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FirstFable Landscape

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Average Rating:3.9 / 5
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FirstFable Landscape
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by sarah h. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/01/2019 16:29:44

This game is a great addition to our kids game collection. The fairy princess and the animal handler were the favorites. I really like the simplcity and the kids got the hang out it just fine.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Jef K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/27/2018 14:41:46

I really like this game, and I don't even have kids. The characters are simple to put together, and easy to meld into whatever the player wants by allowing them to choose their "shines" (things they're good at), a weakness, and their One Special Thing--a powerful, but finite, resource to draw upon, which could represent a special item, a pet or follower, or an intrinsic ability or power. There are also 3 stats, rated 2-4.

The core mechanics are pretty standard dice pool roll-and-keep: the most appropriate stat makes up the base of a d6 dice pool. Add a die for any applicable shines, and remove a die for any relevant weaknesses. Roll 'em, and results of 4, 5, 6 each count as a success ("star"). 1 star is usually enough for a marginal success, and more is obviously better. Contested rolls compare the margin of success between two opposing rolls. The One Special Thing contributes automatic successes, up to 5 per session/adventure.

What I really found novel about this game is the way they handle "fights" and similar contests, where the goal is to take someone or something else out of the scene, and risk be taken out of it yourself. It's a lot like Fate, but with a simplified Stress/Consequences mechanic that I found really elegant. Essentially, a fight is a bunch of opposed rolls, and the margin of success on an attack (or any other action geared at overcoming the opponent, such as intimidation or trickery) is taken as Damage to the defender, who has a finite amount of Damage that he/she/it can take before they're knocked out, chased away, captured, whatever.

Here's where it gets cool: the players get to decide how much they really care about the fight before it even starts, by choosing how much Damage they can take before being taken out. That is, they get to choose their hitpoints/stress for each battle, up to the default limit of 12. Why not always choose 12? Well, if the character takes damage in excess of their highest stat (usually 4) during a fight, then the character is Hurt, and takes a -1 forward to all rolls until healed, as well as a new Weakness that lasts until the end of the adventure. By setting your Damage below your highest stat, you're immune to those serious consequences, but at the risk of being knocked out early. I think that's an interesting way to signal "Hey, I really have a horse in this race...10 DAMAGE until I'm out!" or "I'm going to play it safe, here...3 Damage," or "This is really Bob's fight, not mine, but I'm a staunch ally, so...6 Damage."

Character progression happens organically: if a roll produces all successes, you get to add a new Shine, or bump up the ones you have by a point. It probably goes without saying, but the worse you are at something, the fewer dice you chuck, the more likely you are to improve. Simple, but produces a familiar curve, without tracking XP or other nonsense.

Since One Special Things have finite uses, they make ideal treasures and items for the GM to reward players with without having to worry about overpowering them in any permanent way.

Overall, I think FirstFable does a lot of what Fate sets out to do, but in a much more intuitive fashion. I actually think that this game might replace Fate Accelerated Edition as my go-to one-shot and introductory RPG for grown-ups.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Maxwell B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/09/2018 15:26:54

Very simple and fun game for kids. Lots of room for roleplaying and not too many mechanics so that the kids get bogged down with dice and numbers. Would recommend to anyone who wants to play with their kids



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Ben S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/30/2015 14:10:04

This feels like it will an excellent game for children to start out RPing. Right now my nephews are a couple of years to young for it but I'm definitely saving the game for when they get old enough to play.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Todd H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/12/2015 20:09:06

I have been playing this with my brother and my 7 year old nephew and he loves it. The adults are having fun too. This is an excellent introductory game to get your kids into role playing games. The rules are simple and I really like the focus on fun and the avoidance of violence (even if my nephew wanted to drown a boat load of pirates). Good work and thanks.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by vinz w. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/09/2014 08:45:51

(oups, I posted that in the "discussion" part instead of here..

