guest star for a campaign I am playing in. She was really excited, and even sometimes DMs my husband and I. I have actually incorporated it into some of her homework activities, like when she has to study for certain subjects. Yesterday, she told me, "I can't wait for Math DND on Thursday!!" She is amazing, and I absolutely love playing with her. I remember in one of the first sessions I created for her, she used an improvised weapon against some orcs we were facing. I had never gone over any rules about improvised weapons with her, so I was both surprised and excited. We have mainly newer players in the level 20 campaign I am playing now (I guess not so new since we hit level 20 last week), who are not nearly as creative or exciting. Thanks for sharing!
I play with my kids all of the time. They're awesome at just taking on the characters and using their imagination to do all kinds of silly and creative things that even most adults that I have DM'd for don't really do. It's just different, you don't want to include some of the more adult themes for them. At the same time, you can include so many different and creative things and kids will usually just take it in stride and their imagination will sculpt your game in ways you never thought possible.
You know I wasn't sure how I felt about the new format but I think this sold me on it. This is going a little more out of focus on the in table mechanics and more on different types of tables and broader techniques to draw from. I love it good work!
If you look at how brutal Liam O'Brien is with his one-shots for Critical Role, and you take into account he apparently GMs for his kids, makes you wonder if he teaches them how quick life can be xD Maybe he does it to teach them to be cautious and not just jump right into conflict lest you lose your life
Gredran If you watch any interview where he discusses DM'ing for his kids, he is very clear that he adjusts the game accordingly and that he does not have the children's characters killed.
Honestly, I'd love to see interviews where he talks about DMing, but I DID mean it as a joke ;) A good DM adjusts for what your party wants and your audience so I wouldn't doubt that he does, but yea, it was a joke, and hey, kids play video games and die in those, so as they get better and better, maybe their challenges become more for keeps :P
Gredran That's fine. This is not a debate about whether or not kids should or should not play games where characters die. I am explaining how Liam DM's games with his kids---he seems to view it as treasured family time and he really enjoys playing with them and giving them an opportunity to use their imaginations.
Thanks a ton! I'm currently building my very first one-shot for my neice. I have never run a game before, I have only been a player, so I was really hoping I could find a few helpful tips to let me know what I don't know. so again Thanks!
Dude!!! Perfect video at the perfect time. Starting a small homebrew soon. She decided she is a fairy princess who is trying to get her throne back, and this was much needed! Thank yall!!
I've been GMing for my two godsons since they were 8 and 9 years old, and am also currently DMing for my friend and his 11 year old daughter. Kids are some of the best players! As many people have mentioned below, GMing with family and friends provides a much safer environment than a public forum, and I've never really felt compelled to tone down my game content overmuch - though we tend to gloss over where half-orcs come from. The rules for GMing kids are the same as for any well-run game group: don't be a killer GM; give your characters tough challenges, but challenges they can overcome (or which they know in advance are deadly); keep your players interested with content that appeals to their personalities and encourage dialogue before and after game about what they'd like to see more/less of. Giving the children you game with some hard/frustrating/scary tasks (and helping them to shine through them) will foster confidence. Don't be a jerk-behind-a-screen, but don't coddle the group too much either. Like many long-time gamers, I credit role-playing games as the source of many of my problem-solving and interpersonal skills, and I see these same skills developing in the kiddos (the godkids now being 15 and 17 years old). Stories like "that time Zook ate the magic egg we found, and had his head blown to smithereens?" (actual event) can serve as cautionary tales, while "that time we were surrounded by werewolves, without magic weapons, and defeated them with slingshots, silver coins and lassos" (also an actual even) give them something to be proud of. Young or old, we all have a Pig Dude stealthing the shadows of our psyches. The key to good GMing (and confident playing) is to let him come out and monologue. Kudos to those who do so! Let's show them young'uns how it's done!
Love the ears, Satine! "You don't want to make a kid cry..." Matt makes his friends cry every other week on Critical Role, and they come back for more. Hell, Liam reduced his friends to children and tears two weeks ago.
Pig Dude, the Pig Ninja. This needs to become a thing. Like REALLY a thing. We need to write a campaign for exactly this guy. I am amazed beyong measure right now.
I recently started to introduce my son and his half brother and sister to D&D and Star Wars d20. I use Lego figures which the kids love and really help them understand what's happening. I keep die rolls simple and the games very bare bones to help them understand RPGing basics and team works.
