Kids on Bikes

Last updated
Kids on Bikes
Kids on Bikes.png
Designers Jonathan Gilmour and Doug Levandowski
Publishers
  • Hunters Entertainment
  • Renegade Studios
Genres tabletop role-playing game, adventure

Kids on Bikes is a tabletop role-playing game system, and a series of games that use that system. It has won multiple ENNIE Awards.

Contents

Publication history

The first game in the series, Kids on Bikes, was inspired by 1980s coming-of-age movies like The Goonies . In 2022, the second edition of Kids on Bikes raised $182,049 on Kickstarter from 2,793 backers. [1]

There are three other games in the series: the space-themed Teens in Space, a game about a school for wizards and witches called Kids on Brooms, [2] [3] [4] and a forthcoming superhero game called Kids in Capes. [5] On February 10, 2023, the designers held a charity sale of Kids on Brooms with all profits donated to transgender rights organization Sylvia Rivera Law Project. This was part of a larger boycott movement against Hogwarts Legacy due to the anti-transgender activities of author J. K. Rowling. [6]

Reception

Kids on Bikes won the 2019 Gold ENNIE Awards for Best Family Game / Product, and Kids on Bikes: Strange Adventures! Volume Two won the same award in 2020. [7] [8] Cass Marshall for Polygon recommended it for fans of Stranger Things . [9]

Rachel Johnson of CBR recommended Kids on Brooms for fans of the Harry Potter series, lauding it for its accessibility to tabletop players old and new. [10] Dicebreaker also had praise for the game's flexible spellcasting system. [11] Polygon called it one of the best tabletop role-playing games of 2022, calling out its character creation process for creating interesting relationships and rumors. [12]

Gameplay

Kids on Bikes character creation involves assigning standard roleplaying dice to each of six stats. Unlike traditional DnD, where players roll a 20-sided die and then add a modifier based on their character's skill in a given category, the number of sides of each die correlates to the character's skill in each statistic. When a player rolls the maximum value on one of their die, they are allowed to roll again, and add the result of the next roll. [13] Players and gamemaster construct the setting together. [2]

The game features a mechanic to allow for a "powered" character like those from E.T. and Stranger Things . While Powered characters are similar to non-player characters, players are able to exhibit some narrative control over the actions these characters take. [2]

The Kids on Bikes system has been featured on multiple seasons of the actual play series Dimension 20 , including Misfits and Magic using Kids on Brooms, [14] Mentopolis using "a 'noir-ified' version of Kids on Bikes", [15] and Never Stop Blowing Up using a system "heavily inspired by" Kids on Bikes. [16]

Dropout, publisher of Dimension 20, later released a four-page version of the Never Stop Blowing Up rules system. [17] Christian Hoffer of EN World notes the system is intended to create "action movie-style" stories with "outlandish" action. [17]

References

  1. "Track Kids on Bikes: Second Edition's Kickstarter campaign on BackerTracker". BackerKit. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Colleran, Meaghan (Jun 23, 2023). "Indie RPG Spotlight: 'Kids on Bikes'". Bell of Lost Souls . Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  3. Wieland, Rob. "Build A Better Magic School With The Kids On Brooms RPG". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  4. Jarvis, Matt (2020-04-21). "Kids on Brooms is a Harry Potter tabletop RPG in all but name, out this summer". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  5. Carter, Chase (2024-05-08). "After Kids on Bikes and Kids on Brooms, the beginner-friendly RPG series puts Kids in Capes". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  6. Glassman, Julia (2023-02-10). "Boycotting 'Hogwarts Legacy'? This Fantastic 'Harry Potter'-like TTRPG Is Raising Money for Trans Charity Instead". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  7. "2019 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards" . Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  8. "2020 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards" . Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  9. Marshall, Cass (2022-10-12). "Kids on Bikes' new edition adds more '80s adventure action". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  10. Johnson, Rachel (2022-01-17). "Kids on Brooms Lets Players Live Out Their Harry Potter Fantasies". CBR. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  11. Cullen, Maddie (2023-02-21). "10 magical school tabletop RPGs that will cast a spell on you". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  12. Hall, Charlie (2022-12-15). "The best tabletop RPGs we played in 2022". Polygon. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  13. Taylor, Luke. "Kids on Bikes: The System So Obvious It's Brilliant". Goonhammer. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  14. Crider, Michael (Feb 3, 2023). "Skip Hogwarts Legacy and watch some Harry Potter-style D&D instead". PC World . Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  15. Zambrano, J.R. (Aug 22, 2023). "You Should Absolutely Watch the 1st Episode Of Dimension 20's 'Mentopolis'". Bell of Lost Souls . Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  16. "Dimension 20: Never Stop Blowing Up FAQ". docs.google.com. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  17. 1 2 Hoffer, Christian (Nov 16, 2024). "Dropout Releases Never Stop Blowing Up Ruleset". EN World . Retrieved 2024-11-27.