Running for My Kiddies

Okay, folks...we are through the looking glass:

Tomorrow, Saturday, is usually the day I take the kids (ages 8, 7 and 5) to the beach, but it's going to be a rainy Saturday. What to do, what to do?

During a commercial for the cartoon "Adventure Time" -- which frequently makes references to tabletop roleplaying games (catch it if you haven't already), I asked the kids what they'd like to do tomorrow...and subtly suggested maybe playing a roleplaying game. They eagerly registered a positive answer.

This will be the first time I have played an RPG with my children. It's something for which I've been patiently waiting for 8 years...the time has come. (*dabs tears*) We are through the looking glass, people.

So I asked them what they'd like to play if we were to play a roleplaying game.

My 7-year old daughter FIRST said she wanted to play a dragon, but then later changed her answer to "fairy" when she heard her siblings' responses.

My 8 year-old son was next, and said he wanted to play Gandalf (I read them The Hobbit, and am now reading them Fellowship of the Ring). I suggested his playing a wizard *like* Gandalf, and he agreed.

My 5-year-old daughter said she wanted to play a Princess.

So....I'm going to run for them TOMORROW! This is as exciting as the day I took my son to see Star Wars in 3-D a couple of years ago. I'm so happy.

And for the game, I'm going to be using (DRUM ROLL........) FATE Accelerated!!!!!

So...if anyone has any suggestions for any kid-friendly adventure seeds, I'd be very grateful for your assistance. I notice that a lot of kids cartoons center around a "rescue" scenario (avoiding violence as the main conflict), so that's always an option, but I'd be happy to hear what anyone might suggest.

W00t!!!

Okay, here's what I'm thinking, based on some ideas suggested by friendly members of the FATE Yahoo!Group:

An evil dragon has kidnapped the princess's parents with demands for all the gold and magic (arcane or faerie) in the kingdom as ransom. Do they hand it over or try another solution?

Complicating this is that the kingdom of Human subjects is being pestered by Goblin hordes (well...10 goblins). The PCs will have to negotiate a peace between the two communities: the Humans want to use the land to farm...the Goblins have used it to hunt for centuries, and a few Humans have been accidentally injured.
- the PCs will have to get the Giant Eagles to help them find the Goblin lair, but the Eagles need help with their own Troll problem
- When they finally find the Dragon lair, it'll be a Riddles-in-the-Dark scenario (Bilbo vs. Gollum in The Hobbit), or they'll have to release the Dragon from an ancient curse (perhaps curing the dragon from a lust for gold and magic), akin to removing the thorn from the lion's paw.

The setting may end up being a "patchwork" geography, depending on how chaotic the kids' ideas are for the setting.

Other subthemes will involve:
Exploration: finding a new pass through the mountains because the old one was destroyed by an earthquake
Rescue: ....
Mystery: a mysterious forest has appeared overnight (what's up with that?)
Challenges: crossing rivers or other natural hazards, although wild animals and unnatural beasts may play into it if the kids want

Anyone have any other ideas?

Well, the kids and I played a roleplaying game together for the first time today! FATE Accelerated Edition (FAE), set in a sword-and-sorcery setting.

My eight-year-old son played a tall, blue-skinned, half-dragon White Wizard named Rockbert (his High Concept) whose dragon side of him is taking over his body (his Trouble) and who is a collector of junk (his Aspect). Rockbert's Stunt is that he has developed a spell called "Rockbert's Magic Spring Bounce" in which, using an old spring from his junk collection as a focus, he can, once per game session, spring over any obstacle or physical barrier. (Careful 1, Clever 0, Flashy 1, Forceful 3, Quick 2, Sneaky 2).

My 7-year-old daughter played a purple-skinned, pink-haired, winged rainbow fairy named Trinity (her High Concept) who has run out of "stuff" to make rainbows (her Trouble) and who is very nice to everybody (her Aspect). Trinity's Stunt is that when she sings, she gets a +2 to Flashy attempts to Overcome Obstacles. (Careful 2, Clever 1, Flashy 3, Forceful 0, Quick 2, Sneaky 1).

My 5-year-old daughter played Princess Aurora, the pink-gown-clad, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Princess of Flame Castle who wears a magic crown adorned with a circle of jewels (her High Concept) who can't find her mom and dad, the king and the queen (her Trouble), and who can use her magic crown to create sparkles and fireworks (her Aspect). Princess Aurora's Stunt is her Crown of Light, once per game session she can touch the jewels of her crown to create a flare of sparkles and fireworks that can temporarily blind opponents within sight of it.

Episode 1: Kingnapped!

