Lil Gremlins

Hi there! Oh, sorry, just a moment—Corbok, could you get down from there? We don't really need paint on the ceiling!

Now, what was I saying? Right, the game!

Lil Gremlins is an all-ages journaling game about mischief-making gremlins, and you're in charge of managing the chaos! 

Draw your Gremlin, introduce them to the world, and hold on tight. Things are about to get messy!

Bentham, can I help you move that into the other room? I'd love to see what you've built as soon as I finish telling these nice people about the game. Maybe Corbok has some paint you could use to add a touch of color.

Gremlins love mischief, and your job is to teach them how to solve problems and handle messes so that they can grow up to take care of their own mischief. In the meantime, you'll have your hands full!

What You're Getting

• 12-page full color PDF, plus cover page
• 14-page print-friendly PDF
• Lined Journal Template PDF
• Fill-in-the-Blank Journal Template PDF
• Diploma for graduated Gremlins
• Mischief Table Template
• Print-friendly Quick Draw Guide 

Reviews

"If you’re looking for a cute TTRPG that helps teach SEL alongside a chaotic gremlin, this game is PERFECT.  It helped us (so both my kid and me) talk about some mischievous behaviors and look at we what both could do when trouble happens because of that." —TTRPGkids (see the full review here!)

"As the oldest of four, I love Little Gremlins. The experience of troubleshooting and redirecting mischief so it is still fun resonates with me deeply." — Mary Bransom, playtester and artist for Lil Gremlins

"I asked how [the players] could help the gremlin after it made mischief, and one kid said have a dinosaur eat it... The dinosaur was finally convinced to help the gremlin take a million deep breaths, instead of eating her." — A preschool teacher

"I was having a rough day, so [a friend] told me to draw up a little character from your game... I love him." — Sarah Bransom

Silly. Happy. Rude. Exciting. — Adjectives about Lil Gremlins from preschool-aged playtesters.

Inventive. Evocative. Cute. Reflective. — Adjectives about Lil Gremlins from adult/parent playtesters

Play Style Ideas

Games are more fun when you can play them in a way that fits your busy life!

All at Once

You can play Lil Gremlins in one sitting, just like any other game. Kids who play in one setting spend about 20-30 minutes on it.

Day by Day

Lil Gremlins can easily be played for just a few minutes each day. Complete a single page of the journal and come back tomorrow for more fun!

This is a great way to spend time together as a family, checking in on each other's Gremlins and laughing about their antics! Make it part of your dinnertime or bedtime routine!

Educational Habit

A great way to keep learning and practicing over the summer, keep Lil Gremlins somewhere that your kids can access it whenever that creative itch hits!

For teachers or tutors, make Lil Gremlins a part of your classroom routine. Every time you meet, have students fill out a page from the journal and add it to a binder. Make sure to keep extra MEGA MISCHIEF and Friendly Fun pages on hand for anyone who needs one.

Perfect for homeschool students and traditional learners, make Lil Gremlins part of your routine and watch your students delight in their learning!

For All Ages

Lil Gremlins is designed to be fun for everyone, regardless of how many trips you've made around the sun.

Kids

Even young children can enjoy this game! You don't have to be able to read or write if a caregiver is willing to help. You can also record your adventures in audio form if you'd prefer.

Kids who are learning to read and write will find the Fill-in-the-Blank Journal helpful. This format allows kids to add their own details within a predictable format.

Older kids might enjoy the freedom of the Lined Journal, which gives them the space to think up their own story without the guardrails provided in the Fill-in-the-Blank Journal.

Plus, Lil Gremlins puts kids in the driver's seat (metaphorically, of course!) and lets them figure out how to help their Gremlin make good choices while being creative and excitable.

Teens and College Students

Teens and college students are under a lot of pressure. Assignments and extra-curriculars piled up fast, and it can be overwhelming.

Lil Gremlins provides a brief return to childhood and a refreshing break from the constant barrage of expectations from teachers, parents, and peers.

