I'm building an adventure for my son (7) and figured I'd make it a module that ANYONE could use with their kids to introduce them to Star Wars RPG from FFG ~or~ Roleplaying games in general.

The adventure isn't particularly long and involves escaping a planet that has declared for the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Imperial ships arrive to begin to suppress the population and a family (mimicking your own) must make it on a harrowing journey with a downed A-Wing pilot to the hastily created government escape launch site. Along the way there's some roleplaying, some betrayal by friends, imprisonment, and the discovery of force powers ... the force sensitive kid even meets up with an old friend and gets to relive one of the iconic Star Wars scenes before getting reunited with family aboard a Nebulon B Frigate.

It's a jumping off point that aims to do a little bit of everything...combat...roleplaying conversations...planning and escape...skill checks...and creative problem solving.

The goal is to keep it accessible for a 6 or 7 year old while introducing the dice mechanics, character creation, and the mechanics of the Star Wars RPG in small chunks along the way.

Yes...it's railroady.

However, because it's railroady...you get to make the world of Eartos be as eerily familiar to your own neighborhood and town. My rationale is that keeping as much familiar and accessible as possible while soundly casting the child(ren) as heroes in the story will make the experience memorable and leave them hungry for more.

All that said ... I have a few questions for you as I begin the editing and review process...

• Would you want to see a free product along these lines?
• Do you think you could handle only allowing ONE of your children, or kids that play along with your kid, to be the force sensitive one?
• Do you think a two 2-hour sessions is too long to retain your kid's attention?
• What ships (Imperial and Rebellion) do you think would excite your kids the most?
• Are you concerned about the level of violence in an average roleplaying game session in which you've played being replicated for children? (In a 5 encounter session seeing 1 or 2 of those as small combats potentially for example)
• What handouts do you think are essential to give to kids? I have one on dice, some suggested actions, and a "catalog" that is a prop serving to contain the array of things that the kids will find along the way so they can keep track of various characteristics about things easier.
• If you've run such an adventure for kids - what advice do you have?

Thanks for reading this and providing feedback!

As background i have an almost 8yo and a 5yo, they love the dice and we have played quite a bit, even the AoR beginner box, although 5yo got bored quick.

• Would you want to see a free product along these lines?

That would be sweet

• Do you think you could handle only allowing ONE of your children, or kids that play along with your kid, to be the force sensitive one?

I think there would be too much competition over the single force user, i would have 6-8 pregens of varying styles with at least a couple of Force Users. Honestly reusing some of the Beginner box ones would be fine, just re-skined.

• Do you think a two 2-hour sessions is too long to retain your kid's attention?

7+ for 2 hrs is fine, any younger and its too much in my experience.

• What ships (Imperial and Rebellion) do you think would excite your kids the most?

ISD, Corellian Corvette, YT-1300 and Ties... thats all you need!

• Are you concerned about the level of violence in an average roleplaying game session in which you've played being replicated for children? (In a 5 encounter session seeing 1 or 2 of those as small combats potentially for example)

I think if they have seen the Movies (still haven't watched ep2[wast of time] or ep3[really, a river of lava?]), Clone Wars and Rebels then the minimal amount in an RPG will be fine, obviously criticals may need to be toned down, but by 7 they generally have a basic concept of pretend fighting, obviously up to the GM. perhaps Training Sabres and stun only weapons?

• What handouts do you think are essential to give to kids? I have one on dice, some suggested actions, and a "catalog" that is a prop serving to contain the array of things that the kids will find along the way so they can keep track of various characteristics about things easier.

Follow the Beginner Box character sheets, having the dice pools shown is great. They also love little notes, or pictures on an iPad showing the scene.

• If you've run such an adventure for kids - what advice do you have?

Keeping it simple, let the dice talk, and let their insane creative ideas go wild! Its hard to keep them on track some times, and they are used to being able to create anything any time in their imaginative play, so teaching them Destiny Point usage is fun. also probably give them a little bit more powerful characters or they may find them underwhelming to their expectations, perhaps +200 xp spent mostly on skill ranks and basic talents or focusing on a single force power.

I agree with Richardbuxton on pretty much every point. Some additional thoughts though:

• Add X-Wings as well. If you're gonna have T.I.E.s you really should have an X-Wing or two.
• One of the most useful handouts I have is one that lists ways to spend advantage/triumphs. I expect this would be just as handy, if not more, for kids.
• I would suggest going with all Force users or none. I think that might help prevent arguments over characters. Also, from a GM perspective it's easier to manage. I personally wouldn't want to have to explain to only some of the kids what Force powers are and how to use them while the other kids sit there wishing they had taken a Jedi to get the extra abilities.

btw.. I would LOVE to have a module to run for my 9yo and his friends that was specifically created with a younger audience in mind.

