Journaling and TTRPGs

For the first time in decades I am playing through a long campaign role-playing game. And because I wanted to support the developers of this particular game, I threw a lot of money into add-ons. In this case, that meant purchasing a branded journal for the game.

At first, I merely made notes about bits of lore and the various artifacts and NPCs I found or encountered. But, then I began to add more detailed descriptions and even thoughts and predictions about where the story was heading. I did this at first because this semester I have been teaching a full-time course load in the evenings after teaching continuation school students all day. And my game board has often had to sit idle for a week at a time between sessions. The journal helped me pick up right where I had paused days before and I could jump right back into the game.

A couple things here; first, I am a lucid dreamer, and second, I like to fully immerse into my character in RPGs. I may write more about the lucid dreaming at some later date. For now, just know that I have entered the game in my dreams and I can actually “play” my character while I am in lucidity. I have to say, it’s pretty cool. But for now, the important thing to understand is that this immersion and connection to the game is therapeutic for me.

I have done a lot of work to defeat my trauma. And due to the nature of my trauma exposure, few people know about it. It’s not that I am embarrassed by my scars, it’s just that I don’t want certain loved ones to find out that I had a couple really bad days in the service, and also how close I came to dying from sepsis in my 40s. As far as they need to know, I was always safe.

One of the themes of this blog is my belief that tabletop gaming is a powerful tool for trauma recovery. And for me, journaling has increased the potency of the informal therapy that gaming provides. I have found that I now am writing my own thoughts and experiences in the game journal. Typically, I am sketching notes about:

1. my mood, emotional state, and feelings while I play
2. events or NPCs within the game that resonate with me
3. connections between in-game events and my real life experiences that seem important to me
4. parallels to real life struggles and victories.

These scribblings are barely legible sometimes, and even if they could be deciphered, the reader would be unlikely to understand much. But that isn’t the point. While I play, and write, I am creating more dispersed neural networks in my brain. These are in turn remapping how my neurons communicate about my trauma to my own consciousness. And this remapping is healing.

Maybe it all seems like a lot of work. That’s fair. I admit that I am odd in this sense. My favorite tabletop game as a kid was Starfleet Battles which has been compared by some reviewers as “doing your taxes.” But life is work. And by having active tasks in my gaming experience, I find that the game is more connected to my life.

I’ve been teased about my deeper than average connection to my RPG characters. But this is how they help me process real world issues. And I am far from the only person who brings the fantasy into daily life. This is literally the crux of geek culture. And we should be proud of our so-called nerdiness and our various fandoms. In the end, they are all about relationships and connections with others who love the same things we do.

For me, journaling while playing TTRPGs not only enhances the fun. It allows me to build healing and connection from the inside out.

And it also helps me justify the cost of this hobby - which creates more harmony in my home.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope you have some time to unwind and play.

Be well.

Board Gaming is Good for You!

 In 25 years of trauma, grief, and recovery work, I have learned a lot about what hurts us. And, boy howdy, do we tend to get hurt. A lot. And life starts swinging early.

When I first started studying Adverse Childhood Experiences two decades ago, we knew that childhood trauma was bad. The research into ACEs has since grown immensely, and the impact of childhood trauma has now been proven to reach into every area of our lives. Edcuational achievment, success, income, lifelong happiness, and even our longevity is decreased by childhood trauma. There are few diseases or conditions that are not correlated or made more severe by trauma. It can be a huge bummer to study this stuff. 

Enter resilience. 

In my dissertation, resilience was defined as ones ability to recover and even grow after exposure to trauma. The worst part is that the way traumatized people are often easy targets for further harm, and their behavior often predisposes them to more trauma. Many of us withdraw and hide. This is normal. But it also short circuits are recovery. 

Resilience, it turns out is a robust, powerful, and common response to trauma. And it is much easier to activate than we once thought. Early research indicated that having at least one, close friend, mentor, family member, or confidante, might trigger resilience. Sadly, those who experience trauma are often isolated - by circumstances or by choice. This is unfortunate, but contemporary society may make genuine connection harder than ever. Education and work tend to take us further and further away from our natural support systems. And many never had much support to begin with. 

So we can look for community. And many of us find it in faith communities, online, and with those who share our interests...and hobbies. 

