Roleplaying for Kids: The Example of Dan Wells

A while back I promised blog reader Riotimus that I would give some recommendations about roleplaying games for kids. This is a subject I’ve thought a fair bit about, as RPGs are one of my most favorite hobbies. I started on them when I was 10 years old (that totally sounds like I’m talking about drugs—I suppose I may as well be considering how addicting they are), and I am looking forward to introducing them to my kids.

Marvel Heroic Roleplaying

Unfortunately, this is not that post. But I did read a cool blog post from speculative fiction/horror author Dan Wells today that I thought might fill the gap until I get around to writing up a full blog post about it. Dan Wells, if you’ve never heard of him, wrote a book called I Am Not a Serial Killer, a young adult thriller with fantasy elements. It’s a good read, and I recommend it. Anyway, Dan Wells is also an avid roleplayer, and his blog post talks about how he introduced his kids to roleplaying games.

Go check it out, if you’re interested.

He makes a good point that many kids aren’t that interested in rules or limitations when they start out with RPGs. A more narrative system like Marvel Heroic Roleplaying can really fit the bill, especially since a lot of kids are really into superheroes. They are familiar enough with the genre that they can easily get into the whole superhero universe, and they know how to act.