I am new to AL. I am enjoying it and I am understanding of the fact that it is open play. However, is it possible to have kids only events? I don't want to be that guy, but the last time I played with kids under the age of 12 at a table, it was not a fun experience for most of the adults (non parents of the kids playing). The kids should be able to have fun but also not to the point where they are insulting to other players. Kids should be able to play with their parents, that is a way for the hobby to grow. But not every one at the table wants to play with kids who don't know how to behave.
Stores can have whatever sorts of AL events they want. If there is demand for a "kids table" where younger kids and parents can play, then there is nothing stopping the store from opening one. If there's not enough demand for one however, then you sort of just have to play with who shows up.
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"The mongoose blew out its candle and was asleep in bed before the room went dark." —Llanowar fable
In AL, you don't have any control over who shows up to play. This includes both adults and children, and children do not have a monopoly on misbehavior. Some of the adults who play can be far worse than many children and some of the children know more than many adults even if their perspective is often a bit more limited.
My suggestion is to engage with the other players as if they are all adults. If they don't seem to understand something or are treating other players badly then politely offer to help explain things or suggest that it isn't nice to treat others that way. Many LFGS will have a published code of conduct that addresses some areas of bad behavior that are not acceptable. Be polite about it but if a child is really "misbehaving" consider discussing it with the parent or the store owner away from the table. The store owner may decide to discuss it with the parent if the behaviour is really bad and affecting the game play for everyone else in the group.
its all up to the kids to be honest. my daughter (11) loves to play her fighter/cleric/rogue/warlock munchkin and my son (9) loves his unhittable cleric, they've reached level 20 in AL with both their characters and i have had very few problems with them (one notable time is when the daughters backup character was about to die and the other party members focused on the mission rather than saving her, she now holds a grudge against that particular player, but we all have those types of incidents, adult or child)
i have found some, or most of the problems at my tables come from supposed "Grown ups" rather than kids (i'm often a DM, and have a mix of young and old at most of my tables) however, i have a 6 year old that i have tried to initatiate into the hobby, but he just has too much energy, so i wouldn't even try to get him to sit down at a public place.
if you are having trouble with "problem" kids, then the best bet is to talk to the store employees to find out their policy on unattended kids, as most in my area will have anyone under 12 be required to be supervised with a parent/guardian, if thats the case, just politely remind the parents that you are a DM and not a baby sitter.
Here's my thoughts as a parent who plays AL at the local store with my 11yr old son.
One of the things I really like is the huge mix of of people at the table...from kids my son's age, to old gray-hairs, to middle-age 'this person is really weird' types. This puts my kid in an environment where he has to talk in front of strangers and sometimes explain/defend his actions - sometimes to someone he just pissed off by charging in and endangering the whole group. This is where I see the real value of my kid playing D&D in a public store. It's not just play time, he's learning a skill and thickening his skin.
Also, for kids, AL in the summer is not the same as AL during the school year. I'm talking our local store into having a group that only does <2 hour adventures. 3+ hour adventures are just too much during a school day. That restriction alone should discourage some of the adults from that specific table.
I am a twelve year old who has been informally playing DnD for about 7 years playing simplified 3.5 e with a (my dad's) first edition rule book. I can definitely back up your point in that every time I try to play with friends the game gets ruined. I ended up playing 5e with my friends who were 2 years older and the game was actually fun! We played two whole campaigns before I finally tried out adventurers leauge and it was sooo different. Because the players didn't know each other that translated into the game and there was very little role playing. But also the Dming was very different from what I was used to. I had Dmed friends games but this was far more complicated.
At our Adventurers leauge table there is a 10 year old who is one of the best players.
I agree with your point but it should be maturity not age that is measured. And 12 is too high if it were age that was required.
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I am new to AL. I am enjoying it and I am understanding of the fact that it is open play. However, is it possible to have kids only events? I don't want to be that guy, but the last time I played with kids under the age of 12 at a table, it was not a fun experience for most of the adults (non parents of the kids playing). The kids should be able to have fun but also not to the point where they are insulting to other players. Kids should be able to play with their parents, that is a way for the hobby to grow. But not every one at the table wants to play with kids who don't know how to behave.
Stores can have whatever sorts of AL events they want. If there is demand for a "kids table" where younger kids and parents can play, then there is nothing stopping the store from opening one. If there's not enough demand for one however, then you sort of just have to play with who shows up.
That is what I was thinking. It does make it hard when the parents don't control the little ones or the little ones refuse to behave.
In AL, you don't have any control over who shows up to play. This includes both adults and children, and children do not have a monopoly on misbehavior. Some of the adults who play can be far worse than many children and some of the children know more than many adults even if their perspective is often a bit more limited.
My suggestion is to engage with the other players as if they are all adults. If they don't seem to understand something or are treating other players badly then politely offer to help explain things or suggest that it isn't nice to treat others that way. Many LFGS will have a published code of conduct that addresses some areas of bad behavior that are not acceptable. Be polite about it but if a child is really "misbehaving" consider discussing it with the parent or the store owner away from the table. The store owner may decide to discuss it with the parent if the behaviour is really bad and affecting the game play for everyone else in the group.
its all up to the kids to be honest.
my daughter (11) loves to play her fighter/cleric/rogue/warlock munchkin and my son (9) loves his unhittable cleric, they've reached level 20 in AL with both their characters and i have had very few problems with them (one notable time is when the daughters backup character was about to die and the other party members focused on the mission rather than saving her, she now holds a grudge against that particular player, but we all have those types of incidents, adult or child)
i have found some, or most of the problems at my tables come from supposed "Grown ups" rather than kids (i'm often a DM, and have a mix of young and old at most of my tables) however, i have a 6 year old that i have tried to initatiate into the hobby, but he just has too much energy, so i wouldn't even try to get him to sit down at a public place.
if you are having trouble with "problem" kids, then the best bet is to talk to the store employees to find out their policy on unattended kids, as most in my area will have anyone under 12 be required to be supervised with a parent/guardian, if thats the case, just politely remind the parents that you are a DM and not a baby sitter.
Here's my thoughts as a parent who plays AL at the local store with my 11yr old son.
One of the things I really like is the huge mix of of people at the table...from kids my son's age, to old gray-hairs, to middle-age 'this person is really weird' types. This puts my kid in an environment where he has to talk in front of strangers and sometimes explain/defend his actions - sometimes to someone he just pissed off by charging in and endangering the whole group. This is where I see the real value of my kid playing D&D in a public store. It's not just play time, he's learning a skill and thickening his skin.
Also, for kids, AL in the summer is not the same as AL during the school year. I'm talking our local store into having a group that only does <2 hour adventures. 3+ hour adventures are just too much during a school day. That restriction alone should discourage some of the adults from that specific table.
Guide to the Five Factions (PWYW)
A rather comprehensive list of free WotC D&D resources
Deck of Decks
I am a twelve year old who has been informally playing DnD for about 7 years playing simplified 3.5 e with a (my dad's) first edition rule book. I can definitely back up your point in that every time I try to play with friends the game gets ruined. I ended up playing 5e with my friends who were 2 years older and the game was actually fun! We played two whole campaigns before I finally tried out adventurers leauge and it was sooo different. Because the players didn't know each other that translated into the game and there was very little role playing. But also the Dming was very different from what I was used to. I had Dmed friends games but this was far more complicated.
At our Adventurers leauge table there is a 10 year old who is one of the best players.
I agree with your point but it should be maturity not age that is measured. And 12 is too high if it were age that was required.