Have you ever walked through the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Dino Hall, and imagined what it would be like to travel back in time to watch the dinosaurs while they roamed and grazed? Well, thanks to a PEWS event produced by AJ Kmetz, Erik Alvarado Quinteros, and myself (Kitley Kern), in our PEWS seminar this Spring, visitors of the CMC were able to bring that dream a little closer to reality through a table top role-playing game.
On May 30th, our visitors gathered in small teams and embarked on a quest carefully designed to teach, entertain, challenge, and build community. In our story, Han Jammond, the fictional museum director of the Cincintania Museum of Natural and Supernatural History, discovered a possible magic plant with great healing abilities that was around in the Jurassic period. With the goal of distributing the plant for free, he called on our adventurers to go back in time and retrieve the plant. Before they could begin their journey, players walked the Dino Hall to gather important information about the Jurassic period, the dinosaurs they might encounter on their adventure, and clues that could lead them to the plant.
The idea for a Dungeons and Dragons event was just one of many that AJ, Erik and I brainstormed at the start of the semester. However, it was the clear standout for both our group and our partners at CMC. AJ has a long history with D&D, in both playing and leading campaigns as a dungeon master (DM). Additionally, he is a geosciences student with knowledge of the Jurassic period. Without that expertise, the scope of this project would have been far too much to complete within a semester.
“We had the opportunity to combine two of the things I’m most passionate about – dinosaurs and tabletop roleplaying games – in a project that furthers the CMC’s mission. This project has been a highlight of my graduate school experience. I still can’t believe I get to use Dungeons & Dragons in my resume now.” – AJ
Erik is a philosophy student and his question asking skills were crucial for creating an event and story that were approachable for beginners. As a psychology student, I was mostly interested in the opportunities to create a social learning environment that utilized storytelling and imagination. However well we may have been equipped for creating a D&D event like this, though, it would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support that Brian Pollock and Arynn McCandless at the CMC provided us. Unsurprisingly, many of the staff at CMC share a love of D&D and were very excited about the opportunity to create a lasting experience that combined the fantastical game with science.
Most tables were filled with seasoned players, but we also had some visitors who were new to the game. Keeping the story interactive and exciting was a priority, and our DMs showed off their incredible game mastering skills by helping everyone feel welcome and included. With five tables of players, the event would not have been possible without the help from UC’s Ethics Center’s Ethics and Dragons crew. Although the event was not centered around ethical lessons, the DMs were able to tell our story artfully, and work with the decisions that their table’s characters were making – no matter how unexpected they may have been.
If you are sad that you missed the chance to play D&D at the museum, be on the lookout for future campaigns, or even a rerun of Dungeons and Dinosaurs. AJ is currently spending his summer back at the CMC writing a new campaign for another (chilling) exhibit.
AJ, Erik, and I would like to extend a very special thanks to Brian Pollock, Arynn McCandless, and Bill Stringer at the CMC, to Erin Barta, Zach Srivastava from Ethics and Dragons, and our DMs Josh Seibert, Samantha Foster, Kyle Young, Danielle Atkins, Maxwell Nolan, and Bones Riley. Without your support, an event like this would not have been possible. And, of course, to Melissa Jacquart for helping us learn how to craft a PEWS activity that prioritized community and conversation.
“The PEWS course gave us several of the tools we needed to handle the project, but it also put us in a position to apply that knowledge. I believe that in philosophy, sometimes we can forget that learning does not only consist in making theoretical considerations by reading and writing, but also in applying those ideas to impact our societies and the people within them.” – Erik
