Ruthless Diastema Podcast 01: Masks and Monkeydome

Posted on 10th August, by in CLASSY GAMING, THE HOME SLICE, THE PODCAST, THE POSSIBILITIES, UNCATEGORIZED. 3 Comments

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In this episode, I talk about using Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game and Monkeydome in the classroom.

Introduction:

You are listening to the Ruthless Diastema Games Podcast, the younger, fraternal twin of the Ruthless Diastema Games Blog. Both ventures explore the nexus of gaming and learning. I am Mr. Figtree, but the students aren’t around, so you can just call me Pete.

This is episode 01. This first real episode of the podcast offers one of the regular segments described in episode 00, but that segment features two great ideas/products for your classroom use.

CLASSY GAMING: Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game AND Monkeydome.

Music breaks are royalty-free pieces by Kevin Macleod @ Incompetech.com. These selections are from the “Danse Macabre” selections.

CLASSY GAMING:

In the Classy Gaming segments, I want to talk about games I have tried in class and others that I want to try. I want to ask questions about the possibilities of gaming as a tool for teaching and learning in the public school setting.

Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game

Gnome Stew, GMing Blog(gers): great blog with advice often applicable to the classroom
Started publishing quality playing aid books: Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots and Masks as Engine Publishing
Comforting, relaxing, easy-to-use resources: the leg work is done for you
Description from the Engine Publishing site: “This massive tome contains 1,000 system-neutral NPCs, and includes all the information you need to vividly portray each and every one of them. Divided into three genres (fantasy, sci-fi, and modern) but easily adaptable to any genre, Masks NPCs are broken down into roles: villains, neutrals, and allies.”
The concept of metaphorical masks immediately makes me thinks of drama
Each character entry: appearance, roleplaying, personality, motivation, background, and traits
Examples of characters: pages 3 and 4 of Fantasy/Villains Section (Kale and Colin) Template as a way of showing understanding of a literary or dramatic character: Gatsby or Juliet or…(pg. 8) Polarizing characters as another way of showing insight into a literary character: traits and antonyms/other template opposites (background and motivation)

Traits and parts of speech
Reskinning literature characters as genre study (pg. 8): name and race/pistol vs. ray gun
Invisible keywords as a post-reading assignment: authors used 83 personality keywords to create all characters
Even advice on portraying characters: good for drama class

Purchase Masks here, here, or here.

Get a free 17 page preview pdf here.

Monkeydome by Dig a Thousand Holes Publishing

Award-winning FREE roleplaying game in pdf: “a game of grim, post-apocalyptic slapstick” –Epidiah Ravachol

From the introduction of the game:

Chumba was yanked from the cab by a ravager’s harpoon,
leaving the camper to careen out of control across the
salt fl ats. More ravagers clawed at the camper’s shell
like roaches feeding on a bloated carcass. Several
had already begun to squeeze through the shattered
Plexiglas windows. Salamander ransacked the
kitchenette for a weapon to fend them off. And there
they were, hanging from hooks just above the range: the
cleaver or the frying pan?

1. Thunderbones (2d6 of diff. colors) = grim and zany die 2. Gameblaster = probably teacher 3. Setting (default or other) 4. Survivor Characters (one per group or in small groups) 5. Roll the bones for Scene 1
Thunderbones and Starting Tone of Scene 1/Hand over the dice/Players adds to fiction according to dice roll: Zany or Grim
Players may pass the dice to each other and keep scene going or pass dice to the GB to end scene/GB decides how to end it
Ties=Survivor is unable to react (paralyzed) = pass the dice to another player and overall tone changes
No Tie = Check for a lesson/Highest die less than 4 = learn a lesson
Teach an implied lesson in the fiction = actions too zany, too grim
Player composes THE lesson implied in a SINGLE-SENTENCE on a piece of paper and puts it on the table
GB rolls for scene two: tie = opposite tone of last scene
GREAT THINK-ALOUD TEACHER ACTION
GREAT CHANCE TO GRADE SINGLE SENTENCES FOR GRAMMAR, SPELLING, ECT.
LESSONS =GREAT DISCUSSION FODDER/WHY DID THE GB FICTION MAKE YOU COME UP WITH THAT LESSON?
Game goes on this way, rules give advice for starting and ending the game and other details…
Including rules about lessons and ending the game and lessons and reincorporation and proving your character learned his or her lesson
I used it in anticipation for a writing assignment in which students were going to have to write in a tone/mood assigned by me.
The Independent Insurgency Podcast hosted by Robert Bohl did a great interview about the game. Check it out, but PLEASE NOTE that it is an EXPLICIT podcast. You won’t want to fire it up in class.
Nice flow chart in the rules = great for projection
Remember to review materials for appropriateness before handing them out to kids. I summarized the rules on a Powerpoint presentation.

I highly recommend either of these products for your classroom, and I am sure I have but scratched the surfaces of their possibilities. So remember, teachers are learners. I want to learn from you as well. Please feel free to share your tips, tools, and techniques with me at ruthlessdee.com. You can also email me at ruthlessdiastema at gmail dot com.

Please invite all of your teacher friends to subscribe to the show. Until next time, I am Pete Figtree, and I am learning a lot by teaching with games.

Dig a 1000 Holes Engine Publishing games in the classroom gaming Gnome Stew Masks Monkeydome

3 Responses to “Ruthless Diastema Podcast 01: Masks and Monkeydome”

Pete says:

August 12, 2011 at 11:26 pm

The kids and I loved it.

Reply
Martin Ralya says:

August 16, 2011 at 1:47 am

Thank you for looking at Masks from such a unique perspective, Pete — this is awesome!

Reply
- Pete says:
  
  August 16, 2011 at 5:53 am
  
  I am really excited to use it during the upcoming school year. I plan to have students use the character template in MASKS to show an understanding of characters they have encountered in literature. The template is small enough to function like a character sketch yet big enough to display serious insight. I love it. It will be interesting to see what quotations they choose to capture the soul of characters like Bilbo Baggins and Guy Montag.
  
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Pete says:

August 12, 2011 at 11:26 pm

The kids and I loved it.

Martin Ralya says:

August 16, 2011 at 1:47 am

Thank you for looking at Masks from such a unique perspective, Pete — this is awesome!

Pete says:

August 16, 2011 at 5:53 am

I am really excited to use it during the upcoming school year. I plan to have students use the character template in MASKS to show an understanding of characters they have encountered in literature. The template is small enough to function like a character sketch yet big enough to display serious insight. I love it. It will be interesting to see what quotations they choose to capture the soul of characters like Bilbo Baggins and Guy Montag.

Reply

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