I have a hankering for a “kids on bikes” TTRPG experience.
My interest in supernatural TV series and movies has been mixed, at the moment manifested through the EVIL series and Tales from the Loop book and there is always an itch to do something in a TTRPG.
After resisting the desire to buy a new system* I decided to go with something I have.
Monsters and other Childish Things.
Junior Supernatural or Evil with a bit of Alien thrown in, it is a d10 dice pool system, specifically about kids with imaginary friends that are neither imaginary nor especially friendly. It has the right demographic, but is limited to that specific dynamic and is slanted towards the grim end.
Hmmm… maybe a little dark? On revisiting it is a little like Mothership meets Delta Green for (grown up) kids.
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition or SWADE.
This leans towards the golden era** of Super 8, E.T, Stranger Things and has a lot going for it. The core book alone has genre rules, a pulpy feel, low lethality options and enough flexibility to handle pretty much any KOB game I would want. It even has an illustration of kids on bikes and includes young and very young character generation tools.
Yeah, hint taken.
The game is also a great game for kids feeling like kids playing a kids game, a bit like the representation of DnD on Stranger Things, if not the reality.
I have had some SW around for most of the last 10-15 years, but rarely got enthusiastic about it. Not sure why, but with the exception of Pathfinder for Savage Worlds, a much better take on that world for me than the over weight d20 version and the core SWADE rules kept for I guess, just this type of thing, I have sold or gifted most of it away.
On a hunch I kept a ton of this stuff from my DnD 4e collection and they are perfect for SW Pathfinder.
With ample “Bennies” and a limit on skills and physical characteristics, you can create a younger adventurer easily, cap lethality, create or modify edges to suit and story build on the fly. The powers rules are super flexible and deep enough in the core book alone and the bestiary is decent, especially for making your own nasties.
This has cemented itself as the main contender and led to the purchasing of the four companion books. This is a more polished and consistent take on SW for me, used as a tool box, not setting anchored.
M-Space/Vampire Wars.
Great for more serious games like Tales from the Loop, Electric State, Dresden Files, or The Laundry Files.
There are excellent Robot and AI rules in the Companion and the feel is more grounded, moodier, darker. I am yet to see any clear guidelines for generating child characters, but in the world of D100, soemone, somewhere will have it covered.
The issue of lethality always comes up with D100 games, it’s in it’s DNA, so yes, guns and the like are lethal, kids and guns do not mix, so simply don’t mix them except at the very top threat level.
Ironically the higher lethality of weapons adds to the feeling of dread while decreasing the likelihood of them appearing in the game. In this game the absence of weapons and the danger posed by a simple kitchen knife would set a bar of acceptable expectation.
Basic Role Playing UGE.
Another D100 set, so most of the above applies. More flexible in system options than M-Space, it also sports a decent supernatural bak log, with plenty more available (a massive Cthulhu, Delta Green and BRP collection). Maybe Pulp Cthulhu or Rivers of London for some ideas and I can lift the M-Space robot rules as well.
Maybe kids on ponies or Penny Farthings?
With D100 games, POW would be higher with kids (open minds), skills and physical stats down.
Troubleshooters
Finally an outlier, this is a D100 game about adults, but of all ages and the naive, low mortality, clean and classic 60’s vibe is attractive. One of the sample character is basically a Pippi Longstocking clone with attitude, so late teens would fit fine.
Maybe a Scooby-doo or Famous Five vibe?
I am thinking Savage Worlds at this point.
It has the right feel, the need to be used and I need to get on board with the system so my SW Pathfinder set also gets used. I will use The Loop and Electric State for ideas (the books not the games or the TV show) and use every last bit of the core book and the companions yet to arrive.
*Tales from the Loop, Electric State, Kids on Bikes.
**80’s-90’s.