Lucius
Jan 10th, '10, 04:51 PM
This is the rules set
RPG for pre-literate children.
TRAITS
All characters have three traits:
STRONG
This is for things like breaking or lifting objects or overcoming physical difficulties. It can be used in fighting monsters, opening doors, climbing a rope, etc.
FAST
This is how fast your character can run, but also how good they are at something physical. If they want to hit something with an arrow or walk a tightrope, this is the trait to use. IT is also how fast you can move, if using miniatures.
SMART
This is how intelligent you character is. It can be used to figure out problems, convince other people to act how you want them to act, to invent things or to fix things.
The player gets ten dice to design their character. They get to decide how many dice to assign to each trait. Thus if a child wants a strong hero, they could give 4 or five dice to that trait. No trait may have fewer than 2 dice.
DIFFICULTIES
An RPG is basically overcoming a string of difficulties. You could be trying to convince a King to help you against bandits, you could be facing a dragon, or trying to get out of a maze. Some of these things are more difficult than others, so the person running the game decides how difficult they are.
To overcome a difficulty, the game master tells the player whether it is a Strong Difficulty, a Fast Difficulty or a Smart Difficulty. The player then rolls one die for every point in the matching trait. Difficulties range from:
2 Simple
3 Very Easy
4 Easy
5 Hard
6 Very Hard
for tasks more difficult than "Very Hard" (say, lifting an elephant), multiple sixes may be required.
After rolling the dice, the player looks to see if they rolled the difficulty level or higher on any of the dice. If they have done so, they succeed in the task. If not, they have failed. Generally, failure means they may try again another way.
Example:
The character tries to get through a locked door. The game master says that the door is very strong and heavy, and would be Very Hard to open. The character has three dice of strong and rolls 2-3-3. None of these is a six or higher, so the door does not budge. They then decide to pick the lock. The lock is Hard to pick, but not Very Hard. So they need to roll a 5 or higher on any of the dice. They roll a 1-3-6. The "6" give them a success and the door opens.
A good gamemaster should try to make difficulties that can be solved in more than one way.
FIGHTING
Combat is part of many stories. Characters fight giants, dragons, bandits or monsters. If combat is part of a story, the game master should work out the opponent by designing them as if they were a character. Weak opponents should be built on 4-7 dice, strong oppononets should be built on 8-11. Very dangerous opponents should be built on more.
To defeat an opponent, a player should decide whether they are trying to out-Strong them (with swords or wrestling), out-Fast them (by running away or using arrows or guns), or out Smart them (by convincing them to give up, or to distract them).
Once they have decided how they will fight, each character rolls their dice, one at a time. The higher die steals the lower die (ties are won by player characters. They are the heroes after all). Once one character has stolen all the dice of another, the fight is over.
Fights should be as non-gory as possible. A player character never dies, though they could be captured or knocked out as a result of losing.
WEAPONS AND TOOLS
A fighter with a sword is more effective than one without. It is easier to climb a mountain with rope and grappling hook than without. Tools give you bonus dice for the appropirate action. A rope could give an extra 2 dice to climb a wall. A knife could give an extra die in a fight. Going to the library could give you extra dice to solve a problem.
Characters should be allowed to carry their favorite equipment with them. If a player can think of some reasonable tool to acquire or action to perform, they should be rewarded with bonus dice for the difficulty. Help the child come up with innovative ways to get those extra dice. Special equipment ( a magic sword or a flying carpet) could be given out on index cards with a picture of the item and a big number nearby to remind the child of the bonus.
Keith "indulgent father" Curtis
This is my adventure module
Rescue at Arides
A science-fiction adventure for the very young.
This is an adventure for 3 characters. Up to 3 children may play, or one child may play all 3 characters, or the Game Guardian may play 2 of them. There are suggestions for extra characters if more children want to play. The characters have Jobs, but the names have been left to either the child or the Game Guardian to make up. The child also gets to decide how Strong, Fast, and Smart each character is, but they get special abilities based on their jobs. I have made two characters female and one male (the closest I could come to a 50/50 ratio with 3 people) but the child should be able to change that too.
The Scenario.
