Character Creation: Dinosaur Princesses

I mean, I'm amazed it's taken me this long to pull this one out. 

The Game: Dinosaur Princesses
The Publisher: Ardens Ludere
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one

Writing an RPG for kids is a challenge. Doing one "for all ages" is even more so, because it has to be on a child's cognitive level but still interesting enough for adults. I've seen any number of "kids'" RPGs that are just D&D with a cutesy aesthetic, but the focus on combat is still there. (I tried to avoid that for the kids' game I wrote, but I wasn't really trying to make it for all ages, anyway.)

So then there's Dinosaur Princesses, which, I think, hits the right notes. You're playing a dinosaur who is also a princess, kind of, but "princess" is just a placeholder for "a job that you do." The game is meant to emulate a Saturday morning cartoon, and honestly as I was reading it I could totally see the animation style (something between Get-Along Gang and Don Bluth, I think). The system is present and involves rolling dice, but it's not so complicated that it'll bore kids or other folks who aren't interested in minutiae, and the game incorporates facets of RPGs that a new generation of players should be learning from the get-go (fail forward, safety tools, being a fan of the players, etc.). 

So let's make a frickin' dino-princess! 

What is your name? My name is Bonk. 

What are your pronouns? He/him.

What type of dinosaur are you? Pachycelphasaurus, thanks very much.

Choose two words that describe your strengths as a dinosaur. Hmm. Bonk is strong and loud. 

What type of princess are you? I want Bonk to be a Builder (he's really more on the demolition side of things, but you've gotta knock down to have the room to build up!). 

Choose words that describe your strengths as a princess. Bonk is hard-working and loyal. 

I picture Bonk as the brash, blustery, "fighter" in the cartoon, a la Rocko on Pink Panther & Sons or Hefty Smurf. But this being a cartoon, he's not actually going to fight-fight. He'll just talk a lot of G-rated trash, and then maybe slam his head against something and knock it down or knock down a wall or what. I want him to have a friend named "Gronk" or "Honk," mostly so I could have him say "MESS WITH THE HONK, YOU GET THE BONK!" I figure he wearing overalls and a reflector vest, but doesn't bother with a hard hat (he had on, but his head kept breaking it). He speaks with a kind of light Brooklyn accent, and he'll get in between danger and his friends (or what he perceives as danger, which, like, "smart" isn't one of his words, OK?). 

And that's it!