|
Hello Parents!
(if you would
like to be removed from this email list -- please let me know ASAP).
Welcome to December!
I am Greg Dachner at The Role-play Workshop, bringing you this month's
newsletter, about all the current events of our Program. This includes
summaries of the missions being run by our Game-masters, as well upcoming
available Winter Break Sessions.
We are fast approaching
winter break and we have all day programs (9 am to 5 pm) on every weekday
of the weeks of December 20th and the 27th. We still have space available,
but if you wish to sign up, you should do so soon, the spaces are filling
fast.
Reminder: During the
two Winter Break weeks, there will be no after-school or Saturday programs.
They will resume on the 3rd of January in the New Year.
Remember, if you have
any questions about what happens at Abantey, either for myself or for
Becky Thomas, please send us an e-mail and we will address it in the next
newsletter. We'd love to hear from you.
***********
Upcoming School Holiday Sessions
We have several school holidays coming up this month and next month. Below
is a list of dates for which we are prepared to offer holiday sessions.
A session must have an enrollment of 4 or more students to be held. If
your school has a holiday which is not listed, we may still be able to
hold a session for you with at least 2 weeks preparation time.
After school sessions
meet at their normal time on school holiday days unless otherwise noted.
Cost: $50 per day;
discounted cost of $40 per day for 5 or more days in a row.
DECEMBER:
WINTER BREAK
9 am to 5 pm; $50 per day, $200 per week
Discount: 5+ Days - only $40 per day.
Monday, 12/20 (no after school sessions)
Tuesday, 12/21 (no after school sessions)
Wednesday, 12/22 (no after school sessions)
Thursday, 12/23 (no after school sessions)
Friday, 12/24 (no after school sessions)
Monday, 12/27 (no after school sessions)
Tuesday, 12/28 (no after school sessions)
Wednesday, 12/29 (no after school sessions)
Thursday, 12/30 (no after school sessions)
Friday, 12/31 (no after school sessions)
JANUARY
9 am to 5 pm; $50 per day
Friday, 1/14
Monday, 1/17
***********
I hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter! Have a happy Holiday!
Please be sure to
send in any questions or comments.
More to come next
month!-
Gregory C. Dachner
Game Master at The Roleplay Workshop
Gregdachner@roleplay-workshop.com
******************
Rebecca L. Thomas
Director The Roleplay Workshop
(510) 654-3582
becky@roleplay-workshop.com
http://www.roleplay-workshop.com
***********
Parent Questions/Discussion
Many parents have
been asking about our staff training program. The information below includes
excerpts from the material handed out to students at their very first
staff meeting.
I chose to staff the Roleplay Workshop with teens for two reasons: peer
mentoring is a powerful educational tool, and it gives teens an opportunity
to learn valuable skills for their future employment out in the real world.
Learning these skills is much easier in a context outside of ‘school’
or ‘parents’, and also easier when it is tied to an activity
that the teens really enjoy.
We have 3 levels of
staffing at the Roleplay Workshop: Assistants, GMiTs (Game Masters in
Training) and GMs (Game Masters).
** (excerpt from
staff handout)
Responsibility
The most important thing for all Assistants, GMiTs and GMs is responsibility.
Responsibility means: answering e-mails promptly, showing up on time,
contacting me if you are delayed or can’t make it, reading e-mails,
handouts and other stuff, and reading up on the manual - learning the
game mechanics and character generation.
When regular students
are present maintain a professional demeanor. No goofing, no talking back,
follow my directions, do your job! One eye on the kids at all times! The
ability to maintain this professional attitude is an important criterion
for employment. Make food choices consistent with program policy - no
candy, gum, or high sugar snacks.
**
Assistants
The Assistants are students who are responsible for helping the other
students learn to play the game and make characters. They are also responsible
for taking, placing and picking up lunch orders and cleaning the bathroom
and taking out the garbage and recycling.
The Assistant program
begins at the start of each school year, usually in October. We talk to
all students about the Assistant program throughout the school year and
each week of the summer program. We let the kids know what we are looking
for (see below) and how to become an Assistant.
Students must be able
to come to me and ask to be an Assistant - this is their first test!.
