"Whatever you do, don't say Hastur!"

     I just picked up a copy of the 7th edition Call of Cthulhu rules at my local game store. Call of Cthulhu is a tabletop RPG based on the works of American horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The in-game events depict the struggle of people (often average people) against unfathomable horrors from mind warping realities and alien worlds. With a default setting of the roaring 20's, Call of Cthulhu is one of my favorite tabletop RPG's of all time. It is designed to evoke feelings of dread, horror and uncertainty in the player characters (referred to as "Investigators"), and if done well, the players themselves. This style of play is fairly different than what would be found in the typical game of say Dungeons and Dragons.
     In a game of D&D, the players usually portray somewhat above average, trained adventurers who through magic and uncanny swordsmanship can take the fight directly to the monsters terrorizing the town or haunting the nearby ruins. In Call of Cthulhu, even looking upon a creature of the Cthulhu Mythos can result in debilitating loss of mental faculties. In essence Call of Cthulhu is a game of cautious approach, of keeping direct contact with otherworldly beings and their human servitors as a far and absolute last resort. This often results in the goal of foiling your enemies plans to summon a eldritch horror rather than confronting them.
     So, as a Game Facilitator seeking to teach life skills to Participants through tabletop role play, what does a game like Call of Cthulhu bring to the table as opposed to a game like D&D? In choosing a game system to teach life skills, are some systems better for teaching particular skills than others? Well yes and no. It really comes down to mechanics vs. story.
     Tabletop RPG's can be divided roughly into two parts. One is the rule mechanics of the game being played. The other is the story that will be told through group collaboration. Some RPG's have mechanics that lend well to cavalier heroes facing swarms of enemies and, more often than not, returning to tell the tale. Others, are not so forgiving. In Call of Cthulhu, players have a small pool of hit points and few defenses against earthly injury with almost none against the other worldly. Not only is an Investigators body at risk, their very mind is subject to the ravages of alien forces.
     Perhaps the most well known mechanic in Call of Cthulhu is sanity (SAN). Simply reading the wrong book or seeing the wrong thing can render a character physically unharmed, but mentally overwhelmed. Risk assessment in such a game is paramount to continued survival and the maintenance of sanity. Another skill which Call of Cthulhu teaches well through its mechanics is the value of research and preparation in facing the unknown. The Library skill is indispensable to Investigators hoping to survive the eldritch horrors of the Mythos.
     However, though these mechanics support the teaching of particular skills like risk assessment, or act as an emphasis for the value of research and preparation, their prevalence during play is ultimately dictated by the challenges presented. So, a D&D game could present a situation that evokes terror in the PC's (and hopefully a bit in the players), and a Call of Cthulhu game could tell a tale of brazen Investigators throwing caution to the wind and strapping chainsaws to their wrists (groovy). As the facilitator of a skill centric game keep this point in mind; in the end the mechanics are used to tell a story, the story is used to impart skills, and skills are used to lead a fuller life.

The Skill Centric Role Play manual is here!!!

     At long last the Skill Centric Role Play manual is complete! Tabletop role play is a fantastic tool for the teaching and strengthening of life skills. For people who have played these games whether Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulhu or any of the many other great systems out there, the power of role play as a teaching tool is unquestionable.
     There you are, sitting at a table with your friends telling tales of brave heroes questing for riches and renown in a medieval fantasy setting. Through the story and the lives of your characters, unimaginable possibilities are achieved. You eat some snacks, make a lot of pop culture references (and Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions), have a great time and then go home hopefully itching to return and pick up the story at the last cliff hanger. These are all typical RPG experiences; but what was learned in-game?
     In the pursuit of riches and renown, the characters had to start somewhere. Perhaps they went to ye old tavern and used effective interpersonal skills to question locals for information on the town and the surrounding lands in hopes of learning a rumor that would lead them to forgotten temple or a dragons lair. The characters may have entered a trackless wilderness and had to rely on critical thinking and deductive reasoning to navigate back to civilization after taking a wrong turn. Maybe the characters ran into a hungry troll and were pressed into combat needing to recall from memory the trolls weakness to fire and its ability to shrug of wounds from nearly anything else. Ethan Gilsdorf gives a terrific overview of Dungeons and Dragons during his Tedx Talk, highlighting many skills which that particular tabletop RPG can teach, including how it has impacted him personally.

