My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere, but what is the policy on young children at Paizocon? Just to clarify, I'm buying badges for my wife and I to attend. But we'll also be traveling with our 5 year-old and 6 month-old as we're driving through to a family vacation at Cannon Beach. She will probably spend a fair amount time "entertaining" our kids with other pursuits outside of Paizocon. But for the relatively small amount of time I might have one of the kids with me, does the 5 year-old need a badge to wander around with me? I'm assuming the 6 month old wouldn't?
So long as the kids aren't actively participating in an event, you do not need a badge for them. Heck, if we get enough kids coming we might have to come up with some creative solutions to help beleaguered parents entertain their children whilst they game (says a beleaguered parent).
I hear Timitius make a darn good nanny!
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Heck, if we get enough kids coming we might have to come up with some creative solutions to help beleaguered parents entertain their children whilst they game (says a beleaguered parent).
Somehow I doubt that will involve a wet-nurse for the three-month old I expect to have with me this year. Which is fine, because that's kind of creepy anyway :).
~One more beleaguered parent headed off to bed, with her open call submission in under the wire...yay!
Heh. I asked my wife last night if she'd like to come along and bring our three kids this year. Her response was less than enthusiastic. When we "vacation" like that, she prefers greater than 50% of the time devoted to family stuff not related to gaming. And, as she knows I'll likely be involved in seminars, games, etc. more than 50% of the time, she'd prefer to hold out for a "real" vacation later in the year. And that's okay by me. Two vacations rather than one! Though I'll be missing the family while in Seattle again.
Heh. I asked my wife last night if she'd like to come along and bring our three kids this year. Her response was less than enthusiastic. When we "vacation" like that, she prefers greater than 50% of the time devoted to family stuff not related to gaming. And, as she knows I'll likely be involved in seminars, games, etc. more than 50% of the time, she'd prefer to hold out for a "real" vacation later in the year. And that's okay by me. Two vacations rather than one! Though I'll be missing the family while in Seattle again.
Hehehe...
Yesterday I asked my wife:-where do you prefer to go: PaizoCon or GenCon?
She responded right away:
-PaizoCon!
Happy with her choice, I asked her:
-Wanna met the paizonians?
She answerds right away again:
-Nop, I want to visit Seattle
......... O.o
SO, she couldn't care less about the gaming but she cares even less about visiting Indi... :D.
PS: Right afetr we talked about this she asked me: Make me a T-Shirt that says: I love my geek....
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Heh. I asked my wife last night if she'd like to come along and bring our three kids this year. Her response was less than enthusiastic. When we "vacation" like that, she prefers greater than 50% of the time devoted to family stuff not related to gaming. And, as she knows I'll likely be involved in seminars, games, etc. more than 50% of the time, she'd prefer to hold out for a "real" vacation later in the year. And that's okay by me. Two vacations rather than one! Though I'll be missing the family while in Seattle again.
Heheh, then just steal one of them for PaizoCon Neil....your favorite one, muhahahah.
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I just ordered my tickets - I'm super stoked!
We are going to come out a few days early and make a mini vacation of it. My 15 year old son will be coming, but he will be playing right along with me (yes, that's right, he is one of the next generation of D&D / Pathfinder fans :) )
That begs a kind of off topic question ... my wife is coming as well, but is not a gamer in any way. She will not be coming to the actual Con (she will be trying to find nearby antique shops etc to occupy her time during the Con). I'm assuming it's still OK to get her a ticket to the Preview Dinner, right?
Thanks!
They must come preseasoned. We'll supply the bbq pit.
LOL, after 6 months with no sleep, I might take you up on that kind offer....
As much as I detest the thought of ever having children myself, they can be amusing at times. :) What about developing an interactive specifically designed for kids of a certain age range? That could not only keep those little buggers entertained, but could also get them hooked on Pathfinder. >:)
So long as the kids aren't actively participating in an event, you do not need a badge for them. Heck, if we get enough kids coming we might have to come up with some creative solutions to help beleaguered parents entertain their children whilst they game (says a beleaguered parent).