This is where board gaming can come in. These days, even competitive and cooperative board games and RPGs may be played online. The way many parties kept their campaigns going using online meeting software was inspiring to me. And it was something else; healthy. 

Human beings need each other. Pets and books, and music and hobbies help. But we need other people. Our brain cells crave interaction - and they also crave the novelty board games provide. 

I recommend board gaming because it is social, collaborative (even when competitive), and it is tactile. Movement and touch are now understood to be helpful in trauma recovery. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of "The Body Keeps the Score," and developer of complex trauma theory has said that while pharmaceutical therapies are promising, he is betting on social activities that involve coordinatioon and movement. Now, boardgaming is not dancing. But there is movement. And for a lower limb amputee like me, board games are a little safer than West Coast Swing. My prosthetic weighs a lot, and I don't anyone getting hurt. 

So finding a tribe to play games with one or two nights a week can make a big difference on the mental state of a trauma survivor. But what about solo gaming? Does that help as well. 

It turns out that this has been studied for at least 15 years and the answer is...yes. I won't say it is as powerful as gaming with friends or family. But there are definitely benefits to mood, behavior regulation, cognitive function, outlook, and managment of anxiety. Board games are also being evaluated for potential therapeutic benefits. 

After reading several of these studies, I have picked up the idea that there is something to be said about winning little battles...or at least making progress. Improving at a game, even winning against a challenging automata in a solo board game can boost mood. The tactile and cognitive focus needed to play may have long term benefits such as delaying or preventing age-related cognitive decline. Additionally, when we "fight" imaginary monsters on the tabletop, it can make our real life "monsters" feel less powerful. We can beat those demons that try to hold us down. And we don't even need to roll for initiative. 

So get out there and play today. Have some fun. Use your imagination for something other than obsessing over life's problems and fears. Set your eyes on a good game instead of a screen. Dungeon crawling always beats doomscrolling. 

Have a wonderful day, wherever you are. 

Hey! Would you look at that? I rolled a natural 20!

Sending light. love and healing your way. 

-- Dr. Matt

Pericle by Long Dog Games

 One of my warm pre-teen memories was hanging out with three of my friends in an attic bedroom, sitting on avocado-green shag carpet and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Our party was often serious, frequently silly, and not nearly as smart as we thought we were - which led to our poor dungeonmaster's frustration on many occasions. Sadly, those days were short, and our party was split up by high school sports, band commitments and family moves. I tried Traveller with an older group of friends, but I missed the feel of those campaigns. 

Now, I'm middle-aged professional with responsibilities, a mortgage, one leg, and two full-time jobs. Like many, I find myself searching for mindful, quiet entertainment and stress relief. For me, board games fill that need. And Pericle, by Long Dog Games, has satisfied my longing for those attic, dungeon-crawling days with my boyhood friends. 

Pericle is at its heart, a classic dungeon crawler, but with excellent maps, gorgeous hero and adversary standees, an easy to learn dice-based combat system, and perhaps most importantly, a DM who doesn't care how smart or silly you are. 

Loremaster is the heart of Pericle, and it beats true for the genre of this game. Short video introductions to each encounter and setting set the mood beautifully, and the artwork included in the software is brilliant. When the action shifts to the mapboards, the colors and "feel" of the space and the encounter are consistant, creating a deeper sense of immersion, and escape. 

The games components are well made and durable. Optional card sets for spells and disciplines are a huge help. I do think that Long Dog should consider making laminated character sheets and include more notetaking space on the back to keep track of loot, skills, armor, and equipment.  This is a rare mistep, however, and barely worth mentioning. 

The cost of the base game, currently around $165 may seem steep, but this is a rich and growing universe of gaming. And as I said, the materials are stout. The acrylic standees have amazing front and back art (facing matters in this game), and there are a LOT of them in the base kit. They aren't just pretty, however. They are tough. I keep mine in a velvet, uh...ahem... "beverage" bag. Some may groan at this, but none of my standees show any wear or scratching. The cardboard components are thick and well printed. This game was built to last. 

