I may be GMing for a group of kids around 12 years old. Looking at the APs and adventures I have things range from mutilated corpses to corpulent hillbilly inbred mutant necrophiles.
What's a good AP for 12 year olds. My sense of decency was long lost from watching slasher flicks since I was three so I need to ask. The parents suggest going slow until we run into 'scarring their minds' territory. Any adventure suggestions that fall along those lines?
Curse of the Crimson Throne is actually fairly tame.
Overall, I really don't think you'd have to do any major rewriting to make it PG.
We be goblins is pretty tame, although I think goblin cannibalism is mentioned.
Curse of the Crimson Throne is actually fairly tame.
** spoiler omitted **
Overall, I really don't think you'd have to do any major rewriting to make it PG.
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Check out the 3pp APs available here and here. Whole several might be right out (Way of the Wicked obviously) many may be more viable than some of Paizo's APs.
0One's City AP might fit with an urban revolution theme.
ENworld Publishings APs may fit. I don't know too much about War of the Burning Sky other than it had excellent reviews and is really cheap now. Zeitgeist too got rave reviews and is investigation/spy themed iirc.
Frog God Games stuff may be more viable than one would think on first glance. While Demons are involved it's more classic kick the door in Sword & Sorcery adventure. The Northlands may fit well or the Borderlands maybe.
From Paizo I think King Maker is a solid choice.
Adventure a week seems rather kid friendly publisher in general to me. They have a Scooby Doo vibe going and several of their adventures can be combined into series. Check out their Snow White adaption for murderhobos... ermm adventurers. No really.
Also Four Dollar Dungeons adventures while not APs are very fit for kids. Check out Horn of Geryon and the rest too.
Kobold Press has a Slavic & Fae inspired setting that is a but less gritty than some of Paizo's stuff.
Finally there's a new 3PP doing kid friendly adventures explicitly. The name escapes me though... There was a 4 star review posted by Endzeitgeist for their first offering.
I would say kingmaker has the least adult content and also has a really good fairytale aspect.
Also from a learning and development point it is a good exercise for leadership, critical thinking, dealing with consequences, planning and persuasion. Twelve might be a bit young but I know children who would jump at the chance to be a king or queen.
They don't have to worry too much about the mechanics of kingdom rule, you can handle a lot of that for them.
Here are two I know of:
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I am currently GMing a game for a friend's 10 year old son and two of his friends. All the players are new, so I am slowly introducing rules as we go along; this way they aren't overwhelmed. I too was hesitant to run an AP because some of the adult content, and also because I wasn't sure how they would take to the game. As I am familiar with Rise of the Runelords and the Sandpoint surrounds, I am using that as a home location for this game. I am not actually running them through Rise of the Runelords as there is some content that wouldn't be appropriate; I am taking a different approach.
I basically set up the game so that they are all friends that know each other and are would-be heroes. The premise is that they have finally come of age and collected enough gear to start their adventuring career. I am pulling appropriate material from many sources like: the Beginners Box, Rise of the Runelords, modules, PFS stuff and some custom content. I am presenting them with the premise that the Rusty Dragon Inn has a job board and its updated a few times per week. I prepare 3-4 'jobs' that are level appropriate that they can select from the board. This way they can choose which adventure they wish to go on.
Apart form that, I do have an over-aching plot line that I am slowly poking at and revealing to them. So far, they love the game and they like having the set quests they can choose. It gives them choice, but also gives them clear objectives; keeping them from wandering or getting overwhelmed by plot elements. I will slowly break away from the job board idea, but for now I create printouts that have the quest and reward details. This gives them something tangible to read and interact with.
Using this method you can pull the most interesting encounters from a multitude of sources without really breaking verisimilitude of something like and AP. It takes a bit more work to prep for, but it lets me control what content goes into the game and modify as I please. I can pull story elements and weave something as they go. I plan to run the Thistletop portion of Rise of the Runelords (just the goblin bits) to give them a fun sort of assault mission, and they get to have an island base. The only other thing I can suggest is to keep it fun!
I hope this helps and gives some ideas!
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My guess is that most 12 year olds will be more likely to scar you than you are to scar them. At that age they have knowledge but little empathy and are more or less sociopaths.
The real issue is probably making sure that the content of the games is appropriate from the parents point of view. The only way to achieve that is to talk to them and get guidelines.
If something in a published adventure doesn't fit within those boundaries, it is usually pretty easy to change or soften the images and themes without changing the overarching story or the basics of combat.
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My advice; get input from both the parents AND the kids about what they'd LIKE to see, then tailor it accordingly. At the very least, keep it PG-13 rated at worst, PG at best.
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I've run a few modules for my niece/nephews (started when they were 14/12/10) and my brother-in-law. I ran Rise of the Goblin Guild (great 1st adventure for them - good mix happening - and a funny little goblin buddy), Gods' Mouth Heresy, and Gods' Market Gamble with no issues.
The main thing to keep in mind is that they get bored even more quickly than other gamers - so keep the action moving. Also - if they ballpark what they want to do, give them the benefit of the doubt and have their character do the best version of it.
Generally avoid primary spell-casters. They won't ration their spells well and end up doing nothing chucking rays of frost by the 3rd fight... and end up bored.
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My advice; get input from both the parents AND the kids about what they'd LIKE to see, then tailor it accordingly. At the very least, keep it PG-13 rated at worst, PG at best.
Agree. You can just describe monsters without getting two graphic. Also, boredom is an issue. So, I try to find ways to engage the younger players especially.
Combat can be problematic. So, I try to encourage the younger players to pay close attention. Even letting younger players know when their characters are up in the initiative order will help.