Children chew and children bite,
Children whine and children fight.Knee the dad and bug the mum,
Kids won't eat or wipe their bum!
Unfortunately, unlike goblins with dogs and horses, there is no Kryptonite I know of strong enough to hold back my 4-year-old.....If you have any bugbear daycare staff, that MIGHT work....
Quarantine a room off, put all the kids in it, and every hour or so, dump in a crate of 40 or 50 random potions. Bam, the kids are entertained and you have some YouTube gold!
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Heh. I asked my wife last night if she'd like to come along and bring our three kids this year. Her response was less than enthusiastic. When we "vacation" like that, she prefers greater than 50% of the time devoted to family stuff not related to gaming. And, as she knows I'll likely be involved in seminars, games, etc. more than 50% of the time, she'd prefer to hold out for a "real" vacation later in the year. And that's okay by me. Two vacations rather than one! Though I'll be missing the family while in Seattle again.Hehehe...
Yesterday I asked my wife:
-where do you prefer to go: PaizoCon or GenCon?
She responded right away:
-PaizoCon!
Happy with her choice, I asked her:
-Wanna met the paizonians?
She answerds right away again:
-Nop, I want to visit Seattle
......... O.oSO, she couldn't care less about the gaming but she cares even less about visiting Indi... :D.
PS: Right afetr we talked about this she asked me: Make me a T-Shirt that says: I love my geek....
I hope to still be able to attend both. :O)
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Someone asked about a special kid area during a panel at PAX last year. As geeks get older and these cons get bigger and more popular , I see the need for some type of child care system (and I don't even have children).
The child care system for my kids, since the age of 4 (oldest is now 19) has been to teach them to roll dice, make up a support character for whatever we're playing, and have them at the table.
Warning to child haters (or those who just prefer not to play with kids) - my 11 yo daughter will be playing at the con. But, her behaviour is generally above your average teenage gamer's level and she has been learning for seven years how to be a team player.
So is PaizoCon a lot tamer than what we have in the South East?
DragonCon is decidedly R-rated (probably needs to be NC-17) and is NOT the sort of place I'd want to see kids wandering around. Just wondering in case any Seoni or Mammy Graul cosplayers show up...
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I fully intend to bring my kids to an event in the future, but not this time. This will be my first PaizoCon and I prefer to spend my time meeting the good folks I've come to know from the boards, etc.
I do, however, encourage the idea of events that support gaming parents.
Maybe we could have a workshop that helps parents bring their kids into their games. I've been teaching my daughters a bit and enjoy hearing other folks' experiences via the boards, but it would be cool to share perspectives and ideas in a more personal environment.
Paizo Con, like Paizo, is a family affair. We expect everyone to use common sense and be on their best behavior. :-)
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My wife and I bring my son with us to GenCon every year. He's 13 now, and games really help with is education. Kids at cons are cool. Parents just need to step up and make sure that they act the right way.
But this year it will just be the wife and I at Paizocon. She wanted a romantic geek experiance.
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In our family, we start bringing the kids when they hit middle school age. My rule is they have to be old enough to leave a major booth at GenCon, walk to the bathroom and come back without assistance. By the time, they've played enough games at home with us that they know how to behave at a table, and will enjoy playing enough that the Con is good for all of us.
I'm really looking forward to our youngest being old enough to join us at all the Cons.
If Paizo is intending PaizoCon to be kid-friendly then it is my fervent hope that this will be reflected in the content of the PFS scenarios selected for the con. I ran a late-night RPGA horror game at GenCon about ten years ago, and one man brought his eight-year-old daughter to the game. I angered every player there, including the one with who brought the child, when I announced I was bowdlerizing the contents of the game as a result of her presence, but I'd read the scenario and they hadn't and knew what I was talking about. She seemed to fall asleep partway through the game, but I still kept the contents child-friendly (tricky as that is to do in a horror game).
This was back when players graded their GMs, and I lost serious points on that one; I still maintain that I did the right thing, and if a convention's PFS scenarios are as child-unfriendly as some Paizo scenarios have been then I'll do the same thing again (even if it's against the rules). I would walk away from a table before I would run, for instance, Carnival of Souls for an eight-year-old unless I were permitted to heavily modify it.