From my personal experience and playing dnd 5e with my kids you should run curse of strahd, one of the most kid friendly modules that kids and adults alike can enjoy with a definite lack of sex and violence. good for all ages, gives them good dreams too
It's all friendly mutants, fluffy wolf-people, fresh corpses (not the smelly kind), -only slightly insane- goofy vampire spawn, -fallen- down to earth deva's, social flesh golem's, a funny old man and his pirate legged friend, chatty bird people, party loving barbarians, some friendly gardeners and their twig people, a big tree going for a -murder spree- walk, a hut with legs, nice old ladies that will let you pet their cat, a fox that does magic, flying skulls that love a good barbecue, a goat, some friendly -demons- statues and a silly ol' -lich- librarian. Then there's the lively and fun loving Barovians, always willing to welcome new people and who all totally have souls and the Vistani who are even more trustworthy and nice. There's also some nice old ladies that sell dream pastries that everyone should try for a good time, made only from the freshest ingredient (all ecological, fair-trade and home grown), a funny old man in the woods, and knights full of nothing but -burning hatred- love. Ruling over this fun-loving bunch is the friendly count and his -infernal- adorable pony. How could this possibly be a bad thing? I think everyone should go to Barovia! Nothing bad* ever happens there and you won't find a friendlier place to live a long and happy life. I chose to believe that's why most people who go there -are never seen again- stay there for the rest of their lives. "Barovia - where and happiness goes to -die- flourish." _*Curse of Strahd is suitable for all ages. The DM is not responsible for any permanent damage, curse, mutilation, mutation, madness, death or eternal torment your character totally won't have to worry about. Just remember to accept any gifts offered without question._
SourceOfBeing if ur the DM make a funny npc. a great example is Victor the black powder merchant from critical role. If the players don't like that ask them if they want humor in the game and how they want it implemented.
I enjoy making an insane side character, my go to is crazy Pete a crazy magic user (usually a shape shifting druid) whos main character point is that he has a bucket. it is a +1 bucket. his bucket is his life, he uses this bucket for literally everything. he puts it on his head and rams people, he randomly digs holes, he digs into, and then out of, prison cells, he even craps in it, but by some magical force it disappears. he talks in a very fast quiet tone and randomly says "my bucket". he is very protective of his bucket. and freaks out if you threaten his bucket. he also has some nice forks. he will run up to the party and they will interact before Pete slaps one of them with his bucket and then shifts into a giant snake with the bucket on his head and slithers off.
I'm totally going to make a pig that has had the Awaken spell cast on it the mayor of some town in one of my games now. The town was renamed to Donutsville in his honor, and the goblins made peace with the townsfolk. They are now a thriving baking commerce for the region.
As a 40 year old that isn't that experienced at RPGs, this has been the best video of advice I've seen on the whole internet. I want to play like I did as a kid. I got into the game because it makes me feel like I did in the playgrounds and classrooms when I was young, using my imagination with my friends. I want more "yes, and..." in my life. Thanks for this. We should all be Pig Dude.
Especially in these kind of fantastic and absurd situations, kids shine with their sharpminded take on things. You would never think of some stuff they will come up with.
This is great! I'm starting a game with some adult friends and my 8 yr old son wants to join in. I was already planning on keeping it super clean or "family friendly", but the other tips were great!
D&D is just revolutionary. It teaches life lessons and you have fun at the same time! That's what I feel is the best part of it Edit: It's freedom also is beneficial for self confidence
1:18 - That's... kind of how it works, yeah... as you age your decision making factors in things so you're not as spontaneous... because little you learned that your decisions have repercussions.
I remember a couple of years reading about some table top RPGs that were more less designed with the idea of being played with children. I wish I could remember the name of it now. But concept was that all the players were playing children with traits or abilities, that some how got teleport into a fair tale world. I remember the mention of Humpty Dumpty being a king or a villain NPC you could encounter. That is about the extent of memory about this article I read.
After trying to do some web searching I am thinking I got some details mixed up in my head. The name of the game were you play children in a fairy tale world I was thinking of is called Grimm (nothing to do with the tv show Grimm) and is made by Fantasy Flight Games. But reading about it says the game is a bit dark and creepy, making me think this not designed for children to play with there parents. I know someone designed RPGs with that in mind. I just seemed to be unable to remember what examples the article I read mentioned.
As a both a GM and a player, I strongly feel that a big part of what we do in the game is learn to be kids again. We have to abandon the learned embarrassment about being silly and role playing a character, the discomfort that comes from being on the spot, and just learn to use our imaginations and create a story together. My first game, I felt awkward and unsure of what to do, but as we got further in the campaign, I learned to just cut loose and have fun being my character. On the other hand, my little brother is creating a character for D&D, and right from the start he was thinking of crazy ideas for his character and getting excited about his backstory. He believes there's no limit to what he can do. It's neat and a little sad to see some of the the imaginative spirit that I left behind as I grew up.
I've always found giving out hero points in the form of lemon drops or life savers is a great way to get more rowdy kids to pay attention and engage in the game.
Came here to rewatch this before GMing for a kid for the first time tomorrow - one of my pastor's kids is going to come over to play a pseudodragon, and she's suuuuuuper excited
WOW....That ending makes me think she's a friggin' good GM. Very cool. Thanks for the video. All my kids love roleplaying 10 to 26 y.o. "It's just a matter of who's GMing this sesion?" :)
"Kids should never die". So my first time playing DnD I was 7-8. My uncle showed me how to make a character and ran me through some 2nd ed. He straight up dropped a giant tick on me and sucked out all my blood in the first 10 mins of the game.
This video is great in was an inspiration for me I love as just starting to play with my kids at home and in the classroom. Now, I have my own UA-cam channel for parents and teachers and I’ve created my own ruleset and home-brew world.
