A quasi-stupid question: age for play

[slimykuotoan]

Is C&C for those aged 10 +?

[tylermo]

I'm NOT with the company, but maybe you're just seeking an opnion from any of us. I haven't been around many players under 11 or 12, but I do recall seeing a few. Not with C&C just yet, but with other games. I briefly dabbled in the RPGA during the 3 or 3.5 years(not a big fan, but it doesn't matter). I remember some people who traveled to one of the gatherings from out of state. They had an elementary school girl playing D&D. Can't remember for certain, but she might have been 4th grade. Fantastic player! I also remember playing in a Rifts game at a small convention. Yet again, another elementary school kid. He even asked, "Is there any C-4 around I could use?" The kid was a lot of fun. In my opinion it's down to each person. One kid is 6, but more like 12, while another acts like 6 at age 12. There is no exact starting age. However, you may be wondering if the learning curve for C&C is for 10 and older. Hard to say. It's not the most difficult system in the world, but there could be some crunchy bits for younger players to deal with. That said, a good gm can handle the rules while keeping those kids rolling the dice and roleplaying. I say go for it.

[Relaxo]

I'd say that's perfect!

The rules are simple enough and the imagination should be free at that age and it should be fun fun fun for you too. The biggest thing is age appropriate GMing, but you know that already.

So 10ish is a great age to start, IMO.

[Arduin]

My younger son started playing 2nd Edition ~10 yrs of age. The key I found was to only have them deal with a small amount of material at a time. Starting them with the fighter class is best as they learn the core mechanics with the least amount of stuff to remember...

[mabon5127]

Is C&C for those aged 10 +?

My daughter also played at age 10 and still does almost two years later. We do a lot of the "rulesy" stuff for her but she actively participates in strategy.

[gideon_thorne]

Its for anyone old enough to read and comprehend words, IMHO. Course, I was 8 or so when I started gaming. Kids are smarter than people think.

[finarvyn]

I think it comes down to whether you are running a game for them to play in or whether your plan is to hand them a rulebook and let them figure it out for themselves.

I got my daughter playing C&C in the playtest when she was eight or so. She didn't always know what to roll or why, but I was there to guide her and she had a blast. As she played she got the hang of it, but if I'd just given her a book and told her to learn the game she probably would have given up on role playing. I think that RPGs are best learned by example.

[MormonYoYoMan]

Who says players have to know the rules? My players were always welcome to try anything, and to trust me to represent reality. Many times, they didn't even know what system we were "using."

[zarathustra]

If they have someone to "hold their hand" through it & help them with things you can play younger.

I was 7 years old when I started playing D&D & Mormon is right- you don't have to understand all of the rules to play. I was just happy to play a part in the story and sometimes I was allowed to roll a dice & see if hit a monster with my sword & make my own decisions.

My brother was 10 & we muddled through it & had fun. We tended to ignore any rules we didn't understand & incorporate them later as we got older (if we liked them).

A 7 year old could easily play with an adult. Don't bother teaching them every rule, just ask what they want to do/be & help them do it.

[Lord Dynel]

I think as long as they can comprehend the words (or most of them), and are excited about giving it a try, then I'd say let that be your guide. I wanted my son to start at 8, but he wasn't quite there, yet. So I waited about a year, and (this past July) for his 9th birthday we got him a Player's Handbook. He reads that joker like there's no tomorrrow! And now we play as often as we can based on our schedules, which comes out to 1-2 times a month. I wish it was more, and he's always asking to play - which it kills me when I have to say "no." So, I think the question is really relative - can they understand it and are they willing to give it a try?

[scp]

Well, YMMV, but my 9 year old isn't having any problems. You may want to "start small" by using something like Harvesters (think C&C-lite with bunnies and badgers). You could also test the waters with something like Dungeon Squad! http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/dungeon_squad.pdf

[serleran]

Age 4, when they can talk more. All you need to play is an imagination.

Now, if you mean a more "by the book" style of gaming, then I would say around age 7, depending on the people involved.

[Sundog]

I'd say that 10+ is a perfect age to start RPGs, and simpler ones like C&C are very well-suited to that age group, especially if there's an experienced 'Keeper to help.

[MormonYoYoMan]

We role played before we could read..in many cases, when we could barely walk. We just called it Cowboys & Indians or some variant.
The only age requirement I've ever demanded of a player is that they must be born.