If your kids are starting to ask questions, you better be prepared for battle. We are talking about the “why was daddy wearing a cloak and screaming at dragons last night” kind of questions. They are ready to enter the world of D&D, and honestly, you have probably never been happier.
But running a D&D game for kids is a whole other ballgame than for adults so you should probably take a few notes. Here are a few things to consider when playing D&D with your kids.
How to prepare the adventure
There are a few things you need to consider when preparing an adventure as a D&D game with kids comes with a few more obstacles than with adults.
To start, you should ask the kids what kind of adventure they are into. Do they like to slay dragons, cook up potions, or conduct spells to ward off nasty trolls? Don’t send the kids on a quest they are not interested in you will lose them faster than a pixie can fly. Explore the exhilarating lairs and legendary actions 5e D&D, and prepare yourselves in to the greatest venture of your life.
You should also forget about playing a campaign. That might be your favorite part of D&D but kids want something quick and action-packed. A one-shot adventure of around an hour or two is plenty to get kids excited and keep them interested.
Kids get easily sidetracked and can get fixated on small details. So, start the game quickly with pre-generated characters like the Warlock 5e or Bard 5e. Letting kids create their own characters could take hours and explaining all the intricate nuances of the game becomes overwhelming.
Have concrete rules
The beauty of D&D is that most of the rules are more like guidelines and there is lots of room for getting creative or adapting it to your playing style. This isn’t always the best practice when playing with kids.
It would be smart to set up a few ground rules for gameplay and etiquette to keep the adventure on track. You could even write them down and give kids a personalized rule book to reference during the game.
The rules can be simple like staying quiet while other players have a turn. The excitement of the game might be too much to bear at some point but kids need to be mindful of other players and patiently await their turn.
Some rules might even seem a bit obvious, but kids are unpredictable and will do weird things just for a laugh. Set out rules like “keeping the dice on the table at all times” or “taking turns in a clockwise direction” to keep the adventure from descending into chaos.
You don’t want to keep saying “please be quiet” or “get those dice out of your nose” so lay down the law from the start to ensure a hassle-free D&D experience with the kids.
Get Weird and Have Fun
Playing D&D with kids is a magical experience and their imaginative capabilities are about to blow you out of the Forgotten Realms. There is no end to the silly details and fantastical actions they come up with and this is your time to lean into that.
Often kids will forget about the long game and focus on a small, seemingly insignificant part of the game and that is totally fine. Don’t let game rules tie you down too much and take a more “go with the flow” approach.
You should always look to spice up mundane details. This is what kids latch on to and it helps them picture the unreal worlds you are creating. Things like weird food served at the troll tavern or enchanting flowers that line the forbidden forest will captivate them.
Take advantage of this time to gather all manner of props to help you draw the best out of their imagination. Encourage silly responses and out-of-the-box solutions to their problems and most of all, let them role-play as much as possible. Voices, movements, facial expressions, nothing is too much.
You should also never kill characters when playing with young players, especially first-timers. Getting booted out of the game is no fun and you risk having kids lose interest entirely. Instead, give them ways to heal from injuries that would have otherwise been fatal and avoid putting them in life-threatening positions in the first place. Keeping it all G-rated is a big part of playing D&D with kids.
Now that you know the basics, it is time to gather the crew and get playing! Happy adventuring!
