so my 10 year old son really wants to play D&D. i’ve had a group of friends i play with for the last 7 years and seeing the fun we have has really influenced my son. i told him years ago that he would have to wait until he was 10. well, now he’s 10 and is even as i type, hunched over the PHB reading up on druids. (i play 3.5 by the way).
i need some ideas for adventures to run with him. at first it will be just him and myself. what i would love is to use some great narrative devices that everyone thinks is cliche, but that a 10 year old would love. you know, the oldie but goody kind. everything is so new to him, i would like to do something that is a classic. thanks
A little over a year ago my friend told me his boys, 11 and 9 were interested in D&D. I went out, bought a Dragon magazine with a suitable module. The boys loved it, they now look forward to Man Night every other weekend. It is amazing what they think is cliche, and what they’ve never heard of. We met The Lone Ranger on an adventure. They had No idea who he was. I say go for it, you might be pleasantly surprised how he will react.
My very first adventure (I was what, 8, 9 at the time ?) was exploring a ruined castle full of orcs - the starter adventure in first edition MERP. Only we played with Rolemaster’s rules. Yes, yes I starting RPing with Rolemaster. No, no, I don’t know what we were thinking, either. But obviously, it wasn’t enough to stop us
Stick to the very basics : trapped door, room, monsters, treasure. But also do keep the fights lively : nobody, not even a 10 year old, cares about “yeah, so you rolled a hit for 10 damage, huh”. Tell him about how his sword wirled right around the orc’s clumsy parry and nearly cut its arm off, or something. No need to get all gory, but make it a movie scene rather than math homework. Kids don’t really care about deep plots and researched NPCs and whatnot, but you do have to hook them in minute by minute, fight by fight. Unless your kid’s especially nerdy, which he might, since he’s already noticed that 3.5 druids are massively overpowered
If at all possible, keep the main villain of his started dungeon alive, and use him as the main villain for every subsequent adventure. Kids (and roleplayers, too, since they’re just big kids anyway ;)) love a Megatron ranting about his useless henchmen before vanishing in a puff of smoke, to come back and steal the princess away AGAIN.
Oh, and don’t tell him you’re fudging the dice behind the screen. That’s like Roleplayer’s Santa
Oh, and you also might want to keep your adventure in the “Make Your Own Adventure Book” realm, that is to say rather than describing what’s around him and asking “so, what do you do ?”, tell him something along the lines of “So, do you want to do X, or Y ? Or maybe you want to Z ?”. In time, he will become a roleplayer, that is to say an individual who’ll answer to every common day-to-day problem with a hare brained, convoluted plan involving a zeppelin and some obscure spell from a third party splatbook. But as a start, underlining his options isn’t a bad thing. Don’t worry, he’ll rebel against your stupid railway options eventually. But start by giving them to him.
ETA : oh, and there’s nothing a kid likes more than meeting (and playing along) his or her favorite character. If he’s read the Hobbit, put Bilbo somewhere, or maybe Gollum as the antagonist. If he’s into R.A. Salvatore, Drizzt must be his mentor. If you’ve given him some Belgariad to munch on, well, Silke must make fun of him at some point. And so forth. Of course, it’s gonna be tricky to make Spongebob Squarepants appear in a D&D module, but I’m sure you can pull it off
Nothing nothing about your son, I’m throwing this out there, in case you feel like it.
When I have done it with kids, a lot of the time they kind of take it too seriously. They get a bit too into the storyline if it is serious, and often are nearly paralyzed with fear of killing their new dood.
SO I usually go with the King Whatsisface challenge dungeon tour . ie some rich dude set up a challenge to heroes to see what they can do, with rewards. But part of the story is that it won’t allow anyone to die, just fail. Seems to put it in more of a having fun context and keeps thing lighter, plus it allows you to be a little goofy, without breaking the narative.
Mmmmm…first adventures! I can still remember mine. I started with D&D Basic set, and the intro dungeon (How To Play Etc) with Bargle the evil magic-user and Aleena the cleric.
Just remember that whatever you run, it’s going to probably stick with him for a long time.
Both are special modules for zero-level characters (so a few special rules apply). This setup allows beginning players the opportunity to somewhat explore different classes before finally settling on the best fit for them.
