My local library is starting a D&D group for kids, then a separate group for teens. These groups will be sequential, so I'm DMing both. We don't know group sizes yet, but the theme of the library summer reading program is Fairy Tales. I'll be building a campaign for each, probably with a lot of idea crossover.
I plan to run pretty morally straightforward quests for the kids and more ambiguous ones for the teens. I've never DM'd in groups where players are fluid, and I've also never DM'd for an entire group that was new to D&D. Does anyone have any resources for DMing for children? I'd like some sort of method to walk through a group on character creation, or simplified class and race descriptions.
I also don't know what I don't know. I like to think I'm prepared, but does anyone have any "I didn't even think about _____" stories they think I can learn from? I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks.
I've started D&D groups in both of the schools I've worked in with students ranging in age from 12-18. I would always just start with the basics, explain that it's a role playing game (and what that means) where you'll create a character and then explore a world created by you the DM. I spent a lot of time really focused on just that piece so everyone had a good idea what good roleplaying is, not just the I'M SUPER AWESOME FIREBAL KILL EVERYONE TAKE THE MONEY!
Once everyone has a good understanding of what we're doing then go through the character sheet and explain each section, what it's for, how it's used etc. This can be pretty complicated for someone who's never been exposed to it before so don't assume anything. Be clear in your explanations, give examples, and ask them questions to make sure they understand.
Next up is character creation, they should have a good understanding of role play and mechanics from your previous lessons now it's time to bring their character concept to life. Help guide them with suggestions and ideas and really get them into the mindset of who this person is and what motivates them. Keep in mind that each person is going to be different, some really want all the nuts and bolts and details about everything others would rather not be bothered with all the fine points.
For those that join as you're in progress you will need to plan some time to work with them to get them up to speed.
Most of all, have a good time, take things as the pace that best fits your players and be open to answer questions.
Depends on what is the number of occurences, how much time you have available for each session. Can't really make that up from your initial post. I guess Dos246's comments are pretty good if you're running multiple sessions with dedicated kids. If this is a come-and-go kind of thing, or is just a couple of sessions of 2-3 hours I would go with an approach that's kinda looking like a one-shot; pre-made characters, clear story, skip over the hook & background thing and get them into the game. I organized some sessions for my nephews and some friends and I skipped over almost the entire rules explanation and said: I'm going to tell a story, you're playing the character that's in front of you, there are no limitations on what you can attempt to do, but there are limitation on what will succeed using your characteristics that's where all the numbers on your sheet are for. We will learn to know them as we play.
It went pretty ok, what I noticed is that it's challenging for them to handle the amount of possibilities and really to decide which way to go. So next time I will make it a bit more straight forward. I guess they're used to app-games giving a tutorial where to click next ;)
Rob's got it right. I've ran a couple of made for kids games for my 9 year old, and it was difficult for him at first. He was treating it like a video game, and would get upset when he missed his attack rolls when everyone else was hitting them.
I had to switch gears with him and make it more about exploration and roll play, and less about killing and winning.
Patrick Rothfuss did an interview where he explained how he DMs for his boy. He doesn't have combat at all, but instead presents moral situations, like helping someone who is stuck in a well. His boy's character doesn't have weapons, he has a magic rope. Things like that for children are amazing, they can kill anything in a video game, but they don't have complete freedom like they do in DnD.
As for the teenagers, I would say the same thing, but have combat that is a consequence of the story, not just a group of goblins that are there to be killed.
The plan is to have a weekly 2 hour session for kids and a weekly 2 hour session for teens. There's no information on the consistency or personalities of either group. I was thinking it could be episodic for both groups, something like a bunch of one-shots tied to a bigger arc. That way if you missed a session it wouldn't matter TOO much.
I DM for a group of kids aged 7-11, including my 9-year-old son. I wish I could have started them using the sidekick rules - they are simplified versions of the classes that seem perfect for those just getting started.
I really don't like the idea of handing out completed characters for them to play. It helps a lot if they can invest themselves into the characters by creating them. This can be done in a session zero where you don't even try to do any playing, just creating the character as if they were going to write their own fairy tale and need to come up with the protagonist.
I have a short list of "If you use these in the game then you're not going to get to see your son for a while" :-) things like mutilation, sex, drugs, etc. Make sure you have such a list before you start. His mother went apeshit, but my son handled a ritual sacrifice well, suggesting on the way home that maybe we could somehow try to resurrect the victim. That led to the next big adventure, seeking the sap of a life tree so the city priest could do the spell.
The younger kids won't really understand why they need a backstory, but press them on it. My son came up with one that is pretty good and it has really steered the campaign. Use their backstory as much as you can.
