The Roll for Growth: Therapeutic Roleplaying Games program is built around the creation of a safe and affirming peer group space, and the use of collaborative storytelling games, most notably Dungeons & Dragons, to facilitate creative storytelling, roleplaying and gamified learning in that affirming space.
Different games are used in the program to enable different kinds of storytelling. The stories told in Dungeons & Dragons can vary between a variety of fantasy subgenres but are still based around high magic, heroic fantasy. The game naturally supports spooky stories, magic school adventures and weird, wonderful fairy tales. Some participants may enjoy this, and others may enjoy something a little more paranormal or supernatural such as Vampire: the Masquerade, or Monster of the Week.
The reason for this, is Roll for Growth is designed to be a group therapy program that inspires creativity and engagement with the participants. So the program offers a variety of genres and themes for groups to really get in touch with the players.
The newest Roll for Growth teens group, to use the example, offers a variety of games for the program to suit a diverse range of stories and interests. I’ll break each game down from the list above, from left to right.
- Pathfinder second edition: This is a high fantasy game which is a bit more complex than Dungeons & Dragons, which provides more options for character creation, and has a more progressive developer for inclusion.
- Zombiecide Chronicles: This is a game of survival and tension set amidst the zombie apocalypse. Players will have to think tactically and diplomatically to survive and thrive in the new world.
- Fallout is set after a nuclear war reduced the world to a wasteland. It blends post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a goofy 1950s Cold War aesthetic which builds a strong personality. Fallout is about rebuilding humanity and learning the lessons of the past.
- Monster of the Week is written to evoke series such as Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Scooby-Doo, and Supernatural. It’s about investigating disappearances, helping people and hunting monsters. It’s super flexible and leans heavily into the tropes of these settings.
- Star Wars is a science fantasy adventure starring knights fighting against an evil Empire in space. The mood can shift from magical space adventures to gritty street-level struggles against tyranny.
- Dungeons & Dragons is a high fantasy game with a diverse list of tools to support new players. It can fit a few different kinds of fantasy settings and has flexibility. A very well known roleplaying game.
- Masks, a New Generation is about being a teenage superhero, and about balancing the weight of expectation from the world as a new generation of superhero, and the struggles of being a teenager. Think Teen Titans, Young Justice and My Hero Academia.
- Warhammer: 40000, Wrath & Glory is a dark science fiction setting set in a grim future – it is a world where demons are attracted to emotional impulses, and humanity is poised to fight against aliens, demons and corruption.
- Not listed, but I currently run for a pre-teen group, Pokemon 5e. This game uses the game rules of D&D in order to facilitate storytelling set in the hugely popular Pokemon world. This is GREAT because the Pokemon videogames rarely afford players the same creativity and storytelling options that RPGs do.
I have approximately 20 roleplaying game systems available in Roll for Growth, and I’m always on the lookout for more. I’m currently looking for a system that would let me run a session based on the Naruto franchise – a hugely popular anime series for teens.
Roll for Growth is designed to be an inclusive and affirming space for neurodivergent folks, queer and trans identities, and part of this involves affirming special interests, which is why Roll for Growth uses a diverse array of games and genres so that people can see a game running and want to be a part of it.
Future posts will unpack specific games and genres in more depth! Stay tuned!
Counselling with Mike 