Just like kids, teens can feel restricted by the number of rules pressing in on them, especially as they mature and become independent. This is a small, silly way to have a bit of control, but small, silly ways are sometimes the best!

Among playtesters, Lil Gremlins let college students laugh a little, rather than be overwhelmed by impending deadlines. Plus, it can serve as an artistic outlet without expectations. If your Gremlin looks a little goofy, you're probably doing it right!

Adults

Many of the benefits that teens and college students gain from Lil Gremlins apply to adults as well. Letting your inner child out can be a healthy break from the pressures of life, especially in a world that so easily makes us cynical.

Take a great big dragon breath and let it out. Laugh at yourself. Lil Gremlins is a chance to take yourself less seriously and to remember what it is to play.

Parents

Parents, you are a special kind of adult. You're doing hard work! Kids are a bit like Gremlins in their approach to life—eager, excitable... and a bit mischievous.

Lil Gremlins is here to help you connect with your kid, to spend time with your inner child, and to turn mischief into play.

Educational

What's better than a game that helps kids learn? While teens and adults can enjoy this game well beyond their need to practice the skills involved, Lil Gremlins intentionally directs a child's focus to a few different skills.

These skills can be adjusted to fit a particular child's needs, and support can be given in areas that a child isn't ready for. Here are just a few of the learning possibilities.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Lil Gremlins is a game about mischief, and with mischief come big emotions. You can engage your kids or students with these big concepts by playing together.

• Problem-solving. Every day in the game, the Gremlin gets into more mischief, and the players have to decide how to solve it.
• Identifying emotions. Figuring out how the Gremlin feels is part of every Mischief day, but Lil Gremlins also talks about how your body might feel when you've got big emotions inside.
• Managing big feelings. Sometimes Gremlins get frustrated by hearing "no" all the time. On MEGA MISCHIEF days, players must handle a big problem while trying to remain calm in their own bodies.

English Language Arts (ELA)

Since Lil Gremlins gets you telling a story, whether verbal or written, language skills are bound to come into play! Actually writing out the story has additional benefits, which you can see below.

• Reading and parsing words. The Fill-in-the-Blank Journal has prompts that the player can read, all written in clear text. Kids can sound out words and recognize small words as they go.
• Practicing the physical art of writing. Any time a journal has words that are meant to be read as part of the story (as opposed to a fill-in-the-blank prompt), the text is written in a handwriting font that was chosen for its simplicity and unevenness. Kids don't have to compete with fancy fonts as they build confidence in their handwriting.
• Building sentences. Throughout the game rules, there are suggestions on patterns to use to create sentences for your story. Using these patterns in the Fill-in-the-Blank Journal helps kids find confidence to try their own way of writing things when they're ready for the Lined Journal.
• Recognizing parts of speech. Older kids may be ready to use the names of parts of speech to describe what blanks they're filling in. For example, the rules use the word Action, but older kids can learn that action words are verbs.

Math

While this game is mostly focused on stories and emotions, there's even a bit of math to be found!

• Building number literacy and counting. Depending on whether you use a die with pips or numerals, children can work on these early math skills.
• Identifying and drawing shapes. As you draw your Gremlin, several prompts encourage you to make a certain shape. Help young kids begin to identify their shapes and mimic that form on their page.

Wow, I've been able to talk for a while without any interruption from the Gremlins! Hmmm... I should probably go check on them. I'll leave you with the thoughts of those who have played this game and loved it while I go see what—Lorange, I am sorry that Corbok called you dumb, but that does not mean you can take his paint without asking! What puzzle are you working on? Ah, I see... You've made it more difficult by painting all the pieces black. Yes, that is certainly a challenge.

You'll have to excuse me. It seems there's a bit of a mess to clean up.

Cover art and Gremlins Bentham, Corbok, and Lorange created by Mary Bransom. You can find her work on her blog or on ko-fi.

Image of Flimorgorph courtesy of Sarah Bransom. You can find more of her cool stuff on Instagram and Tiktok.