Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Steampunk DnD in the Classroom
So, I've been toying with the idea of a pet octopus. I can't keep him in the dorms, though... they are, in fact, poisonous. Never knew that before, but I guess an octopus bite is actually poisonous. They're smart animals, and I'd really love to keep one!
Anyway, on to the point: my ethics professor, a man by the name of Johnny Wilson, is going to be utilizing the unlimited, untapped potential of the tabeltop RPG as a means of education. The game we'll be using, Forgotten Futures, is a steampunk variation of the DnD formula (taking place in mid-19th century to early 20th century Victorian England) and also contains elements of alternative history science fiction depending on the DM and what you want history to be. It makes sense, since the game places an emphasis on non-combat solutions to problems and a realistic health system, complete with wounds, infections, and even broken bones taking a toll on your abilities. So it forces you to really think about the decisions you make in the game world.
I just think it's really interesting that the two media are being mixed to give the students-turned-roleplayers a better idea of how decisions are made and what role ethics or morality play not just in the game but in real life as well.
My character's name is Ilchymis Theodore Adlam, and he is basically an engineer/medic/scientist. He has some first aid abilities, can repair machines and use computers (or Babbage Engines), and has extensive knowledge on a variety of subjects that should come in handy. Plus he has a badass fuckin' weapon, the .40 LeMat handgun/shotgun. And he can use swords. Aw hell yeah. This may be an ethics class, but I'm too good at RPG's not to kick ass.
Oh, and I auditioned for the jazz band... didn't go so well. We'll see what happens.
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Wow, that actually sounds really fucking cool! Hope you have fun with that.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we'll see... I've got class in like 40 minutes, so we'll see how it works out. Hopefully everyone will get as into it as me so that we can have fun with it, but there's always a douche or two who are "too cool to roleplay."
ReplyDeleteSomeone just brought this to my attention - I write/publish Forgotten Futures and would really love to know more.
ReplyDeleteSince the game includes a lot of period source material one of my goals is to support education, by links to relevant academic sites and putting useful material on my own site. Is there anything about the course on line?
You can find more information on the specific course here. If you need more information, my professor is Johnny Wilson, I believe the page provides an email address where you can reach him.
ReplyDeleteThe game has proven to be a fun, engaging method of exploring ethical decision-making processes, and even participants who have never played a tabletop RPG-style game before are enjoying it! I especially enjoy the attention to realistic battle damage and the wound system, which really differentiates the battles from run-of-the-mill, hack-and-slash dungeon crawls.
Again, feel free to contact my professor Johnny Wilson for more information, and thanks for stopping by!