i have made my first ttrpg!
 |
| pic: old fairy scrap pictures from my stash |
i wanted to try a role-playing game with three children ages 5 to 8. i couldn't however find a non-violent ttrpg to buy. in every game i checked the players were supposed to defeat monsters. that's another discussion though, why isn't there any variety in problem solving in role-playing games for kids. since i couldn't find any i had to make my own.
 |
| pic: fairy game character sheets |
while pondering i realized that tooth fairies might be a non-violent option. afterall they are known for sneaking around and changing children's milk teeth into coins. if the theme of sneaking around in the dead of the night would feel too scary for the players, i decided that the fairy characters would volunteer during day time to rescue lost and/or injured animals from the fairy forest. in addition i thought these two themes would give me ample story ideas.
the game rules and a couple of adventures are downloadable for free from the next links:
note! the game material is only free for non-commercial use and all rights are reserved.
well, how was it playing the game?
i tried the game with the three children. the 8 year old found the game quite easy, but they were excited to help the storyteller read the dice. the 5 and 6 year olds could not interpret whether the test was successful or not, i.e. the pictures on the character sheet were too difficult for them to understand. they always asked to know what number they would try to roll, i.e. what number would pass the test (however, both understood the dice numbers with dots).
i thought beforehand that the kids would be really creative and come up with surprising solutions, but i had to help them quite a lot and they went largely with the solutions i came up with beforehand. so i got to be creative myself, even though i was well prepared. this was certainly influenced by the fact that the children were not used to role-playing games beforehand.
the first game was a bit longer because it required telling the players the initial setting and negotiating the characters and what they would like to do. i think the game lasted 30-45 min. the second game went faster and i sped it up myself. the second game was not at the most opportune time because it was morning and raining and the kids had not had time to spend their energy outside. their concentration was weaker and i found that a shorter game was then to everyone's liking. as i recall, the second game lasted only 15-20 min.
if it is possible to play with a more equal age group, the game can be more easily adapted to the difficulty level of the children. i have written down my thoughts in the rules, how to make the game more difficult if needed.
happy gaming to you all!
äitisuomennos: ks. ed. postaus.