My nephew, age 12, has been playing D&D for the last 2 years our group of adults. He is easily the most engaged and creative players in our party. When our group ran into a wounded and angry copper dragon that believed us to be its enemy last year, all 5 of the adults very quickly decided to defend themselves in combat. Not my nephew, he was the only one that decided that this poor dragon just needed a new friend and some help. And thus, through some lucky dice rolls and some compassion, our little Halfling became best friends with a dragon (or a dragon had a pet Halfling, you decide.)
nice dude i'm ten i wish i had a group
Mr happy bear same here im 11 almost 12 but still have no group/party to play with
Try Roll20, you can get together with random people
I'm running my 12 y/o nephew's first game for him and his 13 y/o cousin soon. I am really scared about how murder-hobo he is going to be... Lol
That is literally one of the purest things I’ve ever heard
I am so in love with the idea of a Diplomatic Pig Ninja.
#DiplomaticPigNinja
We need this art work and we need it NOW.
Such a great story! I love it when players come up with interesting solutions to problems.
-Nerdarchist Dave
omg nerdarchy is here my life is complete
thats paid in DOUGHNUTS!
Awesome job ladies. Thanks for sharing your stories. They were great even if Satine makes children cry. Really good suggestions for anyone looking to game with the wee ones.
-Nerdarchist Dave
My daughter is 7 now and was 6 when I first introduced her to D&D. My favorite moments are when she pulls something out of left field that an adult player wouldn't.
We had a similar moment where she tried to talk things out. Except, she was trying to talk to a monstrosity that didn't understand language.
Once she gave the most passionate speech to the mayor, as the town was obsessed with getting rid of foxes. He was not persuaded by the speech because he was part of source of the trouble, and she rolled too low to low... But I gave a high five and inspiration for speech. She cared about those foxes, and she was determined to stop the mindless hunting. She eventually unraveled the mystery and enjoyed "watching" the mayor get his comeuppance.
She likes animals, if the fox story wasn't a clue, so I threw in a hurt bird for her help. It was meant to be a small detail on the road to larger adventure. Her reaction to help the bird, and the real worry she had for it, caused me to make that bird a pivotal plot point. The bird was no longer a bird, it was a nature spirit that had taken the form of a bird, and grateful for her help it provided a path towards multiclassing and more stuff down the road.
I'm 14, and I play with my awesome dad and his friends (some I have known for awhile) I'm really proud of what types of games we have, how I can die and understand death and how I'm treated like just another player. It's amazing to be able to enjoy a classic game without worrying about age gaps. It's truly an amazing experience and I look forward to the next game.
Pig Dude the Pig Ninja reafirms my faith in humanity :)
I am so glad that you ran with this topic for this week's GM Tips. I have fortune of running a campaign with middle schoolers. In which I am constantly impressed with their creativity and their ability to engage with serious social complexeties in game.
That ending bit that TL does drew me in, oh man. Being able to do storytelling like that is precisely why I got into DMing!
Agreed.
All hail Pig-Dude, the Pig Ninja!
I loved this episode. XD
I started playing when I was 10 in 1982 with my uncle and 4 other adults. My very first character I played died in the first session because I ran up and threw open a trapped chest.
The rest of the players said "Well that's what happens when you don't let the thief check for traps." My uncle said "Yep! Here is a character sheet, when you are done I will get you back in the game."
I sat there, rolled the new character and asked questions as they played. One of the other players died about a half hour later. He laughed, looked at me and said, "It's you and me tonight kid. I think I will play a fighter next. How is that wizard coming along." I just smiled and said "He's an elf."
Believe it or not, it was not a traumatic experience that I had to run off and tell my therapist about. I have run games for kids several times, and I am never afraid for their characters to die. Especially these days. They play video games and die all the time, D&D is no different in that aspect, it just takes longer to re-spawn.
That is awesome!
John Free That depends on the kind of game you're running.
Dungeon crawl deaths aren't super dramatic, and they don't hurt people.
Those sorts of games are good for kids, there's adventure and imagination, but no real stakes. And that's good, sometimes.
In the kind of game I run, I shoot for free player action, Roleplay, and Narrative investment.
If a kid gets real into their character, and then they die and everyone around them chides them for it or laughs at them, that's a potentially traumatic experience for the kid. I think that's what they aim to avoid.
I'm glad you got into the hobby the way you did, that sounds like a real cool experience, playing with some old gamers, and having a part in a good old fashioned crawl.
Unless it is just a one-shot, it was never just a dungeon crawl for us. Combat and foolish choices kill characters, whether in a dungeon or in the open world, although if people are dying during RP, then that is some serious stuff. :)
*No one should make fun of a child, in a D&D group or any where else.*
That being said my wife has cried at the death of a favorite NPC and rest of the group were truly upset. Not even a PC. Any good game has an emotional impact on everyone at the table, not just kids.
I don't disagree with you though.
it's a fine line with kids, you never know quite what their limit is. 10 year old me would have been blubbering, 12 year old me wouldn't have been bothered.