I let each applicant know what, if anything they need to work on. For
example, a student may need to work on learning the game more, or being
more assertive or making more responsible choices in their personal behavior.
Some students are asked to show improvement on specific things before
they can enter the Assistant program.
Throughout the school
year, Assistants have a variety of opportunities to learn to improve their
skills, such as: Assistant specific game days and assisting for after
school and school holiday programs. They are also invited, but not required,
to attend the GMiT training seminars, which meet the first Sunday of each
month.
In May, there is a
written test to see if ALL participants in the staff program are ready
to work in the summer. To work in the summer as an Assistant, students
must be able to make characters correctly and know the basics of the game
system.
** (excerpt from
staff handout)
An Assistant is:
-A participant who takes initiative and responsibility on a regular basis.
-A person who shows potential to become a GM.
-Given the opportunity to practice “Assisting” in games run
by GMiTs & GMs during the School year.
-Asked to assist for School Holiday sessions.
-Put into the Assistant rotation for the summer.
-Asked to assist by: helping kids make characters, doing lunch “runs”,
and possibly helping with the missions.
-Expected to help the GM facilitate their game - remember - you are there
for the kids, not for your own character!
-Asked to participate in regular Assistant gaming days to learn advanced
game mechanics!
-NOT guaranteed to become a GMiT
-may last anywhere from 1 to 4 years.
-Required to pass a test on Character generation and basic system mechanics
for a summer position.
**
Advancing in the Program
The next step in the staff training program is the Game Master in Training.
To enter the GMiT program, students are required to write an application
letter. This letter is due by mid September. I make my decisions and let
the applicants know by late September if they have made it into the GMiT
program. Our first Staff meeting is the first Sunday of October.
** (excerpt from
staff handout)
Anyone can submit an application for the GMiT program. The letter/application
must cover the following topics: Why do you want to work for The Roleplay
Workshop? What are your qualifications? Why do you think you are ready?
What are your weaknesses? Do you think you can have fun while taking responsibility
for the students in the program?
**
GMiTs
The GMiT training program is more intense. We work to help them build
not only the skills needed to run the game with kids, but also to build
their leadership skills, responsibility levels and personal initiative.
We meet the first Sunday of each month for a staff meeting followed by
a training seminar. The training seminars cover a wide variety of topics
including: system mechanics, goals of the program, story development,
working with students with learning or behavioral differences and the
legal issues of working with kids.
The GMiTs must also
past a test to be able to work during the summer (a paid position). GMiTs
must be able to make characters and understand and implement all the aspects
of the game system mechanics. They must also be able to run a game with
help from another GMiT or GM.
** (excerpt from
staff handout)
A GMiT is:
-A person who works well with kids, shows consistent levels of responsibility
and maturity, and is ready to commit the time and energy needed to learn
the business end of The Roleplay Workshop.
-A person who has the self-confidence, leadership and responsibility to
be the sole person in charge of a session for a short period of time.
-A position which may last anywhere from 1 to 4 years and is not guaranteed
to become a GM.
-Required to attend the seminar each month (1st Sunday). If the training
is being repeated, the GMiT may attend only the sessions assigned to them.
GMiTs may miss sessions with prior notice. If a GMiT misses 3 sessions
without notifying me, they will be dismissed from the program. Excessive
excused absences may also be cause for dismissal.
Seminar Topics:
--Game system and mechanics (ongoing training!)
--The goals, morality and philosophy of The Roleplay Workshop
--Story plot and development
--Legal issues involved in a “kid” program
--How to deal with kids with developmental or psychological needs
--First Aid and CPR Training
-Required to be able to make a character sheet (both basic and advanced).
-Required to maintain a 3.0 grade average. GMiTs must show their Grade
Reports each marking period. Individual class grades must be at least
a C. You will have 1 grading period to bring your grades back up.
-Required (to work a paid position during the summer) to have attended
all the seminars, run practice game(s), be certified in CPR & 1st
Aid to work during the summer, and pass the GMiT sections of the summer
test
**
GMs
The only difference between a GM and a GMiT is their level of responsibility
and commitment to the program. GMs are required to pass 3 tests in addition
to the basic test. Once they pass, and show the requisite level of responsibility,
they are paid to run games without assistants or co-GMs.
