[prawn]

Hopefully this catches the eye of someone in the thread who'd know: I have a 5yo and 7yo who have loved playing some version of ad-hoc D&D I invent on the fly but it inevitably breaks down at some point because I haven't accounted for something along the way.

What's the most basic setup I could use in terms of character attributes, dice, calculations, etc. They love even the most basic imaginative adventure so I'd rather something be easier to play quickly than take a lot of time learning. 20+ years ago I played some basic D&D and then some other rip-off (Rolemaster?! Swear it started with J though.)

I have an old Heroquest set somewhere but haven't been able to find it in my parents' attic.

[whisps]

I haven't played it yet, but Quest is designed to be simple for all ages https://www.adventure.game/

[kleiba]

but it inevitably breaks down at some point because I haven't accounted for something along the way

Could you give more details? That might be helpful in providing some ideas.

[prawn]

For example, I might have instructed them to roll for three character attributes. And then they encounter an enemy which has hit points of some sort and maybe attack and defend numbers. And then I realise that something about their character attributes doesn't really gel with how I'm trying to get them to roll dice against that enemy. Or, wait, they need to jump across a pit but did one of their attributes apply (strength, dexterity) and how would it modify their rolling target.

My memory of childhood D&D stuff is very foggy which probably hinders more than it helps.

I think I need to know what the simplest set of character attributes and enemy values might be that can withstand some basic sketch-map-as-you-go exploration and fighting. Is it strength, dexterity and wisdom, out of 20? Or two or five attributes?

[kleiba]

There are so many ways you could handle this. But I think the most important thing to remember is that not the system should be the focus of the game but fun. Don't just improvise the plot (according to your player's actions), but improvise "the system" as well -- after all, it's yours, and your only duty is to make it fun for your kids.

Forgot a certain ability on your streamlined ability sheet? Well, who says they all have to be determined beforehand like in DND? Just make them roll new ability specs just when you need them.

Or simply make due with what you've got, e.g. by adjusting what you originally had in mind for the enemy attack with what is possible within your simplified system. And for the next game, slightly update the system whenever you've identified an oversight.

Don't sweat it, the exact rules are not so important, as long as your players can rely on consistency (as a proxy for fairness). For kids, I think, in the end they're gonna love it when they can just roll some dice every now and then and observe how what their characters do results in success when they roll well and (non-catastrophic) failure when they don't. Other than that, I would imagine the theater-of-mind aspect, i.e., the plot and the general world setting will probably be much more important.

[veilrap]

Modern (5e) D&D even explicitly encourages this with it's skill system. DMs are encouraged to just pick a stat (or even let their players pick a stat) that feels like it's applicable to the situation, then then add that to their roll.

[alasdairking]

You could try Amazing Tales by Martin Lloyd: super-simple RPG for kids: https://amazing-tales.net/

[prawn]

From what I've gleaned of the rules online, this sounds like a potential winner. Thanks!

[sronors]

Not sure if it fits your requirements but there are games like No Thank You, Evil from Monte Cook Games. It is geared specifically toward kids.

[prawn]

That looks vaguely like it could work, if there was a system to borrow from it. My kids responded really well to a very literal "exploring a cave" scenario so don't necessarily need the less-D&D style of those stories.

We also have a house full of toys so I'm trying to avoid buying more gear. We already have paper, pencils and dice.