Hi all, I am a high-school (Secondary) teacher, teaching 11-18 year olds Computer Science.
I want to turn the curriculum into a game and I am in desperate need of some ideas as I have got a block.
Premise: In every myth, story, legend, it is widely acknowledged that the universe has two powers at work. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, yin and yang, Red and Blue. What is not known is that both Red, and Blue are brothers, the Creators of all life, super-beings caught up in an infinite war, never ending.
For years, the world of Pangea has been caught up in the same battle serving their respective masters. Whilst this war has been raging, internal challenges for power in both the Red City and Blue City are ongoing within different clans.
Legendary weapons forged by the Creators have been lost over time during this war. Prophecy foretells that a human who has collected The Legendary Weapons can be the one to end the war, for good. What is not known is will it be Red or Blue.
Start: Students fill out an online questionnaire which matches them up to a team. Red or Blue depending on their personality.
Homework: Students will use a custom built website that will allow them to:
1. Join a clan in their team 2. Complete Quests or PvP battles using cards in a turn-based format.. Their powers will be linked to Computer Science topics. 3. If quest completed or PvP battle won - the student can takeover a land tile (like Civ). When they select a tile they will be given a random reward (maybe even a Legendary Weapon?!)
The homework will encourage collaborative practice for Computer Science.
I am stuck for In Class. I need to create a separate game to the homework, but still tied in to the teams Red and Blue. Would be amazing to get your ideas. It won't be using a Custom Built Website - it will be done using paper-based traditional lessons.
This is a pretty interesting idea but, pretty involved as well. I have one idea that may help you in one aspect of your overall concept. Use a point buy system. Everyday, give a short 5 question quiz that should only take 5-10 minutes of homework time to complete. Ask questions in a way that copying and pasting won't be sufficient to answer them. Forcing them to segment and paraphrase answer in their own words will lead to them actually reviewing/learning the material. The 5 questions have a point value equal to what question it is, Q1 is worth 1 point and is the easiest question to answer, and Q5 is worth 5 points and is the most challenging.
For the online part of the game, award all students their earned points and create a "shop" that also has point costs associated. 1 point options are simple and may be only cosmetic or narrative benefits, that may really appeal to accessorizing individuals. Higher value items provide greater mechanical benefits, allowing for the team and pvp options you mention.
College kid here: I wish I could give more tips, but you got a great thing going! I would've loved this in high school. What I would not have loved was assigning teams via personality test. Some kids will "metagame" to team with their friends, others will feel left out, etc. Based on my high school memories, you'd be better off just doing random teams.
D&D can be a cool afterschool activity for groups of people, but my thoughts are that using it in the way you describe is not a good idea. You specifically mention PvP - I would worry that this mechanic would be used by bullies to emotionally harass other children, by always killing their characters or doing other things with this mechanic, geared toward invalidating the existence of others. Furthermore; the use of ranks, or groups of any kind based upon personality tests, has the potential to be somewhat enjoyable, but I don't believe it will be. What usually happens in scenarios where personality tests see use is inevitable. The popular kids (who are friends because they have similar personalities) end up in the same group/clan or whatever. They then set about using their little clique to bully and further and harass the less popular kids. Groups create a "us vs them" mentality that sees the less popular, less capable children, singled out for abuse, and to a certain extent validates that abuse by making a particular group, rank, clan the defacto best, because it has these people in it.
Even when such a division is not your intention, divisions forms naturally based upon which group the popular kids are in; or the rank held by the most capable.
How do I know this happens? I have seen it. I have experienced it, and I can say from that experience that it is emotionally draining, not fun, and not something that any child should ever have to experience.
I genuinely feel that a tournament-style game like Magic The Gathering would be a significantly better model for such a project. Still, even that would allow the best and brightest to rise to the top of the rankings while seeing the less capable left behind.
Sorry that I have not given you any real help, but I felt like I needed to talk about my experiences of such things because no child should ever have had to experience what I went through. Classrooms and schools need to be safe places for their students; both physically, and emotionally, and projects like this raise so many red flags for me because of what I have experienced.