** (excerpt from
staff handout)
A GM is:
-Required to pass a written test of situations that might be encountered
while working and run an unassisted game for a group of younger players.
-Required to pass all sections of the summer test.
-Required to run an unassisted game with a group of 4-6 kids, some of
whom have learning differences.
-A person who shows consistent understanding and application of the principals
of The Roleplay Workshop.
-A person who is able to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate
behavior AT ALL TIMES.
-A person who is ready and able to handle tasks and has the authority
required to be the sole adult decision maker, particularly in case of
an emergency or crisis.
-A person who puts the needs and welfare of the business and kids ahead
of their own personal needs and desires, as they relate to playing Abantey.
***********
Roleplay
Workshop Calendar (RPWS)
This calendar is a
real-time calendar of the scheduled sessions of Abantey - after school,
school holiday and summer programs. As we update our calendar, the changes
appear automatically on this web site! Check this regularly for updates
to the schedule and to confirm when school holiday sessions have been
scheduled.
You can view the after
school and summer calendar at:
http://ical.mac.com/rebeccathomas/RPWS
School Holiday
Calendar
This calendar is a
real-time calendar of the school holidays of several schools and school
districts. If your school has holidays that are not listed on this calendar,
you can email me with the dates to add to our calendar.
Once a school holiday
has a confirmed enrollment, it will appear on the RPWS calendar. Until
then, the holidays listed are only potential sessions. A session is confirmed
when we have an enrollment of 4 or more and have adequate staff.
You can view the school
holiday calendar at:
http://ical.mac.com/rebeccathomas/School32Holiday
Session
Summaries
Mondays
After School At Dr Comics
We have space for enrollment of up to 3 more students.
Becky
While investigating the influx of criminal ‘Twilighters’ into
the refugee filled main section of Kiki, our party of adventures spotted
an acquaintance of theirs, Toksuri, an Abantey Relief Agency worker, standing
in the middle of a busy street near the harbor. In the chaos, she was
struck by a wagon, but not seriously hurt. The party took her to a cafe
to recover where she was distracted and confused. In the middle of their
conversation, she left the cafe and walked blindly across the street and
tried to walk into the bay! The party in the process of stopping her,
they discovered that she is. . . odd. . . having 2 tentacles coming out
of each side of her torso! After a scary few moments when it seemed as
if she would attack the party, Toksuri recovered, seemed very embarrassed
and took them to the ARA headquarters to meet with ‘The Director’.
The party learned some startling things about the secret actions of the
ARA to protect Abantey from invasion from Amethyst. They were inducted
as ARA trainee operatives, assigned to work with Toksuri to investigate
the disturbances in the Twilight and admonished to keep an eye on Toksuri
- as something was clearly wrong with her - possibly related to the disturbances
in the Twilight.
Greg
The town of Geyser, located in the pristine jungle hills south of Repast,
home of one of the Rogue’s wealthiest mining communities, and home
to... monsters?? Having hiked their way up the small mountain road, our
adventurers find themselves at a roadblock. The mercenary group, The Crimson
Star, has blocked the road and refuses to let them pass. This doesn't
stop the adventurers though. They've been hired to investigate and that's
what they shall do - one way or another. In order to avoid a conflict,
they leave the road, and sneak around the roadblock. Eventually they meet
an old miner hermit named Griswold Guhthumpathump, who is a friend of
the town of Geyser. He tells the adventurers that monsters appeared in
the mines two weeks ago, and since then most of the town leaders have
disappeared! Deciding they have to see these monsters for themselves,
they enter the abandoned Shovelhead Mine. What mysteries lie inside? Will
they even make it out alive?
Tuesdays
After School At Dr Comics
We have space for enrollment of up to 3 more students.
Greg
Taking a riverboat far upriver, our party of Marked Feeshans are deep
in the heart of the Kiki jungle. Traveling with Dr. Hubert, the archeologist,
they are on a journey to discover ancient Feeshan ruins. And sure enough,
they find them! Ancient pyramids and villages from ages past. Amongst
the ruins, the party finds all sorts of evidence of an ancient and rich
Feeshan civilization here. But is this sub sect of Feeshan culture now
extinct? The evidence suggests that perhaps they still exist, and very
close by...
