Role Playing games for kids

Okay, listening to Paeter's latest episode, I was thinking my kids would really enjoy doing some superhero-ish roleplaying.

My kids are 11 and younger, so I was thinking that it would be cool if I could find a simple role playing system to play some roleplaying with them.

My experience is with TSR's Marvel and Paladin's system. I have some of those manuals somewhere, so I may just pull out my Marvel rules and go with that. But just as I was thinking I could just pull out my Marvel RPG . . . Paeter said that he would put the DC RPG against the Marvel RPG.

So, should I stick with Marvel? Check out Blood of Heroes or try to find the DC stuff? Or . . . is there something else out there that might be a fun way to do some fun RPGing with my kids?

~ Ben

UPDATE: I've been finding a number of free, easy to use RPG systems. I may do that for my kids. One is called ONE SHOT, focusing more on story/narrative play. Also, it turns out there is a free release using the old Marvel RPG rules that I used as a young man, only stripped of the copyrighted material, called FOUR COLOR. It's more in depth.

But I have talked to my kids -- they both would rather do modern superheroes than space adventure or epic fantasy which is what I expected. So I'll be dreaming up some fun scenarios while I look for the right system to use.

The ONE SHOT rules are ridiculously easy to use, and would only take a little bit a tweaking to make it work for a superhero setting -- these rules are made to be ridiculously easy to adapt to your choice of genre. I'll probably use my Heroclix maps, although I'm not sure what type of markers I want to use if I do maps -- especially if they are going to create their own characters (which is a BIG part of the fun!)

I am still on the look out for other systems, so if any of you have an recommendations, please let me know!

~ Ben

I've done just a little bit of RP with the kids. At first I just made up a story and had them roll some dice to see if they hit or not and how much damage they did. It wasn't any rules or a system; I just made it all up and kept it extremely simple just to see if they'd like RP or not.

The next time, I pulled out my Lord of the Rings books because they really like that world and actually used some of the rules from that. We all had fun, but I had to gloss over a lot of the rules with them because of their ages (11 down to 5).

Most recently, I bought Mice and Mystics and we've been playing through that. It costs money, but I really like this one. It's a very simple system so I really don't have to change anything; but still it's a system to use and has a campaign and everything you need...not just me making stuff up or having to majorly simplify an existing system. I checked boardgameprices.com and Cool Stuff Inc. has it for $49.

That Mice and Mystics game looks fantastic! It's a bit out of my price range, but it look awesome! I'll be keeping my eye out for that.

I've been gaming with my kids using the Savage Worlds system in the Necessary Evil superhero setting. In Necessary Evil, aliens invade and wipe out all of Earth's heroes, leaving only the villains to stand against them. The setting is fantastic, and Savage Worlds is an intuitive and easily adaptable system. My kids are now 9 and 12.

The Savage Worlds Deluxe Explorer's Edition corebook is only $10, and the Super Power Companion is only $20. The "Explorer's Edition" is unabridged, but paperback 6x9 instead of hardcover 8x10.

My next choice would be the D6 System. Printed books are wickedly hard to find, but the PDF files are a free download at Critical Press Media and several other mirrors. The system is intuitive, easy to learn, and easy to adapt.

Neither of these require the level of math or bookkeeping that is required of TSR's Marvel, Mayfair's DC Heroes or several other RPGs.

If you want the current "branded" superhero games, Margaret Weis has produced Marvel Heroic using a unique system, and Green Ronin has released DC Adventures using what is essentially d20/True 20 (and they preserve the exponential tables that made Mayfair's line so popular). I've not played the Marvel game, but True 20 is very crunchy and strategic.

I've been looking at the D6 system. I remember playing Star Wars using that system. I like free and legal. I downloaded the Space, Adventure, and Fantasy rules. But then my kids wanted superheroes.

You know, I haven't introduced it to my kids, but I think I've spent more time with Heroes Unlimited from Palladium Books than any other single supers RPG. The system is kind of dated, but character creation is so much fun, and based on a shopping list of concepts. Still readily available and in print for more than 30 years!

I played Palladium, too. We mixed Heroes Unlimited, TMNT, and Heroes and Superspies (?).

I also had the Robotech manuals. Never played them, though.

I'd recommend either going with a simple, rules-lite system, or watering down a system you already have and know, like the Marvel stuff you've got. DC Heroes is my overall choice for a supers RPG, but I also don't play it anymore because I don't have the time. If you're in the stage of life where time is a factor, that should certainly adjust your criteria, hence my altered recommendation in your case (and one reason I didn't give DC Heroes a 10).

I'll chime in with another vote for D6. It's freely available online. It provides a table with numbers that are described in such a way that you can make a guess about how difficult a set task might be, and pick a number on the spot without having to flip through pages. That's the "rule of thumb" for the game, when in doubt, don't flip through the pages, just pick a number based on how difficult you think the task is logically supposed to be.

D6 has a super easy scale system, so it can simulate interaction between people and objects of different scale. Great for superheroic feats.

To make it even easier, look at the 9-page Risus system, which was inspired in part by the pre-Star Wars version of D6. Use the basic number mechanics of the D6 with the simplified organizational set-up of the Risus system. D6 scale for superheroic feats. Easy gaming.

Thanks, everyone!

What I think will end up happening is a combination of the ONE SHOT system and the powers from the Marvel system (using the FOUR COLOR rules because I can't find my old books! I found my Mechwarrior books, my Battletech books, my Palladium Robotech books, my Car Wars books, and even my Star Fleet Battles books! Marvel? Nowhere to be found!) to run a story/narration based game that still allows for some dice rolling for battles and using powers for accomplishments.

D6 is something I may use when my kids are a bit older, but for now that's a bit more rules heavy than I am looking for.

Risus I need to check out before I totally go all in with the ONE SHOT/FOUR COLOR mix.

BenAvery wrote:Thanks, everyone!

Risus I need to check out before I totally go all in with the ONE SHOT/FOUR COLOR mix.

Ben, I would second the use of Risus. Six pages of rules total (although there is a companion available for pay, it really isn't needed) and totally free.

Also, you played Car Wars? It was one of my favorite systems, but I didn't play it - I loved it for the setting detail.

We need to compare notes sometime on this.

I did play Car Wars in jr. high and high school. But our favorite gaming tended toward Star Fleet Battles and Mechwarrior/Battletech (strategy) or Marvel Superheroes and Star Wars (RPG).

There are several pretty good games these days aimed at young kids. The one I'd recommend for 5-8 years old would be Hero Kids. Gets some pretty regular support and even 3rd party support now.

herokidsrpg.blogspot.com/




Another one I recently looked at is First Fable. This is a little more involved, but it is free.

rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/107399/FirstFable?filters=0_0_44283_0_0


I'm so new that I cannot post functioning links yet.

Otherwise, for a little more crunch, yes. I'm a big fan of the good old D6 System.

Jeffrywith1e wrote:There are several pretty good games these days aimed at young kids. The one I'd recommend for 5-8 years old would be Hero Kids. Gets some pretty regular support and even 3rd party support now.

herokidsrpg.blogspot.com/

Dude, YES!! Bought this and played a session with my boys (4 and 7) a few months ago and they LOVED it! Been meaning to do a review but I don't think I have enough experience with it.