Lanternlight

Lanternlight

I've been playing TTRPGs with my kiddo for as long as I can remember. About a year ago, when they turned eight, they wanted to create their own game. At the time, I was about two years into the final development of my own TTRPG, Guild Chronicles.

Lanternlight grew out of the games that we played as a family. It's designed to be flexible, creative, narratively-focused, and quick to learn. If you're looking for a game that you can play as a family, Lanternlight is a great place to start.

What makes this game great for kids?

• uses only six-sided dice (d6) and only requires counting (no sums)
• has no game terms to memorize
• can be adapted to any setting or genre on the fly
• has no distinct rules for combat 

Physical copies

The first physical copies of Lanternlight were sold at Anika's elementary school winter marketplace in 2025. They'll be for sale at PAX East in 2026. The book can also be purchased online!

Community copies

In collaboration with Lyndhurst Free Press and the Lyndhurst Education and Advocacy Foundation (LEAF), we're thrilled to offer free community copies of Lanternlight. If you work in a school or community setting and want to bring games to the folks you work with, you are welcome to download a community copy of the game. 

If the cost of the game is prohibitive and a barrier to enjoying it with your family, you are also welcome to download a community copy of the game.

Design credits

The system was developed through a process of iteration and collaborative play, with Anika (age nine) deciding what was working and what was not. 

Other lightweight d6 systems that Anika had played (like Atlas Games' Magical Kitties Save the Day and Michael Low's Stories RPG) were influential in its foundational design.

Andrew (Anika's parent) articulated the rules in text. Anika, in turn, edited and revised the written rules.

Anika created all of the artwork in the book and had the final say on layout decisions. 

The example of play was a retelling of an adventure that was undertaken by Anika, their mother Monique, and Andrew.