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There have been RPGs oriented at the preteen boy market: the Fighting Fantasy books, which have been huge successes are one good example.

And while Choose Your Own Adventure books were, to my recollection, as popular with girls as with boys, there was never a successful RPG made for girls.  Not that there weren't attempts, but usually these were so immensely lame that no self-respecting girl would give a damn about them.

I think that one of the main mistakes made by designers of these games was to try to change the fundamental ideas of what RPGs featured, and to appeal not to girls but to the stereotypes of "girly" things.

I think that just as FF is a lead-in to what is cool about regular "adult" RPGs for young boys, what you'd need to do is something that did the same for girls, not trying to CHANGE what RPGs are about, but trying to emphasize the things about RPGs that a girl in that age range might find cool.

So what would be a good way to create a introductory proto-rpg for young girls akin to what Fighting Fantasy is for young boys?

RPGPundit

Pre-WotC editions of D&D.

No, seriously. My friend's older daughter is 9, and she started gaming last year, first only in solo adventures ran by Daddy, and more recently also playing in my otherwise all-adult campaign. She only ever played 1E (and my hybrid 1E-based homebrew), and she's totally into it.

It made me realize that the whole "right system for demographic X" idea is bollocks. I mean, it wasn't even OD&D, Basic or Classic, which you'd expect to be more appropriate for children by being lighter on rules, it was 1E. It's not the system that counts, it's how she's introduced to it and by whom and what her early experiences are. In this case, she first just saw roleplaying as something incomprehensible but fun that Daddy does with his grown-up friends every weekend, and she just wanted to be a part of the fun.

But to answer the question at least partially: any system where the DM can run a game for a player who hasn't read the rulebooks at all. That's all you need, and that's something old-school D&D (and many other games, no doubt) can easily provide.

I don't think we "fatbeards" are really qualified to answer this question.

What we would need is an excellent female designer with no 20/20 hindsight bias on her own childhood to come here and educate us.
Seriously.

Quote from: Premier;317209Pre-WotC editions of D&D.

No, seriously. My friend's older daughter is 9, and she started gaming last year, first only in solo adventures ran by Daddy, and more recently also playing in my otherwise all-adult campaign. She only ever played 1E (and my hybrid 1E-based homebrew), and she's totally into it.

My two last campaigns were played with an overwhelming majority of female players for one of them, completely female group for the other, and I too observed the same thing. My players loved to kill things, take their stuff, headbutt people in taverns, et cetera. They liked a good puzzle, enigma or negotiation every once in a while, loved to RP their characters downtime interactions, but they were here to kick butt first and foremost. Far from the pansy-daisies stereotype of female gamers who would want to role-play first, roll dice second, if you see what I mean.

I asked my 9yo daughter "I a roeplaying game, what do you want?"
My 9yo says:
 - lots of enthusiasm
 - finding lots of bodies that are already decayed... sometimes...
 - lots of rolling dice
 - lots of weird creatures

Favorite game so far: D&D. (Cyclopedia, since that's the only D&D version she's played.)

How do you feel about Arrowflight (asked because she's playing in my Arrowflight game): "I'd like it better if they added a few more monsters."

She mentions her favorite fight was with the windlords, a type of dragon.

Quote from: RPGPundit;317207So what would be a good way to create a introductory proto-rpg for young girls akin to what Fighting Fantasy is for young boys?

My 36-year old man's guess would be something that is to Twilight as Fighting Fantasy or HeroQuest was to the Conan movie.

I'm kind of surprised White Wolf isn't on to this actually.

PS For Twilight, read Twilight, Pirates of the Carribean, Harry Potter, Buffy, and so on.

PPS In my ludicrously unqualified opinion, RPGs and similar products seem to sell best when they're shamelessly taking ideas from popular culture, rather than either trying to be original, creating a consistent world, or reacting to other RPGs.

The cover should sparkle.

Forget realism. Better equipment should just make you look fancier or better-looking or more archetypal or something. If Japanese schoolgirl uniform > plate mail, you're on the right track. If yo-yo > broadsword, even better!