I'm currently making "my own" rpg adventure for my niece and nephew (7 and 5) since they couldn't stop rolling my rpg dices. I made them short improvised stories making them roll D20, D8 or D4 and they loved this "rpg introduction" so much than I finally gave them a dice set each. I read firstfable and am reading herokid as well to take what I like best in both games, but what bugs me is that both games use only 6 sided dices... That's a shame, since most parents introduce rpg to their kids because they play themselves (so they must have dice sets, right ?).

That would be my only critic here since both games seem really nice. I particularly LOVED the part in FirstFable rules about avoiding stereotypes (your characters sheet are quite binary though, the faerie is a girl, the knight a boy... I added a prince faerie and a knightress as well on mine lol) I like the fact FirstFable isn't combat centered (which seem to be the case for Herokid :/)

In a few words : Great great game, thank you for having made that, if I could make some suggestions it would be :

  • a boy/girl version of each character class (your drawings are very nice!)
  • using RPG dices (without needing to change the math system)
  • adding "disabilities" (I don't like this word) I think it's nice to sensibilize children to differences as handicap, blindness, deafness etc :) and it can totally be included in a heroic-fantasy world :)


Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Jessica M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/28/2014 12:27:27

I really enjoyed this easy and short core book. I think it'll be perfect for when my daughter is old enough to start playing RPGs. I'm so happy this is on the market because I've been looking for something like it/

It was very easy to understand, nothing like the crazy rules and stats used in Dungeons and Dragons. Three stats and a few special moves for each character makes it easy for kids to understand.

It was a short read, only 41 pages with maybe 20 or so filled with the information to help you get started. The other pages include a short adventure, sample character sheets, and an actual character sheet for your new adventurer to fill out.

This is a highly costumizable game that let's you and your kid(s) create your own adventures or character classes. I'm looking forward to more fun and adventures from these creators.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Crystal M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/22/2014 18:57:17

First Fable is a roleplaying game tailored specifically to children around the age of 6. It is designed to be run by a GU (grown-up), who leads the characters through the story and helps the players understand the rules. There are many gamers who are now parents and looking to introduce their children to their roleplaying world. This book is set up to do just that! The wonderful part about this book is that the book is written so even grown-ups who have never done roleplaying games before can pick this up and play it.

The book starts off with the basics of roleplaying and why roleplaying can be beneficial to children. Language, math skills, emotional growth and communication skills are all built up in the process of telling a story. It’s also a safe way for children to work out social situations they may not know how to handle. We, as the GUs, can help guide a child through situations they may face in school or the playground when we aren't there. I will go into this in more detail later in the review.

Character creation is always the hardest part for new players. So how in the world do you get a 6 year old to make up a character? Well, that is where this system comes into play. There are 4 different character types outlined in the book, all of which are easily identifiable to children: a pirate, a warrior, a fairy princess and an animal keeper. Next, you get to pick any 3 things at which your character shines. They then choose one thing they are not very good at. After that, they can pick one item that does something very special; whether it is an animal that talks or a singing crown, it’s whatever they want. They can play characters that cross the different types of characters. Younger players may want to play themselves, which is fine as well! Challenge older kids to come up with reasons why they have their special items. Remember: always assist children with writing where needed!

The rules for challenges and resolutions are also very simple. D6s (six-sided dice) are used with 4s, 5s, and 6s being winning dice. A challenge is determined as an action that has the chance of changing the story. These actions should always have a dice rolled with an action the player cannot actually do in real life.

Tasks are simple actions that help the story move forward. Most tasks are actions taken by the players that can be accomplished fairly easily. These are storytelling opportunities where the players can give details about what their players are doing.

Special things are actions that involve the use of the unique item they possess. Each item gets stars, which the player can use to accomplish extraordinary tasks. It may also require a dice roll, depending on the action, but it is up to the GU to decide.

This system is one of the simplest starter systems to work with. It is open-ended, so children can pick whatever they want for any of the categories. Some kids may elaborate on their items or abilities, others may keep them simple. Always encourage children to elaborate as best as they can. They may need help with words or actions that they want to do. As a GU, help by asking them questions and helping them find the word they are looking for.