That is very true, that is why I will only DM for kids I actually know and I feel that can appreciate and handle the kind of things that are common in D&D.
When there are kids I do try to keep things simple and rated PG (killing monster and taking loot from their corpses is hardly G rated lol).
A friend wants to bring his kid brother to our next session and I was kinda freaking out trying to figure out how to include him in the story and make it less M rated. Figured out how to make it PG-13 but still had no idea how to introduce him to it. This actually helped me out alot.
The single best experience I have had in RPGs after playing for 30+ years is teaching my son how to play. Now I enjoy watching him grow as a player and as a DM
Yes! Yes! This! All this! Thank you for sharing this awesome story about RPGing with your son :)
He is a member of my regular group and He recently started DMing a campaign for my friend and I, he is 12. My friend and I both agree he is a far better DM then we were at that age. Very story driven with the added excitement of tough combats. Lava recharging beholder anyone??
TL is an improviser. "yes and" is the only real rule to successful improv scenes. I use my improv training as a gm a lot.
"Yes And" has saved so many of my games, whether playing with children and/or adults. I'm a total control freak! So using this improv technique was actually hard for me at first. But my games are much better when I am flexible, adaptable to the situation at hand, and only have tenuous control. And my goodness, adaptable is SUPER key when playing with kids!
@Halcyonacoustic That sounds like a recipe for some really good storytelling!
It feels like "yes and" would really help the GM keep the game on track without feeling like the game is on rails. Give the players the impression they are in control by doing something completely off book and the GM says "Yes, that's awesome! And?" until the player (or players) do what the GM wanted them to do in the first place. :)
I was an improviser first and a D&D player second, but one thing that is shared between both is that we accept that we are all telling a story together. I cannot tell my part of the story if you're constantly trying to block me at every point and visa-versa. When we both say "yes" to what is being created, we accept the reality we are creating together and when we "and" we add our part after we accept our partner's part.
This similarity drew me to D&D because a lot of it is very theatrical, and we don't really have scripts... and while we as DMs have a story we want to tell, our characters are a living part of the creative process, and the people who control them have a say in it to. I loved hearing the "yes and" Thanks for a great episode.
TL Frasqueri-Molina - you seem like an incredibly lovely and warm person, I really enjoyed this episode with you 😊 Have you considered producing and GMing your own game show? (Fingers crossed, your answer starts with "Yes, and..." 😁 )
People don't give kids enough credit. The are way sharper than the appear.
As a 12 year old, I thank you for saying that.
@@deltasamu Same
@@deltasamu Same, I’m 10(11 soon) and I appreciate when people actually notice we children know more than others think
Lol love the little kids in here
I'm 12 (soon 13), And you all know as much as I, when you bring a LEGITIMATE, ACTUAL POINT in an argument, And all the narrow minded adults go "gO pLaY sOmEtHiNg, ThE aDuLtS aRe TaLkInG!" instantly mad. Sorry for ranting. it just sucks ):
We had a 10 year old who was in a game with his dad at our table. He was often the most perceptive member of the party. 😆 He was a blast to play with!
I am teacher and I run an after school game club. After this video I am 100% committed to introducing D&D to the club members. Thanks!
Pig dude the pig ninja is amazing.
#Legend
We (me, my wife and 3 kids, 12, 9 and 9 (twins)) have recently started D&D. This is really helpful advice. Sometimes you can see your own children as a lot older than they are (if that makes sense) and this is a good reminder to let them crack on and do whatever, within reason. Thanks
Thanks for this episode. I started a club at my son’s school. There was no club, so I picked up books and became the GM after a thirty year retirement. It was fun to prepare, but I was having issues understanding how the game worked with 10-12 year olds. This video really helped just to get a grip on there age and not to get to serious. The next club meeting was one of my favorites. Thanks!
GMing a game with a 9 year old is a great experience. I would highly recommend it. Yes, it can be frustrating at times, but adapting to their expectations can also be richly rewarding. Even if I played D and D with my friends for the rest of my life, there's a good chance I would never encounter a Human Paladin with magical knives that help him see in the dark and who survives on a strict diet of raw potatoes. Awesome video, Geek and Sundry. Thank you so much for uploading it!
I got so many chills hearing that ending! Love the advice. I've got a 6 and 10 year old.
That was the cutest thing.
Thank you Satine for carrying on with this show. I love what you bring to DM tips. I use yours and your guest stars' advice every two weeks in my own game :)
I learned to play D&D from my friends older brother and his friends when I was 4 (1975). I slowed them down a bit, because they were teaching me as we were playing. I think that way is better than having to read the book first, then play. You learn more by doing, than reading. It stays fresh in your memory as you replay it in your head. I still read the book in between game days... Still have my first character (FMT-32/44/30) and my very first set of dice.
I actually ran a game with a 7 and a 9 year old last week, they were actually pretty fun to play with. They were a little distracted at times, but all in all, it was fun to dm with.
How did you handle getting the kids re-engaged after the distraction?
I would love to hear! EDIT: read!