It should be able to handle both Buffy and Sailor Moon with similar ease. Yes, Revolutionary Girl Utena also, if you insist. Fine, fine, Fruits Basket, too! Gilmore Girls? Are you serious? . . . well, ok, maybe.

Um . . . no talking animals. They're creepy.

Zombies. Girls dig zombies.

Misunderstood good guy bad boys. If Twilight proves anything, it's that girls are a sucker for this character type. The more the better!

Horses. Unicorns and Pegasuses are even better.

And that's about all I got.

isnt the Witch Girls rpg aimed at pre teen girls?

An online game would probably be a better format for a product like this than anything else.

This guy (http://therecursionking.blogspot.com) was going to do a Labyrinth Lord online game, but I'm not sure whether it's still happening.

Best way? I think first have them read Mercedes Lackey, then do Blue Rose RPG. But that's just me.

Quote from: Benoist;317210I don't think we "fatbeards" are really qualified to answer this question.

Firstly I'm not fat. I'm a little large I'll grant you but fat? No. Secondly I've tried but I can never EVER seem to grow a beard right. Or at all. Thus I think it's better consider me "Mildly heavily stubble" in answering this question. I still stand by Blue Rose RPG. Mostly because it seems like (at least back in my day and still some ways today) those girls that DID play D&D read those kinds of series.

Your daughter already has excellent taste, Aramis. You're clearly doing a very good parenting job.

RPGPundit

Well he/she is certainly better off than the parent I saw when I was working about two days ago. *true story* Some girl, had to be no older than 7, ran out of the play area (I work at a fast food type industry deal thing. More as that develops) She runs out and flat out asks her dad to tie her shirt to make it show her belly/midriff. A 7 year old...


*sighs* This is why I hate the internet.

Quote from: RPGPundit;317207So what would be a good way to create a introductory proto-rpg for young girls akin to what Fighting Fantasy is for young boys?

RPGPundit

Been done already. It's called Bella Sara.

http://www.bellasara.com (http://www.bellasara.com)

This is one of Peter Adkison's ventures, and the team he supports for this is first rate. It's mainstream, and everything WOTC aspires for their target demographic.

Daddy,

I'll keep that in mind for later useage...show any pre-teen girls ask me to help them with RPGs.

Something wholesome yeah - start 'em on Vampire: Requiem.

Quote from: Diavilo;317404Something wholesome yeah - start 'em on Vampire: Requiem.

LOL! Now that I've love to see. It's certainly be less "Twilight" and more "True Blood". At least that's the way I remember most of my WW gaming experience, with WoD.

My niece liked Tunnels and Trolls (She got to play a fairy and all was good.) She also enjoys Hearts & Souls, because she likes to rescue people.

I also think that later childhood and early adolescence might like this game I picked up at a con: Witch Girls Adventures. It seems suitable in tone and theme for someone her age.

Silver,

Just wondering if your niece (or even if you yourself) considered exposing them Blue Rose RPG. I only ask because I as I stated previously, that was my experience in terms of what drew in a lot of my female friends to gaming.

Quote from: Nightfall;317412Silver,

Just wondering if your niece (or even if you yourself) considered exposing them Blue Rose RPG. I only ask because I as I stated previously, that was my experience in terms of what drew in a lot of my female friends to gaming.

I gave a copy to her mother, but I'm not sure if they've ever used it.

I think the game itself is less an issue than the focus of the game in play. I tend to have high adventure games with social aspects. Often complex social aspects that they have to deal with. (Bullies for example can't just be beat up..)


She's often very creative. When she was 7-ish I ran a superhero game her and her brother and she was the one who ran of to ask her science teacher for help against a giant tar monster. (Her brother punched it ad got stuck..)  Both are very smart kids and like to game. (Helps that their mother, my younger sister, games as well.)

Silver,

Thanks for that insight. I'm always curious to see how the younger generations get into gaming, especially in this day and age of MMORPGs, blogs and whatever else that tends to bring on...well not always gaming but stuff.

(I should also like to clarify that the romantic fantasy genre is what I noticed drawing in many of my friends as we developed/played much of D&D and other games. Hence my question about Blue Rose RPG.)