May I introduce you to "The Gathering from Season 5 of "The Clone Wars". If you want to introduce something kid friendly for in the age range of Jedi Younglings, why not let them play as the younglings?

And actually, I think that in this case the prequel period with a functional jedi order is much better suited as well.

Pirates like Hondo, adventures against the environment, temptation of the dark side, building their own light sabers, combat, action, etc all still possible, but imho much more immersive for kids when you create characters within their own age range. And keep in mind, Younglings are more kickass than a FoD or AoR starting character. IIRC the "knight play" in force and destincy is about padawan level with those 150xp or so. (Don't have FaD, feel free to correct me there)

LEGOs makes Star Wars specific minifigures. At home, the boy and I enjoy cannibalizing the pieces to make our own characters and small sets of action. Repurposing a pterodactyl head without its jaw made for a surprisingly good-looking Anx!

• I'm late to the thread, but if there is an adventure specifically tailored for kids, I would be interested.
• Personally, I would permit force sensitivity to any interested player.
• I aim for 60-90 minute sessions with my own son (just turned 6), with lots of 20-40 minute impromptu mini-adventures.
• Definitely include the iconic X-wing, and kids love speeder bikes.
• I steer away from explicit violence. My son is part of a small infiltration team- they mostly use stealth, ion weapons, stun settings, non-lethal grenades, training saber, etc. In starship combat, the bad guys eject or escape in pods; in melee, they are knocked-out, get away, or captured and taken for questioning.
• I am working on a condensed version of a character sheet for my young son, but it is very much a work in progress...
• The way this system encourages the players to participate in creating and advancing the adventure... sometimes I need to rein my son's imagination in, but I try very hard to incorporate his ideas, when possible. Have fun!

I tried teaching my Nephew RIFTS which is a simpler dice system. He had a hard time with knowing what his skills do and how to act in the game. He was 10. Considering the dice system of Star Wars it could be difficult to teach younger players. Thats just my opinion.

4 hours ago, Tirisilex said:

I tried teaching my Nephew RIFTS which is a simpler dice system. He had a hard time with knowing what his skills do and how to act in the game. He was 10. Considering the dice system of Star Wars it could be difficult to teach younger players. Thats just my opinion.

I wouldn't try to introduce a young player by teaching the mechanics- that will come with time and maturity, if interest in the game is nurtured. Give him a character and let him play. Advise on how he might utilize his various skills and talents, help with the dice pools. The narrative nature of this system is forgiving. I'm still learning the game myself, but I haven't let that keep me from playing. I expect to have a more comprehensive command of the mechanics, by the time my son is truly ready to learn them.

I’m a long time role-player and painfully new game-master. My group consists of my 10 year old son, a couple of his buddies 10 and 12, my 7 year old daughter, my wife and one of the Dads. While I love Star Wars, my knowledge of anything beyond the movies (Legends or Expanded Universe) is quite limited but escalating rapidly as I comb through media for inspiration and guidance.

The Order 66 Podcast is a great way to “geek out” on the way to work.

I put a lot of effort into sitting down and conceptualizing each kid’s character and interlacing them as allies and adversaries. This provided them some drama before the opening crawl was streamed on our television. As a greenhorn GM, I tried to find ways to interlock the adventure modules into a cohesive story. We are currently working our way through Escape from Mos Shuuta, minus the stock characters. From here, we will transition to Onslaught at Arda I. Flip-flop, bounce around for a taste of all three flavors.

I started with a learning lesson or tutorial for the dice. Green, Yellow, and Blue – help you. Purple, Red, and Black – hurt you. We then made up scenarios to highlight skills and abilities. Jumping – Athletics, Lying – Deception, Pistol Shootin’ – Ranged (Light), etc. Then, I flipped it on each of them and had them GM for me as a pseudo-test. They picked it up rather quickly.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m still struggling to memorize the Weapon Characteristics, i.e. Blast 2 or Pierce 3 or Vicious 1. But, therein lies the beauty of the narrative focused game.

I utilize a lot of visuals as well; all kids love pictures, right? I print maps, place them in sheet protectors, and use dry-erase markers to aid in storytelling. I also place images on the television screen for antagonists, environments, equipment, etc. Likewise, I utilize a little music for inspiring moments, though it drives my wife crazy.

My biggest takeaways thus far:

•Expect them to rise to the occasion. Set the bar high and let them surprise you.

•Play to the audience. You’d think they were bloodthirsty maniacs, because their go to answer is often “Blast’em!” If that’s what they enjoy, roll on!

•Expand their skill set. I am trying to rein in some of my homicidal terrors with more challenging mysteries, social interactions, and other skills to flesh out each of their characters.