Introducing Kids to Table Top Roleplaying: A How-To Guide
Helping the children in your life discover the ttrpg hobby is one of the best gifts you can give them. Here's how to do it.
Helping the children in your life discover the table top roleplaying hobby is one of the best gifts you can give them. There are so many ways ttrpgs strengthen and enhance creativity, social skills, and imagination. Whether you’re an experience GM who wants to start running games for your children, or completely new to the hobby yourself (and maybe a little intimidated/confused on how to GM a game), here are guidelines you can use to run a successful game kids:
Keep it simple. Don’t start with D&D. Start with a simple system that can be explained in minutes and have your players leaping into the adventure. If your players eventually express an interest in wanting more complexity, you can always scale the complexity up. However, what you want to avoid is children being bored away from the game because it takes too long to explain the rules and get into the action! Games that are great for kids (and new Game Masters) to cut their roleplaying teeth on include:
Tricube Tales: (Tales of the Little Adventurers, Heroes of Fablewood, or Interstellar Laser Knights)
Tiny Dungeon (fantasy) or Tiny Frontiers (science-fiction) or Tiny Supers (superheroes)
Set clear boundaries and expectations. Before the game begins, make sure everyone understands what they will be doing and what is expected of them. Explain that they will be taking on the roles of characters in a story and that they will need to work together to solve challenges and overcome obstacles. Be clear about what behavior is acceptable and what is not. Level 1 Geek provides some good ground rules:
Don’t talk or distract others while the Game Master or another player is talking.
Agree on a “Be Quiet” hand signal to hush the table when necessary.
Take turns (even when not in combat) so everyone has a chance in the spotlight.
Dice should stay on the table or in the dice tray/cup unless making a roll.
Speak respectfully to everyone at the table, both in and out of character.
Keep language and content G-rated at all times.
Create a safe environment. While you may be hardened after years of slaying goblins and facing down undead threats, children bring a lot more innocence to the table. It’s important to be sensitive and watch for any signs of fear or discomfort as the adventure unfolds. Let them know they can pause the game at any point if things get too intense, scary, or intimidating. Then make any adjustments necessary to keep things fun (e.g. the goblins are now throwing stink bombs instead of acid bombs!).
Provide pre-made characters. Whatever system you’re using, it’s often helpful to provide a few pre-made characters for children to pick from. This means you’ve gone ahead and made some characters yourself, but have a variety of them to choose from. Not only does this save a lot of time, some children can get overwhelmed with the idea of creating a character from scratch on the spot.
Start with a simple scenario. Begin with a very simple scenario that the children can easily understand and engage with. For example, their characters might be tasked with finding a lost pet or retrieving a stolen treasure. Keep the plot straightforward and the obstacles relatively easy to overcome. This will also be very helpful to you if you’re learning how to GM. Great adventures don’t need to be complex! Simple, straightforward adventures are often the best.
Say, “Yes!” as much as possible. Don’t squash creativity and character awesomeness. When they ask, “Can I do this?”, say yes as much as possible. This is especially important early on when children are assuming the sky is the limit for their character. They are a hero after all! Let them have fun and don’t get bogged down with technicalities (e.g. “Well, you’re not a wizard so you can’t cast that spell”). Lame. If they come up with a clever idea, let them try it, even if it means lurching the story in a wild and unexpected direction!
Keep it short. This is a biggie. Make your first game an hour at max. Children have short attention spans, so planning a 2-3 hour introductory session for them is likely going to flop on a number of levels. Shorter sessions are easier to prepare for, easier to run, and more enjoyable for everyone. They prevent boredom and ensure that everyone remains engaged throughout the game.
Encourage kids to “show and tell”. There’s no rule stating that playing a ttrpg needs to be sedentary activity. When a player tells you what their character is attempting to do, ask them to show you! Get them up and moving as they demonstrate their hero’s actions. This enhances the immersion for both the player “showing and telling”, and for everyone else.
Be patient. The rules may be simple for you, but it’s important to remember that children may need more time to pick up the rules and fully understand the game. Be extra patient during your first few games and keep explanations clear and simple so they can understand.
Keep things fun. Fun is the goal. We want our players to laugh, be surprised, and experience a fast-paced adventure that avoids getting bogged down into rules and too many details. Rules-lite games are fun to run because they allow everyone to focus on the story more than mechanics. That means you can let the players take the lead, and guide the story towards what seems meaningful and fun to them.
Have snacks and take breaks. Adventuring is intense! Take short breaks as needed and provide healthy snacks to keep their energy up. This is especially important if your game extends beyond an hour.
End on a High Note. When your game session comes to a close, give a high-level recap of the adventure and ask each child what their favourite moment was. This will help them to reflect on their experience and build excitement for future games. If you want to reinforce art or literary skills, tell your players if they draw a picture of their favourite moment or write a short synopsis of the adventure to before your next game, they’ll get extra experience points, dice bonuses, or snack upgrades!
At their heart, roleplaying games are “make believe with some rules.” And using a rules-lite system allows you to lean even more into the make believe part—that which comes most naturally to children. Follow these guidelines and you’ll help the children in your life discover the uniquely compelling, creative, and rewarding world of table top roleplaying games!