Most players will start with four of a handfull of pre-generated characters. And I do recommend this approach. You will gain a lot from trying out the different disciplines and skillsets. Pericle also lets you change out party members easily. Just pick a different character sheet and miniature standee, change your party members in the Pericle App, and you are off. This also means that anyone can join your game at any time, and leave at any time. So, if one of my childhood pals were to visit, we could play a couple hours without any real prep at all. When he leaves, I can continue on with the campaign. I love this aspect of the game. 

At some point, and there is a perfect time to do it an hour or two into the Gathering Darkness campaign, you can create your own character. And this is another place where Pericle sparkles. There are no class requirments. You can choose any race or make on up. Combine several into a multi-racial character. I chose a Stone Dwarf Mage. And now, several more hours in, he is a badass - although not without some more scars!

Play is much more open ended in Pericle than some have indicated in other reviews. For me, the accusations of this game being a "choose your own ending" book are misleading. Most encounters offer tough choices and options and the number of branching decisions increases exponentially as the campaign progresses. I am now about 20 hours into the campaign (estimated by the developers to take at least 60 hours - but I must be behind that curve), and I just cleared an encounter where I had three other significant options that I did not take. Next time. 

The NPCs in the game are not throw-away props either. You will encounter many unique and fascinating people...and animals, who you may develop relationship or conflict with. And your actions and choices will add up and come back to benefit or harm you. Good choices lead to Ardence points that create good Karma. Literally.

If you are lucky, some NPCs might befriend or join you. I thought I loved this game before I was able to convince a stray dog in Porta to accompany me. Now my party has it's own four-legged fur missile!

If a 60-plus hour long campaign doesn't seem long enough to justify the cost, never fear. Long Dog has expansions already in the pipeline. I came along too late to back them on Kickstarter, but the Labyrinth expansion should be out in late Spring 2025. More expansions are apparently planned, and user creation tools are also planned. 

One last thought; we do business in our daily lives with real human beings. And I have noticed that many forget that for most careers, people are the job. Long Dog Games clearly knows this. They have made a great product that looks to be around for some time. Pericle is currently holding a solid 8.5 rating on Board Game Geek. LDG are masters of customer service. In the language of Pericle, they automatically get an AD+1 on every customer encounter. Many Pericle owners will tell you about the swift responsiveness they receive for even the most minor concerns or trivial questions.

I have my own customer service experience. In my daytime job, I teach at a continuation high school. Knowing the benefits of board gaming for mental health and prompting resilience, I agreed to advise a tabletop gaming club. LDG heard about this and sent me a copy of Pericle for my students to play. I broke it out for them this week, and they love it. Their current plan is to begin the Gathering Darkness campaig the week we return from winter break in January. 

My bottom line: Dr. Matt enthusiastically recommends Pericle.  

Remember, friends, we can slay fantasy monsters and demons on the tabletop, but by being present for others, we can slay the real ones in our own lives and theirs. Whatever your fight today, stay in it! We need you. 

Until next time. 

(Images are from my own solo campaign - note, the dwarf mini is not part of the Pericle set. I had this mini and he is just my favorite, so I put him on a hex hase and use him for my original character. Anything goes!)

Welcome to Dr. Matt's Tabletop!

Greetings!

I am Dr. Matt, a cognitve scientist and teacher/professor who loves board gaming. With this blog, I hope to share what's new and exciting in the tabletop gaming community while also offering up insights into the cognitive and emotional benefits of this great hobby. 

My research over the years has focused on trauma and resilience, and how they impact the ways we think and manage our behavior. It turns out that there are many ways to overcome our past hurts and wounding, and one of them is board gaming. 

I took up board games after the pandemic as a way to reduce "doomscrolling" and my screen time in general. At first, this meant time with my college-age children who were enjoying a "bonus year" at home. But then they left - leaving me with shelves full of board games. Then I noticed that a couple could be played in solo mode! 

In my case, the benefits to my mental and physical health have been extraordinary. For example, my blood pressure is regulated now. And I am happier, or at least more content. And this should not be a surprise. Board gaming is tactile, and even when we play alone, there are cognitive processes that mimic the social interaction and cooperation of group play. And it does so in a way that is calmer, more conducive to mindfullness, and which tends to be emotionally safer than online multiplayer games. The benefits to board gaming are much more significant than video gaming, and the risks are lower. 

So, if you are interested in tabletop gaming, and your mental health, stick around. I think you'll like what you see here!