However, I had a quandary last night: I'm not sure that all parents will be cool with the story tilt at the end of the adventure. Basically, the child is revealed to be a ghost who died in the well hundreds of years ago, and in the end the heroes lay the ghost to rest and reunite it with its parents.
What do you all think?
What do you think of this kind of content for Hero Kids?
Should I switch it to a straightforward rescue mission?
Hi Justin,
ReplyDeleteWe just played our first Hero Kids adventure today and it was awesome. My daughter started creating her own adventure right after.
Re your storyline, you could write it with two alternate endings and let the game master choose where to take the story.
I like the idea of a choice as well but I think my kids would like the twist at the end. They are 7 & 12.
ReplyDeleteMy kids tend to get nervous about freaky stuff like ghosts. One of the strengths of Hero Kids is that it is light / bright / happy, which is hard to find in an RPG. I would lean toward either a more straightforward ending, or give the GM options, as others have recommended. Also, something like a kid trapped in a well might also freak kids out because they can easily imagine if it were them. In general, I would avoid anything that would be disturbing to kids.
ReplyDeleteJustin,
ReplyDeleteI think what you have done historically has been great. Deliberate or not, you have previously only presented perceived peril/danger or ''safe danger'' in the past. That has worked well as it has remained in the purely fantastical 'only in the wildest of dreams' kind of thing.
The trouble with this new arc, is the possiblbility of this actually having a tangebility to it and as a result would present more realism and as a result 'terror' [not sure that is the right word sorry], than the fantastical setting of the story presents itself. Particularly if the story lends itself to the possibility of failure of the mission.
I really appreciate you opening up and asking for feedback on this idea. I want to iterate and reiterate that you are doing fantastic stuff with Hero Kids and its a brand I have come to instantly trust.
I often update without even wondering if the stuff in the module will be appropriate for my kid and friends and I want to thank you for engendering that style of writing.
Just as an offset, the rescuing the dragon arc still presented 'fear'/'trepidation' [again not sure if that is the right wording] but it was safe due to the fantasy setting.
I hope you see these comments as affirming of all the stuff you have done previously rather than a harsh judgement just on this case.