I fuck with this.
Some notes:
- giving GMs some love and thought is awesome, but they don't have any fundamentlly different goals from the other players. nor do I think you should worry about GMs using positive traits to impose disadvantages. you have to assume good faith, else why make games at all?
- keep the d8+d12. not only is it an interesting dice combination, but losing your companion rat would be incredibly meaningful like this. special effects on a nat20 are very hit or miss, I'd try to at least keep in mind how this adds strain to the GM.
- drop a single line about the elf wars.
- I like the small scale, local-vibe-thingy going on and pricing the kid characters out of most things (making them dependent on grownups, older siblings, etc. making special events like birthdays meaningful as well as adding weight to stuff like the Loaded Parents).
- I like the non-importance of combat and the clock element. Loss probably sucks without losing items, though adding that as a potential additional outcome seems worthwhile. It could lead to many story developments if items aren't simply replacable via currency (my pokemon cards! D:) or need time (m-my glasses! I can't see anything w-without m-muh- my glasses!). But it shouldn't be too serious. Just something to give a little more urgency, not ruin anything, at least not permanently.
- I like the bike path/trail stuff and the implications of fucking around in the forests close to home.
I fuck with it, what can I say?