Hints on running a game for an 11 year old?

[Dr Jack]

My sister has asked me to run a one shot for my 11 year old nephew. I'm going to run a rules light system of my own, and we'll have a couple of other adult players.

I haven't run a game for 11 year old, since I was 11 myself *mumble* years ago. Any advice welcome?

 

[Jetstream]

Honestly, 11 seems like a normal rpg age? Don’t cuss more than your sister would?

Not sure what to say, honestly. There any video games the lad ain’t allowed to play because of content? Avoid that content?

 

[Bunch]

Write a script before hand. Throw it out the window. Anytime they start bouncing up and down in a chair do more of whatever you are currently doing. If they can't sit it means they are so excited! Keep that up. I find kids more than any other group hate railroads. They joined a game of anything goes to go and do anything.
My 10 and 8 year old like combat and exploration. So they have an apparatus of kwalsh and a spelljammer flying turtle ship. They go in space, underwater, flying through the air, whatever. Level them up every other adventure at most. They like getting more. Toss out one use magic items like popcorn. Kill off an NPC they like and replace it and see how they handle that. Maybe they like swapping out characters a lot. Maybe they hate dying. Figure that out.

 

[T. Foster]

Keep the action fast and furious. Let him make meaningful choices but also be willing to give him hints and nudges if it feels like he needs them - if he gets confused or lost or paralyzed by indecision. Don’t get hung up on math and rules minutiae - just encourage him to react to situations and describe his actions as if he were in the situation and handle all of the game mechanics on your end. Don’t bother with pop cultural references unless you’re familiar with the stuff 11 year olds are into (I know I’m not).

 

[TheoryofGame]

My sister has asked me to run a one shot for my 11 year old nephew. I'm going to run a rules light system of my own, and we'll have a couple of other adult players.

I haven't run a game for 11 year old, since I was 11 myself *mumble* years ago. Any advice welcome?

Has your nephew played a ttrpg before? What about the other players? If no then maybe have some pregens they can pick a character from instead of trying to create characters? Tell them about the setting and how to do stuff like fighting and using their words (deception, intimidation and persuasion). Tell them to try anything they want with their characters. The crazier the better!

Then kill all their characters with gleeful precision.

 

[Dan Davenport]

Seeing as how that's roughly when I started playing, I'd say keep things Rated PG but otherwise run the game like you would for anyone else. I know I never liked being condescended to.

 

[saskganesh]

"Here's a dungeon full of monsters and treasure. "

Have him roll up and run a couple of characters. Add a few friendly NPCs to the party (like the old soldier with lots of good advice, and the funny cleric (or thief) to keep things light and to get the RP rolling). And have fun.

He'll be hooked for life or you will be a failure as an uncle.

 

[Mankcam]

I would make it light hearted and fun

Good age for using classic archetypes, so D&D 5E Basic Rules is an obvious starting point
(Personally I would use Shadowdark because its similar to core D&D and even more straightforward)

Focus on investigation, puzzles, exploration, and discovery just as much as combat.
But combat is not excluded, it is the ultimate contest and part of the appeal of fantasy rpgs.
Maybe only horrid bestial monsters get killed. Most opponents just get 'beaten'.

You can aim for a sense of wonder without being too child-like. I would try to capture the tone and flavour of a cross between The Princess Bride, D&D Honor Amongst Thieves, and The Legend of Zelda as much as I could.
Things can be dialed up down the track if need be

 

[thebigh]

Be aware that there's a very good chance you'll be running a game for a murder hobo.

 

[Simlasa]

I run a game for about that age group every week.
I mostly run it as I would for adults, reacting to what the kids do in a fairly plausible way, "OK, you burn down the library... let's see what happens."
I don't pander to them or pull my punches because I know they want 'the real deal'... so we've had a few deaths... and they've pretty much learned not to pick fights without having a definite advantage.

 

[Simlasa]

Be aware that there's a very good chance you'll be running a game for a murder hobo.

In our group of 10ish, we had one of those... but I think he's realized that he'd rather get along with the other PCs than be a hunted outlaw (most of them are determined to play good guys).

