Feeling comfortable in your gaming space is highly important to being able to enjoy and learn from the games you’re playing. Check out here for a guest post discussion from Thomas Wilson, a ND Specialist, on his advice for creating sensory-friendly spaces for your players.
This list contains tabletop RPGs and tabletop RPG related books/resources that have therapeutic elements built into the game or literature, and it is intended to help you find resources for your next applied game session.
Venture Society is a TTRPG designed for young players that teaches about empathy and social skills while on a fun non-violent adventure! I had the opportunity to GM the pre-release demo at Origins Game Fair with an awesome little adventurer and his family, and I got to speak with the game’s creators about their goals with the game. Here’s my take, and I hope you enjoy this preview!
TTRPGs can be amazing tools for helping players, particularly kids, practice social and emotional skills in a fun and engaging way. Check out below to see why they work so well AND get a few easy ways that you can incorporate social-emotional learning into your TTRPGs!
Wizards, Warriors, and Wellness by Jack Berkenstock and Baron Blakley from The Bodhana Group is a wonderful intro to therapeutic tabletop RPGs whether you’re a therapist or layperson and experienced or new to applied gaming.
Tabletop Role-Playing Therapy by Dr. Megan Connell is a guide for clinicians looking to use TTRPGs with their clients. As a layperson, this was also an amazing exploration into why our regular, non-guided sessions and campaigns can feel therapeutic, and it has deepened my perspective on what TTRPGs can be – I hope you find it as engaging as I have!
I got to chat with Jack Berkenstock, Executive Director of The Bodhana Group, about TTRPGs and therapeutics, how The Bodhana Group started and grew, and about turning George Wendt (the actor who played Norm from Cheers) into a wizard. Check out our interview here!