Pyramid Review
Meddling Kids
Published by PandaHead Games
Written by Allyson Brooks
Edited by Brett Brooks
Art by Brian Laframboise, Peter Delgado, & Marcio Fiorito
96-page b&w digest-sized softcover; $9.95
The title really says it all: Meddling Kids is a tribute to Saturday morning cartoons with good-guy youngsters accompanied by a quirky sidekick trying to solve mysteries (usually involving weird creatures). PandaHead Games is aiming for the junior set with this roleplaying primer from its Meddling Kids imprint.
Although the title is a pretty obvious reference, the game applies to many such shows. The players play the teenagers in the Clique, and the GM takes the part of the eccentric Wild Card character.
Meddling Kids calls its game engine The Starter System, and this book is "Stage One" (the advanced Meddling Spies and Meddling Heroes are next). PCs are a simple selection of Strength, Moves, Smarts, and Health, rated from one to 10 -- players buy them with a pool of points. Everyone falls under archetypes, like the Jock or the Brain. This gives everyone an idea of your role in the group, and gives the character a related free ability. The rest you have to pay points for.
Abilities are a catchall, bought with their own point pool. Price varies depending on how utile they'll be in the game. They include skills (such as Singer, or Xtreme Sporty for skateboarding), areas of knowledge (such as Math Whiz), and talents (including Luck, Popular) that round out your persona and make you different . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 23, 2004
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