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Also, while not an AP, Crypt of the Everflame is a good choice. It has two follow-up modules that will take you to level 5 (the Price of Immortality) series.
My guess is that most 12 year olds will be more likely to scar you than you are to scar them. At that age they have knowledge but little empathy and are more or less sociopaths.
I believe it depends on the parenting: If they are too busy being "besties" with their child, then yes--I would agree. Those who have true parents, not so much.
So I was thinking Carrion Crown. It has some intrigue and creepy but not horrifyingly gross like Book two or three of Rise of the Runelords. Also it's straightforward. All I have to worry about is a few dead bodies, a skin stealing guy, and what goes on in book 4.
So I was thinking Carrion Crown. It has some intrigue and creepy but not horrifyingly gross like Book two or three of Rise of the Runelords. Also it's straightforward. All I have to worry about is a few dead bodies, a skin stealing guy, and what goes on in book 4.
Isn't this the AP that includes defending a flesh golem on trial? That is such a cool adventure hook.
Just popping in to remind everybody not to derail the thread. Let's not start discussing what good parenting entails. Carry on!
I turned Carrion Crown into pathfinder Harry Potter, worked great!
Clearly the best option is Reign of Winter
It can teach them history with its WWI tie-in, has historical characters and is basically a Grimm fairytale.
I don't know how serious I am.
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Its natural for parents to worry about what their kids are exposed to (I know I do it sometimes), but parents should probably give their kids a little more credit. Kids are going to be exposed to the world sooner or later, and its amazing what kids are already exposed to just at recess during school hours. I started playing at 10 and before long I wanted to know all demonic powers and what kinds of bloodshed a troll could cause to a shopkeeper. I know I was a pretty morbid kid, but I also know I wasn't the only one.
If they are new players, I suggest not using an AP. Write some very simple, short attention span quests and let them run amok for a bit. They'll need time to figure out gameplay and to decide what character types are a good fit for them. They might get bored with their choices and want to switch it around.
If they have some experience, then organize a pre-game meet-up. They can talk about their character (who is covering what roles, make sure there aren't four guys with longbows, is someone a spellcaster). You can ask questions and see what kind of game they want. Pirates? Vikings? Dungeons? Kingdom building? Guns or no guns? Travel to the east? Battle between heaven and hell?
You might check out the Beginner Box adventures and rule book. It's a scaled down version of the rules with an abridged bestiary. If you don't have all the books already available, Beginner Box gives you a self-contained game set for not a lot of investment.
If the kids have never done RPGs before, the Beginner Box subset of the rules might be the best way to test them out and determine whether they would stick around for longer adventures.
I'd also add that if the parents are concerned about the content, bring them to the first game (if possible) and then keep a journal of the games activities and results (i.e. encounters, creatures encountered, funny moments, etc.) and share that journal with them on a regular basis. That will not only keep the parents updated, but in most cases you will build trust with them over time.
Also, on the subject of humor: have lots of it, and understand that kids will have different senses of humor than you. A little humor every once in a while will often help to keep them more focused in the long run, as it allows them to vent unspent energy, and will often keep them hoping for more. Try having a character ride into battle on a Giant Hamster for a mount, or something random like that, and then describe the enemies reaction to them. (I've actually done that before with 5 year-olds watching the game; they thought it was the funniest thing on Earth!)
Speaking from experience, it's hard to tell how long a youngster will commit to playing. An AP is quite a commitment, as they can last a year, thereabouts. I would recommend a module, such as Crypt of the Everflame, as Apocalyptic Dream mentioned above, which can dovetail into a larger adventure, if needed.
For the first game session I prefer the in media res approach, starting with a combat to capture everyone's attention. Afterward, I found RP scenes to be an excellent way of getting new young players over the 'weirdness factor' of tabletop RPGs. You'll quickly learn who will engage in-character, and who will be shy. The shy ones will usually come around after watching the more outgoing players get into it. Nurture them and they will grow.
I may be coming from the wrong direction but the We Be Goblins line may be the intentionally lopsided-humor angle that youths may enjoy. If they have any exposure to video games, they may be able to conceptualize game-violence in a different manner, and the Goblins are meant to be slapstick-silly. We ran through the three modules I believe in two nights of spirited play and it may be that right flavor to hook in a crowd because it is that silly. If it establishes a desire for more then APs become a more viable progression.
It is also devoid of a lot of "mature" content that was inferred in your opening statement which I assume refer to Rise of the Runelords. Paizo I appreciated having the gall to take a campaign to that point but yeah, I agree that it can also rule out younger audiences especially if their parents are gonna be around lol.
RoTRL: Out for the reasons you suggested.
CotCT: Plague may turn them off plus there's a lot of innuendo around the Queen...
SD: Drow, and they are portrayed true.
LoF: Standard Evil to me, might be worth a shot, but the palace dungeons wore me out.
CoT: The enemies are human and some situations are ambiguous, and the backstory is seedy.
K: Woo-hoo! Empire Building.
SerpentS: Good luck keeping their attention through this grind.
JR: Cool odyssey, but grim familial death background.
S&S: Pirates! Ships! It's up to the Players if they want to be naughty.
ShatteredS: Sorshen... but the intro portions felt very casual-friendly.
WR: Baba-Yaga is one mean lady you're potentially reinstalling as a tyrant.
WotR: Dark side of Crusades... *cough* well the Mythic may be another layer you don't want to deal with lol
MM: Like LoF the flavor/culture may be a lot of fun, but the death angle prevalent may be a turn-off.
IG, GS, & HR I have still to run/read through.
Bear in mind these are my surface skims of memory from those APs.