     The many skills which tabletop RPG's teach are often learned passively.  The Game Master doesn't set out to do so. Players learn just by being at the table among the group collective, taking part in the collaborative story. Whether delving into dungeons in games like D&D, or confronting eldritch horrors in 1920's Boston while playing Call of Cthulhu, tabletop RPG's teach invaluable life skills because they are a simulation of life, choice and consequence. The Skill Centric Role Play manual provides a structure which facilitators can utilize to actively teach predesignated skills to participants through the collaborative story and rule mechanics of Tabletop RPG's. What stories will be told? What skills will be taught? As with the in-game events that teach them, the possibilities are endless.

The Promotion of Participant Investment

Whenever possible, I try to add elements that work to further draw in the attention of Participants during a skill centric game session. Props are a fun and relatively easy way to do this. I've found that thrift stores are a treasure trove of strange nick-nacks and oddities that can bring a game world to life with physical representations of various items. For those crafty types, a piece of sketch paper, a gel pen, a sponge and some black coffee can be turned into a mysterious map scribbled on a piece of old parchment. A paper towel roll with some electrical tape and a few markers can become a scroll case containing an eldritch spell to awaken otherworldly horrors.

A key component to using tabletop role play as an effective tool for skill acquisition is the promotion of Participant investment. The greater the Participants investment in their characters and the events in which those characters find themselves, the greater the desire to see those characters succeed during play.

Humor is another fun way of getting the Participants involved in the game. Where as physical props bring a piece of the game world into the room to be experienced, humor is more a matter of atmosphere and can have little or no relation to the events of the game itself. Sound boards for example are a great tool to bring a bit of comic relief. Arnold Schwarzenegger one liners are a favorite of my gaming groups, whether the genre is medieval fantasy, science fiction or Lovecraftian horror; though anything silly will do, the more over the top the better. Many such sound boards are available for free download online for tablet or phone use.

As a Game Facilitator seeking to teach life skills through tabletop role play, a critical concept to keep in mind is this: To entertain is to teach. The more immersive and engrossing the experience is at the gaming table, the stronger the investment of the Participants in the collaborative story being told.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

“A chest!” Sophifia’s eyes grew wide and saucer round at the sight before her, the box sat upon a dais at the center of a hewn stone chamber. The half-ling rogue took only a single step forward before she felt Garret’s hand firmly grip her shoulder. Sophifia looked back to see a stern expression on the face of the crouching ranger as he slowly shook his head side to side. The sound of heavy steps drew both of their attention as the rest of the party banked the corner of the dungeon corridor.

Cyrus the paladin, his armor seemed to gleam even in the darkness of the subterranean labyrinth. He raised an eyebrow curious as to what disaster the ranger may have prevented, or more likely, just delayed. Following him, was the dour faced robed form of the wizard Rugaro who seemed too deep in thought to notice that his allies had stopped. Lastly the stout grime caked fighter Agar; the dwarf smiled, though it was hard to tell beneath his beard. Hopefully the sudden stop meant that something smash worthy lay ahead.

Sophifia looked past Garret to the others and said with poorly contained excitement “I found a chest!” The suspicious expressions on her allies faces prompted a reflexive eye roll from the half-ling. “Come on, it could be treasure, riches, its why we’re here isn’t it?” Garret stood up, taking a step back toward the others “Or it could be a trap.” He said “If we’re going to look, we must use caution.” Sophifia nodded, but the words were drowned out by the sound of coins jingling in her mind.

When she regained her focus a moment later Sophifia said “I’ll be sure to check for trip wires, magical wards and mystical guardians before I open the lid.” This did little to alleviate her companions fears, but the rogue was right, at least in part. The party had dared to descend into the depths of the dungeon to discover the source of a dark curse that had befallen the village of Shady Oak; but also for the riches rumored to be lost within.