Back me up, someone. :D
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I run PFS games on a regular basis with my son (13) in the group and I find that a rarely have to send my daughter (8) out of the room for any of the material.
Sometimes I edit on the fly if I think that a word might not be appropriate, but I don't feel that I have ever had to really change thee way the senario runs due to young players.
Having said this though. This is PaizoCon... (Kick into pit of death, ...no wait) I think that all of us, with or without kids understand that this is pretty much a PG-13 kinda event. The games have suggestion of what is involded and accepted ages.
If a game master came up to me and said, "Um I'm going to let you know that this might not be a good idea for your kid because the material is not really cool for someone underage." I'd understand and see if I could get into something else.
If your running the game and you give the warning and the parent gets upset, I'd have them speak with the event coordinator.
So what this comes down to, its a Con. Let the buyer (player) beware and have fun.
For fan event submissions (which we need - see here!), we require that you include a rating for your game. I would love love love to see some kid-friendly games being run at PaizoCon - we need to educate the next generation of gamers!
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If Paizo is intending PaizoCon to be kid-friendly then it is my fervent hope that this will be reflected in the content of the PFS scenarios selected for the con. I ran a late-night RPGA horror game at GenCon about ten years ago, and one man brought his eight-year-old daughter to the game. I angered every player there, including the one with who brought the child, when I announced I was bowdlerizing the contents of the game as a result of her presence, but I'd read the scenario and they hadn't and knew what I was talking about. She seemed to fall asleep partway through the game, but I still kept the contents child-friendly (tricky as that is to do in a horror game).
This was back when players graded their GMs, and I lost serious points on that one; I still maintain that I did the right thing, and if a convention's PFS scenarios are as child-unfriendly as some Paizo scenarios have been then I'll do the same thing again (even if it's against the rules). I would walk away from a table before I would run, for instance, Carnival of Souls for an eight-year-old unless I were permitted to heavily modify it.
Back me up, someone. :D
I think you did absolutely the right thing, tbug, but I'm draconian in that respect.
There are way too many parents who don't consider the content of the media to which they expose their children.
While it's up to the parents to decide what is right for their kids (and they need to be given sufficient info to make that decision), it's also the right of a GM to decide whether they wish to expose anyone, especially children, to particularly graphic material.
Personally, had I been that father (who probably should have had his daughter in bed, rather than keeping her out at a late-night gaming session--again...I'm draconian), I would have thanked you for creating the opportunity to keep her in the game.
While I won't be bringing my daughters for a number of reasons, I hope to see some kid-friendly events so I can pitch a future trip to my wife, once my girls have reached a level of maturity that will allow me to bring them.
If Paizo is intending PaizoCon to be kid-friendly then it is my fervent hope that this will be reflected in the content of the PFS scenarios selected for the con.
Pathfinder Society scenarios are geared for PG-13. That's all I can promise.
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For fan event submissions (which we need - see here!), we require that you include a rating for your game. I would love love love to see some kid-friendly games being run at PaizoCon - we need to educate the next generation of gamers!
I firmly agree. My 12 year old son is attending.
If Paizo is intending PaizoCon to be kid-friendly then it is my fervent hope that this will be reflected in the content of the PFS scenarios selected for the con. I ran a late-night RPGA horror game at GenCon about ten years ago, and one man brought his eight-year-old daughter to the game. I angered every player there, including the one with who brought the child, when I announced I was bowdlerizing the contents of the game as a result of her presence...
...Back me up, someone. :D
I've got your back tbug.
I regularly modify adventures for my children (11 and 7) and thoroughly vet their movies, books, computer games, and internet access (not having cable TV makes this easier). I'm pretty old fashioned in this regard (and not likely to be convinced to be otherwise).
I'm still pondering having my 11-year-old daughter attend. She games here at home and I have taken her to other local conventions...but I'm not sure I want to expose her to the greater gaming community without a chaperon. Maybe next year.
CJ
I just want to give everyone a friendly reminder that if your children are attending and playing games, they will need a badge. If they are just coming with you, they do not need a badge.