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A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
SocialFoxes, while I can understand many of your points, life is NOT fair. Children need to be taught this, not coddled. Realizing this is going to set them up for success more than the: "Everyone is a winner" standard going around.
When you do something competitive, there usually is a clear winner. If I lose a game of basketball to another team, do I sulk petulantly? No. If I had fun with the people involved, we play another game. Learning how to lose gracefully is just as important as winning ever could be.
That's a tired meme that needs to be buried. Kids are not coddled these days, and they have a better understanding of how unfair life can be than most adults give them credit for, especially the ones prone to griping about kids these days (which happens every single generation- there are preserved writings from ancient Greece that have the writer complaining about the same subject).
D&D isn't a game that handles PVP situations well. I'd recommend setting things up to be more of an indirect competition where each team tries to overcome various challenges that aren't against other players.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
That's a tired meme that needs to be buried. Kids are not coddled these days, and they have a better understanding of how unfair life can be than most adults give them credit for, especially the ones prone to griping about kids these days (which happens every single generation- there are preserved writings from ancient Greece that have the writer complaining about the same subject).
D&D isn't a game that handles PVP situations well. I'd recommend setting things up to be more of an indirect competition where each team tries to overcome various challenges that aren't against other players.
I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you. I live in the US and it is quite apparent that people(not just children) think that they are a special, entitled snowflakes. Learning that the world doesn't revolve around you is a hard pill to swallow.
Honestly? dnd is an RPG first and foremost. I would have "red" and "blue" teams not enemies, but more like rivals (Pokemon style ;). have them work against each other most of the time in small tests- magic, athletics etc. but it is dnd. allow the players from different teams to interact with each other. maybe you could add in NPC teams for them to team up and battle, or even hold changing ceremonies to switch up the teams. the one thing I will say is dont always pit the players against each other, or it will become a battle sim. but this time with the two teams learning how to optimize and destroy the other team.
HERE IS THE SOLUTION: play dnd.
have an underlying storyline with a BBEG trying to take over the world. the two teams will sometimes have to work together to defeat him. make these challenges mainly puzzles, and save combat for PvP and battle arena style stuff. have the BBEG maybe take over the NPC teams with dopplegangers. or have him rig the arena against both the teams. or really anything that would make them want to work together.
I have only done a couple PvPs (contests or fights), but a few things I will say
DONT LET THE PLAYERS LOOT EACH OTHER- this can and will create feuds irl between Samantha and Judith who both want the +3 flame tong sword. this leads onto the next point.
dont cause monetary/ magic item disparity between the players in the same team. if you give one player a holy avenger, and the other dust of dryness, then you are asking for trouble. I would use the Treasure points from Adventurers league. this allows players to choose their own magic items.
dont punish optimizing- punish meta gaming. if someone has studied and built a good character, lots of DMs will give less advantages to that player. this is a bad idea as it encourages lazy players. if someone is building a fire resistant red dragon slayer after you accidentally let it slip that they were going to be fighting dragons for the arena battle, that is when you punish them. but not really. just change the monsters. HOWEVER. if someone has been playing said dragon slayer through the whole campaign? throw in a dragon. you will make him feel validated.
dont allow player deaths- this is pretty self explanatory. these are high school kids. not dnd veterans.
finally, read the room. if anyone is getting upset or angry, change up the pace. perfect time for the BBEG to appear and disrupt the games ;)
hope this helps :)
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“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
That's a tired meme that needs to be buried. Kids are not coddled these days, and they have a better understanding of how unfair life can be than most adults give them credit for, especially the ones prone to griping about kids these days (which happens every single generation- there are preserved writings from ancient Greece that have the writer complaining about the same subject).
D&D isn't a game that handles PVP situations well. I'd recommend setting things up to be more of an indirect competition where each team tries to overcome various challenges that aren't against other players.
I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you. I live in the US and it is quite apparent that people(not just children) think that they are a special, entitled snowflakes. Learning that the world doesn't revolve around you is a hard pill to swallow.
I live in the US too, and the people who are most prone to espousing this view are the ones who get the most coddling from the status quo.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
When I took Comp-Sci in high school (over 10 years ago, oh god I'm old), one project that I remember is that we had to write a program that did a card game, I want to say it was Blackjack.
