by mrvectrex
MoonMann wrote:
I was in your exact position (almost) a week ago from today.
I am the proud father of two daughters: currently ages 6 and 7.
To make a long story short: I decided to take the plunge… Not only did I purchase Sentinels (the enhanced edition) I had them throw in Rook City as well.
I played a couple solo games to get the hang of it before bringing my girls into the mix. This is what I learned…
1. Man, is this game a lot of book-keeping! The first game I called it quits because I felt like I was going crazy; my youngest daughter kept asking “what does this card do?” "what does this card do?"… my older daughter had many questions about all the character backstories - their excitement and constant chattering clashed with my focus to keep track of instructions such as (Legacy is immune to Melee Damage, Baron Blade regains such-and-such hit points, increase all Fire Damage dealt by Ra by 1, etc etc) I was overwhelmed and I realized we were unintentionally breaking a ton of rules. (In hindsight I should have just let it go and finish the game on top.)
2. Despite my rocky start, the girls continually ask to play the game multiple times each day. So I've learned to lighten up a bit. We'll get it right with practice. Besides they love the theme.
3. They love it so much that they have conversations about the characters when I am not around.
4. Being girls, they will only play the girl “supers”; but there are enough to choose from. The oldest plays TACHYON and has the basic strategy down.
5. It is fairly educational -- The younger one cannot read fully – but loves the comic book pictures, hates the downtime between turns, but is stubbornly building up her stamina. She is building reading skills in the process (we started with the specific cards: one-shot, ongoing, equipment). Not to mention the hit points help them practice basic math, and the introduction to the variable of “x” is fantastic. (Go albegra!) In time we need to spread out the book-keeping as we become more accustomed to everything.
6. This has become the “best” game I own. And by best I mean "most fun". It's so good that I have dreams about it.
In conclusion... if you are willing to put in the work and help them out for the initial games – you will become “superheroes” for about an hour. The revelations of how the characters work together, how the environments and villains all interact is extremely rewarding. Besides – kids grow older quite fast. They'll be teaching you tricks in no time.
I am the proud father of two daughters: currently ages 6 and 7.
To make a long story short: I decided to take the plunge… Not only did I purchase Sentinels (the enhanced edition) I had them throw in Rook City as well.
I played a couple solo games to get the hang of it before bringing my girls into the mix. This is what I learned…
1. Man, is this game a lot of book-keeping! The first game I called it quits because I felt like I was going crazy; my youngest daughter kept asking “what does this card do?” "what does this card do?"… my older daughter had many questions about all the character backstories - their excitement and constant chattering clashed with my focus to keep track of instructions such as (Legacy is immune to Melee Damage, Baron Blade regains such-and-such hit points, increase all Fire Damage dealt by Ra by 1, etc etc) I was overwhelmed and I realized we were unintentionally breaking a ton of rules. (In hindsight I should have just let it go and finish the game on top.)
2. Despite my rocky start, the girls continually ask to play the game multiple times each day. So I've learned to lighten up a bit. We'll get it right with practice. Besides they love the theme.
3. They love it so much that they have conversations about the characters when I am not around.
4. Being girls, they will only play the girl “supers”; but there are enough to choose from. The oldest plays TACHYON and has the basic strategy down.
5. It is fairly educational -- The younger one cannot read fully – but loves the comic book pictures, hates the downtime between turns, but is stubbornly building up her stamina. She is building reading skills in the process (we started with the specific cards: one-shot, ongoing, equipment). Not to mention the hit points help them practice basic math, and the introduction to the variable of “x” is fantastic. (Go albegra!) In time we need to spread out the book-keeping as we become more accustomed to everything.
6. This has become the “best” game I own. And by best I mean "most fun". It's so good that I have dreams about it.
In conclusion... if you are willing to put in the work and help them out for the initial games – you will become “superheroes” for about an hour. The revelations of how the characters work together, how the environments and villains all interact is extremely rewarding. Besides – kids grow older quite fast. They'll be teaching you tricks in no time.
Thanks so much for taking the time to post this. It's very interesting to read your experiences - and I have to say I remember some of the exact same issues (especially with constant babbling distracting me from reading rules etc!) with other games I've played with my lads.