Make a pen and paper game
Create and play a pen and paper adventure game with maps, characters, rules, and dice; practice creativity, storytelling, strategy, and basic math.
About this tutorial
Create and play a pen and paper adventure game with maps, characters, rules, and dice; practice creativity, storytelling, strategy, and basic math.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Pick a fun theme for your adventure like space pirates jungle mystery or castle quest and decide the main goal.
- 2
Step 2
Choose how many players will play and give each player a role name like Hero Mage or Scout.
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Step 3
Draw a map on paper using your ruler with rooms or squares connected by paths.
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Step 4
Mark a Start spot a Goal spot and at least three special spots like treasure trap or secret door on the map.
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Step 5
Make a character sheet for each player with a name and three stats: Health Attack Magic and write a number 1–6 next to each stat.
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Step 6
Write one movement rule that says how far a character can move each turn like move one room per turn or roll to move up to three spaces.
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Step 7
Write one combat rule that says how to use the die for attacks such as roll the die add your Attack stat and beat the enemy Defense number to hit.
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Step 8
Write one damage and health rule that says how much Health is lost when hit and what happens at zero Health.
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Step 9
Create six encounter cards on small paper squares with monsters traps or treasures and give each a Defense number Damage amount or Reward number.
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Step 10
Cut out small paper tokens decorate them with colouring materials and tape a token to each character sheet for moving on the map.
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Step 11
Play a short test adventure for 2–4 turns following your rules and move tokens on the map to resolve one or two encounters.
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Step 12
Change one rule or number to make the game more fun or fair based on what you learned during the test play.
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Step 13
Share a picture and short description of your finished game on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do I create a pen-and-paper adventure game my child can play?
Start by picking a simple theme and map-sized paper. Draw a map with rooms or tiles and mark goals. Create characters with 3–5 stats (health, movement, attack) and short descriptions. Decide rules for movement, encounters, and dice rolls—use one six-sided die (d6) for actions (e.g., 4+ succeeds). Write clear win/lose conditions, play a short tutorial session, then refine rules with your child.
What materials do I need to make a pen-and-paper adventure game?
You'll need plain paper or graph paper, pencils, erasers, colored pencils or markers, a ruler, sticky notes for props, and index cards for character sheets and loot. One or two six-sided dice are handy, or use a dice-rolling app. Optional: stickers, small tokens, scissors, glue, and a notebook to record campaigns. Most supplies are household items and inexpensive.
What ages is a pen-and-paper adventure game suitable for?
This activity suits ages 5–6 with heavy adult help and picture-based maps, ages 7–10 for simple rules and short sessions, ages 11–14 for deeper storytelling, strategy, and longer campaigns. For younger children, simplify stats and focus on choices and imagination. Teenagers and families can add complex rules or roleplaying. Always adapt math and reading demands and supervise dice and scissors for safety.
What are the benefits of playing pen-and-paper adventure games with kids?
Playing pen-and-paper adventure games builds creativity, storytelling, teamwork, and problem-solving. Children practice basic math (adding dice results, tracking health), reading and writing, and strategic thinking. It boosts confidence by letting kids make choices and lead scenes, and strengthens social skills through turn-taking and negotiation. Low-cost and screen-free, it's easy to tailor to learning goals like vocabulary or history themes for educational play.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a ruler, tape, or a six-sided die listed in the materials?
Use a straight edge like a book or string to draw the map instead of a ruler, secure paper tokens with glue or a paper clip instead of tape, and substitute the die by drawing numbers 1–6 from folded paper slips or using a phone dice app for the combat and movement rolls.
If the game feels confusing or a combat keeps being unfair during the test adventure, what should we try first?
During the Play a short test adventure step, simplify the movement rule to one room per turn and lower enemy Defense numbers on your six encounter cards or reduce Damage amounts so hits are less punishing and then replay to check balance.
How can we adapt the game for younger or older kids using the character sheets and encounter cards?
For younger players, make character sheets with only Health and Attack, use a big, simple map and three easy encounter cards, while for older kids add more stats on the character sheet, more complex enemy Defense numbers on the six encounter cards, and optional magic rules.
What are quick ways to personalize or expand the game after the initial playtest and sharing on DIY.org?
Decorate your paper tokens and encounter cards with custom art, add a new Goal spot or special spot on the map, introduce a leveling rule that raises a stat after clearing two encounters, and then update the rules before taking the final picture and description to share.