I am starting a RPG/Pathfinder group for very young, precocious kids, aged 8 to 12. I played We Be Goblins, which was fun with them, but they need to understand the idea of being a real hero, a concept that WBG only toys with.
What would you recommend as a good starting adventure? Keep in mind that I would like to keep this group playing for a while, so it would be good if there were a series we could advance through. Simple but not simplistic, scary but not too, traditional without being corny-- you get the idea.
Anyway, I would appreciate any thoughts you have on the matter.
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Crypt of everflame. (module)
Feast of ravenmoor. (Module, lvs 3-5)
For PFS scenarios:
Prince of Augustana
Confirmation
Quest for Perfection series
Tide of morning
Sanos abduction
Black waters
Before the dawn part 1 and 2
Shadows last stand part 1 and 2
The God Market Gamble
3 PFS scenarios give a level worth of xp, A module gives a level straight.
I think you shouldn't have started the kids with WBG, as they might have had too much fun being crazy gobbos ;)
If you're up to running an adventure path, do jade reagent (it has links with we be goblins).
Rise of the rune lords is fine, though 2nd book is of suspect content, my GM said it resembled Carrion Hill in spook, and carrion hill is not for kids.
If you need any more PFS scenarios for > 5, just ask, I'll compile the kid friendly adventures list.
First of all, thanks for getting the kids involved. They can be the best players!
I really only run Adventure Paths (APs). Each has fantastic story development, crazy depth for the DM to stay entertained. I think these 3 fit your requirements...allow the kiddos to play heroic characters without a ton of moral conflict...the bad guys are bad and the heroes are heroes, and nothing too nightmarish.
1. Kingmaker - would be my first choice, but skip the kingdom building rules for novice players. Too complex and requires lots of GM time to balance.
2. Council of Thieves - is my #2. Tons of fan content, especially art for tieflings. I think it was the 1st AP published for Pathfinder rules.
3. Iron Gods - outside 3rd. It can get a little deep & complex.
Most of the APs can be finished in 20 to 30 sessions, 4-6 hours each, so it is a long haul. But it may be the ticket you are looking for.
The Anniversary edition of Rise of the Runelords is THE top notch AP, but it does have murder and mayhem galore, especially in the second and third books, so you may have to work to tone down the horror aspect, which would be a shame for the 2nd book; It is a great horror story. I recommend keeping it for when you finish the first AP with the kids.
Whew...that was a long post
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Oh. Forgot 1 more short scenario - Master of Fallen Fortress.
Kingmaker for Kingdom Building rules are mehh, also, if they wanted to run a lawful evil kingdom, they could too...its a bit sandboxy for little kids imo, which I think should be given some rails in case they go completely bonkers.
Council of Thieves, I felt was a little high into intrigue, which might be a little too much for kids.
Iron Gods - I detest robots in D&D. Nuff said :P
Wrath of the righteous - Premise sounds right (though I've never played it before), but mythic was a whole huge mess (from what I've read). If there was a way to run Wrath of the righteous without mythic it might work, but it would require a lot of effort of GM part to strip the monsters of their mythicness. Mythic monsters against non mythic characters is just unfair.
Order I'd probably go is after WBG, is master of fallen fortress/confirmation, crypt of everflame, then the rest of the scenarios in any order you like. Though usually I like to run master of fallen fortress, confirmation, crypt of everflame, in that order, skipping WBG altogether.
As far as an adventure that gives the characters a satisfying and heroic arch, I think that Wrath of the Righteous is a great choice. The story is very much one of good triumphing over evil, but even though the pcs are confronted with an unambiguously foul foe, they often have to hard decisions in order to ensure that they do what's best for the people they're protecting. I would run it without mythic rules though, mythic rules are complex and they tend to break the game.
I have decided to go with Kingmaker. The side quests are simple to understand and appealing, and also easy to complete. The early encounters include bandits, a crazy bear, a giant spider, a couple of funny fairies, and a lot of traps. I am a little concerned about the lack of structure, but I think we can handle it. This is a generation raised on Minecraft after all.