No one lives on the planet Arides except the scientists and staff of the Arides Research Station. Right now, only one scientist, Professor Stone, is living and working there. He is supposed to call Space Patrol every other day on his subspace radio just to check in, but he hasn’t done so, and doesn’t respond to calls either. A spaceship, the SPV (Space Patrol Vessel) Papa Curtis has been sent to check and see if his communications gear is broken and needs to be repaired or replaced.
The Cast.
The Captain.
The Captain is in charge of the spaceship. Her job is to see that people follow the rules of the Space Patrol, and to help everyone work together to achieve the group’s goals.
The Captain gets 1 extra die if trying to remember a rule, think of a plan for everyone to follow, or otherwise do Captain Stuff.
If the Captain is there and people are working on a task together (such as everyone rolling their Strong dice to lift something) then the Captain gets to add 2 bonus dice to the effort.
The Pilot.
The Pilot flies the spaceship.
He’s a good pilot so he gets to add 2 dice when he’s flying. Sometimes he has to fix things that break too, so he adds 1 die if he’s trying to fix something on the spaceship.
The Security Officer
The Security Officer’s job is to keep everyone safe.
The Security Officer has an extra die if she is figuring out if something is dangerous, or trying to find a safe way to do things. She also has an extra die if she has to fight to protect people.
Equipment:
All characters have armored space suits that will let them breathe in space or on an alien planet, and give an extra 1d6 in a fight. All also have ray guns that add 1d6 to Fast dice if fighting with them.
Other Characters:
If more children need to be accommodated, here are suggestions for other characters:
A Scientist.
Someone coming to join the scientist already on the planet. Give them extra dice to figure out scientific things – like remembering that the planet has quakes (see below.)
A Ship’s Doctor
They can help if anyone gets hurt.
An Engineer
They would get 2 dice for fixing stuff.
Another Security Officer, Doctor, or Engineer
Coming to stay at the Research Station, in case the scientists need protecting, get sick, or break their equipment.
Approaching the Planet.
Game Guardian: “As you approach, you see that there are two things in orbit above the planet. One is the satellite that catches the signals from the station and sends them on to the patrol. The other is another spaceship. There aren’t supposed to be any other spaceships here.”
If the players want to attack:
Have the Captain roll Smart dice, with an extra die, for a Simple task. If she makes it, she remembers that it’s against the rules to attack if they don’t know who they’re attacking. If she fails, go directly to Combat with Pirates.
If the players want to find out more:
Any character can roll Smart dice for a Very Easy task to use the ship’s sensors (telescopes, radar, or however you care to describe it to the child) to identify the other ship. It has a skull and bones design on it, and the name Queen Anne’s Lace. Have each character roll Smart dice for a Simple task (the Security Officer gets an extra die because this is about something dangerous, and the Captain gets an extra die because it’s Captain Stuff) to recognize that as the name of a pirate ship. If no one succeeds, say the ship’s computer has that fact in its records.
If the players ask how dangerous it would be to fight:
Have the characters roll Smart dice for a Hard task. The Security Officer and Pilot get an extra die (because it’s obviously Security Stuff, and the pilot knows about spaceships.) If someone succeeds, say
“The pirate ship looks faster then yours, but your ship’s weapons are better, and your ship is bigger and has better shielding.”
If the players want to talk:
Using the communications gear is a Very Easy task, and counts as both Pilot Stuff (it’s part of the ship) and Captain Stuff (talking to people is part of her job) so each gets an extra die.
“Aarrrr! This is Captain John Silver of the Queen Anne’s Lace. Do you want to surrender now, or after we’ve blown holes in your ship?”
Feel free to play out dialogue with the pirate captain; he is rough and blustery and likes to hear himself talk. He won’t surrender without a fight, but he knows he’s basically bluffing; he doesn’t think he can take on the players and win, unless he gets lucky. Unfortunately, he does believe in luck. He knows there’s someone on the planet, but doesn’t know who or how many or where they are. If they keep him talking, he may mention that he’s already gutted the satellite for useful parts.
If you want to say they have visual contact, describe the scene on the pirates’ bridge; Captain Silver and a couple of other rough looking people in space suits with the helmets open, who look ready to fight.
