DOCSLIB.ORG

An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2020-05-17 An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups Joe Lasley University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Leadership Studies Commons Digital USD Citation Lasley, Joe, "An Examination of Gaming Environments in Dungeons and Dragons Groups" (2020). Dissertations. 170. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/170 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN EXAMINATION OF GAMING ENVIRONMENTS IN DUNGEONS & DRAGONS GROUPS by Joe Lasley A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2020 Dissertation Committee Dr. Cheryl Getz, EdD Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman, PhD University of San Diego © Copyright by Joe Lasley All Rights Reserved 2020 University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences CANDIDATE’S NAME: Joe Lasley TITLE OF DISSERTATION: AN EXAMINATION OF GAMING ENVIRONMENTS IN DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS GROUPS APPROVAL: _____________________________________, Chair Cheryl Getz, EdD – _____________________________________, Member Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD- _____________________________________, Member Sarah Lynne Bowman, PhD - DATE: April 20, 2020 ABSTRACT Tabletop Role-Playing Games (TRPG) like Dungeons & Dragons are unique phenomena within the topics of game-based learning and gamification of leadership development. Games in general are used for both game-based learning (learning from playing games) and as sources of inspiration for gamification: the application of game design elements in non-game contexts like business or education. Many potential benefits of playing TRPGs have been observed including transformative experiences linked to collective creativity. Knowing more about the transformative potential of TRPGs can inform facilitation of creative learning environments and guide the use of TRPGs for leadership development. The concept of a holding environment frames play and creativity as activities that promote personal growth embedded in a psychological or group environment. Drawing from a developmental environment framework, a gaming environment can be considered as the psychological group environment present while playing a TRPG. Applying this developmental environment framework to TRPG groups builds on previous research that reports transformative growth in TRPG experiences by providing a group level of analysis. This research explored gaming environments in TRPGs, specifically Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e). This qualitative study employed content analysis, group observations, and interviews for data collection and analysis. A group of participants was solicited to play D&D 5e specifically for this research. Thematic analysis was used to identify group interaction patterns by observing the group playing D&D 5e over the course of several sessions. Then, semi-structured interviews with the participants were conducted to investigate individual perspectives of specific observations from the group sessions. Interview topics included descriptions of the group of players, defining events in the group, and factors influencing the play experience. Recordings of gaming sessions and transcripts of individual interviews were subjected to continued analysis. Findings indicated that the gaming environment was a psychologically layered container which depended on the use of authority in leader-member relationships and utilized framing and storytelling processes for containing emotions. These findings can be used to inform the design of TRPGs for leadership development and expand how we construct knowledge about group environments in creative contexts. Keywords: gaming, holding environment, role-playing, leader-member exchange DEDICATION For all who foster environments in which people create and experiment with new ways of being that lead to collective transformation and a socially just future. This dissertation is dedicated to the people who have indulged my imagination, supported education, joined in gaming, or accompanied me leadership development adventures. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Dr. Cheryl Getz for modeling the importance of presence, opening doors of opportunity, and advising me as a leadership educator and student. Also, Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green for showing me an exciting way to embody play, teaching, leadership, and human development on all levels. To Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman for writing the works that inspired me to pursue this path of study and for sharing her expertise about the transformative potential of role-playing. I am grateful for all of my relationships with professors, classmates, and fellow players that have challenged me and co-created meaningful community experiences on this journey. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………...……… vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………………… viii LIST OF TABLES ...………………………………………………………….………… xii LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………………....…. xiii CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND …………………………………………..………… 14 Purpose and Research Questions ...……………………………………………………... 15 Tabletop Role-Playing Games ………………………………………………………….. 17 Rise in Popularity ……………………………………………………………….. 18 Dungeons & Dragons ………………………………………………..………….. 19 Developmental Environments ………………………………………………….……..... 22 Significance ………………………………….………………………………………..... 23 CHAPTER TWO THEORY ………………...……………………...…………………... 26 Leadership Development ...…….…………………………...…………………………... 27 Creativity …….……………………………………………………………………..…... 28 Historical Barriers and Stigma ……….………………………………………………..... 30 Psychological Impact …….………………………………….…………………...……... 32 Social Role-Play ..…….……………………………………………….………... 34 Dungeon Masters as Guides ……….………………………………………………...….. 37 Authority and Facilitation ...…….…………………………..…………………... 38 Leader-Member Exchange …….……………………………………………….………. 40 Group Dynamics and Formation ...…….………………………………………...……… 43 Gaming Environments ……….………………………...…………………………...…... 44 viii Re-Casting the Magic Circle ……….…………………………………..……….. 45 Individual ……….………………………………….…………..……….. 47 Interpersonal ……….…………………………………………..……….. 47 Group context ……….…………...……………………...……..……….. 47 Pilot Studies ……….………………………………………………………...………….. 49 Previous Scale and Code Creation ……….……………………………………... 53 CHAPTER THREE METHODS ……….………………………………………...…….. 56 Purpose and Research Questions ………………….……………………………...…….. 56 Data Collection …………………………………………………………………...…….. 57 Positionality ……………………………………...…………….……………….. 60 Content Analysis ………………………………………………..………...…….. 61 Group Observation Details ...………………………………….………....……... 64 Interview Details ……………………………………………………..…...…….. 66 Thematic Analysis ...…………………………………...…………………………...…... 66 Delimitations ....………………………………...…………………………………...….. 69 CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS ……….……………………………………………..….. 71 Core Concepts ………………………………...…………………………………...……. 71 Gaming Environment Definition …...……………………...…………...……..... 72 Merging Frames in a Gaming Environment ……………………………..…….... 73 Group-as-a-Whole...…………...………………………………………...…........ 74 Group Gaming Purpose ...…………...…………………………………...…........ 75 Organizing Phases of Analysis ……………...……………………………………........... 75 Research Question 1 ...………………………...…………………………………...….... 76 ix Layered Frames in a Gaming Environment ………………………………..……. 76 Content analysis …….……………………………………………..…..... 77 Content analysis themes …….………………………………...……..….. 77 framing ..…..………………………………………………...….. 77 bleed …….………………..…………………………….…..…... 78 immersion …….………………………………………….....…... 78 tension ...….………………………………………..………..….. 79 failure …….……………………………………...…………..….. 81 Group interaction patterns …….………………………………………… 81 Failure response pattern …….………………………………...……..….. 87 Research Question 2 ...….…………………………………………………………..…... 91 Group Dynamics in a Gaming Environment …….………………...………..…... 92 Group observation ..….……………………………………………..…... 92 Formation of parallel environments and norms …….……………….…... 94 Authority and agency …….……………………………………….....… 105 Group development with familiarity …….…………………………….. 110 roles ...….…………………………………………….……..…. 114 Intimacy in role-play ….…………………………………………..…… 115 Displacement and identification ……………………………...……..… 118 Storytelling containment ...….…………………………………...…….. 126 Research Question 3 ….……………………………………………..…........................ 128 Leadership in a Gaming Environment …….…..……………………………….. 128 Individual interviews ...….…..………………………………................ 129 x Psychological safety …….…..………………………………................ 129 Gaming environment ...….…..……………………………………..….. 130 Leader-member exchange as a DM …….…..……………..…………… 133 CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION ……….……………………………………………... 139 Frame Merging ….…..………………………………………………..……………….. 140 Group Gaming Purpose and Process ...……………………………..………………...... 143 Leader-Member Holding …………………………………………..………………...... 145 Strategies for DM facilitation ……………………………..………………........ 147 Leader-member …..…….…………………………………………....... 148 Group process .……………………………………………………........ 148 Co-creation …………...….………………………………………......... 149 Storytelling Containment ...…….…………………………………………………........ 150 Recommendations ……….…………………………………………………………..... 152 REFERENCES ……….………………………………………………………..……… 154 APPENDIX A Topical Interview Guide
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sample File the Hutchingsonian Presents the Habitition of the Stone Giant Lord and Other Adventures from Our Shared Youth
