Launch
Students will enter the project through a playable mini RPG experience, analyze what made the session clear or confusing, and begin framing the design challenge around historically grounded storytelling, user needs, and project expectations for their own tabletop game kit.
Days 1 - 2
๐ŸŽฒ Mini RPG Time Jump
Launch 90m
๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Player Needs and Project Brief
Knowledge/Skill Building 90m
Research & Plan
Students will investigate player needs and historical context, gather evidence from peers and a community partner, and turn those findings into empathy artifacts and a design brief for a historically grounded tabletop RPG.
Days 3 - 8
๐ŸŽฒ RPG Player Experience Map
Knowledge/Skill Building 90m
๐Ÿ“œ Sources for Characters and Conflict
Knowledge/Skill Building 90m
๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Peer Interviews and Observation Notes
Research 90m
๐Ÿ›๏ธ Historian and Designer Question Clinic
Community Experience 90m
๐Ÿงฉ Design Brief and HMW Draft
Deliverable 90m
โœ… Design Brief Gate Review
Assessment 90m
Ideate & Prototype
Students will turn user research and historical evidence into testable tabletop RPG directions, generate multiple concept options, build low-fidelity prototype materials, gather feedback from peers and a community partner, and complete documented revision cycles that improve clarity, balance, narrative tension, and historical grounding.
Days 9 - 13
๐Ÿงญ Design Brief Decision Matrix
Launch 90m
๐ŸŽญ Character Voice and Branching Scenes
Knowledge/Skill Building 90m
โœ๏ธ Paper Prototype Sprint
Project Work 90m
๐ŸŽฒ Mechanics Playtest with Designer
Community Experience 90m
๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Revision Gate Prototype Check
Assessment 90m
Refine & Showcase
Students will refine their tabletop RPG prototypes through evidence-based revision, validate design choices with new users, and assemble a stakeholder-facing story of how historical research, writing craft, and playtest feedback shaped their final game direction before the public festival.
Days 14 - 18
๐Ÿงญ Final Playtest Focus Board
Knowledge/Skill Building 75m
๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Rulebook and Kit Revision Sprint
Project Work 90m
๐ŸŽฒ Game Store Validation Session
Community Experience 90m
๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Design Journey Peer Tuning
Deliverable 90m
โœ… Prototype Readiness Check
Assessment 90m
Showcase
Students will present their finished historical tabletop RPGs to authentic players, observe how guests use the materials, gather final evidence about clarity and player experience, and complete a peer and self-assessment that explains how research, writing, and revision shaped their final game kit.
Days 19 - 20
๐ŸŽฒ Timekeepersโ€™ Tabletop Festival
Community Experience 105m
๐Ÿชž Designer Evidence Circle
Assessment 75m