TTRPGs with drawing elements that I’ve played and enjoyed!

Wanderlust

Wanderlust is a collaborative tabletop RPG about learning to say goodbye as you head off into the next part of your life (whether that be seeking the lost city of dragons or moving to a new school).  It is a peaceful and melancholy journal-based game that, while still being fun, let my kid and me explore a new tone to our games, and showed me how much he’s starting to grow up. It also has a drawing section included in the journal that my kid was able to use while I wrote our entries!

Finding Familiars

The Familiar Finders is a set of books designed for kids to imagine a fantastic hidden world filled with creatures that have a magical form AND to journal about it!  While not a typical tabletop RPG, this book combo encourages kids to go out in nature and imagine the world of the familiars, kind of like a journaling LARP (live action roleplay) adventure!  It’s encouraged my kid to go on many walks and got us discovering and creating some awesome creatures in the activity journal.

No Mice, No Meowsters

I also recommend No Mice, No Meowsters, which was the first actual TTRPG (that wasn’t just us making up stories with ad hoc mechanics) that I played with my kid! It’s made for all ages, is very easy to play, and is fun just creating some chaos in the room, neighborhood, or spaceship that you decide to mess with! As your cats explore and change the environment, you draw it out on the map each turn!

Whither and Whence

Whither and Whence was made to teach young kids about basic math skills (like using non-standard units of measurement) and is GREAT for getting an exciting and cozy story going with your players. To prep for my review, I played several games with kiddo, and we changed the original concept (going to Grandma’s house, which… that already is great for this vibe) and made it into a story about Hilda from the Hilda books and show! It was great fun, and a nice game for a rainy day. As you play, you also draw out the map (or can create it using objects) to show your journey and progress from the start to the finish point!

Games by TTRPGkids

Because I really like having creative elements in the games that I play with kiddo (they help SO MUCH with emotional regulation and giving another way that kiddo can easily participate), I include drawing prompts in a lot of my games as well! Bakers, Charge! asks you to draw your bake every round, and EnerGeodes prompts you to draw the magical geodes that you find throughout your adventure.

Drawing themed TTRPGs: featured projects or recommendations from others

Gratitude Guardians

A while back, I also featured a game called Gratitude Guardians that heavily involves drawing as you make Pokemon-like characters throughout your journey. We haven’t played it yet, but it looks like a lot of fun, and it gives plenty of creative opportunities for players!

For other recommendations, let me know what you’d recommend to check out! There’s a lot of TTRPGs out there, and I’m looking for ones that are specifically honing in on that all-ages friendly vibe and that involve drawing (not just coloring – that’s going to be a separate post). If you have a suggestion for a game to check out, let me know in the comments, fill out the form here, or email hello@TTRPGkids.com so I can take a look and add it to this section!

Art themed stories to keep the creativity flowing!

TTRPGs can be a GREAT motivator for getting interested in other projects, stories, and ideas! Check out this curated book and podcast list by agstories to keep the creative vibes from your games going!

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