And then you got bonus points if you added any extras to it, like a little animation that played if you won. (This was all in C, so it was ASCII art).
That's a tired meme that needs to be buried. Kids are not coddled these days, and they have a better understanding of how unfair life can be than most adults give them credit for, especially the ones prone to griping about kids these days (which happens every single generation- there are preserved writings from ancient Greece that have the writer complaining about the same subject).
D&D isn't a game that handles PVP situations well. I'd recommend setting things up to be more of an indirect competition where each team tries to overcome various challenges that aren't against other players.
I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you. I live in the US and it is quite apparent that people(not just children) think that they are a special, entitled snowflakes. Learning that the world doesn't revolve around you is a hard pill to swallow.
I live in the US too, and the people who are most prone to espousing this view are the ones who get the most coddling from the status quo.
I have to point this out, the fact that you and I can bicker about things here on DDB lends to the fact that we both profit from the "coddling from the status quo." Which is the system of freedom and liberties we enjoy in the US currently, which I do my best to appreciate. The people I'm talking about, take it for granted and don't even realize what they have. Stop playing Devil's Advocate in their defense.
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Hi all,
I am a high-school (Secondary) teacher, teaching 11-18 year olds Computer Science.
I want to turn the curriculum into a game and I am in desperate need of some ideas as I have got a block.
Premise:
In every myth, story, legend, it is widely acknowledged that the universe has two powers at work. They balance each other, push and pull, life and death, good and evil, yin and yang, Red and Blue. What is not known is that both Red, and Blue are brothers, the Creators of all life, super-beings caught up in an infinite war, never ending.
For years, the world of Pangea has been caught up in the same battle serving their respective masters. Whilst this war has been raging, internal challenges for power in both the Red City and Blue City are ongoing within different clans.
Legendary weapons forged by the Creators have been lost over time during this war. Prophecy foretells that a human who has collected The Legendary Weapons can be the one to end the war, for good. What is not known is will it be Red or Blue.
Start:
Students fill out an online questionnaire which matches them up to a team. Red or Blue depending on their personality.
Homework:
Students will use a custom built website that will allow them to:
1. Join a clan in their team
2. Complete Quests or PvP battles using cards in a turn-based format.. Their powers will be linked to Computer Science topics.
3. If quest completed or PvP battle won - the student can takeover a land tile (like Civ). When they select a tile they will be given a random reward (maybe even a Legendary Weapon?!)
The homework will encourage collaborative practice for Computer Science.
I am stuck for In Class. I need to create a separate game to the homework, but still tied in to the teams Red and Blue. Would be amazing to get your ideas. It won't be using a Custom Built Website - it will be done using paper-based traditional lessons.
This is a pretty interesting idea but, pretty involved as well. I have one idea that may help you in one aspect of your overall concept. Use a point buy system. Everyday, give a short 5 question quiz that should only take 5-10 minutes of homework time to complete. Ask questions in a way that copying and pasting won't be sufficient to answer them. Forcing them to segment and paraphrase answer in their own words will lead to them actually reviewing/learning the material. The 5 questions have a point value equal to what question it is, Q1 is worth 1 point and is the easiest question to answer, and Q5 is worth 5 points and is the most challenging.
For the online part of the game, award all students their earned points and create a "shop" that also has point costs associated. 1 point options are simple and may be only cosmetic or narrative benefits, that may really appeal to accessorizing individuals. Higher value items provide greater mechanical benefits, allowing for the team and pvp options you mention.
College kid here: I wish I could give more tips, but you got a great thing going! I would've loved this in high school. What I would not have loved was assigning teams via personality test. Some kids will "metagame" to team with their friends, others will feel left out, etc. Based on my high school memories, you'd be better off just doing random teams.
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
Nice! You can combine math, statistics and coding in one project.