    Sample file The Hutchingsonian Presents The Habitition of the Stone Giant Lord and other adventures from our shared youth Introduction 1 Jon Peterson Editors Notes 6 Tim Hutchings The Habitition of the Stone Giant Lord 7 Gaius Stern Stone Death 26 Richard C. Benson The Crack at Garn’s Canyon 38 Matt Morrison The Ring of Gaax Sample file 45 Wayne Lacroix The Golden Scepter of the Trollfens 58 Mike Walters The Tomb of Areopagus the Cloaked and Japheth of the Mighty Staff 86 Michael M. Hughes The Lair of Turgon 96 Todd Nilson The Maze of Death 108 Mike Walters All content copyright of the respective creators. Layout ©2013 Timothy Hutchings and The Hutchingsonian Presents. No claim is made on any copyrighted or trademarked material intentionally or accidentally presented herein. The Hutchingsonian Presents Introduction Jon Peterson When Dungeons & Dragons first appeared early in Thus, there was little thought at first that dungeons 1974, it contained an extraordinary invitation: it asked should be made into commercial products. us all to participate in the creation of fantastic worlds. By the middle of 1975, demand for dungeons at No longer would we merely passively read about - conventions began to chip away at this secrecy. When fantasies someone else had conceived, or watch them - Gary Gygax operated a tournament dungeon for the in films—now we would be participants and protago first Origins Game Fair in July, there was sufficient nists, authors and architects of fantasy. This is per demand to play that he scheduled two groups to haps best captured by a line in the final pages of the - explore instances of the dungeon simultaneously: one original rules, which asks, “why have us do any more under Gygax’s own supervision, the other refereed by of your imagining for you?” Everywhere there are op his son, Ernie.
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Magazine Within the Last Cherie Knull Tually Has Been with Us Since Last October, Year
    January 1981 Dragon 1 Dragon Vol. V, No. 7 Vol. V, No. 7 January 1981 Publisher. E. Gary Gygax Editor. Jake Jaquet Assistant editor. Kim Mohan Good-bye 1980, hello 1981. And hello to a tain aspects of role-playing and the benefits Editorial staff . Bryce Knorr couple of new (and pretty, I might add, if I derived therefrom. He and his wife, who is Marilyn Mays won’t get accused of sexism) faces here at the typist and a behind-the-scenes collab- Sales & Circulation . Debbie Chiusano Dragon Publishing. New, or at least rela- orator, have been responsible for more Corey Koebernick tively new, to our sales and circulation de- than a dozen short articles and stories pub- Office staff . Dawn Pekul partment is Debbie Chiusano—Debbie ac- lished in Dragon magazine within the last Cherie Knull tually has been with us since last October, year. Roger’s name is on the alchemist and Roger Raupp but this has been our first opportunity to astrologer NPC articles in this issue, and in Contributing editors . Roger Moore formally welcome her in print. The most Dragon issue #44 he became the first Ed Greenwood recent addition to our organization is author to have two creatures featured in Marilyn Mays, added just last month to our Dragon’s Bestiary in the same magazine. editorial staff. Let’s hear it for the new kids This month’s contributing artists: on the block! With the start of a new year, it seems appro- Morrissey Jeff Lanners priate to reflect a bit on the past year and Roger Raupp Kenneth Rahman We’re also happy to welcome two other look ahead a little to the future.
    [Show full text]
  • 1482548691814.Pdf
    How To DM This %$@# And Other Questions When you download and read The Dungeon Land you may be suddenly gripped by its full, ​ ​ beautiful descriptions, surreal atmosphere, and enthralling plotline. You may think to yourself “Oh just they wait, next D&D session heads are gonna roll!”, but wait. We at Perilous Prints feel that a disclaimer is needed, a sort of DM warning, to make sure our little project doesn’t cause unnecessary problems for your play group. To that end we have included this short book; to answer questions, give advice, and aid the DM in running this clever trainwreck. Inside this book you will find all the tables from The Dungeon Land organised into a helpful ​ ​ collection, a quick overview of when quests are obtained by the party, and a Q&A for dungeon masters running this material for the first time. It is requested that the dungeon master read the Q&A prior to running The Dungeon Land because it is not simply a tutorial, but contains ​ ​ necessary information about balancing the module and how to deal with the relevance of its contents to the rest of your game world. On the contrary, the tables and quests are discussed in short hand for the dungeon master who has already familiarised themselves with the module and do not wish to continuously cycle through an 80 page book. Finally I would like to say a few words. To the dungeon master that ‘railroads’ their players along, to the player who rifles through the books for hours finding the rule that will give themselves an edge, to all those who believe that Dungeon and Dragons is about winning and doing what they want; turn back! This is not the dungeon for you.