 

[Mankcam]

I would start off light with a Zelda tone for 10yr olds, but be fully prepared for a party of psychopathic munchkins by the age of 12, heh heh

 

[T. Foster]

11 sounds young to us who are mostly in our 40s-50s (according to various demographic-type polls here) but when I was 11 I’d been playing (and running) rpgs for two years, was reading Dragon magazine, branching out into non-TSR games, and a month or so before my 12th birthday I attended my first gaming con. So while some allowance should be made for this kid as a noob, not much needs to be made for him as a kid (beyond common sensical stuff: avoid explicit sexual stuff, realistic depictions of atrocities, no-win moral quandaries, etc). If he’s anything like I was at that age he’ll appreciate that the game treats him like an “adult” and doesn’t pander or talk down to him as a kid.

My current group has two 12 year olds and a 14 year old alongside a bunch of adults. They enjoy that they’re playing the “real” game and not a safety-rails kiddified version. [Of course all of this is predicated on knowing what his parents consider acceptable and how advanced the kid is for his age. If he’s not ready you don’t want to accidentally traumatize him and cause a family conflict, but if he’s interested in playing chances are he wants to play something at least close to what adults and older kids play.]

 

[Dr Jack]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I appreciate them.

He's a bright lad, a bit sensitive and quite creative. He used to play a lot of make believe games with his brother when they were younger (before his brother got sick ). As others have said 11 is a perfectly good age for roleplaying, I was younger than that when I started, but I haven't spent much time around children since I was a child myself. My wife and I can't have children, and I live in a different country to my sister so I don't see the nephews much.

He'll be hooked for life or you will be a failure as an uncle.

This is what I'm worried about! Worse, my brother already ran a game for him and he had a great time then so I'll be a double failure!

 

[AsenRG]

I get how divine magic seems a lot more certain than "miracles" in the real world. However, I think there's still a role for doubt in fantasy worlds with divine magic. Specifically when it comes to scripture. They can't all be the creators of the universe, can they? If fantasy mythologies mirror real world mythologies, they are making a lot of competing cosmological claims that are mutually exclusive. One might even encounter two Lawful religions that demonize each other, each claiming that the other actually worships lying devils instead of gods.

It's one thing to say that you have access to power, but another to establish the moral and cosmological centrality of this power.

Honestly, 11 seems like a normal rpg age? Don’t cuss more than your sister would?

Not sure what to say, honestly. There any video games the lad ain’t allowed to play because of content? Avoid that content?

Write a script before hand. Throw it out the window. Anytime they start bouncing up and down in a chair do more of whatever you are currently doing. If they can't sit it means they are so excited! Keep that up. I find kids more than any other group hate railroads. They joined a game of anything goes to go and do anything.
My 10 and 8 year old like combat and exploration. So they have an apparatus of kwalsh and a spelljammer flying turtle ship. They go in space, underwater, flying through the air, whatever. Level them up every other adventure at most. They like getting more. Toss out one use magic items like popcorn. Kill off an NPC they like and replace it and see how they handle that. Maybe they like swapping out characters a lot. Maybe they hate dying. Figure that out.

Keep the action fast and furious. Let him make meaningful choices but also be willing to give him hints and nudges if it feels like he needs them - if he gets confused or lost or paralyzed by indecision. Don’t get hung up on math and rules minutiae - just encourage him to react to situations and describe his actions as if he were in the situation and handle all of the game mechanics on your end. Don’t bother with pop cultural references unless you’re familiar with the stuff 11 year olds are into (I know I’m not).

Be aware that there's a very good chance you'll be running a game for a murder hobo.

I run a game for about that age group every week.
I mostly run it as I would for adults, reacting to what the kids do in a fairly plausible way, "OK, you burn down the library... let's see what happens."
I don't pander to them or pull my punches because I know they want 'the real deal'... so we've had a few deaths... and they've pretty much learned not to pick fights without having a definite advantage.

11 sounds young to us who are mostly in our 40s-50s (according to various demographic-type polls here) but when I was 11 I’d been playing (and running) rpgs for two years, was reading Dragon magazine, branching out into non-TSR games, and a month or so before my 12th birthday I attended my first gaming con. So while some allowance should be made for this kid as a noob, not much needs to be made for him as a kid (beyond common sensical stuff: avoid explicit sexual stuff, realistic depictions of atrocities, no-win moral quandaries, etc). If he’s anything like I was at that age he’ll appreciate that the game treats him like an “adult” and doesn’t pander or talk down to him as a kid.