The age group I played with was 4, 5 and 6 – so, the younger end of the spectrum. When creating their characters, all of the kids worked together and helped each other. A couple of the kids were not good with writing, so the older kids helped them. I also had them draw their character. The kids I worked with modeled their characters after themselves. Some used their real names, others used a character name. For their official character sheets, I did write down what they told me, so that I had a reference, but allowed them to keep their original sheets. I ran the starter story in the book, and the kids loved it right from the start. The system for rolling dice was easy enough. With a few reminders, the kids quickly figured out how to roll their dice. The children all waited for each player to make an action, and helped each other with the story. They also helped remind each other what was written on their sheet.

Overall, this book was perfect for younger kids. It was challenging enough to make them think and engaging enough to keep them interested for about an hour, which is long for the younger age groups I worked with. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers alike. Experience in gaming is not necessary, though it may help. Just remember: it is not about the rules but about the story the kids tell.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Todd H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/03/2014 19:19:32

My son was really interested in this game. Making the characters was very simple and the system is light enough for small children to follow. This is highly recommended for parents who would like to introduce roleplaying to small children.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Steven H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/19/2013 16:34:00

I played this with my nieces and nephew. At first they were confused with some of the terminology used, such as "Shines" and "where my character is slow". I had to use other terminology and examples to get them to understand what it was that I meant.

The instruction manual is a bit convoluted, as you can be reading along and suddenly a term appears and automatically expects you to understand what it means. It took me bouncing back and forth a couple of times to get the gist of what was written.

Although this game is made for children, the instructions are not. It will take an adult to walk the children through the game and how to play.

My family had fun with the game, although, they got a bit flustered with the "Stars" system. They had a hard time getting a hand on the "bidding" aspect of the game, when you are entering battle.

The game has a "10 Commandments of Being the Grown-Up" which, this alone makes the game worth getting,as they apply to adults as well as kids. • Keep it Moving • Let the Characters Talk • Learn to Cross-Cut • Choose Your Words Carefully • Learn to Read Your Players • Help the Players Grow as Roleplayers • Avoid Violence • Avoid Stereotypes • Just Say Yes • Teach

The only one I don't really agree with is "avoid violence". Children need an outlet for aggression, but even so I would follow the lead in the book about using situations rather than fighting.

Since this book is free, you have absolutely nothing to lose by downloading it. But even if it goes up in price, it is worth getting as a beginner roleplaying game for children.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Alex C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/12/2013 03:25:29

According to my personal opinion, FirstFable is a great way for introducing to RPGs kids and for all players who want to re-examine how a fantasy RPG can be built. The system is interesting and original, and has many possibilities to customize it to your personal needs and tastes.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Yamil G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/06/2013 12:38:53

In looking over the game I find that it looks alright and I may run it for my grandkids one day. However in reading it I ran across these words which I found odd for a game targeted at kids.

"because many gamers are heterosexual, white, and male, it’s easy for us to miss how offensive those stereotypes are."

I found this kind of puzzling and unnecessary to be even worth mentioning. Children are not offended by things like this because at that age they don't understand things involving the various subgroups of people to begin with. So who exactly does the author believe they'd be offending with these "stereotypes"? What is the purpose and/or implication of the author bothering to insert such a thing into a game for kids. It's a game for kids right??? It's a game right?? Or is it a teaching for promoting PC garbage?? I'm not saying what it is here but I must make a mention of it anyway because it needs to be said. Other than that the game looks fine.



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Maxwell T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/30/2012 10:48:07

This system would not only serve as a great intro to the RPG hobby for kids, it could also serve to give more experienced players a fresh look at how fantasy gaming can be approached. There's a lot of flexibility here, and it's very easy to see how to take creative advantage of it. The "damage" mechanic built into the combat system is one of the most interesting examples I've ever seen in any RPG, period. I recommend this not only for those who want to teach kids how to play, but for anyone who is ready to re-examine how a fantasy RPG can be built.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Te K. P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/22/2012 01:20:10

This product is impressive because of it's simplicity. Highly playable, even with older players.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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FirstFable Landscape
Publisher: Roll20
by Joshua B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/09/2012 21:08:23

I just ran my three children, ages 5 to 8, through First Fable's introductory adventure and they can't wait for the next one.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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