Roll For Kindness

10 Tips to help you become a better Applied RPG GM

Wearing a robe and a bald cap are not on this list, but never a bad idea.Being a GM for applied RPGs is very different than being a GM for traditional RPGs, and there's a number of skills that you need to master to be able to meet the

Game Review: Social Cipher's Ava

Ava is the autistic protagonist of the game, and explores trust through interactions with various space pirates.Disclaimer: I am currently considering applying for a curriculum writer position for Social Cipher, but have not made a decision and this review is being written as an independent writer, not as a

April update

Quick post on what's happening- Games: Few things happening with the games I'm making! Caravan Endures: Done! Now just waiting on art assets, then it's going to the layout person, and I'll have something to publish. I was thinking about using drivethrurpg, but I've had a few people tell me

Speaking with Monsters v. 0.5

Spock speaking with the Horta (Copyright Paramount)New beta [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cj1Dx_iAcbSHJx-3nfH7jqvAIDeTn-_j/view?usp=sharing] of Speaking with Monsters! I'm very much inspired by the Star Trek Original Series episode "Devil in the Dark," where a rock monster is killing miners, but thanks to

Game development update

Hi all- Quick update on where I am with the games I'm building at the moment. Unfortunately, my day job has been very demanding lately, and I haven't had sufficient spoons to work extensively on projects lately, but they have been at the forefront of my mind. The Caravan Endures:

Getting into D&D as a therapist/applied RPG facilitator

Robes and bald cap not required. (Copyright CBS)One question I get fairly frequently is therapists (and others) reaching out to me and asking how to get into D&D, with the explicit purpose of running D&D games for their clients. And in turn, I've seen a lot of

Making Games with Kids

For kids, often times leaning into the cute is a good default. (Poring property of Ragnarok Online.)I recently had someone ask me about good TTRPGs for younger kids, and after looking around a bit, I realized there is absolutely no shortage of great kid friendly games, including Tails of

Speaking with Monsters

At this point, the Caravan Endures is entering the final stages of development, and while it's not done yet, and I have a lot of feedback to incorporate, I feel like I'm entering the final stretch. But, while I'm tweaking that and getting all the art assets ready, I've started

Podcasts and a new game!

Been very busy lately, but I've got a few updates: I've been interviewed on two podcasts, talking about the work I'm doing: My interview with Nerdy People Play D&D: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-homes-and-dungeons-episode-52/id1317528754?i=1000500801665 My interview with Fortify_Str: Also, I'm mostly done with

Using RPGs for family behavioral health/crisis stabilization services

I've found that Tarrasques make for a wonderful way to learn frustration tolerance.One question I frequently get is about ideas for effectively implementing tabletop gaming into therapeutic practice, and it is a critically important question. An effective implementation is critical to the success of the client, and as many

New Caravan Endures build!

Been very busy lately, but wanted to share that there is a new beta version [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RjZYIZLDkcyKQ7njzUz-41ZA_PuxEbsv/view] of The Caravan Endures available for testing! Please send any and all feedback to @rollforkindness on twitter, or peterj2 at uw dot edu. Also, I will

Caravan Endures beta testing

Hi! Haven't posted much lately as I've been super busy with work, running social skills groups, being invited to work on a very exciting game design opportunity I can't talk about, and writing the Caravan Endures. And on that last part, I've moved on to the beta testing portion of

The Roll For Kindness method for Goal-Oriented Session Planning

One thing I've been asked about a lot when designing sessions for my social skills group is how I plan things. There's a lot of different schools of thought, and I see a lot of people using the lazy DM guide model, but the system I use is a bit

Library of Alexandria Interview

Had a great chat with David, the Chief Librarian at the Tacoma based Library of Alexandria, an organization that provides a retro RPG library at conventions but also runs games at homeless shelters and boys and girls clubs. Really fun conversation! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/726740685

Quarantine and Post Quarantine safety at the table

As quarantine continues, many games have continued to move online, but with no end to COVID-19 in sight, the mental strain of social distancing is impacting more people than ever. Once Summer ends and shorter days and frequent bad weather become the norm, people are going to start struggling even

The Caravan Endures

Quite by accident, I began writing a TTRPG. I misinterpreted a game jam concept, and began writing ideas, and filled with inspiration, and what was a simple idea turned into a whole RPG, which I have christened The Caravan Endures. It is a teamwork focused TTRPG about managing and surviving

The most important skill for starting your group

One thing I get asked a lot for is advice on starting your applied RPG group. A solid start can spell the difference between a group that lasts a quarter, and a group that lasts for years, so it's very important to be incredibly intentional with how you start the

Another interview with Untenured Tracks is up!

The Podcast Untenured Tracks interviewed me and several other therapeutic DMs, Dr. Megan Connell, Amelia Herbst, & Jamie Flecknoe, about how we use D&D in our various practices! Listen here: http://scatterbrainradio.com/blog/2020/06/15/e38-applied-gaming-and-gaming-as-therapy-w-dr-megan-connell-amelia-herbst-peter-jung-jamie-flecknoe/

Using Dungeons and Dragons in Family Behavioral Health

I recently wrote [https://rollforkindness.com/building-community-through-d-d/] about how I put together a proposal to do Dungeons and Dragons groups for my primary job, a medicaid funded nonprofit family behavioral health agency. Eager to reach this population that generally can not afford social skills groups or group therapy, I was

DM Round Table

The original round tableIn the time of COVID-19 and convention cancellations, most if not all opportunities for applied and therapeutic DMs to interact and network in person have been limited, and as such I have decided to start hosting regular DM round tables. The first one was more of a

Orcs

Orcs is currently trending on twitter. From what I can gather, it's backlash after someone took a page from a 5e handbook stating that orcs were bloodthirsty due to genetics, and declared it racist. Since then, there has been a huge onslaught of (mostly white) dudes stating that orcs aren't

Quarantined DM Round Table

Yesterday, I ran a DM round table/training on using lesson planning tools for session planning. While it was a bit of an odd mix between a winding conversation between a bunch of therapeutic and applied DMs, there was also some structure around discussing ways to do better, directed session

Tips for Running Applied RPG Games Online

As COVID-19 spreads, a lot of people are finding really creative ways to move their work and play online, but in a lot of cases, this feels like reinventing the wheel. This has absolutely been true with my teen social skills group, but yesterday I ran an amazing session without

10 ways of getting your players to talk to each other (and not you, the DM)

One of the questions I get the most often, as far as running social skills groups is this: How do I get my players to talk to each other (and not me, the DM)? It's a valid question. I've had a lot of students in social skills groups who really

Quarantine gaming habits survey

Hi all. I know things are really scary right now with the outbreak, and a lot of us are practicing social distancing either through choice or government orders. This is very important, and we need to all be doing our part to flatten the curve and try to keep the