One kid is a warlock (GOO) so I wrote up a spooky dream for him. In it, he got pulled underwater (he's a tortle, so no problem there) and went into a cave. In the cave he found something really important. So in the gameplay I had some mer-zombies attack their boat and they had to go fight underwater. After they dispatched the zombie-mermen they found an underwater cave. They went exploring in there and fought another monster. When they killed it, the warlock's patron messaged him with "thank you, now I can get back to sleep. That thing buzzing in my ear was really annoying". The island in the river was his patron's ear, and the cave was the ear canal. The kid was pretty happy with that adventure.
Using figures on a map is very helpful. Theatre of the mind is cool, but kids won't likely be able to keep track of positions and tactics in their heads.
On the other hand, kids can handle a lot more complexity in the story and creatures than you'd think.4
The hardest thing is keeping them focused. I could use help with that. They act selfish, in that they are thinking more about their character instead of the party. We have no support characters other than a parent playing a cleric - they all want to be the hero that kills the monsters. I'm still trying to get them to even watch what the other kids are doing and say "good hit" or whatever.
I just watched one of Matt Mercer's videos where he says he makes tic marks when players do cool RP, then gives them so much XP/tic. I think I'm going to try that to see if it helps the kids RP better and support the party.
FYI, I tried using candy as the monsters and it was OK for a while. The player that kills the monster gets to eat it. But you can't have a ton of monsters, plus sugar rush!
Two hours for the younger kids is about the max before they get too unfocused.
One-shots that fit an arc is a good plan, IMHO. Getting the kids to do a one-shot in one shot is a challenge though. :-)
I think I'll have the library have a "Don't touch this topic" sheet for the parents during sign up. That's really good advice. Positive reinforcement is something I need to think about. I don't want to use food, because it gets old pretty quickly and then I'd need a food everyone likes.
What about some kind of token that equates to a "+1" on a roll? As in, they're nice to their fellow players or they do some great role-playing and they get a little pog thingy. Then they can turn in their pog to improve their roll. I don't think that'd shift the balance too much, and everyone likes getting tokens.
With kids and younger teens, structured story telling becomes more important. You're going to have players try to fight each other, you're going to have players try to slap the bar maid or threaten the merchant or insult the king, and any number of other stupid things just for the lulz. Your options are either a) play it out to its conclusion (probably not fun for you as the story teller, or for the rest of the group, or for that player when they get caught in their own consequences), b) ignore it and tell them no (a band aid that won't stop the disruptive behavior, and likely to spill over into some players checking out of the story once they feel like they're being railroaded and not given the ability to make their own decisions), or c) shape the game in a way that minimizes those opportunities. For kids, I like c) .... lead them up to situations with rubber walls where they're free to act out but don't invite them to make decisions at all in areas where that will go poorly. The story picks up in the dungeon with the quest background lore dumped on them, the merchants and npcs they interact are mostly solo NPCs they're meeting in the field, etc... less opportunities for them to run amock in a town of law and order, and combat is 99% of what interests kids anyway. Once you start to build trust with your group, slowly start introducing them to civilization and/or NPCs that they can't just push around and do whatever they want with. If kids are told that they already have been hired by the king to rescue his daughter, and then they meet her in the dungeon and rescue her and get to play out all of that, and then at the end of the session are just told what sort of reward they received after returning her to town... it's a more structured story than an adult group would probably be satisfied with, but unless you have a good plan for how to save the story when someone decides to steal the King's crown, it's much safer.
So, last week, my son noticed my dice sitting out and asked me about them. I started explaining the general rules to him, and before you know it, he's rolled his first character, a firbolg ranger. I just ran this with him as his first session
He loved it. I was terrified when I rolled for the random encounter and got an ogre, but it all worked out well.
Biggest advice I can give is to establish order. Children will want to talk over you. They will want to add their own twists to the story. Establish a key phrase to let them know when the story is in their hands, before that phrase is said, YOU are telling the story. Just be prepared for the reality that the first hour will be rough.
I just had a session where I (27 years old) was a player with two 19-year-olds and an 18-year-old. I had forgotten that table etiquette was something that needed to be taught, and that DM respect is not something that is assumed.
Has anyone had any experience using roleplaying as a behavioral deterrent? Such as "Why do you think your character would want to steal the king's crown, in broad daylight, with no preparation?" It makes sense that it should work in my head, but I've never applied it.
you might want to read the 'young adventurers's guide' books for some ideas for the kids group. Not that adults get the rules correct either, but you're bound to have some kids that just are not going to have the resources to buy books or even to read many (or even some) of the stuff that is out there online (even something like the free basic rules) -- whether that's a monetary restriction or just a screen-time restriction. You might not adopt all the simpler rules, but there's some good ideas. you're going to have some kids with just a character sheet, not knowing how all the pieces fit together.
My local library is starting a D&D group for kids, then a separate group for teens. These groups will be sequential, so I'm DMing both. We don't know group sizes yet, but the theme of the library summer reading program is Fairy Tales. I'll be building a campaign for each, probably with a lot of idea crossover.
