I DM a group of middle school kids as part of an afterschool program and I was trying to come up with an end of the year finale.
I normally don't allow PvP with them as it gets out of hand but I thought about doing an arena battle for our last session in a few weeks. I've done team PvP's before but thought I might try an everyone vs everyone melee with the goal to be the last person standing. Looking for suggestion and/or critques of this approach.
A little about the group: there are 8 of them, all 5th level,: druid, bard, wizard, bladesinger, rogue, paladin, cleric/ranger and a fighter. The kids don't really have much in the way of tactics typically and not all of them really understand the rules beyond the basics that well.
Here's a few things I've thought of so far:
I randomnly (sort of) preplace the players at the start of the melee. They do not get a chance to preview the arena. Arena has all kinds of features: varied elevations; fire features, water features, hidey holes, maybe a few traps.
Must attack at least every third round to keep things moving (we only have 2 hours)
I'll start with saying I don't think PvP as a last session would be a great idea. The first people to get eliminated will have some bitterness and opens up the whole "Hey, remember when I beat your ass in the arena?!" It also makes it such that as the game progresses fewer people are participating. Ending the year on a downer for some kid just doesn't feel right to me.
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That being said, if you still go ahead with the idea, use the deathmatch mode. Everybody starts with basic basic gear - daggers and leather. Scatter unknown weapons and equipment around the map in boxes or huts.
Use a battlemat.
Drop all loot on death.
Unlimited respawns to a random edge of the map as far from another PC as possible. Start with dagger and leather.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
I say that instead of it being PvP combat, make it a PvP competition. Sure, they can sabotage each other, but give them a goal to race towards. This keeps them all in play much longer if not for the entire game (which will keep your players happier).
If possible, convert HP from Life to Will. Once they hit 0HP, they tap out and give up (instead of dying).
The general idea to this is good, yet I know most people don't want to play for a semester then the DM just says "OK, GUYS YOUR GOING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH AND GUESS WHAT THERE IS ONLY ONE WINNER!" and then they have to spend a whole summer again to get back to where they once were. This also would be annoying as one guy gets all of their stuff, if he is nice he'll give it back, yet this is unlikely (if your looking at this problem with the concept of influencing and human personality).
Yet even though people have been talking about starting equipment/ gameplay I would think a way to improve this experience is the concept of traps. (Another idea of using traps is that people will most likely be less bitter about having a statue torch you, or a rock crushing you then your bloody thirsty party slitting your throat).
The first trap normally focuses magic based classes as well as the rouge so this would be good fo various reasons, the main being that rouges can normally deactivate most mechanical traps. The idea is actually rather simple. A reinforced door is unable to be opened (a note is that this also can be used in dungeons). (various doors can eaither have this option for rouges or a permanent telekinesis spell that can be removed by the spell dispel magic) If a rouge choses to unlock it using his theifs tools a spring loaded battering ram smashes into them, if they succed in their saving throw it would hit the wall (if there is one) and collasp the room (if underground). This is effective, brutal and rasies awarness for running into places without and idea of the consequences.
This is a trap for wizard (the bladesinger) though I HIGHLY don't think it will be a good idea for this. (this idea is also for dungeons yet with a slight amount of tweaking it might work) Upon entering a room you find a book on a small table with a light source above it. Once open you start to read, after what seems like a instant you look up and see your party damaged etc. By removing the book you could make it so it releases a form of gas or fills the room with water. One idea with this however is it only works on wizard's because of there main two concepts. The spellbook and their intelligance. This could be used by a bard for example as a grenade that can just make the wizard useless for up to 10-20 turns. Again I don't recommend this AS IT COULD SPELL THE DOOM FOR THEIR CHARACTER IF SOMEONE WORKED OUT HOW TO USE IT.
I decided to dial it back and let one of my graduating 8th graders DM our final session and I got to play along with the kids. Haven't done anything other than DM for along time and I got to debut my gnome arcane trickster. He's a hoot to play (literally as he has an owl familiar that's almost as tall as he is). One of the kids didn't reallly feel like playing so we made him a ghost who would follow along and chime in from the sideline to cheer or boo! the characters at various times.
Fun was had.
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Hi all,
I DM a group of middle school kids as part of an afterschool program and I was trying to come up with an end of the year finale.
