Friend wants me to run a D20 modern campaign at his comic book store for the summer for some kids (12-15) that want to play. We've decided that it'll be stright Modern no magic etc. and kid friendly to satisfy the parents. So no cults with a blood fetish, I need an idea to start me to thinking, most of mine are in the PG-17 range at best.
Send 'em on a search for pirate treasure. Kids love pirate treasure. Watch Goonies.
Quick Brainstorm
Summer Camp/Job in the wilderness -
Hikes/events that end badly
Games/Psuedo Olympics against each other or a rival camp (Wargaming for kiddies)
Dealing with idiot customers be they campers or younger kids if they are camp counselors.
Scavenger Hunt
Bone from the junkyard/scary neighbor's dog without hurting dog
Tea cup from the cranky old lady at the end of the lane
Key to a business you shouldn't have
Yearbook/diary from a popular person from school
Hmmm... maybe some sort of homage to Scooby Doo.
If you keep the "mysteries" inocuous enough, everyone should be happy.
Also, you get a chance to say "I would have gotten away with it, too, if not for you meddling kids!" a lot.
Cheers,
Roger
Kids focus and interest are often one level above their current level. Make the characters in high school, or college if they tend more to 15 than 12. Have a mystery or series of mysteries at their school.
Maybe make it an odd school, one for kids of spies. Or, make it a special school fo rkids from all around the country who have been gathered together for unknown reasons - part of the mystery is the purpose of the school. The school might be kids who have been tested for psychic or super power abilities, and start giving them low level powers as the progress.
Well, I don't know if this works, but how about a time-travelling campaign, on the order of fixing the past? Then you can settle any parents who are worrying about the game by saying it's educational. Or you could give it a Dr. Who sort of vibe, going back and forth in time.
And yeah, another idea is a detective/crime sort of game, where for some reason the kids are the best at tracking down some criminal... remember 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego'? Maybe there's some new tech they need to use that these kids are able to use more safely than the adults, or maybe it's some secret tech they found and are keeping hidden.
A few things has happened in the last day to change the outlook, the 2 youngest aren't going to play. One is going to go off for the summer with his family and the others Mommy said he couldn't play( I believe we're going to have touble with her). On the good side a friends kids have joined in to even out the group, one is new to RPGs but she's a good kid and the older(17) plays in my Sidewinder game.
My idea was that a group of kids find out that a local company is polluting the area and they are trying to prove it, of course the company tries to discredet them and there's a group of "bad" kids that are thier enemies as well. Like to have something else in the mix that isn't so "teen Movie of the week", and a haunted house HAS to be in there somewhere
Like the camp idea
Quote from: Doc.... a haunted house HAS to be in there somewhere
Why not have the kids wake up in the so-called haunted house. The house could have a starnge layout. It could have the
feel like the house in
13 Ghost or something. Strange stories about the house and how other kids have gone missing have plagued the street the kids live on for years. They could find items belonging to other kids they know have gone missing around the house wich also may include items that would help them solve the mystery of the house. Kinda of simple but effective if done well, I think.
Regards,
David R
Watch a few episodes of Totally Spies and run the players in the same world maybe working for the same organization.
On a similar note. ask the players what is their favorite cartoon is these days and play in that universe (Skyland for example would make a great game).
I remain,
The Masked Cucumber
Ever read the Borribles books? Borribles are sort of like the Lost Boys, children who're lost or run away who become transformed into pointy-eared street-thieves, entering an ancient culture of "...street-smart, feral Peter Pans..."
http://jaeger_ayers.tripod.com/Borribles/borrible_primer.htm
http://jaeger_ayers.tripod.com/Borribles/borribles_main.htm
Granted, there's magical elements (immortality, transformation from human to Borrible), so it may not 100% suit your main premise, and it's a bit of a dark setting, what with Rumbles to hunt, Borrible-snatchers and "the Woolies" (police) to watch out for, but 'tis good fun.
Love the books, dunno how it'd play as a setting.
The only thing I'd caution against is being too condescending to the players. Remember how you gamed when you were younger-- you definitely wouldn't like to play something that came across as preachy or "educational". I think the best advice is make the kids slightly above their age level, that's what makes it cool-- and kids won't have fun if they don't think it's cool. That being said, I'd personally make it full of action, my kids aren't nearly as excited about the extended talking and diplomatic points of gameplay- but they sure like kicking ass.
Do the kids want to play kids? I remember playing TSR's Top Secret when I was 10-11 yoa, and my friends and I always played characters who were really, really old (like, twenty-one!).
Maybe a game about globe-trotting college students who travel the world with their cool, two-fisted professor, finding treasures, solving mysteries, and righting wrongs on a kind of extended 'field trip'. You could feature lots of exciting cliff-hangers and bloodless fistfights with smugglers and jewel thieves.
And don't forget the old gag where the crooks disguise themselves as a local boogeyman (the yeti, a sea-serpent, etc) to scare off those gullible locals, a plan which would've worked... if it weren't for those meddling kids!
I like using movies as an inspiration.
Start of with Spy Kids and then use The Aristocrats as the finale.
QuoteQuote from: bondetampI like using movies as an inspiration.
Start of with Spy Kids and then use The Aristocrats as the finale.
By Aristocrats do you mean mean the Disney film about cats
(Aristocats) or do you mean the documentary about
that joke because if it is the latter, I think the kids would really... dig it :D
Regards,
David R
The Aristocats might work with Jadeclaw, but I was mainly talking about the documentary about the joke, yes.
One needs to give the kids a night to remember if one wants them to return. :)
Year of the Zombie's got some great base classes and PrC's for kids
And by "great" I mean "disturbing on an instinctive level"
I ran a brief d20M campaign for a group of kids in about the same age range. I had them make adults, issued them guns, and drafted them into UltraForce Omega, America's secret GI-Joe-esque anti-bad guy unit. They fought a mad scientist making dinosaurs all Jurassic Park style, Nazi necromancers, and drug dealers. All in all, they greatly enjoyed blowing shit up in the name of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.