Hi there, regarding “Doing” and “step 1: Their player asks a question that can only be answered with yes or no”… why not just let them state what they want to do? Is Ian example as simple as them saying “Can I swing at the locked chest with my hammer?” I’m just confused as to the gameplay reason for needing the player’s action to be framed as a yes/no question.
Hi ! Sorry for not responding earlier ich is not always the best at showing us notification.
Framing the action as a yes/no question is a good way to make sure everybody understand the situation. And when playing with children, it can be a usefull way to frame their action.
But you're righ is a bit cumbersome to do it each time. We are changing this part of the rules is the next version of the game.
I am planning on trying out this game for a couple of kids in my community during the autumn, and was wondering if you would mind if I translated the game (or at least parts of it) into Swedish? I am mainly after the rules, pre-made characters and "Adventures on a single page".
Will of course send you the completed translation, and not distribiute the game any further than to the handful of kids i aim to play this with!
Hi! Sorry for letting you hang, itch is not good at notifying about comments. You're obviously free to do what you want and need with this game and our adventures in your private circle! But we could probably chat about that if you still want to, I know we'd be happy to. Just send an email at bonjour@jdr.cool 📬
J'ai animé un atelier "initiation au jeu de rôle" dans ma bibliothèque, ouvert aux 10 ans et plus. Je n'ai eu que trois inscriptions. Le jeu est très vite pris en main et expliqué (en moins de 5 min, les jeunes faisaient déjà leur personnage). Bilan : Kassrohl, aspirant barde au chant crissant mais aux douces paroles (et à la mandoline blindée), Malfom, mage douée mais peureuse et Hergalor, barde elfique aux couteaux affutés sont allés récupéré un oeuf de dragon dans les thermes de l'archimage. Beaucoup de rires, des idées brillantes (ils ont persuadés l'alchimiste ennemi de rejoindre leur guilde), des dilemmes moraux (peut-on faire confiance à l'alchimiste ? Va-t-on laissé en plan l'esprit de l'eau, on lui a promis de le ramener à sa maman !). L'aventure a pris un peu moins de deux heures, les jeunes ont adorés. Merci ! Ce jeu est top pour des débutants et ils ont déjà envie de monter un club !
I played Sodalitas with my 3yo, and it ended up going really well! I can see this being a great system for kids of all ages and for use either at home or at school since the mechanics are easy to pick up, and it promotes great teamwork skills. Check out my full review here too!
Sodalitas is an RPG aimed at a big group of new players, with sessions under an hour each. This fantasy RPG is centred on a guild the players belong to. It uses a PbtA-esque mechanic, with an elegant design that is well suited for beginners.
I tend to think our game shows we're not too serious. I feel bad for all the Olafs in the world though, hopefully they don't get a version of that clip every time they introduce themselves :)
The game was made for experienced GM to play with children in school or club. But you're right we should add examples and tools to help people new to the hobby. We plan to do so in the next version. But it's still in progress.
Hey 0ffb1t, just wanted to double-check your feedback, to make sure janvanhouten and I are going in the right direction: have you ever played/read any tabletop roleplaying game before? If so, what did you find confusing about Sodalitas rules?
last time I played a roleplaying game only with pen and paper was shadowrun. And that is over 20 years ago. And that was not tabletop. (That means that you make actual movements with tiny figures of the heroes and the enemies, doesn't it?)
Besides that I have played a lot of RPGs on the PC. But I guess that doesn't count.
Alright so… "tabletop" is a misleading word in this context, especially since so many people play online these days. I almost got rid of it in my answer but I thought "roleplaying" alone could be misleading too, since it gets used for video games too.
Anyway, the answer is yes, Shadowrun is absolutely a (tabletop) roleplaying game, with or without figures, battle maps and other props some use to play. If I may paraphrase our own glossary (Sodalitas page 2):
[A roleplaying game is] a social game in which we tell a story together by playing characters.
We tried to keep it to the core there, but it really is just this, telling a story, which can take many forms (in some games you don't even play characters but draw a map, telling its story). Basically, if we're talking about Sodalitas, the referee starts by setting a scene involving the players' characters, maybe ask the players a question, so they answer by saying what their characters do, maybe ask questions, then the referee answer questions, maybe tell what happens in the environment, or what non-player characters do (we call them extras here), and then… I hope you get it: it's mostly a conversation, sometimes involving dice to see what happens, and evolving into a story enriched by everyone's inputs.