The group debated and put forward suggestions until finally a consensus was reached. Sophifia would enter the room to check the chest for traps in the company of the fighter Agar, should something go awry. Once ready, the two adventurers moved cautiously toward the chest, the rogue in lead. Sophifia’s steps were light, making sure that there were no pressure plates along the way. Agar looked cautiously about. The possibility of cultist hidden by spells of invisibility or extradimensional horrors ready to appear out of thin air kept the dwarf’s perceptions sharp as the axe he gripped so tightly.

Sophifia reached the chest without incident and began checking it over. She looked for wires and wards, poison needles and scythe blades. After about twenty minutes of careful examination she took out her thieves’ tools and tried the padlock. The mechanism gave quickly and at long last she stood up and lifted the lid. Leaning over with her lantern, she saw a disappointing dust caked hollow.

The rogue let out a heavy sigh. “Nothing, its empty, what a waste of…” Just then, the light from the lantern caught a faint gleam within the filth collected at the bottom of the chest. It was a metallic loop. Sophifia’s eyes brightened. “Wait!” She exclaimed leaning in “It’s a ring!” The cries of protest reached her pointed ears a bit too late. As the half-ling lifted the ring from the dirt, the sound of grinding gears echoed loudly and an iron door slammed down sealing the entry way, barring Agar and Sophifia from their allies. Dust began to rain from above as the ceiling slowing started to descend. Agar ran to the iron barrier and began hacking wildly at it roaring in rage. Sophifia scrambled about in search of a means to reverse the mechanism, but to no avail.

The sound of frantic banging came from the other side as Garret, Cyrus and Rugaro tried to break through on their end. The ceiling grew ever closer as Agar bent forward, hands on knees exhausted and gasping from his efforts. Things were beginning to look very grim. Then, the iron door raised up. At first a few inches, then a foot, then another. “Hurry crawl under!” Agar and Sophifia heard Rugaro yell. The rogue made a dash for the archway and made it under with ease. Agar however was a different matter. “Lift it higher I can’t fit!” protested the dwarf. “It won’t raise higher, the gears are locked!” returned Garret straining as he and Cyrus used all the strength they could muster to keep the door where it was.

The ceiling sunk low, low enough that the dwarf had to crouch down. That’s when the wizard had an idea. “Take off your armor!” Rugaro shouted rifling through the pack he carried. “Why should I do that?” Agar yelled back. He was answered by a flask of lantern oil sliding into the room. The fighter arched an inquisitive bushy eyebrow, but he soon reasoned what the flask was for. The ceiling bumped him on the head. Grumbling he began cutting away the straps of his armor with a dagger he kept in his boot. Agar uncorked the flask and frantically coated himself in oil before crawling beneath the iron door. Try as he might though, the dwarf still struggled to fit.

 Rugaro and Sophifia seeing this each grabbed on to their wedged friend. The two pulled with all their might as Agar kicked and squeezed with all his power. At last with a great heave the fighter was pulled free just as the ceiling lowered to the chambers floor with a grinding thud. Garret and Cyrus let go of the iron barrier which fell with the force of a guillotine. The ranger and the paladin both staggered back against the dungeons wall.

Everyone fought to catch their breath for a few moments, and then they just sat in silence. No one said a word. Rugaro had an extra robe in his pack which he lent to his greasy dwarf ally. Agar took it and put it on with a sullen nod. The adventurers climbed the stone stairway out of the ruins. The ride back to Shady Oak was a somber one. Failure left a bitter taste. Tomorrow though would be another day, and when next they entered the dark depths in search of wealth renown and power; they will be armed with knowledge that they won in defeat.

