Children during T2k...

[atiff]

Originally Posted by Raellus

This is a really good point. By 2000 (T2K), it wouldn't be uncommon to find boys as young as 14 in 15 in some European armies (or at least militia units)- especially the Polish and Soviet armies, I am sure.

Most other kids in war zones would be forced to help their families survive by doing some kind of work.

A few working assumptions I used in my own campaign are:
- children as young as 8 play at least a partial role in the economy (simple jobs, fetching, runners, feeding livestock, etc., on a daily basis)
- from 15 years old, they are playing a 'full' role in the economy, and that may include fighting (and 'underage' is definitely possible too)

Another note, though, is that I inserted a trough in the population demographics for 2-12 year-olds. The reasoning is essentially that while it is possible for a parent to survive the death of a child, the reverse is not always true.

[Mahatatain]

Originally Posted by atiff

A few working assumptions I used in my own campaign are:
- children as young as 8 play at least a partial role in the economy (simple jobs, fetching, runners, feeding livestock, etc., on a daily basis)
- from 15 years old, they are playing a 'full' role in the economy, and that may include fighting (and 'underage' is definitely possible too)

I'd suggest that these ages are actually a little old based on what actually happened during the industrial revolution. Kids as young as five might well be doing simple jobs and by about 12 I would imagine that kids are working as a full adult. For example a 12 year old girl will probably be nearly as productive at sewing as an adult woman.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Mahatatain

I'd suggest that these ages are actually a little old based on what actually happened during the industrial revolution. Kids as young as five might well be doing simple jobs and by about 12 I would imagine that kids are working as a full adult. For example a 12 year old girl will probably be nearly as productive at sewing as an adult woman.

Probably also worth factoring in to this that there are some jobs children would be more suited to than adults, purely because of their smaller size...(they may be able to go places adults can't)

[Tombot]

Yeah, like in coal-mines...

[Mahatatain]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Probably also worth factoring in to this that there are some jobs children would be more suited to than adults, purely because of their smaller size...(they may be able to go places adults can't)

Your post reminded me of an appropriate quote from the film version of Schindler's List when he's trying to retrieve the young girls from Auschwitz:

Oscar Schindler at Auschwitz: "What are you doing? These are mine. These are my workers. They should be on my train. They're skilled munitions workers. They're essential. Essential girls. Their fingers polish the insides of shell metal casings. How else am I to polish the inside of a 45 millimeter shell casing? You tell me. You tell me!"

[ArmySGT.]

Outside our cute little boundaries where supermarkets have food in them, banks are open year to year, and your own Government isn't trying to kill you.

Things are different.

[TrailerParkJawa]

The only game I ever ran was Free City of Krakow. I had a group of young teens take one of the players 9mm Beretta from his holster and run off with it. It led to a chase thru the city streets but I don't remember the outcome.

Now, the funny thing is I was a teen when this happened. I was probably 13 at the time (1985).

[pmulcahy11b]

This thread makes me think of a couple of lines from a Pat Benetar song:

Hell is for children
'Cause their little lives can turn out to be such a mess