My current group has two 12 year olds and a 14 year old alongside a bunch of adults. They enjoy that they’re playing the “real” game and not a safety-rails kiddified version. [Of course all of this is predicated on knowing what his parents consider acceptable and how advanced the kid is for his age. If he’s not ready you don’t want to accidentally traumatize him and cause a family conflict, but if he’s interested in playing chances are he wants to play something at least close to what adults and older kids play.]

First Daughter is roughly the same age and I'd say these guys have it right. Also:
-Kids that age are fine with violence. Avoid sexual stuff, but let them indulge, they've got access to more action movies than we had growing up...including all of those that we had when growing up!

-You might be surprised at how ruthless that PC is (last year, First Daughter almost made me blink after she decided that the best way to deal with HK gangsters is to drown them in the harbour). Then again, it might not be.

-Run a system you enjoy and that you can explain in real-world terms. Get ready to fill gaps in the 11-yo player's knowledge about the world.

-Pets are the way to go. If you have other PCs with pets, there's going to be very quick party bonding. Prepare to RP the pet, BTW. Conversely, you might want to avoid attacking the pet.

-Have fun!

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

11? That is perfect! Make sure you give him rich descriptions and meaningful choices. He'll probably find the whole situation a bit weird in the beginnig, but most kids get sucked in pretty quickly.

keep it as simple as possible. Find badguy, beat up badguy, profit.

But will you run for him alone? The best advice I can give you is to ask if he has any friends that can join. Rpgs are so much better if you have someone to share it with. It is more fun during the session and it is more fun afterwards if they can share their experiences.

 

[Dr Jack]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?

But will you run for him alone? The best advice I can give you is to ask if he has any friends that can join. Rpgs are so much better if you have someone to share it with. It is more fun during the session and it is more fun afterwards if they can share their experiences.

There will be other adults playing, but he's the only child.

 

[Mankcam]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?

Hmmm, maybe just see my original advice, it'll probably hold up just as well for both age groups:
(Post #8)

 

[AsenRG]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?



There will be other adults playing, but he's the only child.

So the age of players in your group is kinda hard to randomize, unless we use 1d71+10...

 

[Bunch]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?



There will be other adults playing, but he's the only child.

Bad guys are undead. Otherwise the violence the 11 yr old would like and the non violence the 81 yr old might want to avoid, conflict.

I'd think something like Marvel Zombies where something universe wide is endangering the locales and the team has to find what's going on, find the cure and stop it.

The cure could have many parts so I'd the 11 year old wants to roam, everywhere they go is a piece needed for a cure or a clue. Give them random crap the sparkles and claim it's part of the cure at the end. Whatever they keep will be revealed later to be a missing piece needed.

Figure out if there will be more than one session.

 

[Dr Jack]

So, it went well. Honestly, I'm not sure I really needed to be nervous, it wasn't any harder than running a normal game. I just had to remember not to swear :p

The four players were my nephew, my wife, my mum, and my (other) brother. I did my usual one shot thing of getting the players to pick words to make up what we were going to play and we ended up with Cyber Shape-shifters vs. Malicious Dinosaurs. My nephew was playing a were-fox called Harold who was good at healing, bad at aiming, and had cybernetic healing hands. The others were a bat (my mum, who later decided she was a vampire bat), a squirrel called Chipmunk, and a colour-blind chameleon.

I decided they were a sort of superhero team in a fictional city, and set them to responding to a robbery at the Triangle ASIC bank. There they caused various kinds of chaos, dealing the masked robbers who were revealed to be were-dinosaurs when one of them turned into an Allosaurus and another turned into a Stegosaurus. I messed up a bit because I had come up with four dinosaur pun names to use - two male, two female - and then accidentally introduced three male villains so had to come up with another mid-action. After they foiled the bank robbery, and the one that turned into a Stegosaur was captured by the Police, from which they discovered that his name was Steven Gosaw and that it was inside job.

They then deduced that they could track the rest down by finding an employee with a dinosaur pun name and through Diana Plokus they tracked back to the mansion of Dr. Alexandro Losarr, where we had a grand final encounter - somewhat rushed at the end when my brother rather belatedly mentioned that he needed to leave for a fixed deadline - which involved a surprisingly large amount of (famously smelly) fox poo and then my nephew capturing the big bad in a velociraptor skeleton.