TL Frasqueri-Molina Well it helped that their father and mother were also playing so they helped with getting them to pay attention. Though I do have to say I saw that they payed more attention when I was standing and actually acting out as the npcs, they also seemed to get interested when I did add a murder mystery for them to solve (albeit it was realy easy to solve)
Jos van Winkel .
Thanks!
Great episode -- I had a fun time DMing 5e for a group of 1 slightly experienced and 3 totally new 12-year-olds on Tabletop Day. My pregame rules talk was mostly 1 minute of talking with them about other games they had played -- Pokémon, Elder Scrolls -- and saying great, you already know how stats, levels, hit points and damage work, and all of those things originally came from D&D. Then we went straight into telling a story together and adding specific rules one at a time as they were needed.
every piece of this is amazing. Im glad to have watched this. makes me want to go play right now
I am loving these gym tips. As an experienced dm I can say I am always learning and just yesterday played at a table with children and I loved how the dungeon master allowed extra perks for them at the table you could tell how much fun they were having and it improved the entire tables entertainment.
The super long elf ears always get me.
They are pretty amazing to behold in the flesh or errr... latex :)
I now what the ears to be a standard.
I am so glad I can always count on Critical Role. My 4 yr old found my dice sets and wanted to play. I quickly made a character sheet for her and a graph map and started a unicorn campaign. It was so fun!
The timing of this video is perfect, I just started a project for class that involves using D&D as a sort of program for children who find socialising with peers difficult. These are really helpful tips!
I'm not into the idea of treating kids like babies. I hate(d) when adults do that. Treat them like you treat your friends and they'll love you.
@TJ Tubular I do think it is fair to think that children require different handling or treatment. My mother told that there is a comedian who mainly dose satire, and this comedian dose not let his children watch his show because most children struggle grasping satire. So with that concept in mind I think it is fair to consider, are there some thing that children might struggle to grasp? Are their some ways we can avoid dose scenarios?
And there is the fact that some children may be more sensitive to some things. For example, when I was a child anytime I saw character die in a movie or television show I would turn into an upset basket case and cry for hours. To be clear that is not an exaggeration, I mean I literally would cry for hours. With those things in mind I do think there some valid reasons for treating children differently.
Emotions perceived as negative are not a bad thing to experience. We must go through many valuable bad experiences, learning from them and growing as a person. Otherwise we would always react to undesirable circumstances poorly.
TJ, I agree with you as a father of two, my kids love horrible stories about monsters and grim happenings.
Never coddle your kids they are tough enough to handle more than you think. If a kid cries about somthing let them, that's how we all learn to grow.
I agree not to treat kids like babies, however I also agree that it’s a good idea to take their individual personalities (just like anyone, I suppose) as well as their age into account, and - most importantly - *the parents have the final say.*
Take my friend’s triplets for example. They each deal with negative situations differently. Say their favourite toy got broken.
Hannah would scream and hit until she got it fixed.
Lucy would just assume her parents can fix it.
Ruby would be in tears thinking his best friend was dead.
Okay so they’re only 3 but the point I’m making is that each kid reacts differently even if they’re the same age and raised the same way.
Plus - I’d like to add - that nobody likes to see a character they care so much about die. It sucks. But as an adult you understand that that’s just part of the campaign. Even if you explain that to a child, that won’t sink into them until they realise that their character is gone.
Take The Lion King for example. Mufasa outright told Simba that he wouldn’t always be around, but it wasn’t until Simba saw it for himself that it got through to him, and he was devastated.
I’m not saying kids should be coddled, or never allowed to deal with the negatives - that’s part of life after all - I’m saying that each person is different, and while some kids can handle things, others who aren’t ready shouldn’t be expected to just “handle” it.
TL;DR: *Children shouldn’t be treated like babies, but not every child is equipped to deal with everything another is. Ultimately, the parents have the final say.*
(I reworded this like 5 times, so I really hope it makes sense this time...)
I agree, when I was a kid I would have gotten really frustrated if I got plot armor and wasn't allowed to die.
Plot hook for any 11yo and under campaign: “Legend tells of some legendary warriors, whose skills were the stuff of legend!”
-Kung Fu Panda
Can we get a follow up episode on this topic with Systems that are easier for children to use, and games/settings that are more appropriate?
Smeagol the Vile you mean like real tips and advice? don't think they do that here anymore....
Rules-lite systems are generally pretty good for this depending on the age of the youth. Younger ones, you don't even need a ruleset.
You can find some resources on what are recommended systems with a little digging. My go-to has always been Dungeonworld. D&D 5e is also pretty easy when you get them through the character creation with either pre-made characters, or co-creation. The moment to moment gameplay is easy.
You also have other systems that are both kid and adult friendly. I recently backed a rpg called 'laser kittens' its cute, kid approp, but more then good for adults to play without kids, that kinda thing.
I did some looking into systems aimed at kids. Here are some that I came across, all available on DriveThruRPG:
-- First Fable (My favourite! This is amazing and the pdf is FREE! It has a great philosophy behind it and the character booklets encourage the kids to draw their items and characters.)