The systems my 9yo daughter has played: Cyclopedia D&D, Arrowflight, Mouse Guard, Mongoose Traveller, Warhammer FRP1E.

It should be noted that she's listed in the playtest credits for Mongoose Traveller... most of her play was purely CGen; she did a single session of RPing. But when a 7yo can follow the CGen in a system as convoluted as Traveller...

Quote from: GameDaddy;317340Been done already. It's called Bella Sara.

http://www.bellasara.com (http://www.bellasara.com)

This is one of Peter Adkison's ventures, and the team he supports for this is first rate. It's mainstream, and everything WOTC aspires for their target demographic.

But how much of an RP aspect, if any, does it actually have? Or is this more of an intro to CCGs?

RPGPundit

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317235The cover should sparkle.

Forget realism. Better equipment should just make you look fancier or better-looking or more archetypal or something. If Japanese schoolgirl uniform > plate mail, you're on the right track. If yo-yo > broadsword, even better!

This sounds more like a game for frustrated otaku boys!

Of course, I'd play it :)

Quote from: Jeffrey Straszheim;317436This sounds more like a game for frustrated otaku boys!

Of course, I'd play it :)

I've always liked stuff like Xena, Buffy, and many shoujo mangas . . . so yeah, it was a big list of ideas I got from those(especially the latter). Girl power, not so much focus on realism(Buffy never wore armor), and the end product should look fancy!

Quote from: RPGPundit;317421But how much of an RP aspect, if any, does it actually have? Or is this more of an intro to CCGs?

It's the new hybrid. Definitely strong on the CCG's, however the website contains many more RPG oriented type online games, quests, activities, and adventures. The fact that it's online and already the subscriber base is 6x that of WOTC's DDI should tell you something. It's free to subscribe, and even kids (mostly girls I would imagine, it's about horses, after all), without CCG cards can play. Having cards provides one-time bonus rewards (which you can get just by playing/farming online) and unlocks more areas and opportunities within the website though.

My 8 Y.O. daughter likes it well enough and visits there regularly plays online, and plays with her cards, and enters art competitions there as well. She happens to like Webkins as well. Both are working on the new model of what RPG's are, with free content and activities mixed with contests and opportunities to buy.

This appears to be the profitable WoW/Everquest/Sims/Second Life/Runequest/Gaia model ported and for kids.

It sounds more like Neopets to me.

Could be worse. They could try to make a Pokemon RPG and we'd have to deal with horrid dubs.

Quote from: Age of Fable;317225My 36-year old man's guess would be something that is to Twilight as Fighting Fantasy or HeroQuest was to the Conan movie.

I'm kind of surprised White Wolf isn't on to this actually.

Even they have too much self-respect.  ;)

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317235The cover should sparkle.

Forget realism. Better equipment should just make you look fancier or better-looking or more archetypal or something. If Japanese schoolgirl uniform > plate mail, you're on the right track. If yo-yo > broadsword, even better!

It should be able to handle both Buffy and Sailor Moon with similar ease. Yes, Revolutionary Girl Utena also, if you insist. Fine, fine, Fruits Basket, too! Gilmore Girls? Are you serious? . . . well, ok, maybe.

Um . . . no talking animals. They're creepy.

Zombies. Girls dig zombies.

Misunderstood good guy bad boys. If Twilight proves anything, it's that girls are a sucker for this character type. The more the better!

Horses. Unicorns and Pegasuses are even better.

And that's about all I got.

If your point in this post was to provide an ironic example of what Pundit meant by this:

QuoteI think that one of the main mistakes made by designers of these games was to try to change the fundamental ideas of what RPGs featured, and to appeal not to girls but to the stereotypes of "girly" things.

 . . . then you've succeeded admirably.  ;)

I think you mean ironic example J. But *shrugs* I could be wrong.

Quote from: Nightfall;317713Could be worse. They could try to make a Pokemon RPG and we'd have to deal with horrid dubs.

I wonder if the emphasis on animal companions & familiars in D&D is a response to Pokemon and similar franchises. MMORPGs tend to give a big role to 'pets' as well don't they?

Quote from: Age of Fable;317749I wonder if the emphasis on animal companions & familiars in D&D is a response to Pokemon and similar franchises. MMORPGs tend to give a big role to 'pets' as well don't they?

