The next generation of gamer...

My 5 year old nephew plays his console games, and even has his own laptop.  Children growing up in the technological age are learning to play with these new toys before they can fully talk and walk. In some cases it helps with learning and developing the skills he will need to function in a technologically based society. I enjoy the next new gadget as much as any technophile, and encouraged his use of a laptop and kid-centric websites. I even passed down a old used Dell Laptop for him to use. I help him learn to solve problems and find clues in console games. With all this technology and the easy access to instant gratification of video games it was a very happy day when my nephew expressed interest in paper and dice games.

Sure, he had no idea what it was, but the images on my latest Dungeon and Dragons purchase made him curious. Sneaking peaks at the monsters and vivid images in the book he wanted to know more. A few times he has been around while I ran my current game, and between that experience and seeing the books it prompted one of the most exciting questions he has ever asked me. "Can I play?"

Of course the basic game is still to complicated for a 5 year old, but that didn't stop me. "Sure, I need to get the game ready for you." I spent the next few weeks searching and looking for suggestions on how to simplify a game designed for 12+ to be easy enough for a 5 year old. With some luck and a few parents who have been gaming their entire lives, I found a few versions to help with developing an idea.

This all leads up to the first game session. Using some simple tools and handing him his own set of dice, that he picked out, we set out to conquer some monsters. The premise was simple, and all the damage and hit was simplified to allow for easy tracking.  Barely able to contain his excitement he actually threw his dice across the room trying to roll them. After completing the challenge he was elated and we will be making some modifications to help with some of the specific restrictions on playing with a 5 year old. The game is still a little to complicated for him, but I believe as time progresses we can introduce the more complex mechanics. Next up an actual dungeon mission. I am looking forward to running his little mini campaign as much as my full one.

Update: I have ran a couple of sessions with my nephew over the past few years. He is 7 now and can do the math that is needed to figure out his attack and damage totals. I think that using miniatures helps him visualize the game since he is distracted easily and with the larger group gets bored easy. Running with a small party has seemed a better environment for him to experience the game. On several occasions I have overheard him talking to neighbor children about DND and he gets super excited about it. One evening I let him and a friends child play with the map grid and mini's to find him telling his own adventure, building the map and rolling dice to fight the dragons. He was very excited to tell us what happened later as well. I feel very fortunate that although my sister (his mom) is not a "gamer", she is supportive and allows me to introduce this into his life.

The Mighty Kobold!

As part of a discussion regarding an evil aligned campaign, we decided to create a pack of Kobolds. First up, Meepo the Psion, worshiper of  Tharizdun. With the ability to fling her foes across the room, she runs around threatening to kill everyone with "mind bullets". 

Orphaned as a child by some meddling "good" adventures, she discovered that she was able to move things with her mind by focusing her anger on the villagers as the smugly go about their lives. Oblivious to what they did to her when they sent "heroes" into her home. She has vowed to kill any adventures that would thoughtlessly kill one of her kind. 

More to come...