Camp Daybreak

For my thesis I started my research by looking at the history and development of tabletop role playing games. Tabletop games have existed in some form or another since ancient times but have been largely inaccessible to the general public due to the complex rules and inherently gateket nature of the game. Tabletop games have evolved from strategizing activities for military officials to underground hobbies to a worldwide phenomenon with more exposure than ever before. When I started playing Dungeons and Dragons around 5 years ago the barrier for entry seemed enormous and it took a while before I discovered how rich and interesting these games can be.

 

My thesis, Camp Daybreak, is a module for Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition that is aimed to be an introduction and short adventure for new players. The module contains a brand new class, camper, which condenses the basic elements of every class into one that creates opportunities for players to customize their own character. In the starter set for fifth edition new players are given predetermined characters that start with fully established personalities and stats. My goal was to instead introduce the idea of fully customizable and unique characters from the beginning.

 

One major problem I found through my research was that tabletop roleplaying games are not beginner friendly and appear extremely daunting from an outside perspective. My goal with this was to create a class in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition that condenses the complex existing roles into one customizable but easily understandable archetype. From a historical perspective, it has always been incredibly difficult for average people to get into tabletop games. My goal for this module was to create a way to make tabletop games feel less daunting by tapping into the carefree spirit of attending summer camp.