Post/Author/DateTime	Post
davypi 11-07-04, 10:39 PM	Here's a fun challenge for everybody. I have the daunting task of trying to figure out how to entertain a young girl and her older teenage brothers. The elder brother (about 13) and I would like to get a game going but it can be hard to keep the young girl occupied for such a task. Now, the young girl likes watching Xi Lin Showdown and she also has a video that she loves about a young girl who has a pet dragon who fights in a war with a midevil setting. So if I told her that we were going to play a "make-beleive" game where she could be a princess who has a pet dragon (or might someday get one) then hooking her in is no problem. She has seen us play before and at least has a little clue what its about. (Incidentally, her brother is also a hack-n-slash power gamer who I am trying to wean into actually ROLE PLAYING, so creating a campaign that requires more imagination and less die rolling I think would be good.) The trick though, is thinking of good storylines and scenarios that will keep them both interested? Any ideas? It would just be the three of us, and possibly their mother (my fiancee) so entertaining adult players isn't a real concern. Davy
Antigone 11-07-04, 10:45 PM	Perhaps you could try watching some of the shows she likes and borrowing ideas from them. Does she like Sailor Moon? I think that's some kind of "young girl with mystical powers fights evil" kind of thing. Or maybe the Power Puff Girls? Hmm. Are kids even still watching these shows, or am I betraying my advanced age? But keep it as simple as possible. I'd stick to core rules (at least at first) and very simple plots -- eight really is a bit young.
Darkeryinger 11-07-04, 10:52 PM	PPGs are still going, but Salior Moon stoped 2 years ago
FriendoftheDork 11-07-04, 11:03 PM	make it fun and relaxed, don't give the rules that much importance, calculating stuff will soon bore her unless she loves maths. Perhaps she likes Harry Potter? Make the world magical, perhaps something like Forgotten Realms, and don't make plots or villains too complicated. Watch some cartoons at cartoon neywork or some such, and use it for inspiration. Make vivid descriptions of everything, and never say things like you take 7 damage, but tell them how the big smelly evil looking orc looks like before he nearly cuts her in half! That said, if she's a bit squemish don't make the combat descriptions too... gory. Especially if her mother's joining too! How about stealing something shamelessly from The Hobbit? A group of adventurers gather to find a long lost treasure. Then on their way they meet several challenges, use weather, travel, mystical forests, magical creatures, perhaps uncorns or pegasuses. Read some Lewis's Narnia novels if you want extra inspiration. Don't be concerned with realism or the hard and gritty style we old gamers enjoy so much. That's all I can think of ATM. Good luck, it's not gonna be easy, but rest assured that you're doing a good deed.
Cymraegmorgan 11-08-04, 12:10 AM	Nonlethal combat rules ala Powerpuff Girls. Check out Hamtaro and Courage the Cowardly Dog.
davypi 11-08-04, 01:01 AM	Thanks for the comments so far. I have thought of taking ideas from other shows. She has a bit of a eidetic memory when it comes to television and if she recognizes a plot element from a show she will be want to use the same solution. As such I'm hoping that finding different plots (or at least significantly different twists) will spark some creativity into her. But, yes, combat will be very simplified. For her it will be probably be straight D20s behind the board. The idea is to really turn it into some kind of interactive storytelling - I'm hoping that the game rules will be merely something to help guide the story and stay largely in the background. Things are likely to get very cartoonish anyway (and overpowered, if shes allowed to have a dragon). Davy
nekrolog 11-08-04, 01:03 AM	Should be interesting... you should let us know how it goes. Realistically, I wouldn't think of it as D&D if you're wanting to make it fun for an 8 year-old. It's basically going to be make believe, like you said. Give her a character sheet with a picture of her character that she can color while she's playing to help her visualize her character. Probably more NPC interaction than combat would be good, but the 13 year-old will likely try to kill them when he gets bored with the roleplaying. I would also clearly define the good guys and bad guys... make the baddies monsters that are obviously bad, like torturing kitties and such. ;)
Callista 11-08-04, 01:28 AM	Give her a pseudodragon for a friend. :) Should solve the power issue. You could do fairy-tale plots...
The Shaman 11-08-04, 01:44 AM	Just for the record, I was really afraid of what I was going to find when I clicked on this thread. :mymy: ---> :whatsthis ---> :thinks: ---> :D There was a thread started by Kittencaboodle (I think) on the General board about running D&D adventures for kids - some good suggestions were made. Try a search by her screen name and you should locate it.