The problem: 3 weapens: (A) a long sword 1d12, (B) a short sword 2d6 and (C) a dagger 3d4 damage. What is the best weapon?
playing since 1986
D&D can be a cool afterschool activity for groups of people, but my thoughts are that using it in the way you describe is not a good idea. You specifically mention PvP - I would worry that this mechanic would be used by bullies to emotionally harass other children, by always killing their characters or doing other things with this mechanic, geared toward invalidating the existence of others. Furthermore; the use of ranks, or groups of any kind based upon personality tests, has the potential to be somewhat enjoyable, but I don't believe it will be. What usually happens in scenarios where personality tests see use is inevitable. The popular kids (who are friends because they have similar personalities) end up in the same group/clan or whatever. They then set about using their little clique to bully and further and harass the less popular kids. Groups create a "us vs them" mentality that sees the less popular, less capable children, singled out for abuse, and to a certain extent validates that abuse by making a particular group, rank, clan the defacto best, because it has these people in it.
Even when such a division is not your intention, divisions forms naturally based upon which group the popular kids are in; or the rank held by the most capable.
How do I know this happens? I have seen it. I have experienced it, and I can say from that experience that it is emotionally draining, not fun, and not something that any child should ever have to experience.
I genuinely feel that a tournament-style game like Magic The Gathering would be a significantly better model for such a project. Still, even that would allow the best and brightest to rise to the top of the rankings while seeing the less capable left behind.
Sorry that I have not given you any real help, but I felt like I needed to talk about my experiences of such things because no child should ever have had to experience what I went through. Classrooms and schools need to be safe places for their students; both physically, and emotionally, and projects like this raise so many red flags for me because of what I have experienced.
A caffeinated nerd who has played TTRPGs or a number of years and is very much a fantasy adventure geek.
SocialFoxes, while I can understand many of your points, life is NOT fair. Children need to be taught this, not coddled. Realizing this is going to set them up for success more than the: "Everyone is a winner" standard going around.
When you do something competitive, there usually is a clear winner. If I lose a game of basketball to another team, do I sulk petulantly? No. If I had fun with the people involved, we play another game. Learning how to lose gracefully is just as important as winning ever could be.
That's a tired meme that needs to be buried. Kids are not coddled these days, and they have a better understanding of how unfair life can be than most adults give them credit for, especially the ones prone to griping about kids these days (which happens every single generation- there are preserved writings from ancient Greece that have the writer complaining about the same subject).
D&D isn't a game that handles PVP situations well. I'd recommend setting things up to be more of an indirect competition where each team tries to overcome various challenges that aren't against other players.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you. I live in the US and it is quite apparent that people(not just children) think that they are a special, entitled snowflakes. Learning that the world doesn't revolve around you is a hard pill to swallow.
Thank you Kotath, well said!
Honestly? dnd is an RPG first and foremost. I would have "red" and "blue" teams not enemies, but more like rivals (Pokemon style ;). have them work against each other most of the time in small tests- magic, athletics etc. but it is dnd. allow the players from different teams to interact with each other. maybe you could add in NPC teams for them to team up and battle, or even hold changing ceremonies to switch up the teams. the one thing I will say is dont always pit the players against each other, or it will become a battle sim. but this time with the two teams learning how to optimize and destroy the other team.
HERE IS THE SOLUTION: play dnd.
have an underlying storyline with a BBEG trying to take over the world. the two teams will sometimes have to work together to defeat him. make these challenges mainly puzzles, and save combat for PvP and battle arena style stuff. have the BBEG maybe take over the NPC teams with dopplegangers. or have him rig the arena against both the teams. or really anything that would make them want to work together.
I have only done a couple PvPs (contests or fights), but a few things I will say
hope this helps :)
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.
I live in the US too, and the people who are most prone to espousing this view are the ones who get the most coddling from the status quo.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
When I took Comp-Sci in high school (over 10 years ago, oh god I'm old), one project that I remember is that we had to write a program that did a card game, I want to say it was Blackjack.
And then you got bonus points if you added any extras to it, like a little animation that played if you won. (This was all in C, so it was ASCII art).
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I have to point this out, the fact that you and I can bicker about things here on DDB lends to the fact that we both profit from the "coddling from the status quo." Which is the system of freedom and liberties we enjoy in the US currently, which I do my best to appreciate. The people I'm talking about, take it for granted and don't even realize what they have. Stop playing Devil's Advocate in their defense.