    [Show full text]
  • Dungeoncraft Adventures
    DUNGEONCRAFT ADVENTURES You can create your own DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventures for play in the PLAGUE OF ANCIENTS campaign set in Icewind Dale, provided you follow the guidelines provided in this document. Crafting a Dungeoncraft Adventure always begins with an established adventure seed (listed below). These adventure seeds are permitted for use during the Plague of Ancients Seasonal Campaign. If you intend to publish your adventure on the Dungeon Masters Guild, it must appear for sale by August 31, 2021. There are no exceptions to this rule. USING THE ADVENTURE SEEDS Each adventure seed has a set level restriction, as well as assigned character rewards that your adventure can use. Your adventure can’t provide character rewards above and beyond what’s listed, including story awards or downtime activities. These are placeholder titles only. Adventure Seed Title. Please create a unique title for your adventure when it’s completed and ready to run. This is the range of levels Adventure Seed Level Range. that your adventure can accommodate. Adventure Seed Hook. The content of your adventure should be based off this single evocative sentence. Adventure Seed Rewards. Your adventure can provide the ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES: THE FINE PRINT items listed as rewards. • At your option, you can publish your adventure on the If it’s a two-hour adventure, you can include only the Dungeon Masters Guild. Until published, only the authors consumable and the common item listed. (maximum two individuals) can run the adventure. If it’s a four-hour adventure, you can include the • The D&D Adventurers League Content Managers don’t uncommon magic item listed, in addition to those items need to review or approve your adventure for you to run listed for two-hour adventures.
    [Show full text]
  • Heart of Stone
    HEART OF STONE Sample file A TOME OF FOES ADVENTURE Credits Design & layout: R.M. Jansen-Parkes Sample file Maps created with Campaign Cartographer 3 Images sourced through Adobe Stock Images and the Dungeon Masters’ Guild. Special thanks to Lauren Jansen-Parkes Legal DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Heart of Stone ~ A three-hour adventure for levels 1-2 ~ omething strange lurks within the stony confines of an abandoned wizard’s tower. Some New Foes! S The sole surviving member of a forlorn HEART OF STONE is designed to give players and adventuring party is desperate to find out what DMs a chance to experience some new monsters happened to his friends and is willing to provide a found in MORDENKAINEN’S TOME OF FOES (MToF).
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced White Box Player's Handbook
    Advanced White Box Player’s Handbook 1 4th Edition, 2017 Swords & Wizardry, S&W, and Mythmere Games are trademarks of Matthew J. Finch Cover Art: Copyright © Dungeon Crawl Classics – Vault Of The Dragon King, 2005. Erol Otus Art: Archer by Eric Elmore, Gold from AD&D Unearthed Arcana, Goblin by Adrian Smith, Half-Orc from Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn, Barbarian by myconius (inspired by Frank Frazetta), Assassin by Matthew Stewart, Thief from AD&D Unearthed Arcana, Ranger by Dustplat, Dwarf by Max Dunbar, Paladin by David Sutherland, Fighter by Wayne Renolds. Bard by Christiano Flexa, Wizard by Karl Kopinski, Elf by Evan Kart, Halfling by Rudy Siswanto, Magic by Anthony Palumbo, Druid by William Stukeley, Cleric by A.J. Manzanedo, Heroquest by Les Edwards, Faerie