So you might want to start by reading Sodalitas rules page 2, and try creating characters with your kids—the guild creation can wait after their first adventure. Then you might have an idea for an adventure suitable for these comrades (maybe the brutal vegetarian cook heard about some magical roots in a nearby village? or the fighty brawny noble needs to help a distant cousin with a rats problem in their castle?)… or pick an adventure from Adventures On A Single Page! They're ready-to-play and easy-to-prep adventures fitting perfectly Sodalitas spirit.
Here's the link and lucky you, it's probably in your library already if you got the Bundle for Ukraine:
I have never seen roleplaying so simple like you have described it. But it is indeed. Or that is where the magic happens and you as a player are getting sucked into the story.
And you are right: I have purchased the ucraine bundle. So I have also the adventures on a single page ressources.
Thank you for checking out our stuff and asking questions about it! I'd be thrilled to have convinced you to try and play these, and we'd love to hear about it from you whenever if you feel like it. Cheers!
Un excellent jeu qui m’a permis de faire découvrir le jdr à des débutants à travers des mécaniques simples et des scénarios bien pensés pendant le Game in Lab durant la Semaine du Cerveau.
Un jeu bien condensé, très malin, inspirant et complet. Son design semble très bien cadré autour de la proposition "une heure, plein de mômes, go", mais ca serait une vilaine erreur de le résumer à ca. Sodalitas est clairement un jeu très réussi pour beaucoup plus de situations que celle-là.
This game packs a lot of punch, is very clever, inspiring and complete. Its design seems very well centered on the "one hour, a bunch of kids, go" concept, but it would be a bad mistake to think it's just that. Sodalitas is clearly a game that works very well in way more situations than that specific one.
Un système prometteur qui semble répondre à un besoin grandissant et qui parait essentiel : intégrer le jdr en tant qu’outil éducatif dans une classe nombreuse ou simplement animer une partie courte avec un grand nombre de joueurs novices.
Un outil bien pensé, d’utilité publique, qui donne envie d’oublier tout ce que l’on sait du jdr pour à nouveau tout redécouvrir avec un regard naïf et rafraichissant !
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Hi there, regarding “Doing” and “step 1: Their player asks a question that can only be answered with yes or no”… why not just let them state what they want to do? Is Ian example as simple as them saying “Can I swing at the locked chest with my hammer?” I’m just confused as to the gameplay reason for needing the player’s action to be framed as a yes/no question.
Thank you :)
Hi ! Sorry for not responding earlier ich is not always the best at showing us notification.
Framing the action as a yes/no question is a good way to make sure everybody understand the situation. And when playing with children, it can be a usefull way to frame their action.
But you're righ is a bit cumbersome to do it each time. We are changing this part of the rules is the next version of the game.
It should be out in 1d6+1 month.
I am planning on trying out this game for a couple of kids in my community during the autumn, and was wondering if you would mind if I translated the game (or at least parts of it) into Swedish? I am mainly after the rules, pre-made characters and "Adventures on a single page".
Will of course send you the completed translation, and not distribiute the game any further than to the handful of kids i aim to play this with!
Hi! Sorry for letting you hang, itch is not good at notifying about comments. You're obviously free to do what you want and need with this game and our adventures in your private circle! But we could probably chat about that if you still want to, I know we'd be happy to. Just send an email at bonjour@jdr.cool 📬
J'ai animé un atelier "initiation au jeu de rôle" dans ma bibliothèque, ouvert aux 10 ans et plus. Je n'ai eu que trois inscriptions. Le jeu est très vite pris en main et expliqué (en moins de 5 min, les jeunes faisaient déjà leur personnage). Bilan : Kassrohl, aspirant barde au chant crissant mais aux douces paroles (et à la mandoline blindée), Malfom, mage douée mais peureuse et Hergalor, barde elfique aux couteaux affutés sont allés récupéré un oeuf de dragon dans les thermes de l'archimage. Beaucoup de rires, des idées brillantes (ils ont persuadés l'alchimiste ennemi de rejoindre leur guilde), des dilemmes moraux (peut-on faire confiance à l'alchimiste ? Va-t-on laissé en plan l'esprit de l'eau, on lui a promis de le ramener à sa maman !). L'aventure a pris un peu moins de deux heures, les jeunes ont adorés. Merci ! Ce jeu est top pour des débutants et ils ont déjà envie de monter un club !
Je recommande chaudement !