I plan to run pretty morally straightforward quests for the kids and more ambiguous ones for the teens. I've never DM'd in groups where players are fluid, and I've also never DM'd for an entire group that was new to D&D. Does anyone have any resources for DMing for children? I'd like some sort of method to walk through a group on character creation, or simplified class and race descriptions.
I also don't know what I don't know. I like to think I'm prepared, but does anyone have any "I didn't even think about _____" stories they think I can learn from? I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks.
I've started D&D groups in both of the schools I've worked in with students ranging in age from 12-18. I would always just start with the basics, explain that it's a role playing game (and what that means) where you'll create a character and then explore a world created by you the DM. I spent a lot of time really focused on just that piece so everyone had a good idea what good roleplaying is, not just the I'M SUPER AWESOME FIREBAL KILL EVERYONE TAKE THE MONEY!
Once everyone has a good understanding of what we're doing then go through the character sheet and explain each section, what it's for, how it's used etc. This can be pretty complicated for someone who's never been exposed to it before so don't assume anything. Be clear in your explanations, give examples, and ask them questions to make sure they understand.
Next up is character creation, they should have a good understanding of role play and mechanics from your previous lessons now it's time to bring their character concept to life. Help guide them with suggestions and ideas and really get them into the mindset of who this person is and what motivates them. Keep in mind that each person is going to be different, some really want all the nuts and bolts and details about everything others would rather not be bothered with all the fine points.
For those that join as you're in progress you will need to plan some time to work with them to get them up to speed.
Most of all, have a good time, take things as the pace that best fits your players and be open to answer questions.
Depends on what is the number of occurences, how much time you have available for each session. Can't really make that up from your initial post. I guess Dos246's comments are pretty good if you're running multiple sessions with dedicated kids. If this is a come-and-go kind of thing, or is just a couple of sessions of 2-3 hours I would go with an approach that's kinda looking like a one-shot; pre-made characters, clear story, skip over the hook & background thing and get them into the game. I organized some sessions for my nephews and some friends and I skipped over almost the entire rules explanation and said: I'm going to tell a story, you're playing the character that's in front of you, there are no limitations on what you can attempt to do, but there are limitation on what will succeed using your characteristics that's where all the numbers on your sheet are for. We will learn to know them as we play.
It went pretty ok, what I noticed is that it's challenging for them to handle the amount of possibilities and really to decide which way to go. So next time I will make it a bit more straight forward. I guess they're used to app-games giving a tutorial where to click next ;)
Rob's got it right. I've ran a couple of made for kids games for my 9 year old, and it was difficult for him at first. He was treating it like a video game, and would get upset when he missed his attack rolls when everyone else was hitting them.
I had to switch gears with him and make it more about exploration and roll play, and less about killing and winning.
Patrick Rothfuss did an interview where he explained how he DMs for his boy. He doesn't have combat at all, but instead presents moral situations, like helping someone who is stuck in a well. His boy's character doesn't have weapons, he has a magic rope. Things like that for children are amazing, they can kill anything in a video game, but they don't have complete freedom like they do in DnD.
As for the teenagers, I would say the same thing, but have combat that is a consequence of the story, not just a group of goblins that are there to be killed.
Sorry for the lack of details.
The plan is to have a weekly 2 hour session for kids and a weekly 2 hour session for teens. There's no information on the consistency or personalities of either group. I was thinking it could be episodic for both groups, something like a bunch of one-shots tied to a bigger arc. That way if you missed a session it wouldn't matter TOO much.
I DM for a group of kids aged 7-11, including my 9-year-old son. I wish I could have started them using the sidekick rules - they are simplified versions of the classes that seem perfect for those just getting started.
I really don't like the idea of handing out completed characters for them to play. It helps a lot if they can invest themselves into the characters by creating them. This can be done in a session zero where you don't even try to do any playing, just creating the character as if they were going to write their own fairy tale and need to come up with the protagonist.
I have a short list of "If you use these in the game then you're not going to get to see your son for a while" :-) things like mutilation, sex, drugs, etc. Make sure you have such a list before you start. His mother went apeshit, but my son handled a ritual sacrifice well, suggesting on the way home that maybe we could somehow try to resurrect the victim. That led to the next big adventure, seeking the sap of a life tree so the city priest could do the spell.
The younger kids won't really understand why they need a backstory, but press them on it. My son came up with one that is pretty good and it has really steered the campaign. Use their backstory as much as you can.