by Iain McCaig, Artificer by Terese Nielsen, Treasure Discovery from Unearthed Arcana, Warlock by Michael Mckenna, Tiefling by Tony DiTerlizzi, Half-Elf by Jared Blando, Automaton by march1studious, Lizardfolk by Makkon, Merchant by Jean Discart, Armory by Erol Otus, Hirelings from AD&D DM Guide Inspiration and material from Whitebox Omnibus, Whitebox Heroes, Castles and Crusades, S&W Additional Weaponry, Crusader‘s Companion, D&D 5th Edition, Whitebox Companion II, Whitebox Demihumans, Darkest Dungeon, Dungeon Crawl Classics, D&D 3.5 Edition, Pathfinder, dandwiki, and Whitebox, blogsites, YouTube, Charles Mason, /tg/, and many, many more. I am not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch or Mythmere Games 2 Table of Contents Foreward..... 4 Goblin…..57 Half-Orc…..59 Rules of Play…..5
    [Show full text]
  • Dragon Magazine #171
    SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS Issue #171 AD&D Trading Cards Richard Brown Vol. XVI, No. 2 Insert July 1991 A preview of brand-new product, coming to a store near you! Publisher REGULAR FEATURES James M. Ward Guest Editorial Michael A. Stackpole Editor 6 Role-playing and reality: The dividing line is thicker than some people Roger E. Moore think. Whos Who Among Dragons Bruce A. Heard Fiction editor 9 Dragons, too, rule kingdoms in the D&D® Known World. Barbara G. Young Hunting Tanks is Fun and Easy! Thomas M. Kane 13 Dragons, Hellfires, and the LAW: Antitank weapons in the TOP Assistant editor Dale A. Donovan SECRET/S.I. game. The Making of a Monster Matthew Iden Art director 16 If ya wanna play an orc, ya gotta think like an orc. Larry W. Smith Care For a Drink? David W. Montgomery and Jim Milner 20 It can break a siege, end a drought, slay your enemies, and water Production staff your garden. What is it? Gaye OKeefe Angelika Lokotz Tracey Zamagne The MARVEL®-Phile Steven E. Schend 31 Chris Powell needed an edge against crime. He got itand how! Subscriptions The Role of Books John C. Bunnell Janet L. Winters 34 The woman who outsmarted Sherlock Holmes takes on her own murder-mystery adventure. U.S. advertising Roseann Schnering The Voyage of the Princess Ark Bruce A. Heard 39 They dont call it the Savage Coast for nothing. U.K. correspondent The Nature of the Beast Zoe Bell Hurst and U.K. advertising 48 A dozen people have a dozen ways to paint a griffon.
    [Show full text]
  • Dungeon Master's Guide
    DUNGEON MASTER’S GUIDE VERSION 10.0 PLAGUE OF ANCIENTS A CAMPAIGN SUPPORTING ICEWIND DALE: RIME OF THE FROSTMAIDEN Credits Wizards of the Coast D&D Staff: Brandy Camel, Chris Lindsay, Chris Tulach D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Ma’at Crook, Amy Lynn Dzura, Claire Hoffman, LaTia Jacquise, Greg Marks, Alan Patrick, Travis Woodall Effective Date November 1, 2020 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, PH, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. PART 1. GETTING STARTED This document is a guide to getting started as a Dungeon Master (DM) for the Forgotten Realms D&D Adventurers League campaign featuring ICEWIND DALE: RIME OF THE FROSTMAIDEN. These rules are supplemented by the Seasonal Campaign versions of the Adventurers League FAQ, the Adventurers League Player’s Guide, and the Adventurers League Content Catalogue. SHARED WORLD PLAY WHAT YOU NEED TO RUN A GAME In order to run a game as a DM in D&D Adventurers League The D&D Adventurers League has four distinct campaigns you games, you’ll need the following: can play in: The Seasonal Campaign, the Historic Campaign, the D&D Basic Rules.