Dominic
After running into the mysteriously out-of-place Marked Sakeet Calvary
in the mountains of Plajet, the party gets into a fight for their freedom
as the Sakeets attempt to take them captive. After some daring-do and
a smattering of swashbuckle, the party unfortunately is subdued and taken
back to the clan holding E'Kow. They are held there for a night and then
sent to talk to the mighty Os'Sakeet himself. At their audience, Os'Sakeet
acts very strangely, eventually ordering their release. They wander away
from the clan holding only to find themselves at the crossing of a wide
river. Some quick thinking gets them across, only to find that the hot
savannas of Sakeet have changed drastically to a temperate forest! What
could this mean?
Piedmont Middle
School Special Education Class
Becky
Once again,
Becky is running sessions for groups of special needs students at Piedmont
Middle School.
Our group begins with
2 players. One is playing ‘Pepino’, a rogue Wa’la weapon
smith and the other is playing ‘Stein’, a Marked Sakeet Kohai.
They have with them Pepino’s acquaintance from training, a rogue
Plajet Jack of All Trades. Pepino’s father has been gone for several
months. He traveled to the land of Wa’la, looking for his Marked
relatives. He was to meet his cousin, Scorpion, in the rogue town of Desolation.
Pepino’s mother is concerned, as her husband has been gone for several
months now. She sends her son and his friends to Desolation to find Pepino’s
father. The group spent some time preparing for their adventure, as they
might need to go into the Wa’la deserts - and if they are not prepared,
they could die!
Wednesdays
After School At Dr Comics
We have no current enrollment for Wednesday. If you would like to start
a Wednesday group (4 students minimum), please let us know. We can enroll
up to 6 students on Wednesdays.
Archway Group
Becky
For several years, Becky has been teaching groups for Archway School’s
elective’s courses. The groups meet at Dr Comics to play Abantey
during the school day. The first semester’s group finished their
mission the first week of November. The second Archway group began their
sessions just before Thanksgiving break. After 2 days of character creation
and background, they are ready to begin their adventure - investigating
a series of mysterious deaths.
Thursdays
After School At Dr Comics
We have space for enrollment of up to 2 more students.
Greg
Having been shipwrecked hundreds of miles north of Townsend, the party
of adventurers has to find their way back before the nefarious mage Ludvig
can carry out his unknown and unspeakable deeds of evil. Can they catch
him in time? While traveling south, they meet a Marked Baluud Wilderness
Scout. What is a protector of the forests and balance doing so far from
her lands, they wonder? It turns out that the balance of nature is disturbed
in this area and Os'Baluud had sent her to investigate. Traveling farther
south they find a small fishing village that had been attacked by a pack
of crazed Raptors! The party puts two and two together: Disruption in
nature, and man-eating Raptors... Ludvig has already started his despicable
plans! He must be found, and soon!
Piedmont Middle
School Special Education Class
Becky
Our Thursday group has 3 players. They have all made characters who are
Jack’s (jacks of all trades, masters of none). They know a little
bit about how to do many things, but not have the detailed training that
specialized classes have. November was a difficult month, we had several
students sick and the Thanksgiving holiday. Our adventure will begin in
December.
Friday
After School At Dr Comics
Enrollment is now full for Friday!
Becky
Our mission to sneak through the quarantine zone around Tabur is off to
a rocky start. First, our Emerald magic user, Hawk - a Marked Wa’la,
drew the attention of magic user guards scanning the area around a Tabur.
Fortunately, the party misdirected the magical guards by directing the
ship’s captain pull into a coastal town and pick up refugees to
take to a save city across the Laral Straights. The party then pretended
to be adventurers helping with the relief effort, to head toward the quarantine
zone. At the last town before the zone, Anjose, the party stopped in a
cafe serving relief workers to gather information. They missed an opportunity
to continue pretending they were part of the relief effort, and snuck
off around the outskirts of the town and the guard posts on the main road.
Unfortunately, Gulo (a thief assigned to their group for her skills and
some mysterious ‘other abilities’) ‘dealt with’
a guard who was following them by killing the guard! Now, not only does
the party need to evade the guards around the quarantine zone, but they
also must evade guards looking for a murderer - their party member!