Fun was had by all, my Sister says he came back very happy and full of stories. I asked him what his favourite bit was and he said it was leaving a heart shaped poo on the doormat with a message saying "you're welcome", he also said it was much better than what his friends do #smugface. Hmm, not sure a middle aged man is really supposed to be smug they can do something better than an 11 year old's friends...

I think my mum gets why we like roleplaying games so much now.

Bad guys are undead. Otherwise the violence the 11 yr old would like and the non violence the 81 yr old might want to avoid, conflict.

I was a bit worried about violence levels and my mum, since she frequently complains about how violent TV shows and films are, but she turned out to be the most bloodthirsty of the lot. Literally deciding to go for the jugular in the fight when she decided she was a vampire bat and bit the lead villain in the neck.

Figure out if there will be more than one session.

This was definitely a one shot, but I think there may be demand for more games in future.

 

[Giganotosaurus]

I was a bit worried about violence levels and my mum, since she frequently complains about how violent TV shows and films are, but she turned out to be the most bloodthirsty of the lot. Literally deciding to go for the jugular in the fight when she decided she was a vampire bat and bit the lead villain in the neck.

Damn! Are you sure she's not an actual vampire?

 

[Jetstream]

(last year, First Daughter almost made me blink after she decided that the best way to deal with HK gangsters is to drown them in the harbour)

Honestly this doesn’t surprise me anymore. I got into a conversation on YouTube that ended up a lot of women telling me how it isn’t a tea party without at least a couple of dolls getting murdered or tortured.

 

[PolarBlues]

"Here's a dungeon full of monsters and treasure. "

Have him roll up and run a couple of characters. Add a few friendly NPCs to the party (like the old soldier with lots of good advice, and the funny cleric (or thief) to keep things light and to get the RP rolling). And have fun.

He'll be hooked for life or you will be a failure as an uncle.

11 year old me would have been very confused by the concept of a dungeon filled with monsters and treasures, and this despite being an avid reader of sci-fi novels, superhero comics and general geek fare. It wasn't till computer RPGs came on the scene that I was introduced to the concept of the fantasy dungeon.

 

[Jetstream]

11 year old me would have been very confused by the concept of a dungeon filled with monsters and treasures, and this despite being an avid reader of sci-fi novels, superhero comics and general geek fare. It wasn't till computer RPGs came on the scene that I was introduced to the concept of the fantasy dungeon.

I think the problem with it is that we call it a "dungeon" when that word generally refers to a prison, not a ... I dunno, compound?

 

[AsenRG]

So, it went well. Honestly, I'm not sure I really needed to be nervous, it wasn't any harder than running a normal game. I just had to remember not to swear :p

The four players were my nephew, my wife, my mum, and my (other) brother. I did my usual one shot thing of getting the players to pick words to make up what we were going to play and we ended up with Cyber Shape-shifters vs. Malicious Dinosaurs. My nephew was playing a were-fox called Harold who was good at healing, bad at aiming, and had cybernetic healing hands. The others were a bat (my mum, who later decided she was a vampire bat), a squirrel called Chipmunk, and a colour-blind chameleon.

I decided they were a sort of superhero team in a fictional city, and set them to responding to a robbery at the Triangle ASIC bank. There they caused various kinds of chaos, dealing the masked robbers who were revealed to be were-dinosaurs when one of them turned into an Allosaurus and another turned into a Stegosaurus. I messed up a bit because I had come up with four dinosaur pun names to use - two male, two female - and then accidentally introduced three male villains so had to come up with another mid-action. After they foiled the bank robbery, and the one that turned into a Stegosaur was captured by the Police, from which they discovered that his name was Steven Gosaw and that it was inside job.

They then deduced that they could track the rest down by finding an employee with a dinosaur pun name and through Diana Plokus they tracked back to the mansion of Dr. Alexandro Losarr, where we had a grand final encounter - somewhat rushed at the end when my brother rather belatedly mentioned that he needed to leave for a fixed deadline - which involved a surprisingly large amount of (famously smelly) fox poo and then my nephew capturing the big bad in a velociraptor skeleton.

Fun was had by all, my Sister says he came back very happy and full of stories. I asked him what his favourite bit was and he said it was leaving a heart shaped poo on the doormat with a message saying "you're welcome", he also said it was much better than what his friends do #smugface. Hmm, not sure a middle aged man is really supposed to be smug they can do something better than an 11 year old's friends...