    [Show full text]
  • Looking for an Activity That Can Bring Your Whole Family Together? Let’S Go on a Adventure
    LOOKING FOR AN ACTIVITY THAT CAN BRING YOUR WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER? LET’S GO ON A ADVENTURE In D&D, groups of people create a shared story, building to complete a quest. Some quests are dangerous and memories that last for years to come. All you need is paper, some are silly; some are small—and others epic journeys pencil, some online tools—and your imagination! And then, that will take your characters across strange and exciting when you’re ready to level up, there are all kinds of amaz- lands. There’s no limit to the adventure you can create! ing resources you can use to expand your fantasy world. For your first adventure, you’ll want to keep things simple: Exploring a cave in search of treasure, searching for the The first step is the D&D Basic Rules, key to open an ancient locked door, or helping farmers available for FREE online right here. fend off some troublesome beasts that have been eating Dungeons & Dragons uses polyhedral dice, but if you don’t their crops. With each adventure, you can get more ambi- have those already, there are many apps and websites tious and build greater challenges. that can replace them online—many of them for free. Although combat is one option to solve problems in D&D, In D&D there are two roles: the Dungeon Master and the there are many other ways to overcome challenges that come players. The Dungeon Master acts as a narrator, describing up during your quest. Negotiation, exploration, and problem- the people, places and creatures in the story.
    [Show full text]
  • Infusion RPG ALPHA BUILD 10.4 by Steveman Infusion Is a Labour of Love for Me, Something I've Been Working on for Many Years
    Infusion RPG ALPHA BUILD 10.4 By Steveman Infusion is a labour of love for me, something I've been working on for many years. I call it a rules semi-lite game, with a robust and versatile ruleset for combat, but with much of the story is left to the Gamemaster and Players to handle. Yeah, I know, creating my own game rules is like kicking a broken printer in a field, and yes, I also know that my time would have been better spent world-building for a preexisting system, or practicing my art, or a myriad of other things. But this is what I wanted to work on, and even if I can not bring anything new to the table, I hope I can at least bring something good. Introduction This is a Role-playing game, were you and a few other people take on the roles of the characters of a larger-than- life story of action and adventure. A kind of shared story-telling game that uses the rules presented here to help govern how the story rolls out. All but one of the people playing the game take on the Players, creating Player Characters (PC) to interact with the game world, and play as the protagonists of the shared story experience. That one other person does not make a character, and instead takes on the role of the Gamemaster (GM). This person acts as the narrator and is in control of the side characters and antagonists of the story, the Non-Player Characters (NPC), and most importantly is the referee of the rules of play.
    [Show full text]
  • Development of a Tactics RPG for Android Tablets
    Development of a Tactics RPG for Android Tablets A Major Qualifying Project Report: Submitted to the faculty of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor Science By: ___________________________________________ Dillon Lankenau Interactive Media and Game Development (Art) ___________________________________________ Gregory Tersoff Computer Science, Interactive Media and Game Development (Tech) Date: Thursday, May 1, 2014 Approved: ___________________________________________ Professor David C. Brown, Computer Science, Major Advisor ___________________________________________ Professor Britton Snyder, Interactive Media and Game Development (Art), Major Advisor 1 Abstract Our project consisted of creating a Tactics Role-Playing Game to be played on Android devices. This entailed creating our own rule set, game engine, menu interface, art assets, and game instance. In particular, there was an increased focus on optimal use of touch interfaces, good interface design, and potential for use by non-programmers. Supplementing our game, we also developed 3d printed models to act as building blocks to construct a board in physical space. 2 Acknowledgements: We would like to thank Professor Britton Snyder and Professor David Brown for their continued advice and assistance throughout our project. We’d also like to thank Professor Chrysanthe Demetry for her assistance during the initial stages of our project. Finally, we’d like to thank Daniel Irizarry for allowing us to use his tablet during
    [Show full text]
  • D&D Adventurers League Dungeon Master's Guide
    Dungeon Master’s Guide Version 9.1 Credits D&D Staff-Head Dungeon Master: Chris Lindsay D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Alan Patrick, Amy Lynn Dzura, Travis Woodall, Lysa Penrose, Claire Hoffman, Greg Marks Effective Date September 17, 2019 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Part 1. Getting Started This document is a guide to getting started as a Dungeon Master (DM) for the Forgotten Realms campaign managed by the D&D Adventurers League. These rules are supplemented by the Adventurers League FAQ (also found in the Adventurers League DM’s Pack). • Players. Adventures League play is designed for a Storyline Seasons table of five players but can be adjusted for as few as Adventurers League play is broken up into storyline three to as many as seven players.
    [Show full text]