I normally don't allow PvP with them as it gets out of hand but I thought about doing an arena battle for our last session in a few weeks. I've done team PvP's before but thought I might try an everyone vs everyone melee with the goal to be the last person standing. Looking for suggestion and/or critques of this approach.
A little about the group: there are 8 of them, all 5th level,: druid, bard, wizard, bladesinger, rogue, paladin, cleric/ranger and a fighter. The kids don't really have much in the way of tactics typically and not all of them really understand the rules beyond the basics that well.
Here's a few things I've thought of so far:
I randomnly (sort of) preplace the players at the start of the melee. They do not get a chance to preview the arena. Arena has all kinds of features: varied elevations; fire features, water features, hidey holes, maybe a few traps.
Must attack at least every third round to keep things moving (we only have 2 hours)
Not much else so far.......
I'll start with saying I don't think PvP as a last session would be a great idea. The first people to get eliminated will have some bitterness and opens up the whole "Hey, remember when I beat your ass in the arena?!" It also makes it such that as the game progresses fewer people are participating. Ending the year on a downer for some kid just doesn't feel right to me.
-----------
That being said, if you still go ahead with the idea, use the deathmatch mode. Everybody starts with basic basic gear - daggers and leather. Scatter unknown weapons and equipment around the map in boxes or huts.
Use a battlemat.
Drop all loot on death.
Unlimited respawns to a random edge of the map as far from another PC as possible. Start with dagger and leather.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I say that instead of it being PvP combat, make it a PvP competition. Sure, they can sabotage each other, but give them a goal to race towards. This keeps them all in play much longer if not for the entire game (which will keep your players happier).
If possible, convert HP from Life to Will. Once they hit 0HP, they tap out and give up (instead of dying).
The general idea to this is good, yet I know most people don't want to play for a semester then the DM just says "OK, GUYS YOUR GOING TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH AND GUESS WHAT THERE IS ONLY ONE WINNER!" and then they have to spend a whole summer again to get back to where they once were. This also would be annoying as one guy gets all of their stuff, if he is nice he'll give it back, yet this is unlikely (if your looking at this problem with the concept of influencing and human personality).
Yet even though people have been talking about starting equipment/ gameplay I would think a way to improve this experience is the concept of traps. (Another idea of using traps is that people will most likely be less bitter about having a statue torch you, or a rock crushing you then your bloody thirsty party slitting your throat).
The first trap normally focuses magic based classes as well as the rouge so this would be good fo various reasons, the main being that rouges can normally deactivate most mechanical traps. The idea is actually rather simple. A reinforced door is unable to be opened (a note is that this also can be used in dungeons). (various doors can eaither have this option for rouges or a permanent telekinesis spell that can be removed by the spell dispel magic) If a rouge choses to unlock it using his theifs tools a spring loaded battering ram smashes into them, if they succed in their saving throw it would hit the wall (if there is one) and collasp the room (if underground). This is effective, brutal and rasies awarness for running into places without and idea of the consequences.
This is a trap for wizard (the bladesinger) though I HIGHLY don't think it will be a good idea for this. (this idea is also for dungeons yet with a slight amount of tweaking it might work) Upon entering a room you find a book on a small table with a light source above it. Once open you start to read, after what seems like a instant you look up and see your party damaged etc. By removing the book you could make it so it releases a form of gas or fills the room with water. One idea with this however is it only works on wizard's because of there main two concepts. The spellbook and their intelligance. This could be used by a bard for example as a grenade that can just make the wizard useless for up to 10-20 turns. Again I don't recommend this AS IT COULD SPELL THE DOOM FOR THEIR CHARACTER IF SOMEONE WORKED OUT HOW TO USE IT.
Greed is my lever, Fear my servent and Death my only friend.
Join the Grammer Cult.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I decided to dial it back and let one of my graduating 8th graders DM our final session and I got to play along with the kids. Haven't done anything other than DM for along time and I got to debut my gnome arcane trickster. He's a hoot to play (literally as he has an owl familiar that's almost as tall as he is). One of the kids didn't reallly feel like playing so we made him a ghost who would follow along and chime in from the sideline to cheer or boo! the characters at various times.
Fun was had.