I think a lot of people just like the idea of them.  I know I do.

Familiars have been "Disney-fied" ever since 1E.

I don't know of TTRPG off the top of my head, but my 12 yo niece is so into Final Fantasy X-2, Kingdom Hearts and Dream Life that it's not even funny.

How to translate what makes them appeal to her into a TTRPG would be tricky I think.

Well there is a Final Fantasy RPG, a fairly competent one even.  I don't think they've gotten round to keeping up with the latest games though.  They were still pretty focused on the SNES games last I looked, and the rules are based mostly on 5 and FFT.

Partly this is because the developers are a committee of twats more interested in politics than actually producing a product though, which is why Rob Pool, the guy who started the whole thing, left it years ago.

Quote from: Hairfoot;317755I think a lot of people just like the idea of them.  I know I do.

Familiars have been "Disney-fied" ever since 1E.

I unintentionally pissed off my DM by asking for my ranger's animal companion to be a sheep.

I don't really think the rules per se are important so much as an understanding GM and a successful play experience.

I'm going into my third year sponsoring a D&D club in my elementary school, and with each new year's group the number of girls has increased - now I have a group of 8 girls, no boys. All are 12 & 13 year old 5th/6th grade Koreans. I chose Moldvay D&D as it's relatively quick and easy to understand for non-native English speakers. The only issue I've seen with playing with girls vs. boys is allowing time to allow the girls to speak and plan. Boys tend to get very vocal and make snap decisions, while the girls are a lot more thoughtful and successful (esp. if the boys aren't around).

Quote from: Hairfoot;317755I think a lot of people just like the idea of them.  I know I do.

Familiars have been "Disney-fied" ever since 1E.

Not entirely in 1E; remember the implication that all familiars of evil-aligned spellcasters were secretly very minor demons/devils/whatever in disguise with a mission to ensure that their wizard continue down the path to damnation?

as someone else upthread said, this (http://www.witchgirlsadventures.com/) is aimed squarely at preteen girls who are into Harry Potter.

Quote from: Premier;317209It made me realize that the whole "right system for demographic X" idea is bollocks.

This.

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317235The cover should sparkle.

Forget realism. Better equipment should just make you look fancier or better-looking or more archetypal or something. If Japanese schoolgirl uniform > plate mail, you're on the right track. If yo-yo > broadsword, even better!

It should be able to handle both Buffy and Sailor Moon with similar ease. Yes, Revolutionary Girl Utena also, if you insist. Fine, fine, Fruits Basket, too! Gilmore Girls? Are you serious? . . . well, ok, maybe.

Um . . . no talking animals. They're creepy.

Zombies. Girls dig zombies.

Misunderstood good guy bad boys. If Twilight proves anything, it's that girls are a sucker for this character type. The more the better!

Horses. Unicorns and Pegasuses are even better.

Not this.

When my daughter was still young enough to want to play stories with Daddy, she loved Tunnels and Trolls. I think mostly because I love Tunnels and Trolls, and had fun teaching it. She also liked Holmes D&D and Duel. As she got older and figured out that Daddy wasn't cool, she wanted to do other things--computer games and whatnot. I think girls, as much as younger boys, want to play games where they're having fun and their contribution is valued, rather than gravitating to any set of trappings. The very last thing girls want to hear in any game ever is, "You're a girl, what do you know?" Kills any interest dead. Unfortunately, little boys love to say that, especially when the girls are intruding into their sanctuary--the world of swords and rockets and whatnot. If you get group dynamics ironed out, and adopt the sort of loose style you would adopt with any beginners (fights go fast, don't worry too much about counting arrows, don't count copper pieces, don't worry too much about arbitrary level restrictions) you shouldn't have a problem playing almost any rpg with girls.

As to marketing a game to girls, I don't think it can be done. They're too clever for that. Bella Sara is just the sort of campaign you should look at, though--it does well.

When I was in high school, the girls almost universally liked Runequest better than D&D. I never figured that out.

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317525It sounds more like Neopets to me.

