The Dungeon Dudes: Animal Expedition is designed to be an educational introduction to role-playing games designed for grades 2-6.
Many people ask, 'What exactly is a role-playing game?' The answer becomes more difficult with each passing year. Role-playing games are every where in today's society. Many of them are as different from each other as are elephants and chihuahuas.
When children play cops and robbers they are role-playing. When people use dice and a set of rules to create warriors that explore dungeons and battle dragons, they are role-playing. Many of the top selling
computer and video games are role-playing games. Many psychologists use role-playing to help people work through various situations that they may encounter. The main element that is common to all of these
types of role-playing is the element of 'play pretend.'
The Dungeon Dudes are a unique hybrid between computer role-playing games, pen-and-paper role-playing games, and games of tabletop battles using miniature figures. The computer interface allows the
players to take on the role of a pretend character. The goal in this particular adventure is to take a picture of 14 different animals. In the process, the pretend characters will find gold and gain experience.
Players can print their pretend characters in order to use them in offline battles, similar to many games that allow players to battle collectible miniature figures.
Many children begin playing RPG's for the purpose of having fun but accidentally find themselves becoming better at not just the three R's (reading, writing, and arithmetic) but also at
problem solving, budgeting, and interpersonal relations. This simple program demonstrates that the learning process does not have to be accidental, but can be made a direct part of the game itself. The aim is
to make learning a truly fun process.
My introduction to role-playing games came when I was in third grade. Very few eight-year-olds can immediately calculate 10% of any given number, mentally add sets of 3 or more numbers, and understand terms such as
Wisdom and Charisma. The idea of setting a budget came very quickly in the form of, 'How much equipment can I buy for 100 gold pieces?' or 'What would be more efficient, to buy a horse and a saddlebag or try
to get by with a larger backpack?' Personal communication skills were learned not only by directly interacting with the other players, but also by role-playing the interactions between different characters. e.g.
'How will the shop owner react if I offer 10 gold coins for that horse that I need versus paying 30 without questioning it?'
Listed below are 1) definitions for some of the terms that players will encounter when playing the Dungeon Dudes, 2) rules for doing offline battles between two characters, and 3) a list of questions that can be
answered by students who are playing Dungeon Dudes(tm): Animal Expedition. Teachers or parents can print these questions and require the players to answer them as they play. This set demonstrates only one possible way
that educational material can be directly integrated into a role-playing game. If you are a teacher, school administrator, or business that would like to have a custom set of educational 'dudes' created, please contact
Jeffrey A. Mills, DVM of Dimensions Game Software at doctorjeff98@msn.com.
Good Gaming!
Jeff
Sample Lessons
"Because A Dude's Gotta Get Smart"
Children can be given worksheets to fill out while they play the game. At the end of the time period, the students can print their characters
and
Define the Following Terms
Mammal
Marsupial
Carnivore
Herbivore
Insectivore
Rodent
Lagomorph
Primate
Ungulate
Ruminant
Arboreal
Draw lines from each word to the correct definition
| Mammal | An animal whose young develop in a pouch. |
| Marsupial | An animal that eats primarily plants. |
| Carnivore | A small mammal with paired incisors. |
| Insectivore | A mammal that has hoofs on its feet. |
| Rodent | An animal that lives primarily in trees. |
| Lagomorph | An animal that eats primarily insects. |
| Primate | An animal that eats primarily meat. |
| Ungulate | An order of mammals including humans, apes, and monkeys. |
| Ruminant | A hoofed mammal that spits up its food and chews it again. |
| Arboreal | A small mammal with incisor teeth used for gnawing. |
| Herbivore | A class of animals that nurse their young with milk. |
Give an example of each type of creature
Mammal
Marsupial
Carnivore
Herbivore
Insectivore
Rodent
Lagomorph
Primate
Ungulate
Ruminant
Arboreal
True/False
_____An arboreal creature lives primarily on the ground.
_____A chicken is a mammal.
_____A camel is an herbivore.
_____A ruminant spits up its food and chews it again.
_____An insectivore eats primarily plants.
_____A marsupial has a pouch.
_____A snake is a mammal.
_____A rabbit is a rodent.
_____An opossum has hoofs.
_____A wolf is a carnivore.
_____A mammal nurses its young with milk.
_____A bat is a flying mammal.
_____An herbivore eats primarily meat.
_____A rodent does not have any teeth.
_____An ungulate has hoofs.
Understanding Your Dungeon Dude
"Because A Dude's Gotta Know The Rules"
The Basic Stats
- Name: Click the text box and type in a name for your Dude.