Sadly, I don’t think that either module supports the Druid or specialist classes, though I’m sure it could be hand-tailored in.
Additionally, there are some solo modules out:
D&D Basic; Module BSOLO; TSR-9097; Pub. 1984; Levels 1 to 3; “Ghost of Lion Castle”
is one example for the old D&D Basic Set.
Sounds like you’re going to have a lotta fun!
Ah, yes, that’s an interesting ploy, too. Of course, if his son is already busy compulsing sourcebooks, the point it a bit moot, but I used it to great effect, if I say so myself, in a recent Vampire : Dark Ages campaign featuring mostly newbies to the setting : they started off as random, normal humans, who got used as errand boys by the local vamp for a time, then got ghouled, then were gradually introduced to the various clans in the region. From then on, it was up to them which vamps they cozied to, which philosophies they espoused and so on. Of course, they all knew they were going to get turned eventually, but the point was they had a more hands-on choice than just writing “OK, I’m X of Clan Y” on their char sheets.
It’s doubly effective, because not only do players get to sample every flavor they can choose before commiting to one, but once they “level up” into their favorite class, they get to revisit the cast of formerly domineering NPCs (in this case : the burgermeister, the local Prince’s top ghoul, the captain of the guard, the priest, the witch and the King of the Lepers) and get to act on the shifted powerscale : back then those were the top dogs, and now they’re below muck. Will the PCs exact petty (and pointless) revenge on those who used to look down on them, or become their masters, or forgive them, or treat them as equals ?
Heh. Maybe not 10 year old moral conundrum material. Still, as a DM I’ve grown to really like shifting the power scales forward. And players loooove revisiting the “n00b zones”
One of the biggest mistakes 4th edition made, in my opinion, was removing level-inappropriate encounters. If everything you meet is level-appropriate, then there’s really only one level any more, and no advancement.
Some playable cliches that a 10-year-old might enjoy:
Individual misfits bullied by the local popular kids come together and learn to use their talents to recover the treasure / win the contest / save the town / get some respect. (Goonies, Stephen King’s It, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
The hero’s search for his long-lost relative leads to danger, new friends, and ultimately to unexpected revelations about his past / family history. (A Series of Unfortunate Events, anything by “V.C. Andrews”, Harry Potter again, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shadow Over Innsmouth)
An excursion into an antique shop / inventor’s shop / wizard’s lab yields an amazing find that propels the hero into new adventures. (The Neverending Story, The Tinderbox, The Magician’s Nephew, Frankenstein, Back to the Future, Pirates of the Carribean)
There must be at least one maiden locked in a tower. (Rapunzel, Shrek, The Lady of Shalott)
There is a prophecy that the hero or one of the hero’s friends will fall under a curse or threat at some point in the future. (Sleeping Beauty; Harry Potter yet again; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
A friend is in dire trouble and only the hero can save him / her! (The Snow Queen, any episode where Rocket J. Squirrel saves Bullwinkle’s antlers, Snow White, the fight in Shelob’s lair.)
A prohibition is violated / powerful magical being is slighted and THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES! Could easily tie in with the prophecy and the friend in trouble cliches. Of course, in a free role-playing game, any prohibition may very well not be violated. (The New Mother, Sleeping Beauty, Blue Beard, anything involving the reading of the Necronomicon, Little Red Riding Hood)
A game must be won to escape / gain knowledge / get the treasure. (Rumplestiltskin; The Hobbit; Thor’s footrace, eating contest, and wrestling match with the Giant King; Pirates of the Carribean)
These are all good ideas. Having a longterm in-the-back-of-your-mind plan for what the characters will eventually become (mighty wizard, famous healer, celebrated fighter) can also be particularly enjoyable for kids who you think will be in it for the long haul. Be encouraging, and have fun!
All of the suggestions are great, but a good ole’ “Rescue The Princess” is still one of my favorites. After 8yrs of saving entire planes, defeating evil gods, and slaying dragons, I still beg my DMs to give us a damsel in distress.
I’ve run a school roleplaying club for 10-18 year olds for 20 years.
Obviously you know your kid best, but here are some suggestions:
Find another player or two
This allows a better-balanced party, generates more ideas of what to do next and experience of team-work.