One kid is a warlock (GOO) so I wrote up a spooky dream for him. In it, he got pulled underwater (he's a tortle, so no problem there) and went into a cave. In the cave he found something really important. So in the gameplay I had some mer-zombies attack their boat and they had to go fight underwater. After they dispatched the zombie-mermen they found an underwater cave. They went exploring in there and fought another monster. When they killed it, the warlock's patron messaged him with "thank you, now I can get back to sleep. That thing buzzing in my ear was really annoying". The island in the river was his patron's ear, and the cave was the ear canal. The kid was pretty happy with that adventure.
Using figures on a map is very helpful. Theatre of the mind is cool, but kids won't likely be able to keep track of positions and tactics in their heads.
On the other hand, kids can handle a lot more complexity in the story and creatures than you'd think.4
The hardest thing is keeping them focused. I could use help with that. They act selfish, in that they are thinking more about their character instead of the party. We have no support characters other than a parent playing a cleric - they all want to be the hero that kills the monsters. I'm still trying to get them to even watch what the other kids are doing and say "good hit" or whatever.
I just watched one of Matt Mercer's videos where he says he makes tic marks when players do cool RP, then gives them so much XP/tic. I think I'm going to try that to see if it helps the kids RP better and support the party.
FYI, I tried using candy as the monsters and it was OK for a while. The player that kills the monster gets to eat it. But you can't have a ton of monsters, plus sugar rush!
Two hours for the younger kids is about the max before they get too unfocused.
One-shots that fit an arc is a good plan, IMHO. Getting the kids to do a one-shot in one shot is a challenge though. :-)
Good luck!
I think I'll have the library have a "Don't touch this topic" sheet for the parents during sign up. That's really good advice. Positive reinforcement is something I need to think about. I don't want to use food, because it gets old pretty quickly and then I'd need a food everyone likes.
What about some kind of token that equates to a "+1" on a roll? As in, they're nice to their fellow players or they do some great role-playing and they get a little pog thingy. Then they can turn in their pog to improve their roll. I don't think that'd shift the balance too much, and everyone likes getting tokens.
With kids and younger teens, structured story telling becomes more important. You're going to have players try to fight each other, you're going to have players try to slap the bar maid or threaten the merchant or insult the king, and any number of other stupid things just for the lulz. Your options are either a) play it out to its conclusion (probably not fun for you as the story teller, or for the rest of the group, or for that player when they get caught in their own consequences), b) ignore it and tell them no (a band aid that won't stop the disruptive behavior, and likely to spill over into some players checking out of the story once they feel like they're being railroaded and not given the ability to make their own decisions), or c) shape the game in a way that minimizes those opportunities. For kids, I like c) .... lead them up to situations with rubber walls where they're free to act out but don't invite them to make decisions at all in areas where that will go poorly. The story picks up in the dungeon with the quest background lore dumped on them, the merchants and npcs they interact are mostly solo NPCs they're meeting in the field, etc... less opportunities for them to run amock in a town of law and order, and combat is 99% of what interests kids anyway. Once you start to build trust with your group, slowly start introducing them to civilization and/or NPCs that they can't just push around and do whatever they want with. If kids are told that they already have been hired by the king to rescue his daughter, and then they meet her in the dungeon and rescue her and get to play out all of that, and then at the end of the session are just told what sort of reward they received after returning her to town... it's a more structured story than an adult group would probably be satisfied with, but unless you have a good plan for how to save the story when someone decides to steal the King's crown, it's much safer.
dndbeyond.com forum tags
I'm going to make this way harder than it needs to be.
So, last week, my son noticed my dice sitting out and asked me about them. I started explaining the general rules to him, and before you know it, he's rolled his first character, a firbolg ranger. I just ran this with him as his first session
https://dmingdad.com/pseudodragon-roundup/
He loved it. I was terrified when I rolled for the random encounter and got an ogre, but it all worked out well.
Biggest advice I can give is to establish order. Children will want to talk over you. They will want to add their own twists to the story. Establish a key phrase to let them know when the story is in their hands, before that phrase is said, YOU are telling the story. Just be prepared for the reality that the first hour will be rough.
I just had a session where I (27 years old) was a player with two 19-year-olds and an 18-year-old. I had forgotten that table etiquette was something that needed to be taught, and that DM respect is not something that is assumed.
Has anyone had any experience using roleplaying as a behavioral deterrent? Such as "Why do you think your character would want to steal the king's crown, in broad daylight, with no preparation?" It makes sense that it should work in my head, but I've never applied it.
you might want to read the 'young adventurers's guide' books for some ideas for the kids group. Not that adults get the rules correct either, but you're bound to have some kids that just are not going to have the resources to buy books or even to read many (or even some) of the stuff that is out there online (even something like the free basic rules) -- whether that's a monetary restriction or just a screen-time restriction. You might not adopt all the simpler rules, but there's some good ideas. you're going to have some kids with just a character sheet, not knowing how all the pieces fit together.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/EJB/dungeons-and-dragons-young-adventurers-guides
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
Deck of Decks