Wargaming with Children (Number 4 will surprise you)
Okay, Number 4 will not surprise you, or maybe it will. Sometimes I like to try out provocative titles, it’s an experiment. Go with it.
For reasons I don’t want to get into here, I spend most of my gaming time playing with my kids. One is nine and the other is six. They aren’t great opponents, and we don’t always get all the rules right. I’ve learned a few things that might help you get your kids into wargaming with you.
1. Use a dice tower/tray
My six year old loves rolling dice. They are her favorite part of playing games. Unfortunately, she loves to just chunk them. I think we’ve lost more models to errant dice roles, than to actual combat. So I printed a dice tree tower. It looks good on the table, and is functional.
Children love to cheat. My six-year-old will try to place the dice instead of rolling them. Then when I ask her to roll them, they fly everywhere.
2. Be Patient
I can not stress this enough. Patience is one of the Godly virtues. It is something that God is constantly working on me. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn. You can’t get upset when a model takes a dive off the table. You can’t get upset when your best laid plans are upset by a giant herd of pigs that just teleported in. Just roll with it. Who knows, it might even be fun to have random encounters in your game.
Literally, we were playing Silver Bayonet, and one of my 4-year-olds just started putting all the pigs on the table in random spots. It made some great fun.
3. Simplify the rules
This is probably a good rule for introducing anyone knew to a game. Should weapons all have different profiles? Of course. Does it matter in the long run? Probably not, at least not until everyone is comfortable with the base rules. We played one game of Silver Bayonet where the only thing we did was learn to move.
4. Don’t be a stickler for rules
Sometimes your model is going to move 8 inches, and sometimes 4 inches. Your units will not be in coherency. Pick one model, and try to get it to the right spot. Then let the others move organically around it. Sorta like in a real battle, where some people might lag behind, while others will sprint ahead.
5. Movement Trays
Riffing off of number 4 (you know where some models are going to move at different speeds), movement trays are great. They really help you keep models in coherency, and make movement easier.
6. Play Solo/Cooperative Games
To start with your children will not be tactical geniuses. They will need help. Play games designed for solo, and play it cooperatively. Give your kids a few models, and let them make the decisions. Then explain why it was a great one, or why they could have made a different move. And don’t be afraid to rewind the game, and let them make a different move. One of my favorite memories from the last year is, when my 6-year-old investigated a clue marker in Silver Bayonet, and unleashed the Were-Jaguar. She wisely ran into the building, and hid, until the rest of the unit could take it out.
Games to try:
Silver Bayonet (This game is great, which you know I’m in love with if you have read anything I have written
Stargrave (I don’t play this game enough, but should)
Port Royal (I just picked this up over the weekend, I’m looking forward to trying it out soon)
The new Kill Team (I have never played this, but it was built with solo/cooperative from the start, and you can probably pick it up locally)
To add to these suggestions: There's an introductory wargame called Necromolds that my kids like. It has several tiers of rules from basic up through advanced that you can apply if and when you're ready. But it revolves around making monsters out of play-doh and marching them across a board. It's extremely simple, but good for getting little kids used to the idea that these toys must behave according to certain rules, unlike their other toys.
Good stuff!
I'm going to dissent on #4... If you aren't a stickler for rules, things will descend into chaos and arguments about "you let Johnny re-roll!". I used to run a board game club at school, and "follow the rules" was one of our most important rules.
I think one of the most important lessons that kids get from games is how abiding by the rules helps everyone in the end even if you might not like it in that moment.
My oldest and I were really into X-Wing Miniatures when he was 7 or 8. And he and my youngest started playing Frostgrave a few years later. Certainly, easy mechanics are a plus, but it's as much about what the particular kid is into. I've been thinking about how to translate a Fortnite-type battle royale system into miniatures - perhaps with a stripped down Fistful of Lead...
Some other systems that spring to mind for kids:
Mini Gangs by Ramshackle Games
One Hour Skirmish Wargames by John Lambshead
Galactic Heroes by Sean Patten (http://www.ironhands.com/GHrules.htm)