I mentioned a while back that I’ve started playing tabletop RPG’s with my 6-year-old boy. After looking through several different game systems, I settled in on a free system called Dungeon Squad (that’s the original, a site with better links can be found here). While it uses nearly all of the dice if normal D&D, the system is simple enough to not get in the way.
As we worked our way through the storyline, I’ve given him some difficult decisions. My goal has been to get him away from just charging in and fighting his way through the problem the way he might in a video game, and more toward using his resources to solve problems. He’s already got an amazing moral compass, and he he naturally chooses the right thing, even if it will cost him personally.
In one instance, a creature was being attacked by humans in an alleyway, and these humans would be too difficult to face directly. His character had someplace that he needed to be, but he still took the time to get help and make sure the creature was OK.
In another instance, he had information that someone was going to attack the thieve’s guild leader during Kirby’s entrance test to the thieve’s guild. A failure of any portion of the test was a failure of the test as a whole. During the “move silently” portion of the test, he saw the assassins descending on the thieve’s guild leader. If he warned the leader, he would fail the test. After giving it a moment of thought, my boy said “I know that it will make me fail the test, but I am going to warn him.”
We’re starting to work our way through some more traditional dungeons now, and I’m kind of excited for him. I remember how much fun I had when I started playing tabletop RPGs, and I think he’s in for a lot of fun.