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If Paizo is intending PaizoCon to be kid-friendly then it is my fervent hope that this will be reflected in the content of the PFS scenarios selected for the con. I ran a late-night RPGA horror game at GenCon about ten years ago, and one man brought his eight-year-old daughter to the game. I angered every player there, including the one with who brought the child, when I announced I was bowdlerizing the contents of the game as a result of her presence, but I'd read the scenario and they hadn't and knew what I was talking about. She seemed to fall asleep partway through the game, but I still kept the contents child-friendly (tricky as that is to do in a horror game).
This was back when players graded their GMs, and I lost serious points on that one; I still maintain that I did the right thing, and if a convention's PFS scenarios are as child-unfriendly as some Paizo scenarios have been then I'll do the same thing again (even if it's against the rules). I would walk away from a table before I would run, for instance, Carnival of Souls for an eight-year-old unless I were permitted to heavily modify it.
Back me up, someone. :D
I also have your back on this, and think you did the right thing in a rotten situation. There are some adventures that are just not suitable for children. It's particularly difficult when you're a GM who actually runs a lot of horror based adventures, and you should not have been unfairly graded by a situation that was beyond your control.
Why was a man bringing a child to a late-night game anyway. I might have told him that the particular game was unsuitable for children and told him he couldn't join with a child in tow. Still you made the correct call.
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Some of you may remember my post on my daughters' first RPG session.
I'd be happy to run a session or two of the game for parents (with or without their kids at the table). Would anyone be interested?
The only problem is that I won't be getting to the Con until late Friday night, so I'm afraid I'll be cramped for time. There are a few seminars I'd really like to attend, and I don't know enough about when events are happening.
Basically, I'm not sure when I would be able to schedule such an event, but if I can make it work, and there's interest, I'll be happy to do it.
Thanks for the support, everyone. :)
So PG-13 means that parental guidance is advised, but how do I (as a GM) help parents decide if a scenario is appropriate for their child without spoiling too much?
I'm not an American so I looked up PG-13 (not having dealt with it when I was that age and thus not knowing the nuances) and generally speaking PFS scenarios have been milder than that except with regards to violence (which is a D&D staple). I think all of Paizo's stuff, including Carnival of Swords and Hook Mountain Massacre technically fall into that category, but I don't think that those are necessarily appropriate for children.
So, parents and fellow GMs, what are we looking out for, and what do we say to parents? (Let's assume that the parents aren't going to insist their children play regardless of content; in that case I'll just bowdlerize the scenario.)
For me, PG-13 means no sex, no offensive language, and the violence when there is some (say, every combat) isn't full of imagery like you might find in the movie Saw. Low-key, "ordinary" fantasy RPG violence and friendly language is what I think PG-13 should be.
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Yeah...I'd say most of Paizo's products really are PG-13 or can at least be described in a way to make them PG-13 without too much trouble. GMs are free to make things darker and more horrifying, if they want, but they don't usually have to.
"Blood of Dragonscar" is a good example. The basic premise and actions of the villain make for a good, scary story. I can play down the impact on the townsfolk and focus on their enemies as just monsters. By changing the elements that I describe, though, I could make this a horrifying and very bleak tale that would be really inappropriate for kids.
In my opinion, Hook Mountain Massacre and Carnival of Tears fall into the R-rated realm. Way more blood and--ahem--other stuff than I'd want kids exposed to, and it's stuff that's integral to the story being told. (It's hard to get that the ogre-kin are hideous, foul and horrific in most every way without describing their actions.)
Unfortunately, "helping parents decide" will likely be interpreted as trying to "decide for the parents"...especially if said parents think they are very progressive, that their kids are way more mature than others their age, or both.
I realize that parental guidelines are just that--guidelines for parents. When it comes to movies or similar media, I have my own opinion about whether folks should be exposes their kids to certain content, but it doesn't matter, because I have no real say in the matter.
As a GM, though, I have to be the one describing the scenes and actions. With that level of I would NOT present the horrific themes and images from Hook Mountain to a 13-year-old, regardless of what the kid's parents said.