Rockbert the blue-skinned half-dragon White Wizard walked the lonely path to Flame Castle when a large wolf jumped out of the woods and into his path, snarling and drooling. Rockbert whistled a summoning spell, which reached the ears of a Rainbow fairy of the wood. She whistled in return as she took flight, racing across the wood toward the White Wizard. The wolf lunged, and bit at Rockbert, biting hard into his forearm. Rockbert drew back with his large fist and struck at the wolf freeing himself from the creature's maw, though failing to harm the beast. Trinity the Rainbow fairy arrived and sprinkled pixie dust on the wolf to levitate him harmlessly out of the way. The creature bounded away from the pixie dust, though some fell on the wolf's hindquarters. The wolf's rear paws levitated off the ground while it scratched, whimpering, at the ground with its forepaws. Rockbert and Trinity took the opportunity to flee to Flame Castle.

The White Wizard and the Rainbow Fairy found the castle empty, save for the young Princess Aurora, who could not find her parents, the king and the queen. Rockbert, who had long been an advisor to the king and queen, knew of a secret dungeon beneath the castle, and rolled aside a large rug to reveal a trap door hidden in the floor that the princess never knew about. Rockbert opened the door and he and Princess Aurora descended the stairs to the dungeon, where he interrogated the prisoners about the whereabouts of the denizens of the castle. One of the prisoners, a highway robber, informed them that the previous morning, something rattled the castle to its foundations. A loud smashing sound could be heard, even down in the depths of the dungeon, and the cries of the king and queen could be heard fading in the air.

Meanwhile, Trinity flew out a castle window and saw one of the castle towers smashed. She flew closer to investigate and saw enormous claw marks, like those of a great dragon. Immediately Trinity flew into the nearby forest to a large cave she could see from her lofty position, in hopes of finding some trace of the king and queen and their dragon captor. Instead, she flew head first into the soft belly of a small gnome named Grumbledörf, who recognized her as a Rainbow fairy. Trinity asked Grumbledörf if he knew anything about the dragon and he gasped in response and hustled her inside the safety of the cave. There, he told her in whispers that a terrible dragon lived over the mountains to the north, but inquired why she would want anything to do with the dread beast. Trinity explained that the dragon had kidnapped the king and queen of Flame Castle, and that she and the princess and a White Wizard wished to save them. Grumbledörf cautioned her against such a dangerous quest, but warned that if she must go, to avoid looking the dragon in the eye lest she fall under his hypnotic spell. Grumbledörf then gifted Trinity a map of the land that would help them find their way to the dragon's mountain lair. Trinity thanked Grumbledörf and sped back to her friends.

Back at Flame Castle, Trinity found the trap door in the floor open and sped down find Rockbert and Princess Aurora questioning the prisoners. She informed them of what Grumbledörf had told her about the dragon's mountain lair, his hypnotic glare, and the map. The highwayman prisoner told them that they would need magic swords to slay a dragon, and promised to take them to a cache of magic swords if they would agree to release him from his cell. Trinity refused to trust the villain, and instead gave him some magic bread crumbs to eat until they returned. Rockbert led Trinity and Princess Aurora out of the dungeon and took a longsword and short sword from over the hearth. His noticed that the magic runes on the short sword identified it as a flaming sword, and he gave it to Princess Aurora to wield. Suitably equipped, they left Flame Castle and began their long journey toward the northern mountains.

I'm going to have to remember Ed Hastings' Rise of the Runelords webpage, where he provides FAE stat blocks for lots of sword and sorcery opponents, for the next time I run for my kids.

Chapter 2: Ogres for Hire!

Rockbert the blue-skinned half-dragon White Wizard, Trinity the purple-skinned Rainbow Fairy, and Princess Aurora of Flame Castle followed the Fiume River north, and, along the way, found a tributary running low on water. A man lay, weakened, by the river bank, starving and dying of thirst. He introduced himself as Bennet and told Trinity that the tributary had been dammed and that his fellow villagers, in the neighboring village of Borgo, have not been able to grow food or carry enough water back to feed their families. Trinity cast a levitation spell on Bennet and she and Princess Aurora brought him back to the village while Rockbert ran upriver to find the dam. The villagers were surprised and frightened to see Bennet levitating into the village, but were pleased to meet Princess Aurora and her fairy companion.

Meanwhile, Rockbert found the dam and saw that it was built with boulders and logs that were too numerous and large for even him to move. He believed that it would take at least a few ogres to build such a thing, and knew there to be ogres living in the hills nearby. He traveled into the hills to find them, and before long, spotted the smoke of a campfire rising from the hills. Taking a position on a lofty hilltop, he spotted a trio of ogres below, eating an antelope. He overheard them discussing what they were going to do with their gold that was given to them by the Goblins as payment for building the dam. When the ogres’ conversation turned to raiding a nearby town, Rockbert jumped out of hiding with his sword and charged the ogres. As they rose from their seated positions to engage him, Rockbert whistled his summoning spell to call for Trinity and Princess Aurora. From the village of Burgo, Trinity and Princess Aurora heard Rockbert’s call and came running to help him. Trinity used her pixie dust to levitate the ogres and hang them by their collars on the branches of the trees.

Chapter 3: Cove of Horrors!

