Roleplaying Games with kids younger than 12.

I recently stumbled upon an online discussion about doing roleplaying games with a 5 year old. Looking back, I remembered wanting to be able to play games like that when I was young, but they were too advanced for me to understand. However those who commented to the discussion were surprisingly positive and disclosed information about RPG's you can play with kids younger than 12. I had no idea that such a thing even existed and, having looked at their suggestions, am thoroughly impressed with the materials presented.

For example, there is "Faery's Tale Deluxe" by Firefly games which has won multiple awards, and comes complete with setting as well as tips on playing with kids. The setting and game itself both sound engaging to the adult who would run it and the kids who would play it. To download the PDF is only $10.
http://www.firefly-ga...

Also John Wick, has designed two games intended for play with young children, the titles of which disclose the characters which everyone will portray. Cat, ( http://www.wicked-dea... ) has players defending humanity from creatures they can?t see, and has a setting called the Kingdom of Dreams where "the surreal is common place, and anything is possible." If that doesn't sound fun he has also made a game called Dragon ( http://www.wicked-dea... ) which is devised of very simple rules and where players are rewarded for their creativity. Perhaps the most intriguing part of this game is that all dragons apparently eat socks- who knew?

At http://www.harlekin-m... there is also a selection of various free RPG?s, some of which are designed for younger children. One of them, "Shadows" to be exact, is a game where you act as a Game Moderator who does some narration but has the players arbitrate outcomes for themselves which encourages creative thinking. Another called "Superpets" is a bit more intensive, but also entertaining. Though it seems to involve a vast amount of dice the "stinky treat" system that is involved in conflict resolution sounds very interesting.

Though I suspect it's a touch less interactive there is also the option of Fuzzy Heroes ( http://www.fuzzyheroe... ) for those more persuaded to raise a war gamer. Again the rules are simple, but allow players to use stuffed animals, dolls and action figures for a kind of tactical combat. The tag for it is that Dad will have fun too.

Finally dice 'n' diapers ( http://www.dicendiape... ) was made as a recommendation. It's a site devoted to being a gamer parent and is geared toward how to involve your kids in the hobby. Though I haven't quite gotten to the point of having my own kids, I'm excited that there are so many options available.

Until this discussion I was in the dark that RPG's for young children existed, and now that I am aware, I want to share this information. RP Gaming, over its Video counter-part, is great because it encourages real life interaction between players, creative problem solving, and using imagination- which are all traits I'd want to encourage children to have. With the games that were mentioned, adults can also share the imaginative process with kids without feeling like they are an outsider. Enjoy.

Dan Bledsaw