I have been an avid role playing game (RPG) player for more than half my life. It began in my first year of high school and has continued on, evolving from forum based writing until I was introduced to dice-based tabletop role playing games (TTRPG). My interest and dabbling with TTRPGs began before the pandemic and it only grew as opportunities to interact with other human beings began to be few and far between. Online resources for TTRPGs have been around for eons. Roll20.net is a popular site that people can use to run their campaigns. Players can create online character sheets and tokens, while Game Masters (GMs) can create maps and encounters from the sourcebooks that they can purchase, and/or from open sources available on the internet. DnDBeyond has become the go-to resource for character building (though it’s popularity has been dropping), online character sheets and campaign organization, though it doesn’t have the ability to create and use maps. Both require that you purchase online source books to be able to use the websites to their full potential, though it’s not absolutely necessary.
OwlBear Rodeo is a free online tabletop map sharing site that players can use to play a TTRPG game with people all over the world. The game master can prepare multiple maps at a time for their session, including enemies that are invisible to the players and sections of the map covered by an opaque “fog”. Back in July 2022, OwlBear Rodeo released a beta version of their system that would require monthly subscriptions to be able to use all the features. Version 1.0 is still available to use, but is a very basic version in comparison. For players, the new version may be the one that they would gravitate towards for all its bells and whistles, but for use in the classroom, the original version is still very effective.
In the classroom, this can be used in two ways – as a battle map site for a TTRPG group or as a tool for creative storytelling. I have many students who have become interested in learning to play Dungeons & Dragons – it’s growing popularity can be linked to the streaming campaigns on YouTube and Twitch, where experienced players broadcast their hours long game sessions for the enjoyment of the masses. One particularly popular stream, Critical Role, has even been able to expand their D&D sessions into animated series on PrimeVideo. Students who wouldn’t have connected organically elsewhere are now getting to know each other as they battle mythical creatures and go on great adventures together in the classroom.
As a middle school teacher, I have found many of my students struggle with imagining a scene in their heads when creatively writing. With tools like OwlBear Rodeo, students can create a storyboard for their work, and be able to move characters in the room so they know what it is they need to describe to get a character from point A to point B. It can also be used to help show the detail of their setting to their audience by using it as a visual tool by taking a screenshot of the scene.
Teachers could also set the scene for them and ask their students to use words to describe what is happening. This allow teachers the freedom to be more creative with their own work instead of using images they’ve found on an online search engine.