Hero Kids review on Wired GeekDad

My sophisticated analytics graphs tell me that something happened yesterday.   That something is an awesome review of Hero Kids over on Wired's equally awesome GeekDad site:

My Kids' First Role-Playing Adventure: A Hero Kids Review

The review, which is by +Ryan Carlson, takes a good look at Hero Kids, so here's a few quotes:

"As soon as I had read through the beautiful 20-page PDF I knew without a doubt that my daughters (ages 4 and 6) could easily understand the basics of the game."

"Amongst the four base classes for Hero Kids, there are male and female versions of each class (although there was no female thief), each allowing for a variety of play styles and specialties."

Correction: There are ten heroes in Hero Kids, four girls and five boys.   Wait, that doesn't add up to ten!   It doesn't add up because the Rogue's gender is ambiguous.

Pop quiz, boy or girl:

"The character sketches of each pre-generated character are age-appropriate, and made it really easy for my kids to identify with the characters.   My 4-year-old daughter instantly snatched up the Rapunzel look-alike with her long hair whip-attack..."

"I will admit that there are times I barely have time to prep for my regular role-playing campaign, and to have half a dozen pre-written adventures available for Hero Kids is fantastic."

"The quality of the maps and the provided figurines is as high quality as I find in mainstream pre-written adventures."

"In conclusion, Hero Kids hits the mark in both quality and ease of use for parents that have been looking for a new family-time activity.   A great start for young role-players that are ready to take their first steps into a life long story fueled by their own imaginations."

How 'bout that!

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Check out Hero Kids and its adventures at DriveThruRPG:

Hero Forge Games at DriveThruRPG

Solid design elements in Hero Kids

+Peter Schweighofer has taken a great look at the underlying design, mechanics, and presentation of Hero Kids.   Check it out:

Schweig's Gaming Journal: Solid Design Elements in Hero Kids

Here are a few quotes:

"The very basic system in Hero Kids offers a simple yet intuitive means of resolving conflicts kids can understand without all the complexities of other roleplaying game systems."

"The character sheet summarizes all relevant information for players using easy-to-remember icons and quick summaries of combat actions.   The use of icons for stats, gear, and skills makes room for the concise summaries of what they can do in terms of a general attack, special actions, and bonus abilities."

"The landscape layout makes the rules easy to view on a notebook or tablet device."

"An entire page offers “Hints & Tips” for running the game with kids, useful both from a general gaming perspective and specifically geared toward rule elements in Hero Kids.   Another page covers special considerations for gaming with kids, including pitfalls regarding violence, language, religion, and morality."

"On the preceding page sections entitled “Pint-Sized Heroes” and “Big-Sized Problems” help demonstrate the kinds of adventures kids and their heroes might undertake.   The setting is tailored specifically to kids, including playing heroes who are kids facing reasonable challenges."

"These visually based encounters on a gridded play area help younger gamers make the transition from more traditional board games to the more freeform roleplaying games."

"Although Hero Kids still requires a knowledgeable adult to run the game with young players, it remains completely focused on being a roleplaying game for kids without being diluted by any other agenda of simulating an old-school, retro-clone or promoting a particularly ground-breaking campaign setting.   It’s a well-developed game (as are its several adventure supplements) with appealing layout and practical utility in running games for kids."

Thanks to Peter for taking to time to write up this analysis of Hero Kids!

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Check out Hero Kids and its adventures at DriveThruRPG:

Hero Forge Games at DriveThruRPG