Online Dnd for 11 year old
January 30, 2021 8:35 PM Subscribe
Our 11 year old would really love to play DND with his buddies, but we just don’t have the skills or bandwidth to DM for him and his friends right now. What are some good options for him to find a group of kids his age to play with?
It’s be ideal if a buddy could join, but not mandatory. He’s played a couple times. We looked at dndclub on outschool and it looks great-but ouch, $70 a week. We will pay it if it’s the best option as he’s had a crummy year with health issues in addition to pandemic, but would prefer not to. Any tried and true ideas?
It’s be ideal if a buddy could join, but not mandatory. He’s played a couple times. We looked at dndclub on outschool and it looks great-but ouch, $70 a week. We will pay it if it’s the best option as he’s had a crummy year with health issues in addition to pandemic, but would prefer not to. Any tried and true ideas?
I haven't used this myself but it can't hurt to look into: https://www.rpgtablefinder.com/view-all-tables
You should also check your local game shops to see if they are running anything for younger players
posted by Attackpanda at 8:49 PM on January 30, 2021
You should also check your local game shops to see if they are running anything for younger players
posted by Attackpanda at 8:49 PM on January 30, 2021
I'll second Roll20 as a good option for being free, having built in, if rudimentary video and voice sharing, and supporting any sort of role playing you could care to.
I suggest the ideal would be to set up the group of existing buddies and let them have at it. Joining other groups may also be an option but I recommend your involvement in vetting both that you're comfortable with the group and they are comfortable with an 11 year old joining in.
posted by meinvt at 8:56 PM on January 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
I suggest the ideal would be to set up the group of existing buddies and let them have at it. Joining other groups may also be an option but I recommend your involvement in vetting both that you're comfortable with the group and they are comfortable with an 11 year old joining in.
posted by meinvt at 8:56 PM on January 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
It might be worth checking with your local library (or libraries) to see if they might have an online DnD program running. I know of a few public libraries that have been doing virtual sessions for pre-teens.
posted by VirginiaPlain at 10:02 PM on January 30, 2021
posted by VirginiaPlain at 10:02 PM on January 30, 2021
Oh man, I would totally invite you to ours if 5 kids wasn’t already total bedlam. I will say that if you have nerd friends, especially parent nerd friends, ask around. The only reason I am running a game like this right now is that a friend asked.
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:07 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by tchemgrrl at 6:07 AM on January 31, 2021 [3 favorites]
Divinity original sin 2 is a video game that isn't DND, but is pretty close. It has online coop. It was pretty fun.
Otherwise, like all kiddos, he or you should extend out to his network to find friends that are interested. He could also make or find a club after school for it.
posted by bbqturtle at 6:26 AM on January 31, 2021
Otherwise, like all kiddos, he or you should extend out to his network to find friends that are interested. He could also make or find a club after school for it.
posted by bbqturtle at 6:26 AM on January 31, 2021
How does your kid feel about GMing? How comfortable is he with reading and following directions?
I ran a couple of D&D sessions using the adventure in the intro D&D boxed set when I was eleven. It was not an unqualified success, because my nine-year-old sister was not on board with the murder hobo aspect of classic D&D. But we were definitely able to make characters, wander around a dungeon, and fight some goblins!
These days, I bet you could find an introductory module specifically designed for kids. Set them up with voice chat, a way to roll dice, and a character sheet, offer them the premade adventure, and let them figure the rest out for themselves. They might follow the module, or they might daydream about having really cool swords. Either way is awesome!
posted by yarntheory at 8:24 AM on January 31, 2021
I ran a couple of D&D sessions using the adventure in the intro D&D boxed set when I was eleven. It was not an unqualified success, because my nine-year-old sister was not on board with the murder hobo aspect of classic D&D. But we were definitely able to make characters, wander around a dungeon, and fight some goblins!
These days, I bet you could find an introductory module specifically designed for kids. Set them up with voice chat, a way to roll dice, and a character sheet, offer them the premade adventure, and let them figure the rest out for themselves. They might follow the module, or they might daydream about having really cool swords. Either way is awesome!
posted by yarntheory at 8:24 AM on January 31, 2021
One common practice is "Roll20 for the gaming platform; Discord for the actual discussions and voice/video streaming." However, both of them have a TOS that require users to be 13 and over. (When my kids were under 13, I happily told them to lie on all the website membership forms; I'd take responsibility for any dangers they encountered.) (Including data harvesting. My "responsible parenting" included forbidding them from having Facebook or Twitter accounts.) Using either platform means teaching your kid to lie to strangers - never mention his exact age, and be quiet in conversations where ages are being discussed.
Neopets was one of the few kids-online places that allowed accounts for under-13s, and I had to fax them a signed form. That was a long time ago; I don't know if their policies have changed. And Neopets does not have an easy way to arrange D&D/RPG play, although there may be D&D-ish forum/chat games.
Tabletop Simulator doesn't have an age limit but does require every player to have their own copy of the software - normally about $20; regularly available on sale for $10 but that means waiting for a sale.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:29 PM on January 31, 2021
Neopets was one of the few kids-online places that allowed accounts for under-13s, and I had to fax them a signed form. That was a long time ago; I don't know if their policies have changed. And Neopets does not have an easy way to arrange D&D/RPG play, although there may be D&D-ish forum/chat games.
Tabletop Simulator doesn't have an age limit but does require every player to have their own copy of the software - normally about $20; regularly available on sale for $10 but that means waiting for a sale.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:29 PM on January 31, 2021
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posted by The otter lady at 8:39 PM on January 30, 2021 [2 favorites]