Looking to run Star Trek Adventures at the kids’ table? Here’s why Captain’s Log might be the perfect place to start.

TTRPGs Can Be Tough

I run roleplaying games for my kids and their friends. We’ve played Star Trek Adventures, DnD 5e, Starfinder, Little Wizards, Hero Kids, Kids on Bikes, Uncharted Worlds, Monster of the Week, and more.

It can be a blast for a kid to play a TTRPG for the first time. But systems vary greatly in their complexity, and it can be tough to see the reward early enough on the learning curve.

Kids are curious, looking to try something creative and fun. They might have walked into a game store or seen DnD on Stranger Things. They’d like to know what all the fuss is about. But these young first-timers are not yet ready to “know the rules of their character class” or “be ready with their move when their turn comes around,” as players are commonly advised to do.

Some kids are drawn to rich rulesets and reference materials, while others want to start storytelling with simpler mechanics. All of them, however, are prone to getting bored if things bog down.

It’s key to keep things moving quickly and avoid situations that lead to frustration.

Success Factors for Young First-Time Players

Simple Rules

For most first-timers, I’ve found It works best when you can ask “what do you do?” and they get to say whatever comes to their mind. Then you ask for a simple roll and collectively narrate the outcome.

If you find yourself having to ask the player “which attack would do the most damage, given your stats?” or if the two of you have to go searching through the rulebook to see how something works, you may be in danger of losing your audience. Too much complexity and a kid might think “hmm, I guess these games aren’t for me.” I personally enjoy games with rich rulesets, and some kids do too. But keeping it simple makes your table more inclusive for a broad range of first-timers.

Simple rules also keep everyone on the same playing field of story contributions. Some kids are quite capable of power-gaming, and the other kids can find themselves outshone by them. But if power-gaming isn’t a thing in the system, then nobody’s contribution weighs more than any other’s.

Quick Turns

Quick turns are great for short attention spans.

Kids love to roll dice. But once the results are in, it’s best if there’s not much record keeping – damage to roll, points to tally, etc. It can be pretty boring to watch another player do math.

Waiting is one of the most difficult aspects of TTRPGs for kids. It’s a good social-skills challenge, but it’s best to keep it streamlined. It’s way easier to wait patiently while your friends are telling fun stories, than to sit there watching someone run the numbers.

No GM Turns

Some games – including Star Trek Adventures – have the GM rolling for NPCs or monsters. In other games (e.g. Powered-by-the-Apocalypse games, etc.), the GM never rolls dice. I’ve found the latter to be way more compelling for new, young players.

Two negative things happen when the GM takes a turn.

First, every kid at the table is waiting through an extra turn (or many extra turns when multiple NPCs are active). Eliminating this increases each kid’s play time. Yes, yes, you can let the kids roll for the monsters, but this often takes more time, not less, leading to more waiting for everyone else.

Next, the GM’s rolls are in some sense against the players. Yes, yes, good GMs are not adversarial; these rolls merely serve the drama, etc. But some kids are still unnerved by this. Choosing a system where only the players roll gives you more control over the narrative. It’s easier to spin a player’s “failure to defend” than an NPC’s devastating attack. Yes, yes, you can fudge rolls to blunt impacts, but it’s smoothest when this is unnecessary.

Captain’s Log Fits the Bill

Captain’s Log checks every one of these boxes.

In STA, each die roll is a “bet.” How many dice should I buy? How much momentum should I spend, or how much Threat should I generate? How else can I swing the odds with my Values and Talents? I find this a thrilling aspect of the game, but it comes with a little learning curve that young players and first-timers are not yet bought into.

In Captain’s Log, turns are quick. Strategies are simpler. No weapon damage to tally, no Talents to choose from. There are much fewer choices for each die roll. Momentum and Threat are singular “conditions.” You don’t have to run probabilities in your head to be successful.

And the GM never takes a turn, much less for multiple NPCs. Every roll is for the player characters or their starship. Enemy “attacks” are just consequences of failed rolls, and it’s easier to control the narrative intensity for player safety.

Guided and Co-Op Modes

“Wait a minute,” you might ask, “isn’t Captain’s Log a solo game?”

Captain’s Log is indeed designed to facilitate unguided solo journaling. However, it also includes rules for co-operative play (in which multiple players tell the story together) and Guided play (in which a GM facilitates the activity). With these modes activated, Captain’s Log becomes a fast-paced, rules-light group TTRPG accessible to kids and first-time players.

Graduation

For first-time players, Captain’s Log might be seen as “Starfleet Academy,” preparing them for the rich, dramatic dance between players and GM that Star Trek Adventures and other 2d20 games can create.

Good news: Captain’s Log characters are fully compatible with Star Trek Adventures. If kids find themselves loving the stories and setting, their character can graduate to STA, taking on the Talents, Equipment, and other features that play into STA’s richer mechanics for collaborative storytelling.