At it's heart, Role Playing Games (RGPs) are stories. And stories are how we build ourselves.
RPGs offer agency and self-direction in a curated environment. They use the stories the players know, and these players pit themselves as stories or ideas against those of the curator and the other players.
Thus the player builds and writes themselves. The human project of metacognition is enabled.
We play a home-made open source (free) gaming system based on mythology, literature and human history. We also optionally utilise some closed source (non-free) books as further inspiration, such as Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and RuneQuest. (RQ)
q: I'm in a bit of a panic as I don't think kids should be dealing with all the issues in RPGs.
a: That's why we don't include those bits. As default the curator assigns 'safe' worlds. The players self-select their topics of inquiry. Should realms unbidden be trodden, be assured the nature of the game is far safer than that of an uncurated reality.
q: Are kids actually smart enough to read all those books, do the maths and come up with decent ideas?
a: You don't have to know everything to get started. All that is required is interest, patience and ability to work with others. The maths and reading are part of the journey.
q: What abilities do kids need to play in our game?
a: They need to be able to listen to others, to be able to take turns. They need to be able to take care of their own food and bodily needs. Part of the game involves writing characters with short backstories of around one paragraph. If they can do that, they could play. Games with year 3 students have been very successful.
q: Do I need to buy anything?
a: No, BUT, it might be good to buy a set of polyhedral dice for around $15. Rules and resources can be found online, and core games books might set you back a few hundred dollars if you really get into it.
q: Do you really believe in fairies and elves and other such extra-planar entities?
a: No, it is a game.
q: Can parents and teachers play too?
a: We run seperate sessions for adults.
Our game is set in an imaginary fantasy world of high-magic, with technology so powerful and ancient it has been forgotten. The aeons of conflict are over, and all peoples live under a great accord which has held for over a thousand years.
Humans live in towering cities of glass, cultured shards rising from the cultivated plains.
The dwarves live under the earth, in the heart of the mountain. The plateau on top was created by their ancestors transforming the mountain top in to a ship, taking off to space unknown.
Elves in the forests walk safely on well troden, invisible paths, surrounded by the bounty of nature.
Orcs, the last of the races to be civilised, fight mock-battles in virtual worlds and return home in time for tea.
Dragons, giants and monsters exist, yet the great accord keeps us all safe. Unless we go looking.
The bell has rung for the final time. Today was the last day of school. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Setting: Gnome village
3: I talk to the gnomes because I want them to make me a car.
Curator: You could ask the village tinker if he could make one.
3: I talk to the tinker and ask if they can make me a car.
Curator: The tinker says that he is a bit distracted because the gnome kids are running riot. If you could distract them they could make a car in a day.
3: I put on a magic show for the kids to entertain them for the day. All the other characters could do a performance too.
Curator: Roll D20 for the success of the show.
3: Rolls dice, needs low, gets a 5. Yeah!
Curator: Your magic performance is a success, and you distract the kids for the day. At the end of the day, the other gnomes come out and put on a big illusion show and the tinker presents you with your new car. It is small like a billy-cart, and you need to put a lump of gold in the tray in the back to make it go. As the cart drives, the gold lump shrinks as minute particles are sprayed out the exhaust.
3: Cool!
Background Image:
'In The Meadow ' by Auguste Renoir (1888-92)