-- Argyle & Crew - Adventure in the Land of Skcos (sock puppet roleplaying)
-- Hero Kids (Simple and quick. I find it has a focus on dungeon crawls, at least in the material that I've read. Probably the most popular system for kids)
-- Little Wizards (Beautiful, the rule book looks like a children's book! Also, what kid wouldn't want to play as a kid sorcerer?)
-- No Thank You, Evil! (A major production by Monte Cook games. The system is based on the one used in Numenera. Amazing thing: there are three sets of rules of different complexities that can be played at the same time. This allows younger and older kids to play together)
-- Yarr! The Rules Light Pirate RPG (Simplified D&D rules, but lots of cool things to make it work for kids. Also, you get to say AAAARPG a lot!)
FATE Accelerated is aimed at a younger audience. The paperback is less than $10:
www.evilhat.com/home/fae/
In love with the whole "GM us out of here" closing. Teared up a little
I watched this video plenty of times just like many other GM tip video like this. I gotta say the "Yes and..." tip for me is one of the best things i could have gotten as a beginner GM. This mentality made the rule of cool much easier to execute. Because whenever something silly or stupid happened in my games i thought about this tip and i just went along with stuff that otherwise i wouldn't have. I think it won't surprise anyone if i say that the most memorable moments came to be because i let silly things unfold in my games.
I do not GM kids nor do I ever intend to but I'm still here because Satine is a gem
Great episode! I think Satine is coming across more relaxed and comfortable each episode. Good info for gaming with kids. My 7 and 9 year old have been begging me to play soon, and this will help.
I love this! I have been playing DND on and off with my daughter, who is seven. She absolutely loves it. Recently, she came in as a guest star for a campaign I am playing in. She was really excited, and even sometimes DMs my husband and I. I have actually incorporated it into some of her homework activities, like when she has to study for certain subjects. Yesterday, she told me, "I can't wait for Math DND on Thursday!!" She is amazing, and I absolutely love playing with her. I remember in one of the first sessions I created for her, she used an improvised weapon against some orcs we were facing. I had never gone over any rules about improvised weapons with her, so I was both surprised and excited. We have mainly newer players in the level 20 campaign I am playing now (I guess not so new since we hit level 20 last week), who are not nearly as creative or exciting. Thanks for sharing!
I've been binging the playlist and had to stop to voice how much I loved this episode. Thanks!
I gm kids often for some years now and here you are with many awesome insights that will make my gm for kids even better. Thank you :)
I started tearing up and got goosbumps all over my body at that magnificent ending, that was beautiful
Satine has the best guests of all
I play with my kids all of the time. They're awesome at just taking on the characters and using their imagination to do all kinds of silly and creative things that even most adults that I have DM'd for don't really do. It's just different, you don't want to include some of the more adult themes for them. At the same time, you can include so many different and creative things and kids will usually just take it in stride and their imagination will sculpt your game in ways you never thought possible.
Such a great episode. I'm DM'ing for kids for the first time next week and this helped a lot to get me ready for it.
You know I wasn't sure how I felt about the new format but I think this sold me on it. This is going a little more out of focus on the in table mechanics and more on different types of tables and broader techniques to draw from. I love it good work!
Wait, you don't want to make kids cry?
Florian Riederer I thought that was the point you know teach them life is short and brutal lol
If you look at how brutal Liam O'Brien is with his one-shots for Critical Role, and you take into account he apparently GMs for his kids, makes you wonder if he teaches them how quick life can be xD Maybe he does it to teach them to be cautious and not just jump right into conflict lest you lose your life
Gredran If you watch any interview where he discusses DM'ing for his kids, he is very clear that he adjusts the game accordingly and that he does not have the children's characters killed.
Honestly, I'd love to see interviews where he talks about DMing, but I DID mean it as a joke ;) A good DM adjusts for what your party wants and your audience so I wouldn't doubt that he does, but yea, it was a joke, and hey, kids play video games and die in those, so as they get better and better, maybe their challenges become more for keeps :P
Gredran That's fine. This is not a debate about whether or not kids should or should not play games where characters die. I am explaining how Liam DM's games with his kids---he seems to view it as treasured family time and he really enjoys playing with them and giving them an opportunity to use their imaginations.
Wow! GM Molina has God Tier Narration Skills! Goosebumps! 😳💙
Thanks a ton! I'm currently building my very first one-shot for my neice. I have never run a game before, I have only been a player, so I was really hoping I could find a few helpful tips to let me know what I don't know.
so again Thanks!
Dude!!! Perfect video at the perfect time. Starting a small homebrew soon. She decided she is a fairy princess who is trying to get her throne back, and this was much needed! Thank yall!!
Best episode so far IMO. I especially like the outro. I might need to steal the idea of the party being animals turned into PCs.
Bryan Chilcote Really? I found the ending SUPER cringey.
I have recently been thinking about introducing my nephews to the dnd world, so thank you for doing this video!
Kid; Can I be a pig?
Me: Technoblade
Kid: Can I be a ninja?
Me: THE BLADE
I've been GMing for my two godsons since they were 8 and 9 years old, and am also currently DMing for my friend and his 11 year old daughter. Kids are some of the best players!
