A TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) is a game where you pretend to be a character in a story and decide what they do. One person, a games or dungeon master, describes the world and the challenges, and the other players say what their characters try to do. Sometimes you roll dice to see how things turn out. There’s no board or winning—everyone works together to tell an adventure story. 🎲✨
Dungeons & Dragons is the worlds most popular and recognizable TTRPG and is the basis of the game rules we will be using for this first Encore unit!
Core idea: An RPG is not about winning or losing.
This is a game where we make a story together.
There isn’t one right answer—cool ideas matter more than perfect choices.
If something funny, surprising, or dramatic happens, that’s usually a good thing.
The GM is not trying to beat you
The GM plays the world, not a character who wants to win
The GM’s job is to:
Describe what’s happening
Play the monsters and NPCs honestly
Make sure everyone gets a chance to shine
Keep things fair and fun
Characters can make bad choices without the player being bad
Characters can disagree without players arguing
If something happens to a character, it’s not personal
No one talks over others
Everyone gets turns to act
Helping other players be cool is part of the game
You can try almost anything
The world reacts realistically
Silly plans can be fun—but the world still responds honestly
Rules help us agree on what happens
If a rule slows things down or gets confusing, the GM may simplify it
Fun is the main goal!
No teasing, bullying, or targeting other players
If something feels uncomfortable, you can say so
The GM can fast-forward or change scenes
RPGs are typically 3-6 players per group. Anything more than that and it becomes difficult for a Games Master (GM) to run a game efficiently. To resolve this, we will be working in small groups called Pods. Each Pod will have:
a GM (coming soon).
a Caller, or spokesperson for the table. Note that the Caller is not the boss of the table.
2-4 other players.
A TEST is simple: when an action is risky or has a chance of failure, you roll 2 dice* and succeed if either die shows a 5 or 6. That's it! No math, no adjustment, just roll a 5 or 6!
If a situation calls for a player to have an advantage, simply roll an extra die, with a severe disadvantage removing a die. Additionally, player characters (PC) have abilities called traits which can also modify how many dice you roll.
Making an RPG character is extremely simple. You simply need to imagine the kind of character you'd like to play. A brave knight? A nosy thief? A brilliant wizard? Besides this idea, you will need:
A character name and a heritage. A heritage is another way to describe what you were born as. For example, you might be a human, a dwarf, and elf, or even a dragon! You can be almost anything you can think of!
6 Hit Points. Hit points are damage your character can take before they are knocked out of the game briefly.
3 Trait Cards. These simple rule exceptions allow you craft the character you were imagining!
A sketch or written description to guide your imagination.
That's basically it! Grab three dice and get ready for ADVENTURE!
Welcome to Greenvale.
Greenvale is a frontier town on the edge of the known world. To the west lie farms, roads, and trade. To the east stretch forests, hills, ruins, and places long forgotten.
A small but sturdy settlement.
Stonebridge Inn – Food, rest, rumors, job postings
Town Hall – Contracts, local authority
Shrine of the Lantern – A place of guidance and protection
Old Watchtower – Abandoned… but watched