I know nothing about Bella Sara but Webkinz are basically neopets. The additional innovation is you buy a stuffed animal in a physical store that has a code to create an online account with a digital pet that's the same typle/look as the stuffed animal. Then they have a bedroom that you can buy stuff for and a yard and such in addition to the traditional feed and play of digital pets.  You can also buy physically accessories that give you bonus codes.
 
My 9 year old daughter has 3 and my 4 year old son has 1 and they've been playing a fair amount lately.

Quote from: Age of Fable;317760I unintentionally pissed off my DM by asking for my ranger's animal companion to be a sheep.

Nothing wrong with that!  They can be vicious buggers at times.....

I think he was thinking more along the lines of a noble eagle or a mighty wolf.

Quote from: Age of Fable;317760I unintentionally pissed off my DM by asking for my ranger's animal companion to be a sheep.

I think this . . .

(http://www.nps.gov/akso/parkwise/Students/PhotoGallery/NOAT/wildlife/DallSheep1.jpg)

. . . would make a fine animal companion for a ranger.

Or even a familiar, for the wizardly-inclined mountain dweller.

If you wanted to get girls in, I guess you could base the style of a rules light DND on things like Card Capture Sekura, Inuyasha, or whatever other girl anime is out now.

Quote from: Cranewings;317980If you wanted to get girls in, I guess you could base the style of a rules light DND on things like Card Capture Sekura, Inuyasha, or whatever other girl anime is out now.

It would certainly grab  my attention. I <3 shoujo!

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317981It would certainly grab  my attention. I <3 shoujo!

I think it would be easy to write. Especially with that open d6 license coming out.

It just seems a little weird somehow.

Quote from: Cranewings;317983It just seems a little weird somehow.

I dunno. I think a shoujo RPG would be great. I remember a little game named Heartquest, but it wasn't exactly as good an implementation of the FUDGE system that it could have been(and the artwork wasn't good enough, honestly).

There are a number of systems now with good mechanics for making interpersonal relationships typical to shoujo manga important to your chances of success . . . but I'm not sure d6 is one of them. I have the d6 Fantasy and Space books, and it's ok but it's not blowing my mind. Primetime Adventures is great for all kinds of TV shows, but it's not open. FATE would be a natural choice -- kind of a HeartQuest Plus is how I'd envision such a game. Or even something like Tim Kirk's "Hearts & Souls" or the PDQ system, where you can take damage to your relationships, which can then symbolize things like "I broke a prior engagement because I was too busy fighting evil, but I have a secret identity to maintain so I just have to let so-and-so be mad at me" and stuff like that.

More important than the system, though, would be getting writing and artwork that's appropriate, accurate, and, well, good. I haven't been super impressed by attempts in the past, but am hopeful something will come out someday.

ETA: This reminded me that I haven't actually gotten a copy of Heartquest yet. I'm rectifying that as we speak(thank goodness for DTRPG) so future opinions will be better-informed instead of going on second-hand info(a lot of secondhand info, as I remember a lot of the conversations on other sites when Heartquest was new, but secondhand info nonetheless).

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317981It would certainly grab  my attention. I <3 shoujo!

Just out of curiosity, are you an eleven-year-old girl in real life?

'cause if you're not, you're seriously setting off my squick sensors.

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317987I dunno. I think a shoujo RPG would be great. I remember a little game named Heartquest, but it wasn't exactly as good an implementation of the FUDGE system that it could have been(and the artwork wasn't good enough, honestly).

There are a number of systems now with good mechanics for making interpersonal relationships typical to shoujo manga important to your chances of success . . . but I'm not sure d6 is one of them. I have the d6 Fantasy and Space books, and it's ok but it's not blowing my mind. Primetime Adventures is great for all kinds of TV shows, but it's not open. FATE would be a natural choice -- kind of a HeartQuest Plus is how I'd envision such a game. Or even something like Tim Kirk's "Hearts & Souls" or the PDQ system, where you can take damage to your relationships, which can then symbolize things like "I broke a prior engagement because I was too busy fighting evil, but I have a secret identity to maintain so I just have to let so-and-so be mad at me" and stuff like that.