If the players want to run away:
Before finding out about the pirates;
The Captain does not need to roll to know that they should at least check on Professor Stone first.
After finding out about the pirates;
The Captain does not need to roll to remember that the Space Patrol is supposed to fight pirates when they can.
If they try to run anyway:
The Queen Anne’s Lace is faster than the Papa Curtis and will pursue and fight. I never said the pirate captain was smart. If they run, he thinks that means he can take them.
Combat with Pirates
Battle Stations! The Pilot rolls Fast dice with his bonus of 2 dice for flying, and the Security Officer mans the ship’s guns and rolls Fast dice with her bonus of 1 die for fighting. The Captain rolls 2 extra dice, because she gives a bonus of 2 dice when people are working together for something.
However many dice the players have, give the pirates a few less. The players are supposed to win this one.
If the players win:
Tell them the pirate ship is damaged and trying to escape.
If they pursue, go to Chasing the Pirates. If they let the pirates go, go to What Happened to the Satellite.
If the players lose:
Go to Landfall
Chasing the Pirates
Their ship was faster, but it’s damaged now. If the players think to try hailing the pirates and asking them to surrender, have the Captain roll Smart dice to talk the pirates into giving up; This is an Easy task, and the Captain gets a bonus die for Captain Stuff. Otherwise, the Pilot rolls Fast dice (with his 2 bonus dice) as if fighting the pirate pilot, who has one fewer Fast dice and no bonus (he’s not as good a pilot, and his ship is damaged.) If the pirates win this one, they get away; if they lose, they are caught and will surrender.
Captured pirates will admit to looting the satellite, but deny knowing anything about the research station. The satellite’s parts are found on their ship, but no clue about Professor Stone is there.
What Happened to the Satellite
As soon as the conflict with the pirates is over, or whenever the players ask to look at it, they will realize the satellite has been stripped and looted. They may ask if they can fix it. If they captured the pirates and therefore have the parts, fixing it will be a Very Hard task, rolled on Smart dice; if they lack the parts, it cannot be repaired. In any case, repairing the satellite will not restore communication with the research station; they will have to go down to the planet.
Landfall
Eventually, the players will land on the planet. This is a Very Easy task for the pilot on Fast Dice (with bonus of course) UNLESS they lost the battle with pirates; then it’s an emergency landing with a damaged ship, which is Very Hard. Failure means the ship is damaged or damaged further; see Fixing the Spaceship if and when the players get around to trying it.
Even if it’s a crashlanding, the pilot will be able to land near where the Research Station is supposed to be.
If the spaceship was shot down by pirates, the sensors/radar/whatever will reveal that the pirate ship, which took some damage too (so they shouldn’t feel too bad about losing) is running away; probably afraid that another Patrol ship will come soon.
Arides is an airless, lifeless planet; describe a landscape of rocks and dust, of harsh bright sunlight and utterly black shadows. If the players are old enough, explain that this is because there is no atmosphere to help soften and scatter the light; if they are not ready for such concepts, just say that some worlds are like that.
The Station is located in a kind of artificial cave that was cut out of the side of a small mountain with lasers. The mountain is there, but where the station should be is nothing but a big pile of rocks, piled against the mountainside!
What Happened to the Research Station
If the players have captured the pirates, there are only about a half dozen of them; they can all be safely locked up aboard the Papa Curtis. If questioned, they will reveal that they looted the satellite, and were still around because they were trying to find the people on the planet to see if they had anything worth stealing; scientific equipment is worth a lot of money. They don’t know what happened here, or where Professor Stone is.
If the players do not figure out right away that a landslide has covered the entrance to the station, have the characters roll Smart dice for an Easy task. If anyone succeeds, they remember that the planet sometimes has groundquakes (we can’t call them earthquakes if we’re not on Earth, can we?)
If the players want to use the spaceship’s instruments, or ask the computer for help, a big metal door is detected right behind the pile of rocks. If they get outside and look around, they notice tracks leading away from the rockslide, like those of a tank or a bulldozer, like a large vehicle that moves on treads. Roll Smart dice for an Easy task to remember that the Station had a Mobile Laboratory that moved on treads like that. If you like, you may also require a roll to use the ship’s sensors, and/or notice the tracks: the roll should probably be Very Easy, or even Simple. If the tracks are followed, doing so becomes Hard, then Very Hard, and finally Impossible, as the vehicle went from ground covered in dust to harder and stonier ground. It’s obvious the Mobile Lab got out before the rocks fell. Anyone who makes a Hard roll on Smart dice while looking around outside also finds a large telescope lying on its side, broken.