Though humbling, a failure can teach us things that a success cannot, assuming we take the time to explore the events. Risk assessment is an integral skill whether making decisions in regards to personal safety or when looking to make safe investments. The above story was adapted from events in a medieval fantasy game designed to teach Risk Assessment, chronicling the events of fictitious characters in an unlikely and over the top situation. What lesson could possibly be drawn from such events that would have any relevance to the life of you or I? Tabletop role playing games share a common element with fairytales and myths; they can teach through allegory. Like the story of Little Red Riding Hood teaches caution when encountering strangers, the above story when examined can teach risk assessment through metaphorical context. “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Is an old adage that comes to mind when I imagine the rogue reaching for the ring at the bottom of an unguarded and apparently un-trapped treasure chest. Tabletop role playing games have a significant advantage over the traditional fairytale or myth as a teaching tool; the listeners are also the ones writing it. Through the shared storytelling process inherent in tabletop role play, Participants actions decide the outcome of a tale’s events, for better or worse. Whether success or failure, it is the players who decide how the story goes. By drawing parallels between the fantastic events of the shared story and the everyday truths of life, lessons can be harvested and carried into the day to day.

To game with purpose.

        I love tabletop role playing games. I was telling a friend of mine recently that there are three things that I wish I had gotten into at a younger age; lifting weights, Doctor Who and Dungeons and Dragons. To gather around a table with friends, family co-workers or whomever and tell strange and exciting tales set in favorite genre's such as fantasy, horror and sci-fi while playing the parts of those stories protagonists is an experience that might be difficult to understand for those who haven't known the joy of it. The memories that never happened, in places that never were can last a lifetime and be fondly recounted for years to come; there is power in anything that can arrest the imagination and lift the spirit in such a way.
        Along with being a gamer, I am also a councilor who utilizes tabletop role playing as a means of teaching and strengthening interpersonal and various other life skills amongst a transition age young adult population. Tabletop RPG's are an amazing tool for skill building and acquisition as they provide a facilitator the ability to craft scenarios that exemplify and test the skills which they mean to teach. For example, if wishing to teach positive interdependence and individual accountability to a group of participants; a game facilitator could design a dungeon based scenario with puzzles, traps and encounters that test the individual strengths of the participants characters (a rogues lock picking skill, a clerics healing, a fighters strength, a wizards knowledge of lore etc.) making forward progression contingent upon those individual strengths, but the overall success of the party dependent upon each character playing their part effectively toward the groups shared goal.
         Tabletop RPG's are driven by the collaborative storytelling process which consist of an exchange of challenges presented through the story narrative by the games facilitator and the participants in-character responses. Depending on how the participants respond, the story can go in any imaginable direction. By presenting challenges to the participants which test their current understanding of pre-designated skills, a games facilitator can teach those skills through the events which take place using the participants in-character actions to draw examples of both effective and ineffective skill use. As another example, if the skill to be taught was effective negotiation, then a game facilitator might choose to present the participants with a situation where they find themselves in a desert city seeking to reach a destination on the other side of the wastes. Bandits have been attacking caravans traveling between the city they find themselves in and the destination that they seek, so price of travel has risen beyond their current resources. What do they do?
        The participants could decide to go about the city looking for quests to undertake seeking to acquire more funds. They could offer the caravan additional protection on the trip across the wastes. The caravans driver might have a message that needs to be delivered or some other quest, but can't find the time to do it personally. Regardless of how the participants approach resolving the challenge, the exercising of negotiation skills in an effort to resolve the challenge creates an in-game situation by which a lesson can be drawn.
       The lesson of a story is in its moral. A moral comes at the end of a story acting as summation of events and drawing attention to the key points; the take away message. At the end of a game session designed to teach life skills, it's important to set aside some time to look at the events which transpired in order to find that take away message and derive those lessons so as to bridge the events in game with those of the participants lives out of game. Integrating the lessons learned in a role playing game works much the way one might seek to when finding the moral or lesson in a fairytale, legend or myth. Though the events of fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood are over the top and clearly not meant to be given literal interpretation, most can easily find the take away message which  many of us still live by. Be cautious around strangers. Tabletop role play is often full of strange and unlikely events and, like the events of a fairytale, those events can be trimmed away to a very real and valuable message. The bonus to Tabletop though is if the participant playing Little Red made the choice to talk to the wolf in the woods, the outcome would be theirs to own for good or ill; as would the lesson taken from the experience.