More important than the system, though, would be getting writing and artwork that's appropriate, accurate, and, well, good. I haven't been super impressed by attempts in the past, but am hopeful something will come out someday.

ETA: This reminded me that I haven't actually gotten a copy of Heartquest yet. I'm rectifying that as we speak(thank goodness for DTRPG) so future opinions will be better-informed instead of going on second-hand info(a lot of secondhand info, as I remember a lot of the conversations on other sites when Heartquest was new, but secondhand info nonetheless).

lol damage to relationships. That's a great idea.

I don't have any kids yet but we hang out with a bunch of couples who's daughters are at the age we're talking about.  I was not surprised to learn that many girls are looking for the same thing as boys when it comes to RPGs and (by extension) boardgames.  They want to roll dice, kill things, take their stuff and advance in levels.

I would guess that the only thing that could get in the ways would be the rules.  Be it too complex or just something that isn't straightforward enough.  Just like with anything, I don't think an RPG aimed at girls has to have fluffy animals, anime or any of that stuff.  It could but it would simply appeal to those girls already interested in those things.

Maybe instead of miniatures, they could have little pink Lego girls, with pages of the little Colorform cling decals with various outfits and accessories, with they would roll for on a random table.

Quote from: The Shaman;318033Just out of curiosity, are you an eleven-year-old girl in real life?

28-year-old guy. :hatsoff:

Quote'cause if you're not, you're seriously setting off my squick sensors.

If liking Fushigi Yuugi and Escaflowne squicks you out, well, too bad for you.

Quote from: JCrichton;318052I don't have any kids yet but we hang out with a bunch of couples who's daughters are at the age we're talking about.  I was not surprised to learn that many girls are looking for the same thing as boys when it comes to RPGs and (by extension) boardgames.  They want to roll dice, kill things, take their stuff and advance in levels.

I would guess that the only thing that could get in the ways would be the rules.  Be it too complex or just something that isn't straightforward enough.  Just like with anything, I don't think an RPG aimed at girls has to have fluffy animals, anime or any of that stuff.  It could but it would simply appeal to those girls already interested in those things.

Roleplaying games would be a killer way for all these concerned educators to get girls interested in math.

Frankly, I think roleplaying already has lots of traits that would make it plenty appealing to girls.  They are, after all, just fairy stories played out with friends.  

It's just that RPGs were invented by fat white nerds, and by and large are still mostly played by fat white nerds.  And no magic new game is going to change that.  The only thing that will change that is when all the fat white nerds die, and its more the hip young geeks like we see on TV all the time these days.

Girls like D&D. They just don't like fucking weirdoes. Sadly, the two often combine.

Oh and Vampire brought in a lot of girls and I don't think the game was ever marketed for them.

Something to think about.

Quote from: DeadUematsu;318174Girls like D&D. They just don't like fucking weirdoes. Sadly, the two often combine.

Oh and Vampire brought in a lot of girls and I don't think the game was ever marketed for them.

Something to think about.

Exactly.

Although, Vampire did have the "Anne Rice knockoff" thing going at the time.  And girls did like Anne Rice.

But I don't think being a knockoff of a famous girlie book is enough to magically bring bajillions of nubile young women to the hobby.  After all, Vampire also did quite a lot on it's own too.

Given some recent experiences, were I feeling uncharitable, I might suggest the focus on political drama and being a backstabbing cunt was probably more of a selling point.  ;)

Quote from: GeekEclectic;318089If liking Fushigi Yuugi and Escaflowne squicks you out, well, too bad for you.

If you were a tweenage girl who liked them, I wouldn't bat an eye.

But yes, a twenty-eight year-old man who's into shojo manga strikes me as a little weird, honestly.

And in this crowd, that's sayin' something.

Because of this thread I just remembered an overheard conversation at the gamestore......

A mom and her two kids were in the store browsing. I vaguely remember chatting with them briefly about D&D and roleplaying. my memory is a little foggy - 'cuz this happened during a crowded holiday season.

Turns out the Dad that wasn't shopping with them sometimes runs D&D and the two kids get to play along.
The girl said "I like it 'cuz I get to hurt my brother and get away with it. " (She meant in game)
Her brother gave her a dirty look.


- Ed C.

