Roleplaying Games and Sunday School.

Saturday night May 3rd I got a text asking if I could/would run an RPG game for Sunday School class. I took a little time and looked over my available game systems and decided on the Swords & Wizardry revised edition as the best fit for the age group involved. We looked at three  passages of scripture, the first one was James 1:2-4. Talking trials and tribulation. Next we looked at carrying each other’s burdens 6:2-4. Finally we asked the question what does it look like to wait on the LORD. Psalm 27:14. 

The results: The boys engaged with the lesson in the form of an adventure real well. They left class excited about the things of God and the game itself. For a last minute idea I was mostly pleased about how it turned out.  Would I do this again? Yes, in fact I hope to do it again. 

Things I would do differently: I would request at least four weeks to get a little more detail into the lesson by doing one portion of scripture at a time. I should have prepared some swag bags for the players. I should have prepared a greeting letter for parents telling them exactly what I am doing and teaching. This was not a problem this time as the players were all long term members at my church and their parents know me. 

My personal take away: boys don’t want to sit in class and just consume. They want to engage with what is being taught and with the person leading them. Yes, they were noisy and energetic. They want to be heroes and part of the story. That is called being a boy. It was true of me fifty years ago and still is today.

Grace and Peace.