I’d like to address these two common problems with role-playing activities (RPA):

(a) the RPA is grammatically awkward, and

(b) the end result of the RPA is known and inevitable, which may result in students losing interest.

Sometimes an RPA is grammatically awkward. The focus of an RPA on one particular grammatical structure while neglecting others makes for forced conversation, and it develops negative, linear patterns in our students’ thinking. The grammatical structures of real conversations bounce around, and our students need to be able to go with the flow of the conversations they have. In other such activities, the end result of the RPA is known and inevitable. When the RPA is laid out from start to finish, the student knows what’s going to happen. This can mean that they’re not being asked to think on their feet. This is simply not how real conversations play out. This undermines the goal of RPAs, namely, to prepare the students for real-life conversations. In traditional tabletop role-playing games, the success of the player’s actions often relies on what’s referred to as Difficulty Class (DC). The player announces their character’s intentions, the Game Master (GM: the person orchestrating the game) decides on an appropriate difficulty class, then the player rolls the dice to see if they roll high enough. If they do, they player succeeds on their attempted action. If they don’t roll high enough, they fail. Here’s part of an example difficulty class table from the massively popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, where the player rolls a 20-sided die:

Task Difficulty (DC):

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5 = Very Easy

10 = Easy

15 = Medium

20 = Hard

(D&D Player’s Handbook, 5th ed., p. 175)

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An example of using a DC table might go something like this: Player (P): “My character attempts to climb up the side of the castle and sneak in through a window.” GM: “Okay, please roll the die to determine success or failure.” P: “Oh. . . I rolled a 10.” GM: “The wall has some handholds but is quite slick. You make it half way up before sliding back down. You take four points of damage. Please describe what happened.” P: “I began my climb, proceeding sneakily up the building. About half way up, I lost my footing and slid down to the bottom, mildly spraining my ankle.”

GM: “Thank you. Who has another idea about how to enter the castle?”

I suggest these simplified versions of DC tables for use in class, where a six-sided die is rolled:

Simplified DC Table for Six-Side Die:

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4–6 Succeed

1–3 Fail

or

5–6 Succeed

3–4 Obstacle

1–2 Fail

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Obstacle: The student must overcome a new obstacle to determine success or failure. Success: The student (player) succeeds. Fail: The student fails to complete their challenge from the mission or the obstacle. A scenario using the second of the above tables might go something like this:

Example Role-Play Scenario with Narrative Uncertainty

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– Student A is a new client. They work at a global shoe brand and want to sell more shoes to customers aged 18–30. They want to hear five new ideas.

– Student B works in advertising.

Each time B pitches an idea, B rolls a die, and if it’s 5–6, A is convinced; if it’s 3–4, A is interested, but needs further convincing; and if it’s 1–2, A is angry that such a stupid idea would even be presented. Regardless of the outcome, both A and B must be ready to react to the unforeseen circumstances.

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Using a DC table in this way solves the two difficulties mentioned above: (a) the RPA is grammatically awkward and (b) the end result of the RPA is known and inevitable. Because the conversation is fluid and unpredictable, the conversation won’t awkwardly focus on only one grammar point and the uncertainty of the outcome will help maintain student interest. Using this method will make the students think on their feet and developing this skill will lead to success in real-life conversations.