The tabletop adventure game where nobody dies and everybody gets a catchphrase.
Brave and Bonkers is a free tabletop roleplaying game for kids ages 6 to 12 and the grown-up who gets talked into running it. Download the free kit.
Written for 3 to 5 kids, and it works with just one. Full rules, seven heroes to choose from, monsters and the first adventure. No account, no email.
Nobody dies.
Heroes get knocked Down, get back up, and win something every session. It's why a cautious parent can say yes.
One page per hero.
Everything your kid needs to know about their character fits on one spacious page. If the sheet doesn't say it, they don't need it.
Play tonight.
A 60-minute bite-size session or a 2-hour standard one. No experience needed on either side of the table.
Pick your hero
Seven heroes, ready to play. Every one fits on a single page. Every one can look the way your table wants them to look.
For the grown-up holding the rulebook
You don't need to have played anything like this before. The rulebook is written to be read cold, the first adventure tells you exactly what to say, and the monsters are printed in the scene where you use them, so nothing sends you back to the rulebook mid-fight.
Who can play?
3 to 5 kids, ages 6 to 12. One works too.
Tell me more
The game is written for three to five kids ages 6 to 12, each playing one of the seven heroes, plus a grown-up or older kid running it. Reading is not required: a six-year-old plays with a grown-up reading the sheet out. With just one kid, they play two heroes and you play everyone they meet. Full answer →
How long does a game take?
About an hour. You set the pace.
Tell me more
One hour for the short version, with a two-hour version of the same story if the table wants more. You control the clock, and the adventure shows you where to cut. Full answer →
Is it scary? Does anything die?
Bright and funny. Nobody dies.
Tell me more
No, and not the heroes. Getting knocked Down is not dying, and a hero who goes Down is back on their feet before the session ends, so nobody has to explain a character’s death to a seven-year-old. Guardrails are printed right in the adventure. Full answer →
Is it good for a birthday party?
Yes. That is how it started.
Tell me more
Brave and Bonkers began as a game for a birthday party, and it still fits one: three to five kids at a table, about an hour of play, nothing to buy beyond a set of dice, and nobody dies. Print the kit, let each kid pick a hero, and start the first adventure. Full answer →
What does it cost?
Free. Dice cost a few dollars, once.
Tell me more
The game is free to download and print, with no account and no email address. A set of dice costs a few dollars, once, and a free dice app works too. Full answer →
Can we run this in a classroom or a library?
Yes. Print and copy it for your class.
Tell me more
Yes. The notice in every book lets you print and copy Brave and Bonkers for your own table, classroom or clinic, so a school, a library or an after-school club can run it without asking us and without paying anybody. Full answer →