Have the Captain roll Smart dice for an Easy task to make a plan to move the boulders:
“The gravity here is light, so those boulders will be easier to move than they look. If we all work together it won’t be hard!”
And indeed, it is an Easy task, especially as every character gets to roll Strong dice and the Captain adds two. If you don’t think the children are ready to understand that different planets have different gravity, just skip that part of the Captain’s explanation.
If the Captain doesn’t come up with a plan: the other characters can try. If no one succeeds, they will have to come up with one; possibly the same one, in fact.
If the players want to try blowing up the boulders:
Have the Security Officer roll Smart dice for an Easy task, with her bonus die. If she succeeds, she says it sounds dangerous. If she fails, or if the players want to try it anyway, it is her job to place the explosives. She must roll Smart dice for a Hard task. If she succeeds, the boulders are blown out of the way and the door is blown open; if she fails, the boulders are blown out of the way, but land on the spaceship doing damage or further damage or still more damage, depending on what has happened to the spaceship already.
If the players want to use their rayguns on the boulders:
Have the Security Officer roll Smart dice for an Easy task, with her her bonus die. If she succeeds, she warns that this will exhaust the charges in the guns and they can’t be used again. If she fails, or they players go ahead anyway, they won’t have the guns any more; it takes up all charges of all their weapons to clear the entrance.
If the players want to use the spaceship weapons to clear the entrance:
If the spaceship has sustained any damage, tell them this can’t work. If the ship is undamaged, every character rolls Smart Dice for an Easy task, with the Security Officer getting her bonus. Anyone who succeeds will realize that this risks damaging the Station as well, possibly harming anyone still inside. If they all fail, or if they go ahead anyway, anyone can use the ship’s gun by rolling Fast dice on a Hard task; the Pilot gets an extra die because it’s part of the ship, and the Security Officer gets an extra die because she’s trying to do it as safely as possible. Whoever tries it, the boulders will automatically be vaporized, but so will the door; and if the roll fails, the destruction extends to the Garage and the Air Lock (see below.)
If the players can’t decide on a plan after thinking about it for a while, let them roll again to think of just trying to move the boulders by hand.
The Entrance:
Assuming it hasn’t been destroyed already, the entrance is a huge metal sliding door. A keypad on the wall opens it; the characters know the code, they were told before being sent on this mission. If you want to throw in another obstacle, you can say the door is damaged; it will be a Hard task on Strong dice to force it open. If you do this, however, allow multiple tries if necessary until the door is open.
Just inside is the Garage, where the Mobile Lab was kept. There will probably be other equipment here too, but the Mob Lab is obviously gone.
An Airlock connects the Garage to the rest of the complex. If the players have destroyed the Airlock inadvertently, they will have to continue to wear spacesuits; if not, they can take the suits off and explore the rest of the Station, if the Security Officer deems it safe.
The Airlock leads directly to a Locker Room. Space suits are stored here in lockers; there is other equipment about too that people might want before going out, everything from prospector’s hammers to first aid kits to Geiger counters.
Next is a large Kitchen/Dining/Recreation area. Explain that this is where people would cook, eat, play games, etc. Also in this large room is the Communications area. The supspace radio has obviously been deliberately wrecked.
A Corridor leads from this area deeper into the mountain. There are a series of 8 bedrooms, 4 on each side. Seven will prove to be empty; beds neat, closets empty, obviously rooms not occupied right now. One will be Professor Stone’s room. The walls are decorated with reproductions of very old posters of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and whatever rock groups the Game Guardian knows the players to enjoy. Besides a bookshelf with lots of books about geology, astronomy, and other scientific subjects, a shelf of CDs gives further testimony to the Professor’s tastes in music. (If you prefer, you can substitute some more futuristic storage medium for the 20th century music.)
There is a computer in the Professor’s bedroom. If the players try to use it, go to Talking to the Computer.
