By: Heather O’Neill, Lead designer & Owner, 9th Level Games
Over the years I spoke with several parents and therapists about the lack of roleplaying games for a young audience, namely 5-12 years old. Two of these therapists were Dr. Brian Quinones and Timothy Grant, owners of Gaming Approaches to Therapy & Education, who use tabletop games in their play therapy practice. We talked about how they modify existing games to fit their needs, including 9th Level’s Meeple Party and Kobolds Ate My Baby.
Soon our discussions switched to the desire to make something for their needs that is still a fun game children are excited about. Flash forward to Summer 2020 where I had been using the early pandemic to catch up on game designs and thought this would be the perfect time to collaborate on our kids roleplaying game that could also serve as a tool for therapists. I reached out to Brian and Tim, and they were in! Later in the design process we also brought in Erin Bonfoey, a 4th grade teacher and creative writing expert to focus on how to use Venture Society in the classroom.
The foundation of Venture Society is a fun and easy to learn roleplaying game that just so happens to build (SEL) Social Emotional Learning skills.
For those new to running TTRPGs, there is a glossary of terms, tips throughout the guidebook and adventures, as well as 25 pre-written adventures by some well-known TTRPG writers like Sen-Foong Lim, Misha Bushyager, and Jason Morningstar. Our first goal was to help parents have fun as a family without onerous & confusing rules, CHECK!
On top of that we created a professional’s guide which is geared towards teachers, therapists, and librarians as well as included comments and tips throughout the guidebook aimed at those professionals. Now our second goal, to use this game as a therapeutic tool was complete. Plus, as a bonus we now had resources for teachers and librarians too!
About Venture Society:
The Venture Society is a worldwide organization dedicated to helping others and encouraging harmony with your fellow animals, and you're invited to join. Go on fun adventures to help others in Animalia, from your hometown of Venture Village to the heat of Oasis City or the chilly winds of Twilight Peaks.
Venture Society is a rules light TTRPG with adventures focused on problem solving, not combat. Players are rewarded for following the four principles of the Venture Society: Communication, Personal Strengths, Emotional Wellness, and Social Awareness.
- Get started out of the box using our Quick Start play setup in just minutes.
- 30-minute adventures with a hands-on activity to bring focus back to the table.
- Box includes everything you need to start roleplaying now!
- Includes Professional's Guidebook outlining how to use as a tool.
- Utilizes Social Emotional Learning as the economy of the game.
- Over 25 pre-written adventures written by RPG, therapy, and education experts.