Greg
Greg's Friday group must escort the very injured Vincinte Alvaraz safely
out of Tabur, without being caught. Using Vincinte's expansive wealth,
they hire a Gnihton trade-ship to take them to Kiki as soon as possible.
After they sneak him off and into Kiki, Vincinte begins to act very strangely.
Every so often, he'll get very disoriented, and forget who he is and where
he is. They have to find his associate Alexie very soon, before he hurts
himself, or worse yet, someone else!
Rayna Levine
and Scott Lambert
Being stuck in Wanar with no job did not last long for party, as the disaster
in Tabur is providing adventurers with no end of people looking for assistance.
To the party's surprise a Marked Plajet priest, Friar Bob, who son has
gone missing in the recent chaos, contacted them. After gathering some
evidence in Wanar the party is heading out of town to follow a lead. They
only hope that the recent troubles haven't made the local animals more
aggressive...
Saturday
(1st & 3rd)
Saturdays At Dr Comics
We have space for enrollment of up to 5 more students..
Becky
We left our adventurers embroiled in combat with a horrific squid-like
monster. Things were grim and getting grimmer. . . first one, then three
then seven of the eight party members were down. . . the squid-like monster
was preparing to two of them, when Nema (their employer) finally put enough
crossbow bolts into the monster, and it died. In the end, they lost 3
crew members, including the captain, and all were seriously injured. They
managed to make their way to the port of Far Town, where they new crew
members and stocked the ship with giant crossbows. They know that Nema’s
brother went to the islands south and west of Far Town looking for his
treasure, but that island chain is hundreds of miles long! Hopefully,
they will find some information that will narrow their search area.
Michael Piper
and Steve Kani
The party decided that it would be best to proceed to the source of their
scans by going cross-country as opposed to staying on the roads. As they
walked through the savanna, a group of hungry velociraptors attacked them,
hunting for their horses. After driving the raptors off, the party had
to turn back towards a town for medical attention. While some of the party
was getting healed, the rest of the party decided to take the roads to
their scan location. They found a big house and decided to sneak in. As
they snuck in, they knocked out the guards, and explored the house. However,
the owners of the house have returned and were quite upset! As compensation
for breaking into their house, the owners asked the adventurer party to
do a job for them...
Saturday
2nd & 4th
Saturdays At Dr Comics
We have space for 1 more more student.
Assistant Tables
We also have 1 to 2 tables of training for our assistant program on the
2nd and 4th Saturdays. Assistants (ages 13 and up) play in advanced games
that stress the more difficult aspects of the Abantey game. They are polishing
their skills in preparation for assisting with the summer program. The
assistant games are ‘top secret’, and as this newsletter may
‘fall into the hands’ of regular players, the summaries for
the assistant games are not included here.
Eliot &
Scott Seyfarth
When we last left our intrepid group of adventurers, they'd just discovered
the missing supply wagon after an encounter with a tiger. An axle had
been broken - and the group suspects sabotage! With the help of the wagon
driver and a bit of magic, they repaired the axle and managed to get it
past the second wagon (they'd brought a second wagon along in case they
discovered the missing wagon to be beyond repair; but it ended up blocking
the narrow jungle road and was difficult to bypass). Thanks to their rescue
of the supply wagon, the banquet went off successfully, although it was
postponed by about an hour. However, during the banquet, Roger (their
employer) summoned them to his office to tell them that three items had
been stolen from the hotel guests. They discovered the first item hidden
in a pot in the kitchens, the second in a swimming pool drain, but were
shocked to find the third item in Roger's business-partner's room! Nevertheless,
he is not their only suspect.
While conducting their
investigations, the party members were very rude to several hotel guests
and employees and accidentally leaked embarrassing rumors about another
guest. Roger has informed them that they need to shape up - he has told
them they need to be a lot more respectful, think about what they say
before blurting things out, and treat their job more seriously (they are
responsible for the security of the hotel guests, but have been using
some of their time to go surfing). If they are unable to do these things,
they will be fired!
| Baluud | Feeshan
| Plajet | Sakeet
| Wa'la |
| Home | News |
For Parents | For
Kids | Kid Contributions
|
| Summer Programs | After
School Programs | Special Programs
|
| Schedule | Guest
List | About Us | Contact
Us |
Links
|
|
