K is for Kids

Long-time readers of this blog know that I am the proud father of two young boys who are very eager to follow in their daddy's D&D footsteps. Hardly a day passes when I don't get asked to break out the battle maps, the minis, and the dice so that we can all explore dungeons from the safety of our living room.

I'm still waiting to introduce them to a full rules-set (even Risus or basic D&D is beyond them at this point), but I am gradually easing them into game mechanics with a new rule here or there each time we play.

There have been numerous resources for playing D&D with kids that I have found on the web. The latest appears in the recent issue of Encounter Magazine (download Issue #4 now for free). Author Jimm Johnson has put together the best set of rules for young children that I have seen thus far. It's called Knights & Wizards and it strips D&D down to the bare essentials. Kids can play one of four classes: Knight, Wizard, Elf, and Dwarf. Each class has a cool trick or two and there are no ability scores or complicated tables to muddy the waters.

I think this would work well for at least my oldest son and  I think I'm going to print out the accompanying adventure to give it a try tonight.

(Warning: Cute Children - Proceed At Your Own Risk!)

Finally, I thought I'd post the another short clip from a recent session. My oldest son is once again assuming the role of Dungeon Master, with a little help from daddy of course.

Download: DDwKids2.m4a