As many people have mentioned below, GMing with family and friends provides a much safer environment than a public forum, and I've never really felt compelled to tone down my game content overmuch - though we tend to gloss over where half-orcs come from. The rules for GMing kids are the same as for any well-run game group: don't be a killer GM; give your characters tough challenges, but challenges they can overcome (or which they know in advance are deadly); keep your players interested with content that appeals to their personalities and encourage dialogue before and after game about what they'd like to see more/less of.
Giving the children you game with some hard/frustrating/scary tasks (and helping them to shine through them) will foster confidence. Don't be a jerk-behind-a-screen, but don't coddle the group too much either. Like many long-time gamers, I credit role-playing games as the source of many of my problem-solving and interpersonal skills, and I see these same skills developing in the kiddos (the godkids now being 15 and 17 years old). Stories like "that time Zook ate the magic egg we found, and had his head blown to smithereens?" (actual event) can serve as cautionary tales, while "that time we were surrounded by werewolves, without magic weapons, and defeated them with slingshots, silver coins and lassos" (also an actual even) give them something to be proud of.
Young or old, we all have a Pig Dude stealthing the shadows of our psyches. The key to good GMing (and confident playing) is to let him come out and monologue. Kudos to those who do so! Let's show them young'uns how it's done!
This is great. I am readying myself to DM for the first time ever and with 9-13 yr olds and their mum&dads. Can’t wait
I'm so excited to get my toddler into playing D&D. Thanks a lot!!! Love you both!!!
Love the ears, Satine!
"You don't want to make a kid cry..."
Matt makes his friends cry every other week on Critical Role, and they come back for more. Hell, Liam reduced his friends to children and tears two weeks ago.
Hasbro has Monopoly Jr, Clue Jr, and Risk Jr. Why haven't they made D&D Jr? Especially with D&D in the movie theaters. Seems like a HUGE oversight.
Pig Dude, the Pig Ninja. This needs to become a thing. Like REALLY a thing. We need to write a campaign for exactly this guy. I am amazed beyong measure right now.
I am loving Satine's series!
This summer I'm going to be GMing for my nephews and niece. Ages 7, 11 & 12. I love these tips. Thanks for this vid.
Good show. And it is cool that you have been taking the constructive criticism and make each episode better than the last.
I recently started to introduce my son and his half brother and sister to D&D and Star Wars d20. I use Lego figures which the kids love and really help them understand what's happening. I keep die rolls simple and the games very bare bones to help them understand RPGing basics and team works.
this lady u had on this episode i want to have as my DM, she has such a great honest heart about her.
From my personal experience and playing dnd 5e with my kids you should run curse of strahd, one of the most kid friendly modules that kids and adults alike can enjoy with a definite lack of sex and violence. good for all ages, gives them good dreams too
It's all friendly mutants, fluffy wolf-people, fresh corpses (not the smelly kind), -only slightly insane- goofy vampire spawn, -fallen- down to earth deva's, social flesh golem's, a funny old man and his pirate legged friend, chatty bird people, party loving barbarians, some friendly gardeners and their twig people, a big tree going for a -murder spree- walk, a hut with legs, nice old ladies that will let you pet their cat, a fox that does magic, flying skulls that love a good barbecue, a goat, some friendly -demons- statues and a silly ol' -lich- librarian.
Then there's the lively and fun loving Barovians, always willing to welcome new people and who all totally have souls and the Vistani who are even more trustworthy and nice. There's also some nice old ladies that sell dream pastries that everyone should try for a good time, made only from the freshest ingredient (all ecological, fair-trade and home grown), a funny old man in the woods, and knights full of nothing but -burning hatred- love.
Ruling over this fun-loving bunch is the friendly count and his -infernal- adorable pony. How could this possibly be a bad thing?
I think everyone should go to Barovia! Nothing bad* ever happens there and you won't find a friendlier place to live a long and happy life. I chose to believe that's why most people who go there -are never seen again- stay there for the rest of their lives.
"Barovia - where and happiness goes to -die- flourish."
_*Curse of Strahd is suitable for all ages. The DM is not responsible for any permanent damage, curse, mutilation, mutation, madness, death or eternal torment your character totally won't have to worry about. Just remember to accept any gifts offered without question._
curse of strahd? nothing good happen in berovia
What tips do you have about adding humour to a campaign/game?
SourceOfBeing if ur the DM make a funny npc. a great example is Victor the black powder merchant from critical role. If the players don't like that ask them if they want humor in the game and how they want it implemented.
I enjoy making an insane side character, my go to is crazy Pete a crazy magic user (usually a shape shifting druid) whos main character point is that he has a bucket. it is a +1 bucket. his bucket is his life, he uses this bucket for literally everything. he puts it on his head and rams people, he randomly digs holes, he digs into, and then out of, prison cells, he even craps in it, but by some magical force it disappears. he talks in a very fast quiet tone and randomly says "my bucket". he is very protective of his bucket. and freaks out if you threaten his bucket. he also has some nice forks. he will run up to the party and they will interact before Pete slaps one of them with his bucket and then shifts into a giant snake with the bucket on his head and slithers off.
