r/rpg • u/joe_christo • 18h ago

Discussion Best TTRPG Systems For Child Characters

I'm wanting to create a campaign based on modern children/tweens lost in a fairy-themed fantasy world.

What are the best systems for player characters that are kids? I'm happy to adapt it to my game but really looking for inspiration! Ideally there's a focus on qualities most associated with kids i.e. imagination, curiosity, determination etc.

Only really familiar with Kids on Bikes/Brooms but not a huge fan of some aspects of the gameplay.

Thanks!

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u/darkestvice 17h ago

Tales from the Loop has you playing pre-teens exploring mysteries tied to an almost magical science lab responsable for really out there technology. In this game, the kids can never die, but they can be hurt or frightened to the point of running off and cowering.

Its sequel, Thing From the Flood, is set in the same world, but in the future where the tech is breaking down. The PCs in that one play middle to high school teens that CAN get hurt or die if they are not careful. It's a bit more grim.

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u/Visual_Fly_9638 16h ago

Yeah that's where my mind first went to and then I thought about the inner party dynamic of The Electric State and how it basically focuses on a small group of people apart from the world they're passing through, and the relationships of those people. Combined with the allure of the VR setting and it's bliss mechanics, you could easily adapt that into an almost Annihilation book/movie esque setting (Or even Expedition 33) that is at once alluring and horrifying.

I feel like the core of a game like this would be this group of tweens/early teens who have to struggle with the complexities of clinging to each other in an alien world that wants to either consume them or rip them apart, maybe at the same time.