ROLEPLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM By Jacob Arbogast GOALS
ROLEPLAYING IN THE CLASSROOM By Jacob Arbogast
GOALS • What exactly are tabletop roleplaying games? • What materials are required to play them? • What resources are available to help? • What are the benefits of playing tabletop roleplaying games in the classroom? • Has anyone done this, or something similar, before? • Can this be done online as well as offline? • How would I personally use this in a classroom?
WHAT ARE TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING GAMES? "A tabletop role-playing game (or pen-and-paper role-playing game) is a form of roleplaying game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, [1] and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game. " (Wikipedia) Placeholder mainly
REQUIRED MATERIALS Required Materials: • Pencil • Paper Optional Materials: • Game Mat • Game Pieces • Rulebooks • Markers (Dry-Erase)
AVAILABLE SYSTEMS AND RESOURCES Savage Worlds Pathfinder Dungeons and Dragons Plenty of Others Flesh this out considerably, there is a lot of content
BENEFITS • Boosts Creativity and use of the Imagination • Improves Writing skills • Improves Math skills (minor) • Can awaken leadership talents? Other talents as well
HAS ANYONE DONE THIS BEFORE? • http: //savingthrowshow. com/tabletop-in-the-classroom/ • http: //dnd. wizards. com/articles/features/dd-classroom • http: //citeseerx. ist. psu. edu/viewdoc/download? doi=10. 1. 1. 687. 727&rep=rep 1&type= pdf • AMAZING resources
ONLINE POSSIBILITIES • Fabletop (Seems great candidate for teacher use) • Roll 20 • Flesh all this out too
PERSONAL IMPLEMENTATION • With the intent of making this an hour-long activity that takes place once a week, I will start it off by having my students decide on a setting, and maybe a basic plotline as well. I will do this by having them brainstorm and then vote on the class favorites. Next I will have my students break up into groups of three to five people, depending on class size. These small groups will then collaborate on the creation of a single character. For clarification, each game session would have "characters" equal to the amount of small groups in the classroom. I would have the students do creative writings based on their group's character, be it back-story or something else. The activity in class would be a game, using dice and everything, but the main benefit would be the creativity it inspires in the students as they do their creative writings. • This needs more work, revisit
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