Newbie DM, author of the killer blog of the same name, Newbie DM, emailed me about his latest project: an ultra-light mini-RPG geared towards 4- and 5-year-olds.

You can read about his system and download the free three-page PDF on his blog. The PDF includes character sheets.

The system itself is essentially mechanics for combat that turn it into a fun counting exercise for kids — you grab some minis, a dungeon tile or three, and improvise a story. If you’re not good at improvising stories for your kids, you’re probably reading the wrong blog…

I have a 10-month-old, and my wife and I are both creative people; I’d say there’s a better than average chance our daughter will want to try RPGs. When she’s ready for a full-fledged system, I’ll be introducing her to Mouse Guard (read my review to see why) — but before she reaches that point, something like Newbie’s game would be perfect.

Thanks for sharing this with the GMing community, Newbie!

So, Gnome Stew Readers…

Do you run games for your kids? What system do you use? What have you learned about how to make gaming fun for them?