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Game Night Special: Tabletop RPGs

Game Night Special - promoting skills in science and collaboration through play. The Game Night Special is aimed at anyone who wants to explore how tabletop role-playing games can promote key skills in a scientific context. Train critical thinking, strategic planning and collaboration - and have fun doing it.

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Game Night Special: Tabletop RPGs

Game Night Special - Promoting skills in science and collaboration through play

The Game Night Special is aimed at anyone who wants to explore how tabletop role-playing games (known in Germany as pen'n'paper role-playing games, here: tabletop rpgs or role-playing games) can promote key skills in a scientific context. Train critical thinking, strategic planning and collaboration - and have fun doing it.

Critical thinking, strategic planning and collaboration - important in role-playing games and scientific work.

What is a tabletop rpg?

Essentially, every tabletop rpg is a vehicle for playing through conversations and making decisions about the story together. Players bring their own ideas to the game, and the rules and processes of the game help them figure out what happens next.

In the vast majority of tabletop rpgs there are two roles, that of the game master and that of the players. The game master usually describes important details, interesting secrets and difficult problems in the story. The other players decide how a character (or a team) tries to act in order to change the situation, solve the problem or unravel the mystery. The game leader responds by updating the situation. Most of the time, the role-playing game consists of such an exchange.

If the outcome of an action in the game is uncertain or should not be determined by either the game master or the players, then the vast majority of role-playing systems leave it to chance whether, for example, a difficult climb up a rock face succeeds or the players' characters notice something in their surroundings. In the vast majority of cases, this means rolling dice and using certain rules to determine whether you can safely climb the rock face or notice something shimmering golden at the bottom of a pond.

Many role-playing games are designed for various fantasy settings that are sometimes more or less closely orientated to Tolkien's Middle-earth. But there are not only role-playing games for various other settings (science fiction, western, steampunk, zombie apocalypse, our world, historical settings, etc.), they can also be conceived and played with any setting.

At the first Game Night Special, two game organisers offer two different games for groups of up to five players each.

Dragonbane (game master Simon Höllerer)

https://freeleaguepublishing.com/games/dragonbane/ - A rather classic role-playing game and Swedish version of Dungeons & Dragons, probably the most famous role-playing game.

Quest (game master Daniel Höft)

https://www.adventure.game/ - A minimalist variation of Dungeons & Dragons optimised for collaborative storytelling.

Preparation

You do not need to prepare for the game. Ready-made characters and dice are available at the start of the session and the rules are learnt during the game. Basic knowledge of German is an advantage for communication with your co-players. However, as the rules and game materials are in English anyway, international players are very welcome. 

The Game Night Special offers:

•     Interactive game rounds: Explore a variety of board games, from strategic classics to modern co-operative games, aimed at promoting key skills for  science.
•     Discussions and experience sharing: Dive into conversations about the link between role-playing games and science skills, as well as the use of role-playing games in education (eduRPGs). Learn how role-playing can strengthen critical thinking, teamwork and creativity and can be used as a tool in teaching.
•     Network: Take the opportunity to meet like-minded people from different academic disciplines and exchange ideas.

Registration

Please register by e-mail to creative-space@uni-marburg.de. We limit the evening to 5 participants per game. Please let us know whether you have basic knowledge of the German language or prefer an English game. You're welcome to bring something to drink or snack (self-catering).

We look forward to spending an entertaining and educational evening with you!

Please be on time so that we can start together. It is not possible to join the game later.

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