If you can’t find another kid, is there a player from your main group who would enjoy helping?
(Also you can look forward to any of your regular players who would like to make a guest appearance as a hermit / monster / witness. It helps you out by adding aonther actng ‘style’ for your kid to enjoy.)
Start with simple stuff
There’s plenty of time later to come up with deep plots and recurring adversaries. Remember a player’s first adventure has a sense of wonderment that can never be repeated! Have his Guild do a final training session, which tests most of his skills. Send the party to a village, with instructions to ‘explore and make the Guild proud of you’.
Use the actual rules
This shows that you are treating him as a grown-up. It also means he will be ‘compatible’ if he likes it and becomes old enough to play with your group.
Set up a way for him to ask questions without losing the magical atmosphere
I tell my pupils that they can say “technical question” anytime, which means they can find out what the rules allow before going back into character.
Don’t be afraid to use cliches and bad acting
Kids are reassured by the familiar. Also even if you’ve met a plot device or a particular character many times, it will still be new to them.
I was such a complete nerd that I didn’t get thrown off when, having seen an advertisement for an “RPG day” at a local Youth Center, my first game turned out to be MERP with a very-sexist GM who wanted to use his brand-new Weather Rulebook (seriously, someone wrote a whole book about weather in RPGs!).
We started on the wrong foot and went on with the wrong leg. First, he didn’t want to let me play a warrior because “girls can’t be warriors.” I was about to say “ok, can I play a guy?” but another player said “remind me to introduce you to my sister: Taekwondo blue belt, man.” OK, so I get to play a warrior, there’s another warrior, a cleric, a mage and a rogue; we’re siblings leaving the farm.
First, the GM wouldn’t explain why we’re leaving. Then, half an hour into the trip he lets The Biggest Storm Ever loose on us; we all fall down a cliff, with a result of a broken leg, a twisted ankle and a broken arm (in three different people). We call for a timeout, unscrew his head, give it a good shake, screw it back on, stick his weather book under a pile of books in another table and tell him to restart, this time taking into account that we all have Int specs above those of a sedimentary rock.
The adventure consisted of riding to the next town (we all had donkeys); along the way, we got to do some work in a farm in exchange for spending the night. In town, we were in the process of trying to get hired out by a company of caravan guards (“c’mon, we’re a package deal!”) when the clock ran out.
That’s a classic: the character starts as a town guard, or as a caravan guard. Goblin attack for the win!
Some things we did as “short D&D stories to break up from a more-complex game:”
Ye Olde Caravan.
Ye Olde Caravan, only this time instead of goblin attacks we have murders.
Search for a lost child.
Ye Olde Car… no, this time WE are attacking it.
A town is suffering from monsters in a nearby cave. They offer rewards to adventurers for cleaning up the place. No, they don’t mean with a mop and bucket. This can be done solo, for small groups, or with a companion NPC.
Siege of the Castle, on both sides.
After your last success, you’ve been invited to a posh party. You need to keep the rogue from stealing the panties of every woman in the house (that includes the ones said women are wearing as well as the ones they’re not).
The sign that’s become pretty much universal in Spain to ask for time outs or “OOC conversation” is the T used by basketball coaches to request timeouts. It’s gestual, so you aren’t interrupting, but if someone doesn’t see it they really need to visit an eye doctor fast.
thanks everyone for all the suggestions. i’ve got some great ideas. at first it will be just him and myself, but hopefully he can get some of his friends into the game also. until then though i don’t want to do anything to deep or complicated. i’ve got some ideas already.
Adapting action movies and placing them in a D&D setting makes for great simple adventures:
Die Hard: Dopplegangers have infiltrated the castle during the kingdom’s winter holiday and taken the royal family hostage…what will the party do? What is their true motive?
Temple of Doom: A village has lost its precious stone of power, which leads to the nearby keep, and down into the evil lizardman shrine…
Goonies: Rumors of a local pirate cave? A secret cave leads to smugglers, ogres, ghosts…
Superman 2: An earthquake hits the town, breaking the walls of the dungeon that held captive 3 evil wizards that are now on the loose…
Don’t forget, when he finally gets to the princess’s tower/dungeon/cell, to have the goblin tell him, “Thank you, but the princess is in another castle!”