- Number: Each Dungeon Dude has a unique number that identifies it and its save code.
- Level: A general indicator of your Dude's overall strength and worldly knowledge.
- Experience Points: Gained for performing almost any action. As they reach certain amounts, your Dude will advance to the next highest level.
- Hit Points: A general indicator of your Dude's current physical condition and the amount of damage it can withstand before fainting.
- Gold Pieces: Money, money, money. The basic currency in the realm of Dungeon Dudes.
The Basic Commands
- Explore: Your Dude spends most of its time aimlessly wandering around. Various good and bad things can happen to your Dude. Some photographs can only be taken while exploring a new area.
- Search: A safe way to take photographs by searching an already explored area.
- View Photos: View a slide show of all of the photos you have taken!
- Rest: If your Dude gets tired, bored, or loses all of its hit points, it will have to rest.
- Eat: A Dude's gotta eat; and sometimes it restores hit points.
- Erase All: Think carefully! Everything gets reset to its level 1 defaults.
- Edit: Allows you to delete certain photos to make room for different ones.
Understanding The Dungeon Dude Combat System
"Because A Dude's Gotta Fight"
Other Game Terms
- Base Attack: Your Dude's basic skill when attacking another Dude. The higher the better. Base Attack divided by 2 rounded down is your Attack Bonus.
- Base Defense: Your Dude's basic skill when defending against another Dude. The higher the better. Base Defense divided by 2 rounded down is your Defense Bonus.
- Attacking Dude: In a battle, the Dude who is attacking is the ... Attacking Dude.
- Defending Dude: In a battle, the Dude who is being attacked is the ... Defending Dude.
- Winning Dude: The Dude who wins a battle is the ... Winning Dude
- Leader Dude: In a Team Battle, the Leader Dude is the one who is currently involved in the battle.
- Faint: If a Dude's hit points are less than or equal to zero, then that Dude has fainted. The wandering monsters are likely to steal some or all of your gold.
In a battle, the first one who faints is sometimes called the Loser Dude.
- Attack Bonus: This is the number next to the Base Attack. It is equal to the Base Attack divided by 2 (rounding down).
e.g. If Zed has a Base Attack of either 14 or 15, his Attack Bonus will be +7. This is recorded next to the Base Attack like so, "Base Attack 15 / +7"
- Defense Bonus: This is the number next to the Base Defense. It is equal to the Base Defense divided by 2 (rounding down).
e.g. If Zed has a Base Defense of either 16 or 17, his Defense Bonus will be +7. This is recorded next to the Base Defense like so, "Base Defense 16 / +8"
Dude Vs Dude
The Basics:
- Determine who attacks first. Each player rolls a twenty-sided die. The one who rolls the highest number gets to attack first.
- Determine whether or not the Attacking Dude scores a hit. The Attacker rolls a twenty-sided die and adds his Attack Bonus. The Defender rolls a twenty-sided die and adds his Defense bonus.
If the Attacker's modified die roll is higher than the Defender's modified die roll, then a hit is scored.
- Determine how much damage is dealt. If a hit is scored, the Defending Dude loses 1-4 hit points (roll a four-sided die).
- Play alternates. The Defending Dude now becomes the Attacker and vice versa. Play alternates until one of the Dudes faints (i.e. has zero or less hit points).
The last Dude standing is the Winning Dude.
Example: Zed (Attack 14 / +7, Defense 14 / +7, Hit Points 10) vs Bob (Attack 16 / +8, Defense 16 / +8). Both players roll a twenty-sided die. Zed's number is higher, so
he is the Attacking Dude. Zed rolls a 12 and adds his +7 Attack Bonus to get 19. Bob rolls a 9 and adds his +8 Defense Bonus to get 17.
Since a 19 is more than 17, Zed scores a hit and rolls a four-sided die (result is 3). Bob loses 3 hit points. Now, Bob becomes the Attacking Dude and Zed becomes the Defending Dude.
In the next round, Zed is attacking, then Bob, then Zed, etc. until one of them faints. The last Dude standing is the Winning Dude. The Winning Dude can rest to regain its hit points then
fight another Dude.