Beyond the bedrooms, the corridor leads to an Infirmary; if the players investigate, they find no evidence that the Professor was sick or injured recently. Then the corridor leads to several scientific laboratories, storerooms for equipment and for samples (lots of boxes with rocks in them clearly labeled as to where and when collected) and anything else you think a Research Station needs. Only one laboratory seems to have been used recently; this is the one the Professor used. Besides the things you’d expect in a chemistry and geology generalist’s lab, there are two pieces of equipment worthy of note: A seismograph, and a computer. If players attempt to use the computer, go to Talking to the Computer. If they investigate the seismograph, have any character who examines it roll Smart dice for a Hard task; if there is a scientist along, for them it is an Easy task. Success means they can determine that there was a groundquake recently; further, that there were tremors leading up to it, and the the Professor probably knew the big quake was coming.
If the players haven’t thought of it yet, it’s a Simple idea to think of talking to the computer to find out what happened.
Talking to the Computer
“I’m Professor Stone’s computer. You’re not Professor Stone. Why should I talk to you?”
If the Captain tries something like “I’m a Captain of the Space Patrol, on a mission, you have to help me” then she will find talking the computer into helping is a Very Hard task, although she DOES get a bonus to her Smart dice because convincing someone of your authority is Captain Stuff.
Otherwise, the computer will say
“I can help you if you’re a friend of Professor Stone. He’s a scientist and most of his friends are too. Say something scientific!”
The players can pass this test if each of them can articulate even one or two simple scientific facts appropriate to their age and development. Examples:
“Trees and grass and flowers are all plants.”
“A penguin is a bird even though it can’t fly.”
“The Earth goes around the Sun”
“Water and ice and steam are all the same thing”
“A triangle has three sides.”
But next the computer says
“Scientists are good with numbers. What does 2+3 equal?”
Vary this depending on the child’s development. An intelligent 8 yr old may have to solve a simple multiplication problem like 2X5 but for a very young child the question may be “can you count to 10?”
And then
“What’s the difference between a solid and a liquid?”
If the players don’t already know, this is a Simple question for any character on Smart dice.
And finally
“What is the difference between rock and stone?”
If the players can’t guess, let them be stymied for a while. If you sense they are getting too frustrated, though, let them roll Smart dice for an Easy question to realize:
“Rock is a kind of music, and Stone is the name of the professor we’re looking for!”
or
“Stone is the name of a professor, and rock is his favorite kind of music!”
The Computer will say
“Correct! I guess you’re friends after all. Professor Stone warned me people might come who aren’t friendly. He left a message for you.”
The Computer plays the message.
“Greetings. I told the computer only to play this message for friends; I hope that’s what you are. A few days ago I realized a big quake was coming, and that I had to get out of this area to be safe. I sent a message to Space Patrol but got no answer; so I went out with a telescope and checked the satellite, and I saw a spaceship in orbit with it, and it looked like they were taking it apart – it had to be space pirates! I wrecked the supspace radio because I know if it receives the right signals, it will respond and give away its location, and I was afraid the pirates could find the station that way. I got in the Mobile Lab and went to a location where the ground would be more stable; the computer can give you the coordinates. Thank you, and whoever you are, I hope to see you soon!”
Professor Stone will be found in the Mob Lab tucked into a (geologically stable) ravine to avoid detection by pirates, happily chipping away at the ravine walls with a geologist’s hammer, or sitting around listening to some rock song the players know and like. Getting to him now is an Easy task for the pilot if the spaceship is undamaged; if it was damaged, the task is Hard. If the spaceship took further damage or still more damage, it will have to be fixed first:
Further damage
Fixing this is an Easy task on Smart dice. The pilot does get his bonus die.
Still more damage
Fixing this is a Hard task.
If the players think of anything that may help – having the other character help, checking the Research Station for parts and tools to help fix the ship, etc – let them help, and be generous with bonus dice. You don’t want them stuck on this planet until another Space Patrol ship comes to rescue THEM do you?
Although reluctant, the Professor does not need to be talked into leaving the planet for now. The Research Station isn’t safe where it is, and a crew will have to come and rebuild it in a better area.
Lucius Alexander
Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises
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