tabletopgaming.co.uk 83R
oleplaying, when you get down
to it, is all about make-believe.
Whether you’re stabbing goblins
in a dingy dungeon or uncovering
shadowy conspiracies in a neon-tinged
future metropolis, imagination is the
beating heart of the hobby.
at should make it a perfect activity
for parents to share with children. But for
the most part, designers and publishers
are happy to tailor their products to an
older crowd, with many games revelling
in complicated rules and violent themes.
Even when RPGs do cater for younger
players, they tend to assume that
they’ve at least reached reading age.
Amazing Tales is di erent. An
introductory roleplaying system with
an emphasis on fun and creativity, it’s
designed speci cally for pre-school
and primary-aged kids. Its rules are
incredibly light – in fact, they pretty
much t on a single page – and
rather than endless stats, tables and
modi ers, it comes packed with hints
on how to keep children engaged and
interested through a game.Much of this is common sense:
keeping sessions from running too long,
handing players a degree of creative
control and using characters’ failures as an
opportunity to introduce interesting twists
to the plot rather than as sudden brick
walls. It’s the kind of advice that could
equally apply to grown-up roleplaying.
What’s really helpful, though, are the
pages that deal speci cally with GMing
for kids: providing them with interesting
questions, keeping things from becoming
too scary or stressful, and harnessing
the energy, enthusiasm and imaginative
quirkiness they bring to the table.
Other than this, the bulk of the book
is made up of pre-made settings for
adventures, but it’s far more interesting
to work with your kids to create one of
your own. By adult standards, Amazing
Tales may seem rather light on actual
content. But as a new twist on storytime
and a way to join your children in
creative play, it’s priceless.
OWEN DUFFYAmazing Tales
20-40m 2-4 4+ £17(^) PLAY IT? YES
WILDLANDS:
THE ADVENTURING PARTY
30-60m 2-4 14+ £20
L
ast year, Martin Wallace’s
Wildlands blew us away with its
super-slick, ultra-re ned card-
based take on the miniatures skirmish
genre. Its appealingly motley factions
and busy, colourful double-sided
board, made it clear from the start that it
would bene t from expansion sets, and
publisher Osprey Games hasn’t held
back from delivering them. First out of
the gate was the six-strong reanimated
horde e Unquiet Dead, and now
we have e Adventuring Party – a
quartet of classic questing hero types:
barbarian, rogue, wizard and cleric.
With one fewer party member than
the other base set factions (and two
fewer than the zombie gang), they might
appear underpowered. But Wallace
balances that by adding a new action to
this deck: a heal, for the cleric character,
om. is can really make a di erence
in the thick of ba ttle, and o ers a great
way to confound your opponents.
You can also recast the heroes as a
gang of troublesome looters – game-
controlled characters with preset actions
who move around the map during your
battle and try to nab the players' crystals.
It’s a fun enough addition to the scrappy
chaos, but in truth this faction is best
appreciated as an active participant.
In fact, we’d go as far as to say they’re
the nest faction yet. Only having four
of them gives you more tactical focus
(protect the healer!), which certainly
adds an appropriate against-the-odds
thrill when playing them.
With new maps also on the way
(May’s Map Pack 1 features a warlock’s
(^) PLAY IT? YES
tower and a deep, crystal-studded
canyon), it’s clear these expansions are
going to keep coming. On the evidence
of e Adventuring Party, that can only
be a good thing. All we need now is a
Scythe-style Automa deck to make a
solo mode possible, and we’re set.
who move around the map during your DAN JOLIN
battle and try to nab the players' crystals.
It’s a fun enough addition to the scrappy
chaos, but in truth this faction is best
In fact, we’d go as far as to say they’re
the nest faction yet. Only having four
of them gives you more tactical focus
(protect the healer!), which certainly
adds an appropriate against-the-odds
features a warlock’s