I think my mum gets why we like roleplaying games so much now.



I was a bit worried about violence levels and my mum, since she frequently complains about how violent TV shows and films are, but she turned out to be the most bloodthirsty of the lot. Literally deciding to go for the jugular in the fight when she decided she was a vampire bat and bit the lead villain in the neck.



This was definitely a one shot, but I think there may be demand for more games in future.

First, congrats! I'm really glad it went well!

Honestly this doesn’t surprise me anymore. I got into a conversation on YouTube that ended up a lot of women telling me how it isn’t a tea party without at least a couple of dolls getting murdered or tortured.

...maybe, but I honestly doubt that First Son and Second Son are going to be much different in a couple of years.

I think all 9-12 years olds have an easier time "pulling off all the mental stops", especially* in a game.


*But not only, which is why we're very careful what we teach them in the gym.

11 year old me would have been very confused by the concept of a dungeon filled with monsters and treasures, and this despite being an avid reader of sci-fi novels, superhero comics and general geek fare. It wasn't till computer RPGs came on the scene that I was introduced to the concept of the fantasy dungeon.

Same here, honestly!

 

[Jetstream]

Honestly this doesn’t surprise me anymore. I got into a conversation on YouTube that ended up a lot of women telling me how it isn’t a tea party without at least a couple of dolls getting murdered or tortured.

It was in the comments on this, btw. Christ so many replies.

 

[Dr Jack]

11 year old me would have been very confused by the concept of a dungeon filled with monsters and treasures, and this despite being an avid reader of sci-fi novels, superhero comics and general geek fare. It wasn't till computer RPGs came on the scene that I was introduced to the concept of the fantasy dungeon.

I do wonder how many people have bounced off RPGs over the years because they couldn't grok the D&Disms.

 

[AsenRG]

I do wonder how many people have bounced off RPGs over the years because they couldn't grok the D&Disms.

Probably a whole lot, but we couldn't get any data, because such people naturally wouldn't visit RPG forums, now, would they?

 

[Johnny Utah]

He'll be hooked for life or you will be a failure as an uncle.

Well, as Peter Graham (or maybe somebody else) is alleged to have answered the question “When was the Golden Age of Science Fiction?”
“Twelve”

I sincerely believe that 11 or 12 sets your entire future of interests and hobbies. You will forever love that book series or movie or hobby if it gets its hooks in you at that age. Be warned!

 

[opaopajr]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?



There will be other adults playing, but he's the only child.

Bring out the "Let's Pretend!" costume chest, use costume hats! By tradition, THE Horned Hat is reserved for the GM.

 

[Jetstream]

Now my Mum has decided she wants to join in to. So, er, any tips on running for an 11 year old boy and a 81 year old Reverend?



There will be other adults playing, but he's the only child.

Obviously you have to run a Velocipastor inspired game.

 

[Brander]

One thing I did for the game I am running with my daughter (which started when she was 11 or just turned 12), and I'm pretty sure I stole it from a Rimworld mod of all things, was to replace everything "Romantic" with "Handholding."

We've since added another game with some older players and retained the Handholding rule with additional notes that there will be NO forced Handholding and that kids are made by "extended Handholding."*

Mostly because as her Dad I'm NOT running a game with any level of romance beyond that.

*No one thinks this is really how it works, it's a useful idea not an alternative explanation.

 

[Black Vulmea]

I learned to play D&D at eleven years old.

My dwarf fighter was killed by a ghoul, and my next character slit the throats of sleeping orcs.

Just play.

 

[Brander]

Yeah, they are fine with the violence and very often instigators of it. The last big fight was caused after I thought they had negotiated a peaceful resolution and then my daughter noted the bags of loot they had and mentioned they were letting it get away. Cost the players a PC too, not sure that they care.

 

[Kardinal Tabbe]

When I get concerned about the delicate sensibilities of kids, I try to remember how I was at the same age. And then it sort of goes away. Kids know that games are just make-believe and act accordingly.

 

[AsenRG]

When I get concerned about the delicate sensibilities of kids, I try to remember how I was at the same age. And then it sort of goes away. Kids know that games are just make-believe and act accordingly.

Yeah, I sometimes marvel I came up OK as an adult, I used to be a bloodthirsty little monster like most kids...