I played Sodalitas with my 3yo, and it ended up going really well! I can see this being a great system for kids of all ages and for use either at home or at school since the mechanics are easy to pick up, and it promotes great teamwork skills. Check out my full review here too!
https://www.ttrpgkids.com/2022/04/28/ttrpgkids-game-review-sodalitas/
Sodalitas is an RPG aimed at a big group of new players, with sessions under an hour each. This fantasy RPG is centred on a guild the players belong to. It uses a PbtA-esque mechanic, with an elegant design that is well suited for beginners.
dont know if ppl have humour, but seeing olaf reminded me of this. lol
I tend to think our game shows we're not too serious. I feel bad for all the Olafs in the world though, hopefully they don't get a version of that clip every time they introduce themselves :)
I have absolutely no idea how to play this with my children. Where to start? What to do? I am totally lost...
Would be great if there were any examples on how to play.
The game was made for experienced GM to play with children in school or club. But you're right we should add examples and tools to help people new to the hobby.
We plan to do so in the next version. But it's still in progress.
Hey 0ffb1t, just wanted to double-check your feedback, to make sure janvanhouten and I are going in the right direction: have you ever played/read any tabletop roleplaying game before? If so, what did you find confusing about Sodalitas rules?
Hi you two,
first of all: thank you for the quick reply.
last time I played a roleplaying game only with pen and paper was shadowrun. And that is over 20 years ago. And that was not tabletop. (That means that you make actual movements with tiny figures of the heroes and the enemies, doesn't it?)
Besides that I have played a lot of RPGs on the PC. But I guess that doesn't count.
Alright so… "tabletop" is a misleading word in this context, especially since so many people play online these days. I almost got rid of it in my answer but I thought "roleplaying" alone could be misleading too, since it gets used for video games too.
Anyway, the answer is yes, Shadowrun is absolutely a (tabletop) roleplaying game, with or without figures, battle maps and other props some use to play. If I may paraphrase our own glossary (Sodalitas page 2):
We tried to keep it to the core there, but it really is just this, telling a story, which can take many forms (in some games you don't even play characters but draw a map, telling its story). Basically, if we're talking about Sodalitas, the referee starts by setting a scene involving the players' characters, maybe ask the players a question, so they answer by saying what their characters do, maybe ask questions, then the referee answer questions, maybe tell what happens in the environment, or what non-player characters do (we call them extras here), and then… I hope you get it: it's mostly a conversation, sometimes involving dice to see what happens, and evolving into a story enriched by everyone's inputs.
So you might want to start by reading Sodalitas rules page 2, and try creating characters with your kids—the guild creation can wait after their first adventure. Then you might have an idea for an adventure suitable for these comrades (maybe the brutal vegetarian cook heard about some magical roots in a nearby village? or the fighty brawny noble needs to help a distant cousin with a rats problem in their castle?)… or pick an adventure from Adventures On A Single Page! They're ready-to-play and easy-to-prep adventures fitting perfectly Sodalitas spirit.
Here's the link and lucky you, it's probably in your library already if you got the Bundle for Ukraine:
https://jdrlab.itch.io/adventures-on-a-single-page
Thank you for your detailed guidance! 👍
I have never seen roleplaying so simple like you have described it. But it is indeed. Or that is where the magic happens and you as a player are getting sucked into the story.
And you are right: I have purchased the ucraine bundle. So I have also the adventures on a single page ressources.
Thank you for checking out our stuff and asking questions about it! I'd be thrilled to have convinced you to try and play these, and we'd love to hear about it from you whenever if you feel like it. Cheers!
J'adore. Bravo Jan!
Jeu extra, très adapté pour les jeunes, je l'utilise dans mon club de jdr junior !
Un excellent jeu qui m’a permis de faire découvrir le jdr à des débutants à travers des mécaniques simples et des scénarios bien pensés pendant le Game in Lab durant la Semaine du Cerveau.
Super boulot !
Un jeu bien condensé, très malin, inspirant et complet. Son design semble très bien cadré autour de la proposition "une heure, plein de mômes, go", mais ca serait une vilaine erreur de le résumer à ca. Sodalitas est clairement un jeu très réussi pour beaucoup plus de situations que celle-là.
This game packs a lot of punch, is very clever, inspiring and complete. Its design seems very well centered on the "one hour, a bunch of kids, go" concept, but it would be a bad mistake to think it's just that. Sodalitas is clearly a game that works very well in way more situations than that specific one.
Excellent jeu à la lecture. Hâte de le tester. Et les aventures sont super sympas et donnent envie également !
Un système prometteur qui semble répondre à un besoin grandissant et qui parait essentiel : intégrer le jdr en tant qu’outil éducatif dans une classe nombreuse ou simplement animer une partie courte avec un grand nombre de joueurs novices. Un outil bien pensé, d’utilité publique, qui donne envie d’oublier tout ce que l’on sait du jdr pour à nouveau tout redécouvrir avec un regard naïf et rafraichissant !