Rockbert the blue-skinned half-dragon White Wizard, Trinity the purple-skinned Rainbow Fairy, and Princess Aurora of Flame Castle had the Ogres in a compromising position, hanging by their collars from the trees! They struck a deal: the Ogres would remove the dam if Rockbert, Trinity and Princess Aurora brought them the treasure chest hidden inside the abandoned cove of the dread pirate Nerossa! Rockbert, Trinity and Princess Aurora agreed to this arrangement on one condition: the Ogres remove half the boulders now as a show of good faith. Both parties agreed to the terms and Trinity let the Ogres down from their lofty positions. They all walked to the riverside, and worked together to remove half of the boulders. The Ogres then drew a map in the dirt leading to the abandoned cove of the dread pirate Nerossa in the hills. Rockbert, Trinity and Princess Aurora followed the directions and came across a pack of wolves. The wolves chased them and they ran as fast as they could to the cave mouth. When they entered the cave, the wolves stopped, not daring to go any further!

The cave tunnel was hidden by many hanging cobwebs. Rockbert cast a magical light spell with his wand, but the dusty cobwebs cast too many shadows to see properly. Rockbert tried cutting the cobwebs with his longsword, but the webs were so strong and sticky, that even the half-dragon became entangled and could not free himself! Princess Aurora lit her flaming sword and cut down the cobwebs, freeing Rockbert. She cut their way through the tunnel which ended in a waterfall. Passing through the waterfall, they found the tunnel continued, and a great stone door sealed behind them, preventing them from turning back. Further down the tunnel, a loose tile in the floor hid a pit trap, and Rockbert fell in. The bottom of the pit was dark, so Princess Aurora held her flaming short sword over the edge so Rockbert could see. Dozens of skeletons littered the bottom of the pit. One of the skeletons got up, and just as it lunged toward Rockbert, Trinity used her pixie dust to levitate him out to safety.

Continuing down the tunnel, they came to a wide staircase. As they reached the middle of the stairs, the steps collapsed into a slide, and they all slid back down into the pit, crushing the animated skeleton. Trinity was able to fly out of the way of the pit, and used her magic to levitate her friends out of the pit and to the top of the collapsing stairs. At the top of the stairs, Rockbert found a ladder leading to a trap door in the ceiling. He climbed up to examine the area for more traps, and found that the ladder led to a dusty room with no features except for an archway leading further into the cove. Rockbert beckoned for his friends, and Princess Aurora and Trinity began their ascent toward the dusty room . . .

Chapter 4: The Devil’s Maw!

Entering the dusty room, Princess Aurora, Rockbert and Trinity the Rainbow Fairy discovered that the dust was, in fact, an itching powder! The uncomfortable itch made it difficult for them to continue, but they spotted empty alcoves on the far side of the room and investigated. They discovered that the alcoves were pressure-activated and revolved in the wall, taking them to an adjoining chamber that contained an oil-slicked catwalk down the middle, flanked by two downward sloping floors that led to reliefs of open-mouthed demon faces. They tried to carefully negotiate the slippery catwalk, but Rockbert slipped onto the slope and slid into the open mouth of one of the demon reliefs. Princess Aurora leaped after him and both found themselves plummeting into an underground river. The river water managed to cleanse them of the itching powder, but ahead, they spotted a plummet over a high waterfall!

Chapter 5: The Treasure of the Dread Pirate Nerossa!

Trinity used her pixie dust to levitate Rockbert and Princess Aurora back onto the catwalk and they tried once again to cross the oil-slicks, but again Rockbert slipped, this time using his dragon claws to anchor him to the stone relief before sliding through its mouth.

Only with the help of Trinity’s pixie dust did the party manage to reach the end of the catwalk. There, they found an archway to a small room containing a cauldron. Peeking inside the cauldron, they saw a key sunken at the bottom of an amber liquid. Rockbert reached into the cauldron with his long arm, hoping his dragon scales would protect him from any ill-effects of the unknown fluid. He found the fluid to be viscous but otherwise harmless as he wrapped his fingers around the key at the bottom of the cauldron…until he tried to lift the key out! The fluid was a heavy sap that trapped his arm in the cauldron. Using his brute strength, he was able to free his arm with the key in his grasp, but he was covered from shoulder to fingertips in sticky, yellow sap that dripped and stuck to anything he touched.

Princess Aurora knew of a technique to remove the sap. Each autumn at Flame Palace, the nurserymen would tap the maple trees on the palace grounds for sap to make syrup. They used sawdust to soak up the sap that stuck to their hands, allowing them to peel the mixture off easily. They found no sawdust in the room with the cauldron, but Trinity spotted a hidden keyhole in the stone wall and Rockbert inserted the sticky key into the hole. A roughly door-shaped hunk of stone began receding into the wall, causing stone dust to fall to the ground as it did so. Rockbert thrust his arm into the recession in the wall and allowed the stone dust to cover the sap coating his arm. When the hidden stone door finally receded fully, it slid to the side, leaving a doorway leading out of the cove!