Posted February 22, 2023 by wiegraf
#tabletop #design #adhd #accessibility
I recently wrote this as a reply to the How to ADHD YouTube video channel's "10 Tips to Making Your Tabletop RPG More ADHD Friendly" and thought I would also post it here for easy reference since it helps explain my design intentions with the game!
So I am autistic and have ADHD, and my tabletop RPG Dragons & Travellers Tales (available on Itch.io https://wiegraf.itch.io/dragonsandtravellerstales) has basically all of these things baked into the game rules. It also is typeset entirely in a dyslexic friendly font and layout, and includes descriptive text! Here's how Dragons & Travellers Tales (on Itch.io) does these things:
1. Have a comprehensive session zero:
The session zero where you discuss everything is already the start of the game! You play as a pair of dragonfolk making a world together, so you have an easy way to talk about how the game is set up and how it's going. The character roles you pick help you think about your playstyle and how you're interacting with each other.
2. Include recaps at the beginning of your games sessions:
You finish each session by writing up a summary of what happened in the game and can use this for recapping at the start of the next session.
3. Find a character management system that works for you:
The game comes with character sheets to keep track of everything, but it was playtested on index cards and you can totally do everything with them!
4. Ask the question (even if it seems silly):
The game is set up as one dragonfolk playing as the mentor and the other as the pupil in making worlds, so you are totally justified as the pupil IN CHARACTER asking questions!
5. Be the Game Master:
Both players share the traditional "Game Master" responsibilities in this game, so it's easier for both, and more engaging! Everything is also set up in phases so you get to do your session prep DURING the game instead of in advance. No scheduling stress!
6. Keep the game session short:
Because there are only two players there is zero time where you are expected to sit around and wait. This also means that sessions end up being shorter because you are engaged the whole time and don't have to do a bunch of context switching!
7. Seek out inspiration for your character:
Admittedly, I could do better with this one, but because all of the characters are necessarily connected to each other according to the rules, each one helps lead to making the next. The game also includes some nice character art for each character art to give you ideas.
8. Give yourself something to do:
Well, you're always playing the game when you play Dragons & Travellers Tales, but it includes activities like journaling and drawing, as well as the usual RPG stuff! Engaging with a variety of activities is good for ADHD brains!
9. Schedule the game sessions around your brain:
As the designer I can't help you too much with this one, but because this is a two player game there aren't a bunch of people whose schedules you need to accommodate and you can be more flexible!
10. Allow your game to matter:
Dragons & Travellers Tales is focused on personal stories and a sense of intimacy at the table. This means that every game I've ever played of it has been deeply meaningful to both people at the table. This is a strong source of external validation for those of us for whom that's a strong motivator! What our brains care about more is more likely to get attention and care!
Thanks for reading and feel free to steal these ideas for your own games! :D