Tips and Tricks: Making effective TTRPG system “Cheat Sheets” for your particular game

I’ve played, made, and/or written about over 100 different tabletop RPGs on TTRPGkids, and one thing that has very consistently made games easier for my kid and me between all of these projects is the inclusion of a cheat sheet or summary sheet. So, to help you with creating your own for a system you’re trying out or adding to a game you’re creating for others, I want to break down what makes a good TTRPG cheat sheet and why you should consider it!

Tips and Tricks: Using TTRPGs to get kids reading!

TTRPGs are a great way to get kids reading by giving them something FUN to check out and enjoy… while also happening to involve reading… and there’s a lot of ways to help that process along! I cover how to make reading within the game accessible, why TTRPGs help with developing an interest in reading, and how to get players to continue reading after the game!

Tips and Tricks: Using Journaling Games to Grow Writing Skills

Journaling TTRPGs have been becoming more popular and offer a plethora of opportunities for solo-gaming, developing writing skills, introspection, fostering journaling habits, and more.  However, not everyone sees themselves as a writer, and, when playing these TTRPGs with young kids, not everyone can write yet. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try though!  In this article, I breakdown ways to use journaling games at any skill level (even if players can’t write yet) and show how they can benefit players at any stage in developing these powerful skills.

Tips and tricks: all-ages friendly TTRPG festival challenges

This article is to help give some ideas for all-ages-friendly festival challenges to include in your TTRPGs!  Festivals are great plot devices for having a special holiday game, adding to the culture of your fantasy world, or just because, and there’s a ton of options for creating festivals that are exciting, engaging, and fun for any age and player.

TTRPGkids on Ludology Podcast, Episode 4: Creating an engaging TTRPG setting that kids will enjoy

In this episode of TTRPGkids on Ludology Podcast, I discuss how to create a TTRPG setting that fits the interests of young players! While these tips can be used for any age, they’re particularly important for using with youth who may have some pretty different fandoms and story preferences from grown ups who are running the game.

TTRPGkids on Ludology Podcast, Episode 3: Using TTRPG safety tools with kids

This episode of TTRPGkids on Ludology Podcast is all about using safety tools and setting ground rules in TTRPGs with kids – these tools are critical to making sure everyone feels comfortable and wants to come back to the game AND it’s important to make sure that young players can understand them and use the well.

Tips and Tricks: Non-violent TTRPG environmental challenge ideas

This article has a whole bunch of ideas and examples for creating environmental challenges to try out in your games!  I receive a lot of questions or comments about how to give more action-packed but non-violent encounters for young players, and environmental challenges are one of my favorite go-tos. 

Using TTRPGs to teach resilience in life and in school

Resilience is a critical skill that affects how we handle life’s twists and turns, and, while it is important for adults to learn too, it is imperative that kids have the opportunity to pick up resilience skills to help them later in life, in handling their current school load, and more… And TTRPGs are an excellent way to practice handling failure and dealing with life’s nat 1’s.