Quote from: The Shaman;318194But yes, a twenty-eight year-old man who's into shojo manga strikes me as a little weird, honestly.

And in this crowd, that's sayin' something.

Oh, no! Someone thinks I'm a little weird. My world shatters.

I don't know; Vampire's/WW's success owed a great deal to its coming in at exactly the right moment to ride the crest of the wave of a shitload of related-fads that were popular among adolescents and college kids: Rice's Vampire stories, Goth culture hitting the mainstream, and Wicca becoming hip.

I could see a game today becoming huge riding a similar wave based on some other combination of literature/film + fashion/music fad + new age fad.

A few years ago I would have said that Harry Potter would have had a great chance; today it might be Twilight. But as you can see, that's only one part of the formula. I'm not hip enough to really be able to know these days what the other parts would be.

RPGPundit

So Twilight . . . emo stuff . . . and the only current religious fad I can think of off the top of my head is the whole emerging/emergent church thing. But that would more likely clash with the whole pseudo-Mormonism of Twilight than complement it. Such convergences are beyond our ability to predict, I suppose.

Quote from: J Arcane;318168Frankly, I think roleplaying already has lots of traits that would make it plenty appealing to girls.  They are, after all, just fairy stories played out with friends.

Agreed.  I hang out with a ton of gamers and easily half of them are females, my fiance included.  And I'm not just talking about the people who only play because their husbands and boyfriends do.  These chicks lurve their gaming!  By extension I think this has and will rub off on anyone in their families who cotton to such things.

Earlier this year I played in a game run by a 9 year old girl*.  Her father helped her out using minis from board games and such plus a few rules here and there.  But make no mistake, she was running the show.  Killer GM, too!

She called it Game in a Jar.  Cuz everything needed to run it came in the jars she handed out to all the players.  I still have mine. And yes, the four players had a blast.  :D


*She may have been a different age but she was certainly a pre-teen.

My oldest, who's 11, is into Harry Potter (reading Deathly Hallows), fairies, Star Wars, and the Ranger's Apprentice series.  Anime is nary a blip on her radar.

If she wanted to play an RPG (the jury is still out on that one) I used to joke that she'd want a fairies intensive GURPS campaign.  However, since she's gotten into the Ranger's Apprentice series, I think I'd have just as much luck getting her to play a basic style D&D campaign.

Quote from: GeekEclectic;317987I remember a little game named Heartquest, but it wasn't exactly as good an implementation of the FUDGE system that it could have been(and the artwork wasn't good enough, honestly).

I actually own that book, purchased recently from a discount sale at the FLGS like I did with Sailor Moon RPG too a few years earlier, and it's true that some of the illustrations admittedly give it the appearance of a fan project rather than that of a professional publication. But still, it was an interesting effort.

My co-worker has three children, two 12 year old fraternal twins, and a 14 year old daughter.  She wanted to get them going on roleplaying so she was asking around for suggestions.  A lot of the suggestions she got were D&D 4E.  Now, I knew that her 14 year old was into fantasy/sci-fi fiction and was currently engrossed in the Twilight series (I know...), while her other daughter is a very "girly" girl (she loves BellaSera) and her son is a typical 12 year old boy.  I suggested Buffy to them.  I know the game is out of print so that might be a limiting factor, but it hit marks with all three children and the system was just enough in all respects to keep them interested without being overwhelming.

Something based in pop culture to grab attention with enough variety in the encounters to keep things interesting would seem to be the best way to keep young kids interested.  

But everything is subjective.  A lot of the previous posts blow this one out of the water. =/

Quote from: JCrichton;318292Earlier this year I played in a game run by a 9 year old girl*.  Her father helped her out using minis from board games and such plus a few rules here and there.  But make no mistake, she was running the show.  Killer GM, too!

She called it Game in a Jar.  Cuz everything needed to run it came in the jars she handed out to all the players.  I still have mine. And yes, the four players had a blast.  :D


*She may have been a different age but she was certainly a pre-teen.

This kid is awesome.  Pure awesome.

Quote from: Kinetic;318459This kid is awesome.  Pure awesome.

Troof.  I believe she's run it three times, maybe more by now.