ChoreWars. On Paper. For a non D&D person.
August 4, 2014 3:37 PM Subscribe
I want to use a game like Chore Wars to motivate my kid to take care of his chores. Except it has to be paper-and-pencil only.
My 6 year old is innately very competitive -- when just a little bit younger, I could motivate him to e.g. brush his teeth by telling him he'd get "10 points" or something like that. At his current age I think he'd really enjoy the idea of having a character, getting experience points for doing chores, fighting monsters, etc., and I'd like a structure by which getting points could translate into in-game rewards (or maybe, if I'm desperate, real-world rewards :-).
In other words, Chore Wars. But I'm not interested in the online approach. We're pretty low-tech parents. Unfortunately, I also don't really have any experience with the genre of games that Chore Wars is based on. I have in my head that I would somehow be the Dungeon Master, and that I'd be in charge of creating and running some kind of world. But I have no idea how to do that.
Where would I start with this? Or is there something in the same vein that already exists?
My 6 year old is innately very competitive -- when just a little bit younger, I could motivate him to e.g. brush his teeth by telling him he'd get "10 points" or something like that. At his current age I think he'd really enjoy the idea of having a character, getting experience points for doing chores, fighting monsters, etc., and I'd like a structure by which getting points could translate into in-game rewards (or maybe, if I'm desperate, real-world rewards :-).
In other words, Chore Wars. But I'm not interested in the online approach. We're pretty low-tech parents. Unfortunately, I also don't really have any experience with the genre of games that Chore Wars is based on. I have in my head that I would somehow be the Dungeon Master, and that I'd be in charge of creating and running some kind of world. But I have no idea how to do that.
Where would I start with this? Or is there something in the same vein that already exists?
I have been trying to look around and I am not finding a paper-and-pencil version. I did find Roll a Chore.
I also found this article about trying to gamify chores/learning. It talks specifically about Chore Wars. I am not sure how useful it will be to you.
Talisman is a board game that is kind of like D&D. Maybe learning a bit about that will help you figure this out.
FWIW, the Chore Wars site indicates that XP (experience points) are generally awarded based on how long a task takes. So, basically 15 minutes of work = 15 XP.
posted by Michele in California at 6:26 PM on August 4, 2014
I also found this article about trying to gamify chores/learning. It talks specifically about Chore Wars. I am not sure how useful it will be to you.
Talisman is a board game that is kind of like D&D. Maybe learning a bit about that will help you figure this out.
FWIW, the Chore Wars site indicates that XP (experience points) are generally awarded based on how long a task takes. So, basically 15 minutes of work = 15 XP.
posted by Michele in California at 6:26 PM on August 4, 2014
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I would draw a Candy-Land looking game setup with a star at, say, the 5, 11, 17, 24, 32, etc etc point (increasing the spacing every time.) Draw or print some cool looking swords and shields, put a monster at the end.
He rolls a six sided die every time he does something he ought to and moves ahead that many spots. At the stars, he gets more powerful (can see in the dark, can run faster, I bet he'll come up with awesome ones after a suggestion or two) or he gets one of the items. Make up a story as to how he got the ability or item. When he gets to the end he uses all his abilities to fight the powerful monster. This deserves a great story! So fast! So much blood! Wow! (Maybe he gets a real world thing for bravery.) You'll have plenty of time to figure out how both the nunchucks and the jet pack, or whatever, come into play. I'd probably set it up to take 1-2 weeks the first time, maybe longer later if he buys in.
Wash rinse repeat, probably with a new character. Knight, superhero, firefighter, magician, lion tamer, whatever involves both skill and stuff. I don't think the world building needs to be too deep. Stick with the id.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:20 PM on August 4, 2014