Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pukunui Jul 17, 2014 17:51:15	Hi guys,   So as you may have seen elsewhere, I am introducing my 8 year old daughter to D&D. She's chosen to play an elf girl who's training to be a bow-wielding ranger. I thought I would kick things off with the standard "tutorial festival" (a la NWN 2), so I'm looking for some ideas of activities to include in the festival. I'd love to make it as distinctly elvish as possible so my daughter gets a feel for her PC's culture. Unfortunately, my 2e Complete Book of Elves isn't all that illuminating on this subject.   Anyone got any suggestions?   All I've got so far is an archery contest. That one's a given.   What other sorts of child/teenager-friendly activities might wood elves include in a festival?     Cheers! ~ Jonathan
#2 RustedKitsune Jul 17, 2014 17:59:52	Scavenger hunts, hunts for a specific token, tracking practice, stuff like that. Try for activities that help teach practical skills that Wood Elves like to have.
#3 gregsc Jul 17, 2014 20:22:28	Wood Elf hide and seek in the forest   Tree climb, race to the top
#4 pukunui Jul 17, 2014 21:46:10	RustedKitsune wrote:
#5 Swede1985 Jul 17, 2014 21:52:01	Maybe have a test of knowledge. Maybe the main druid head honcho of the elf village has a riddle to be answered. Maybe include some more interaction stuff, perhaps there's some party patron who needs the elf ranger to do something for her; maybe she has a crush on another elf but is too embarassed to say anything, but the elf ranger can maybe coerce the elf to dance with the lonely lady elf. Little stuff like that can introduce some good RPing opportunities, not just combat and test of skills.
#6 pukunui Jul 17, 2014 21:54:03	Oh, she likes riddles! That's a good one. Thanks.
#7 Emanuele_Galletto Jul 18, 2014 1:35:04	Mmmh. About the Nature and Survival skills: I don't know if wood elves appreciate cuisine that much, but a cooking contest where a team has to identify and find berries, roots and such, another team hunts, and a third team cooks a dish. Or it may be the same person doing all the stuff (in this case, I suggest hunting not-so-cute animals, like boars).
#8 pukunui Jul 18, 2014 1:44:58	Great idea, Emanuele! There's a kids after school tv show here in New Zealand that she likes, and a regular segment involves teams of kids cooking for other kids. I think she'd totally be into that.   I started things off tonight with a biathlon-style event where the young elves have to run through the forest, stopping to fire arrows at targets at various points. The final target was just a leaf on a tree. Afterwards, we brainstormed ideas for what else her PC could do at the festival. This is what we came up with:   Tree climbing contest Jumping contest Trying out musical instruments (to see which one you're good at) Sword fighting [I suggested this] Hide and seek [my wife's suggestion]
#9 OrwellianHaggis Jul 18, 2014 4:15:23	How about weaving, wood carving, mixing medicines, singing, and communicating with animals/tree spirits?   I know these aren't the most action-based or exciting things, but I see them as having a place in wood elf culture. And they're all child friendly, unless you decide otherwise.
#10 Kravell Jul 18, 2014 6:07:13	From Boy Scounts with my son:   hiking prep (water, food,  and shelter and how to pack the backpack plus clothes and boots to wear and bring (rain gear etc)) firebuilding knife/axe/saw use putting up a tent  orienteering (map use and for D&D (if no compass) using the stars and sun as guides) first aid identifying dangerous plants (in D&D that would be shambling mounds) swimming rock climbing archery (you have this one already) but also hunting scouts also learn safety and use of rifles and shotguns; for elves I'd change that to sword fighting (and the bow above) archeology (looking for arrow heads etc., in D&D this might be old elvish arrowheads on an ancient battlefield) woodcarving (hiking stick for example) horseback riding (and for D&D maybe flying mounts) snorkling (for D&D maybe underwater exploration of some sort) Native American crafts (making drums, headdresses, clothes etc.) astronomy: knowing the constellations, planets, etc. proper food prep and cooking outdoors canoeing proper care when outdoors (put out fires, clean up trash, leave no trace--all these tasks can be turned into contests) tracking singing story telling skits (acting) leadership (contest could be lead a task such as erecting a new firepit the quickest and with best results) marching flag ceremonies (for elves this could be totems or woven plant symbols--how to display and perform a ceremony) religion (explaining your own, recoginizing and respecting others--elves might need to be able to talk about gnome beliefs for example) maintaining what you have (elves could repair a log house or fix a cart in a speed contest) animal care   Other ideas: log rolling in the river and try to stay on the longest staff fighting on stumps--knock the other off tug of war rely race
#11 pukunui Jul 18, 2014 12:42:00	Those are some great ideas. Thank you both!
#12 MrHotter Jul 18, 2014 13:55:58	Remember to toss in rivals, obstacles and moral dilemas so it's not just rolling checks. Is the elder's kid going to cheat to make sure he wins, is the herbalist going to offer your daughter a potion of leaping in exchange for her letting her daughter win in her sword match? Your adventure is sounding fun.
#13 gregsc Jul 18, 2014 15:28:54	I would work both tracking and stealth into the hide and seek event. I would run the events as multiple opposed checks, narrating how the contest develops after each roll. You could let her handle the narration if she has the higher roll. I once ran a Jedi training session for my son this way as an introduction to Saga Edition. Instead of using the combat rules, we rolled opposed checks and narrated a light saber duel as we went. To give him an edge, I let him add his character's bonuses while I used straight d20 rolls.
#14 pukunui Jul 18, 2014 16:16:45	MrHotter wrote: