How Tabletop Role-Playing Games Support Social Development

Michelle: Hello, and welcome to our Divergent Discussion. I’m Michelle, founder of Kaboose. We’re an inclusive, safe online community for neurodivergent people to connect, learn and thrive.

We’re recording today’s discussion, so feel free to drop your questions in the chat. We’ll send everyone the recording afterwards.

I’m delighted to introduce our guest, Luke. We met several years ago. Luke has shared his experience of struggling to understand social cues and facing communication challenges associated with autism and ADHD.

He’s now the founder of Spectrum Quest, where he runs role-playing games for social development.

Today we’re exploring how tabletop role-playing games and collaborative storytelling can help neurodivergent people build social skills.

Luke loves seeing others achieve more than they ever imagined through this fun, creative approach.

Welcome, Luke!

Luke: Thank you! Glad to be here, and thanks for having me.

How many years ago did we first meet? Was it about three?

Michelle: I think it would be three or four. We were very early in our Kaboose journey. I remember being impressed by how you were starting your gaming and social enterprise.

Luke: Yeah, that rings a bell too.

Michelle: Luke, for everyone who doesn’t know you, tell us a little about your personal journey and how gaming became such a powerful tool.

Luke: Absolutely. I’ll start with a story that illustrates what I was like when I was younger.

I was about 10 to 12 years old, sitting in the dining room while my sister was singing in the kitchen.

I remember thinking, “She’s such a beautiful singer. I love my sister, and I want to encourage her.”

So I said, “You should take singing lessons.”

Suffice to say, that probably wasn’t the best way to phrase it!

After a little clarification with Mum, it became clear that what I’d meant was, “Your singing is so good that you should keep developing it with lessons, because I think it’s worth it.”

I didn’t quite communicate that nuance. I was an autistic kid with ADHD, and communication wasn’t always my strength.

Michelle: Exactly. It was the nuance.

Luke: I’d like to think I’ve improved since then!

That came through supportive friends, really good parents, a lot of self-directed work, reading books and listening to podcasts.

I also participated in a program for a short while, where having a mentor helped me grow.

Over the years, I developed my own skills, studied game design and earned a diploma.

Most of my work has been with neurodivergent people, particularly autistic people.

And I’ve been playing role-playing games since primary school. I absolutely love them.

I’ll tell you another story about why I love role-playing games so much.

I was once playing a character called Saka Yonyo, who was searching for his son. That was the narrative we’d created.

He needed to speak with a high lord, someone important who might have information about where his son was.

I remember being incredibly nervous. Not just my character, but me, Luke, the player.

I was sitting at a table with my friend, who was playing this fictional high lord, and I was feeling genuine anxiety about the conversation.

And I loved it!

My friend actually came to me the following week to check whether I was okay. He wanted to make sure he hadn’t said anything that genuinely upset me.

But I’d loved the visceral experience of that anxiety because I was completely immersed in the story.

It helped that my friend was also very good at running the game.

That’s one of the reasons I love role-playing games so much.

Michelle: Amazing.

I remember being really curious when we first met, and I’m sure the people joining us today will be interested in hearing what inspired you to start your business.

Why did you decide to focus specifically on neurodivergent communities?

Luke: The reason I started Spectrum Quest was because of climate change.

Michelle: Okay! Please share more. I wasn’t expecting that answer!

Luke: It’s probably not the answer you’d expect, is it?

Let me explain.

I was listening to a climate scientist talking about climate change.

I can’t remember who it was, but this person said that after 10 or 20 years of researching climate change and how best to address it, they’d come to the conclusion that climate change was a spiritual problem.

My first reaction was, “You need to see a doctor, because that’s not how climate change works!”

I’m Christian, and I have no issue with prayer, but prayer alone isn’t going to magically solve climate change.

But then the scientist explained what they meant.

Their point was that many of the barriers to addressing climate change aren’t technological.

We have the knowledge and tools to make significant changes. The bigger obstacles are people not listening to each other, political disagreements and organisations or decision-makers being unwilling to change.

And I thought, “That actually makes sense.”

I started thinking about how many problems in life come down to how we interact and connect with each other.

There’s that phrase, “It’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know.”

But you can only really know people if you’re able to connect with them, listen to them and understand them.

I wanted to have a positive impact on the world.

I realised that improving how people communicate and relate to one another could make a meaningful difference.

Then I started thinking about what I could bring to that.

I love role-playing games. I love game design. I love personal growth, and I’ve done a lot of that work myself.

I’m autistic, so I understand some of the experiences neurodivergent people face. I’ve also worked with neurodivergent people for much of my life.

Then I started discovering research suggesting that role-playing games could help people develop their ability to relate to others.

And I thought, “This is a great combination. I’ll run role-playing games!”

It was a win all around.

That’s what got me started.

Michelle: That’s amazing.

Not everyone will be familiar with tabletop role-playing games. I certainly wasn’t before we met.

We probably have a few parents watching today who are wondering what makes tabletop role-playing games different from other types of games.

Can you explain how they work?

Luke: Absolutely.

Throughout human history, people have told stories.

Even cave paintings tell stories.

I think that’s the core of a role-playing game. You’re there to tell a story.

The mechanics of the game aren’t necessarily about mastering a system. They’re there to support the storytelling.

In a tabletop role-playing game, you have a group of people sitting around a table, usually face-to-face.

You don’t need screens. You can use technology if you want to, but I don’t use screens in my sessions.

Each player creates a character.

They might be a wizard, a starship captain, a detective or even Bob, who works in a retail store.

It depends on the world and the type of game you’re playing.

One person takes on the role of the Game Master, or GM.

The Game Master describes the world and plays all the other characters the players encounter.

They might describe the guards at a castle, the king the characters need to speak with or the adventure they’re about to embark on.

The players decide what their characters do, and the Game Master responds.

Through that back-and-forth interaction, supported by the game mechanics, a story naturally emerges.

That’s essentially how it works.

Michelle: Amazing.

When we first spoke about this, there were quite a few abbreviations being used.

We’ve mentioned TTRPG, which stands for tabletop role-playing game.

Are there other common abbreviations that parents or people getting into these games should understand?

Luke: Thankfully, not too many!

RPG stands for role-playing game.

There are computer role-playing games too, but we’re talking specifically about tabletop role-playing games, or TTRPGs.

Then there’s GM, which stands for Game Master, or DM, which stands for Dungeon Master.

The term depends on the system you’re using. I prefer Game Master.

The Game Master runs the world and plays the other characters.

Then you have the players.

You also have PCs, which stands for player characters. Those are the fictional characters created and controlled by the players.

And NPCs are non-player characters.

Those are the characters controlled by the Game Master that the players encounter throughout the story.

Does that make sense?

Michelle: It does.

So the Game Master can wear multiple hats and play lots of different characters?

Luke: Absolutely.

Michelle: Okay, amazing.

Tell us more about how these games help people build social skills.

In the neuroaffirming world, we say that everyone should be able to communicate in their own way.

But as you’ve just described, there can be nuances in communication and understanding social cues.

It’s not about changing people. It’s about helping them develop skills. Can you tell us more about that?

Luke: Absolutely.

I’d say it mainly comes down to experimentation and practice.

That’s what these games provide: a space where you can experiment and practise.

You’re there to tell a story and have fun with your friends. Whether it’s a good story or a bad story isn’t particularly important.

Because you’re playing a character who interacts with other characters, you’re naturally practising social skills.

But it’s fun, and there’s no pressure.

You can try things out and experiment.

You might think, “Okay, I’m going to try this and see what happens.”

And then it goes terribly!

But that’s okay, because it’s not real life.

You’re experimenting, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and developing a story along the way.

It’s also autonomy-based.

I really avoid telling players, “This is how you should deal with this situation.”

I’m upfront with them about why I’m running the games. I explain that I’m there to help people develop social skills and build confidence.

But I don’t want to say, “Today we’re learning conflict resolution, and this is how you do it.”

Some players would immediately think, “Please don’t give me that!”

If someone asks for help, though, I’ll absolutely support them.

If they say, “Can you help me figure out how to handle this?” then we can work through it together.

The idea is that players experiment, discover what works for them and naturally develop their skills in whatever way suits them.

Michelle: That makes a lot of sense.

Many children, and adults too, can experience a lot of anxiety about going somewhere new.

Do you find that people feel less anxious about attending these tabletop gaming sessions because they’re already interested in gaming?

You know I’m a parent of a young person who, when he was more interested in gaming, would have been quite nervous about going somewhere to participate in an activity like this.

What’s your experience?

Luke: It depends on the person.

There’s always going to be some discomfort when you’re doing something new.

Even if you’re playing a computer game you’ve never played before, you might be excited, but you don’t necessarily know what you’re doing yet.

Discomfort is a normal human emotion.

There are always going to be times when we’re uncomfortable, and part of life is learning how to regulate ourselves, stay calm or process those feelings.

I generally encourage parents to sign up for a full term because you won’t get a complete picture of what a role-playing game is like after the first session.

It takes time to get used to.

After a few weeks, participants start getting to know each other and understanding how the games work.

Sometimes people clash, and that’s part of my role: helping them work things out.

I’ve had participants who appear quite anxious during sessions but then tell me afterwards, “I really love being here. It’s so much fun!”

Parents have told me their children keep talking about the sessions at home.

By that stage, they’ve created their characters, started learning how to role-play and invested their own effort into the story.

They become genuinely invested.

Even when things are difficult, they want to be there.

Michelle: I understand that.

Could you share an example of a particular breakthrough or transformation you’ve seen in someone who’s participated?

Luke: Absolutely.

I had one group who really struggled with focus.

They were jumping around, interrupting each other and finding it difficult to take turns.

But I didn’t want to force them into a particular way of behaving.

Instead, I pointed out what I was noticing.

I said, “Have you noticed that you keep getting frustrated because you’re interrupting each other and the story isn’t going anywhere?”

They agreed that it was frustrating.

So I asked, “Do you want to do something about it?”

They said yes.

I suggested that at the beginning of the next session we could talk about how they wanted to handle it. I offered to bring some suggestions, but I wanted them to decide.

The next week came, and when I asked whether they wanted to talk about it, they said no.

I said, “That’s fine. But if you choose not to do anything differently, you’re likely to get the same results.”

After another couple of weeks of frustration, they agreed to revisit it.

When they asked for my suggestions, I proposed a cup system.

There were two decorative chalices sitting in the room, so we used those.

Only the people holding a chalice, along with the Game Master, were allowed to speak.

It was essentially a talking stick, except we were using chalices.

And it worked incredibly well!

The key reason it worked was that the players had chosen to use it.

They’d recognised the problem themselves and decided they wanted things to change.

Because they had ownership of the system, they were willing to follow it and accept the consequences when they didn’t.

Michelle: That’s really cool.

We have a question from Chloe in the chat.

Does Spectrum Quest have anything for young adults in their mid-20s?

Maybe you could tell us about the different groups you offer.

Luke: Absolutely.

People can apply at any age.

We operate a waiting list because I try to bring together people of a similar age who are available at the same time.

Once I have enough people in an appropriate age range, I contact them to see whether they’d like to start a group together.

I think having everyone start at the same time leads to better outcomes and makes it easier to develop the program around the group.

At the moment, I’m running sessions for people aged 10 and up.

Younger people can still apply, and I’m considering offering younger age groups in the future.

There are also options for adult groups.

The best thing to do is visit the Spectrum Quest website because the available times and groups can change.

You’ll see daytime slots, teenage groups and adult options.

Once there are enough people in a similar age range, we can bring a group together.

So the short answer is yes!

Michelle: Fantastic.

David has asked how the sessions are charged. Are they available through the NDIS, or are they fee-for-service?

Luke: The sessions can be NDIS claimable.

Some people also choose to pay out of pocket because they’re really keen to participate.

So there are options depending on the person’s circumstances.

Michelle: Great.

I imagine that may be especially helpful for people who are plan-managed or self-managed.

Agency-managed funding can sometimes be a little harder to navigate, in my experience.

Luke: Yes, that’s been my experience too.

I’ve encountered those challenges before, but when someone is keen to participate, we try to work out what’s possible.

Michelle: Amazing.

Tell us more about the role of storytelling and imagination in supporting mental health and emotional growth.

I can already see some connections, but I’d love to hear your perspective.

Luke: There’s so much we could talk about here!

I’ll focus on imagination first.

I would say imagination is essential to human wellbeing because we need it for problem-solving.

If you can’t imagine a different possibility, it’s very difficult to solve a problem.

When you can imagine alternatives, you can explore solutions and find ways to improve your circumstances.

That can naturally support mental health because you’re developing the ability to respond to challenges in your life.

Imagination also helps you examine your own thoughts and consider who you might become.

You can imagine yourself growing, developing new skills or approaching situations differently.

That’s where role-playing becomes particularly interesting.

You can experiment with being a different person or taking on a different persona.

You can ask yourself, “How does this feel? Does this approach work for me? Am I enjoying it?”

It comes back to practising and experimenting in a safe, fictional environment.

Michelle: Fantastic.

I imagine the community aspect is also important for mental health.

We talk a lot about community at Kaboose and the importance of connecting with other people.

Have you noticed changes in participants’ wellbeing as a result of playing the games?

Luke: I’d say so.

Sometimes the changes are subtle, because I don’t know exactly what’s happening in someone’s head or what their experience is like outside the sessions.

That’s why feedback from parents and participants is so valuable.

I’ll ask parents how things are going and whether they’ve noticed any differences.

Sometimes they’ll tell me, “Oh my gosh, it’s making a difference!”

That’s really encouraging.

I also see changes during breakthrough moments.

For example, I had a participant who struggled to stay calm when they became frustrated.

During one game, something went particularly badly, but this time they managed to stay regulated and focused.

It was wonderful to see that progress.

Michelle: That’s very cool.

Those are valuable skills for young people at school and for adults in the workplace too.

Problem-solving, emotional regulation and learning how to navigate situations when things go wrong.

What would you say to parents who are hesitant about gaming?

We hear so much about gaming and screen time, and there can be quite negative perceptions of it.

How do you respond to those concerns?

Luke: First, I’d want to understand what they’re worried about.

There are legitimate concerns about certain types of content and experiences behind screens, especially for children.

Some online environments aren’t particularly healthy, and there are debates about how well different platforms manage and regulate their content.

I don’t want to dismiss those concerns.

Parents have a responsibility to protect their children and gradually give them more independence as they develop the ability to make their own decisions.

But there’s also research suggesting that games can be powerful tools for growth.

Computer games, for example, can help people practise frustration tolerance.

I’ll give you an example of a game some parents might find confronting: Dark Souls.

I haven’t played it myself, but it’s known for being incredibly difficult and set in a dark, grim world.

Some parents might see that and think it’s inappropriate, especially for younger children.

But difficult games can encourage players to practise persistence, focus and emotional regulation.

Players fail repeatedly, learn from their mistakes and keep trying until they succeed.

That process can help them practise working towards longer-term goals and responding to setbacks.

Games are also excellent opportunities for problem-solving because they’re designed to present challenges that players need to work through.

Those principles apply to tabletop role-playing games as well.

Michelle: With tabletop role-playing games, is there a way to win?

I’m still learning about all of this!

How does someone win the game?

Luke: That’s a good question.

Tabletop role-playing games generally aren’t competitive in the sense that there’s one winner or a team of winners.

Everyone wins when everyone has fun.

What fun looks like can differ from person to person.

Usually, it’s about telling a satisfying story together.

For example, there might be a powerful villain threatening to destroy the world.

Over multiple sessions, the players work together, develop their characters and eventually defeat that villain.

Everyone celebrates because they’ve completed this incredible story together.

And the Game Master, who played the villain, is celebrating too.

They might say, “That was such a great story. We created something amazing together.”

That’s when everyone wins.

Michelle: That makes sense.

It also makes me wonder how these stories are created.

Does the Game Master write them in advance? Is there a script or a set of rules?

Luke: There are lots of different approaches to being a Game Master.

Some people are excellent improvisers. They can make everything up on the spot and see where the story goes.

I can do some of that, but I prefer a little more preparation.

The challenge with writing a script is that it can remove the players’ choices.

In the tabletop role-playing community, that’s often called railroading.

If there’s a fixed script and the players have to follow it, they don’t have much freedom.

That doesn’t work particularly well for collaborative storytelling.

Instead, I prepare a broad plan.

For example, if there’s a villain who wants to take over the world, I’ll create the villain’s plan.

The villain doesn’t know a group of heroes is going to interfere, so they assume their plan will succeed.

Then the players start interacting with different parts of that plan.

Because they’re players, they’re probably going to disrupt it!

The villain then has to adapt.

They might think, “Those adventurers have ruined my plan. Now I need to try something else.”

The players respond, and the villain responds again.

That back-and-forth continues until the story builds towards a confrontation.

Eventually, the players might defeat the villain, and the story reaches its conclusion.

There’s a lot that Game Masters can do to manage pacing, create story moments and respond to the players’ decisions.

But the short version is that being a Game Master involves quite a lot of work!

Michelle: I can imagine.

How long does a typical gaming session last?

Luke: It depends on the group.

With some of my friends, I’ve played sessions that last an entire day.

We spend the whole day role-playing our characters and having fun.

But not everyone wants to do that.

At Spectrum Quest, I generally run younger groups for about two hours.

That’s enough time to get into the game, make progress and enjoy the story without everyone becoming too tired.

For older groups, I’m looking at sessions of around two and a half hours.

They can often focus for a little longer and want to explore more content.

But it depends on the group.

Michelle: And does the story continue from week to week?

Luke: Yes.

You can run a role-playing game in a single session. Those are usually called one-shots.

You can also have adventures that last six to twelve sessions.

At Spectrum Quest, I run what’s called a campaign.

That’s a larger story that unfolds over many sessions.

I ran one campaign with my friends that lasted five years!

Michelle: Five years? Oh my goodness!

Luke: At Spectrum Quest, I’m aiming for something shorter, hopefully two or three years at most.

But if a group is having fun and wants to keep going, I’m open to continuing.

The first group I started at Spectrum Quest is still playing the same campaign they began about a year and a half ago.

That’s part of what makes these games special.

You can’t necessarily understand the full experience in the first few sessions.

As time goes on, players become more invested in their characters, the story and the world they’ve helped create.

They want to know what happens next.

That investment is what keeps people coming back, assuming I’m doing a good job as Game Master!

Michelle: That’s fascinating.

It reminds me of a teenage work experience program I was facilitating for neurodivergent young people.

At the end of one day, we did a storytelling activity.

Each person had to describe part of their day as a story and then pass it to the next person, who continued it.

As you’re speaking, I’m wondering whether they were naturally creating something similar to a role-playing game.

They built on each other’s ideas.

There was a villain, and something about chickens being eaten and running away!

I remember thinking, “I can’t keep up with this!”

But perhaps they were engaging in a form of collaborative storytelling.

Luke: Absolutely. Improvised storytelling. I love it!

Michelle: We have another question from the audience.

David says he’s setting up a business using tabletop games, including board games and card games, to reduce social isolation.

I love that idea.

He’s asking whether your approach could be used in other gaming formats, not just tabletop role-playing games.

Luke: I’ll interpret that as asking whether other games can help with personal growth and wellbeing.

I’d say absolutely, at least in some ways.

When you’re interacting with people face-to-face, you’re naturally practising communication.

You’re learning to notice body language, facial expressions and other forms of nonverbal communication.

That’s something you don’t always get in the same way through computer games.

Even when you’re talking to someone online, you might hear their voice and tone but not see their facial expressions or body language.

Face-to-face games also create opportunities to practise being present with other people.

In an online game, you can sometimes simply disconnect when you feel uncomfortable.

When you’re sitting around a table together, there’s more opportunity to work through that discomfort and stay engaged.

You don’t have to get it perfect. You learn through experience.

Where tabletop role-playing games differ is their focus on story and narrative.

You’re speaking in character, responding to fictional situations and collaborating to solve problems.

That gives you more opportunities to practise social interaction, negotiation and collaborative problem-solving.

Board games can involve those elements too, but they’re often more competitive and aren’t necessarily focused on storytelling.

They’re different experiences that can support different skills.

Michelle: That makes sense.

Hopefully that answers your question, David.

There may also be opportunities to incorporate role-playing elements into some board games.

Looking ahead, where would you like Spectrum Quest to go?

What are your hopes for using role-playing games to support wellbeing, growth and social connection?

Luke: Don’t get me too excited!

I’m really enthusiastic about the future.

One area I’d love to explore more is research.

I have connections with some researchers. I’m not a researcher myself, but I love reading the research on how role-playing games can help people.

There’s more research being done, and I’d love to contribute in some way, particularly from a game design and practical experience perspective.

I’d also love to build a bigger team.

At the moment, I’m one person, and I only have so many hours available.

There’s more demand than I can necessarily meet.

I’d love to bring other Game Masters on board to run sessions alongside me.

Michelle: There you go! If there are any Game Masters listening, get in touch with Luke.

Luke: Absolutely. I’d love to have a conversation and see what we could work out.

Another group I’d particularly love to support is homeschoolers.

For young people who don’t attend traditional schools, having opportunities to connect with others can be really valuable.

I’d love to offer daytime games for homeschoolers, particularly because the sessions can also support social development.

Michelle: I was actually speaking with someone who works in that space this morning, so I’ll have to introduce you.

There’s definitely a lot of opportunity to support that community.

In our last few minutes, I have a fun question.

If you could be one of your role-playing characters in real life for a day, who would you choose and why?

Luke: It depends on whether we’re talking about the modern world or a fantasy world!

If it’s the modern world, absolutely a wizard.

Wizards have so many useful spells.

If I could teleport, getting to work would be so much easier. It would save me a lot of time!

Michelle: And no public transport!

Luke: Exactly.

But if I were in a fantasy world, I’d choose one of those classes that combines sword fighting with spellcasting.

You get to be physically active and skilled in combat, but you can also cast magic and defensive spells.

I’ve always loved the idea of combining those two things.

Michelle: Love it!

We have another question from the audience.

Do you deliberately work on developing individual skills through the game, or does the story become more important?

Luke: Great question.

My approach is very autonomy-focused.

From what I’ve seen in the research, autonomy-based support seems to be one of the areas where role-playing games can be particularly effective.

I make sure players know that I’m there to support their growth, but I don’t want to force it.

I will sometimes create challenges within the game that provide opportunities to practise particular skills.

For example, if I know someone finds it difficult to speak up, I might create a situation where a non-player character gives them some important information.

They don’t have to speak to the group. I won’t force them.

But if they choose to share that information, it benefits everyone.

That creates a natural opportunity to practise communicating.

I also use a system of inspiration points.

We don’t use Dungeons & Dragons at Spectrum Quest. We use another system called DC20.

Inspiration points allow players to do certain things in the game, such as rerolling dice when something goes badly.

Players earn those points by working towards personal goals they choose themselves.

I might say, “Choose something you’d like to work on as a player.”

Someone might choose to focus more during the game.

If they do better than they normally would, that’s a success towards the group’s inspiration points.

When enough players achieve their goals, the whole group earns inspiration points.

It’s not compulsory, but it provides an incentive.

It also encourages players to support each other because everyone benefits from the group’s achievements.

That’s how I approach individual skill development.

Michelle: That’s a really interesting approach.

Rachel has asked why you chose not to use Dungeons & Dragons.

She runs social groups for young people who’ve been asking for a D&D group, but they don’t have any Game Master experience.

Maybe Rachel needs to have a conversation with you!

Can you explain a little more about the system you use?

Luke: Absolutely.

I’ll try to give the short version because there are quite a few reasons.

Don’t get me wrong, Dungeons & Dragons is a good system.

That five-year campaign I mentioned earlier was actually run using D&D.

But there are some design differences that I don’t think work quite as well for supporting social and emotional development.

For example, in D&D, combat mechanics involve movement, an action, a reaction and a bonus action.

Depending on your character class, you may have access to different combinations of these.

For someone who’s never played a role-playing game before, that can be confusing.

The system I use, DC20, has a four-point action system.

You have four actions to use, and you can choose how to use them.

If you want to move, that might use one action.

If you want to attack, you can do that.

You might use another action to improve your chances of hitting your target, or to deal additional damage.

There’s flexibility in how you use those actions.

You can choose to move more or focus on other things.

I was looking for a system that would be accessible, relatively easy to understand and easy for new players to pick up.

I’m also mindful of what we call spotlight moments.

That’s when a player gets an opportunity to do something particularly exciting or impressive.

For example, they might make an attack, roll really well and deal a huge amount of damage.

That’s a spotlight moment.

How a game is balanced can influence how often different players get those opportunities.

I wanted a system where that balance worked well and where players had opportunities to contribute meaningfully.

There are lots of design considerations, and I could talk about them for a long time!

Ultimately, I chose the system that I thought best supported my goal of helping people grow.

Michelle: That sounds like a thoughtful approach.

It’s very clear that you know your stuff, Luke.

For anyone listening who’s interested in learning more, we’ll share Luke’s details so you can get in touch.

Before we wrap up, tell me about the funniest or most unexpected thing that’s happened during one of your gaming sessions.

I’m sure you have plenty of stories!

Luke: I certainly do!

Some are probably better saved for less civilised company!

But there’s one story I found particularly hilarious.

In one of our campaigns, the players were involved in a multiverse-hopping adventure.

The multiverse was falling apart, and the players were gradually discovering what was happening.

There was an important character who was giving them missions.

As they learned more about the story, they started suspecting that this character might be evil.

As Game Master, I’m not going to tell them whether they’re right or wrong.

They have to make their own decisions.

So they decided to confront him.

And then they decided to kill him!

Afterwards, they fled to another universe and became fugitives because they’d killed someone important.

More recently, they returned to another part of the multiverse and learned that this character had been involved in negotiations between two cities.

Things had been going well, and the cities were preparing to trade with each other.

But then the character was killed.

The person who replaced him now wanted to take over the other city.

Suddenly, the players were saying, “Oh no. We made a mistake!”

Some of them were still insisting, “No, I’m sure he was evil!”

It was hilarious watching them question their decisions and deal with the consequences.

Of course, it’s a fictional game, but they’re experiencing how choices can lead to unexpected outcomes.

Michelle: That’s fantastic.

There are so many skills that come out of playing these games.

Luke: Absolutely.

I think they’ve learned that perhaps they should investigate a little more carefully next time.

Although I’ll find out soon enough whether that’s actually the lesson they take from it!

And if any of my players are watching, just ignore everything I said!

Michelle: You didn’t hear that!

Well, Luke, this has been a very informative discussion.

Thank you so much for taking the time to join us at Kaboose for one of our Divergent Discussions.

And thank you to everyone who joined us live and everyone watching the replay.

We have a couple of other conversations coming up.

Next week, we’ll be speaking with Mike Meyer about leaning into your strengths. Mike has a book that we’ll be discussing as well.

We also have Eric Garcia joining us soon to talk about autism, identity and advocacy.

As usual, you’ll be able to find tickets through Humanitix, the Kaboose app or our website.

You’ll also receive a replay of this discussion in your inbox within the next 24 hours.

Thank you again, Luke, and thanks to everyone who joined us.

Luke: My pleasure!