TL! I loved that ending!!!
This was amazingly insightful! Thank you two and the team behind it!
THANK YOU! I may be gming at my job where I mentor kids in a hard situation, and this helped SO much! Thank you!
Whoa! Great episode, and loving the format more and more. Can't wait for the next one! :)
I'm totally going to make a pig that has had the Awaken spell cast on it the mayor of some town in one of my games now.
The town was renamed to Donutsville in his honor, and the goblins made peace with the townsfolk. They are now a thriving baking commerce for the region.
Awesome quality always! Phoenix and Matt should make a episode together.
As a 40 year old that isn't that experienced at RPGs, this has been the best video of advice I've seen on the whole internet. I want to play like I did as a kid. I got into the game because it makes me feel like I did in the playgrounds and classrooms when I was young, using my imagination with my friends. I want more "yes, and..." in my life. Thanks for this. We should all be Pig Dude.
Especially in these kind of fantastic and absurd situations, kids shine with their sharpminded take on things. You would never think of some stuff they will come up with.
I was 7 when I first played Tunnels and Trolls (early 80s) with my cousin. These are great tips. You want your kid players to have fun above all.
This is great! I'm starting a game with some adult friends and my 8 yr old son wants to join in. I was already planning on keeping it super clean or "family friendly", but the other tips were great!
D&D is just revolutionary. It teaches life lessons and you have fun at the same time! That's what I feel is the best part of it
Edit: It's freedom also is beneficial for self confidence
Big-Dude! The Ninja-Pig!
What a character! I hope he was proud.
Love love love!!! Thank you this ladies!!!
1:18 - That's... kind of how it works, yeah... as you age your decision making factors in things so you're not as spontaneous... because little you learned that your decisions have repercussions.
Omg I almost cried with that Outro! ;A;
i cried at that hug
OMG... so much love and loveliness, and by two lovelys to boot!!
Not the Pigninja we deserve but the Pigninja we need!
Also, Matt Colville's "Failing Forward" video lines up with their discussion really well.
I remember a couple of years reading about some table top RPGs that were more less designed with the idea of being played with children. I wish I could remember the name of it now. But concept was that all the players were playing children with traits or abilities, that some how got teleport into a fair tale world. I remember the mention of Humpty Dumpty being a king or a villain NPC you could encounter. That is about the extent of memory about this article I read.
After trying to do some web searching I am thinking I got some details mixed up in my head. The name of the game were you play children in a fairy tale world I was thinking of is called Grimm (nothing to do with the tv show Grimm) and is made by Fantasy Flight Games. But reading about it says the game is a bit dark and creepy, making me think this not designed for children to play with there parents. I know someone designed RPGs with that in mind. I just seemed to be unable to remember what examples the article I read mentioned.
As a both a GM and a player, I strongly feel that a big part of what we do in the game is learn to be kids again. We have to abandon the learned embarrassment about being silly and role playing a character, the discomfort that comes from being on the spot, and just learn to use our imaginations and create a story together. My first game, I felt awkward and unsure of what to do, but as we got further in the campaign, I learned to just cut loose and have fun being my character. On the other hand, my little brother is creating a character for D&D, and right from the start he was thinking of crazy ideas for his character and getting excited about his backstory. He believes there's no limit to what he can do. It's neat and a little sad to see some of the the imaginative spirit that I left behind as I grew up.
Pig Dude the Pig Ninja is Legend and i will always remember him!!!....EPIC AND AWESOME!!
Was scared that this wasn't going to be informative. I was sorely wrong. Definitely a great learning experience.
Good guest and interesting topic.
I've always found giving out hero points in the form of lemon drops or life savers is a great way to get more rowdy kids to pay attention and engage in the game.
Great stuff! I was thinking about writing a story book for kids just this morning! This gave me some more ideas. Thank you :D
Came here to rewatch this before GMing for a kid for the first time tomorrow - one of my pastor's kids is going to come over to play a pseudodragon, and she's suuuuuuper excited
WOW....That ending makes me think she's a friggin' good GM. Very cool.
Thanks for the video. All my kids love roleplaying 10 to 26 y.o. "It's just a matter of who's GMing this sesion?" :)
So wholesome content, it melts my heart.
You should see Satine’s older videos.
"Kids should never die". So my first time playing DnD I was 7-8. My uncle showed me how to make a character and ran me through some 2nd ed. He straight up dropped a giant tick on me and sucked out all my blood in the first 10 mins of the game.
Yikes!
SWISH Uh, WAT...
The 80's were a savage; lawless wasteland
@TL Frasqueri-Molina I can see your comment but it's hidden. Yep I caught the bug then and never stopped!
I loved this episode! Good job Satine
pig dude the pig ninja... so adorable!
Great topic, well done.
I love this show, so entertaining! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This video is great in was an inspiration for me I love as just starting to play with my kids at home and in the classroom.
Now, I have my own UA-cam channel for parents and teachers and I’ve created my own ruleset and home-brew world.
My friends and I are in 6th grade and we played dnd at the beginning of the school year at lunch everyday and played a lot like many adults do