Dungeons & Dragons in the workplace IT’s Not Just Fun and Games Stuart Turner & Gina Duello

Some definitions D&D – Dungeons and Dragons. The grand-daddy of tabletop RPG games. Player – the person playing a specific character. Character – the in-game avatar that represents a version of “you”. DM – Dungeon Master – the narrator, world-builder, adjudicator

Roll initiative!

Roll initiative!

Roll initiative!

You have my bow. And my axe.

You have my bow. And my axe.

You have my bow! And my axe!

So what?

The thief: what’s in it for me? Benefits to players Creative thinking Solution development Coordination / collaboration All of us is more than each of us Thinking on the fly The dragon doesn’t wait for you to draw the map Empathy through roleplaying “Wait, we don’t NEED to kill the goblin?”

Deus ex machina Benefits for the Dungeon Master Scenario development “What if…” Presentation Skills Organizational skills “Herding cats” - easy “Herding gamers” - hard Improvisation “What are the goblin’s motivations?” Contingency planning consequences Mentoring practice Teaching new players about rules and systems. Team Coordination “Know your audience”

Protector of the realm Benefits to the organization Team Retention Inviting atmosphere Morale boosting Team building Silo busting Line-Staff / Management Relations “People” vs. minions Skillset Extrapolation Stronger communications Work knowledge through table-talk Social event streamlining

Follow my Lead! Leadership in IT Defensive calendaring ITLW Making a commitment to yourself and your table Treat it like any other meeting But remember work comes first

Follow my Lead! All the world's a stage and we are merely players What roles do you play at home? At Work? Now change places! How can you adjust your roles to be a better co-worker, leader, friend Credit due: MOR Associates

Here there be dragons Challenges and Risks Diversity concerns Time management Letting the game spill into the real world Management and leadership buy-in Growth Potential DM as Bottleneck “Official” vs. “Unofficial”

Give me a knowledge check Contact us at: slturne1@Illinois.edu And duello1@Illinois.edu Want to learn more? Find the 5th edition rules for free at: http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules Never seen DnD played? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLEMb_RIZ3o