Featured project: STARSWORN, Teaching Literacy Through Games!
*As a note, the intro for this was written by Steph from TTRPGkids, and the below description was written by the game’s creator
Michael Low, master teacher and game designer, is Kickstarting Starsworn, an all-ages coloring book/choose-your own adventure game that builds literacy – and teaching kids to write using games at LuckOfLegends.com
Starsworn is part coloring book, part choose-your-own adventure, and is a Project We Love on Kickstarter! Created by master teacher and game designer, Michael Low of Luck of Legends and Daniel Hinds of Stories Podcast, Starsworn cultivates literacy by helping players of any age – four to ninety-nine! – understand what makes a story compelling: characters, drama, and details. With Starsworn’s tools, anyone can start creating and running immersive and fascinating stories for family and friends.
One of our first goals with Starsworn was to make a game that felt familiar and easy – something anyone could pick up and play without any preparation. The game is play-to-learn – just pick it up and start reading, and questions, choices, and scenarios are introduced as part of play. Coloring book illustrations, read-alouds, and prompts draw players in and encourage them to take the reins of the story – will you save Wade, the enormous ferry turtle, by chasing off the creatures harassing him, or will you build your own bridge or boat to cross?
As the game progresses, new rules are introduced, so that by the end of the third Chapter, players are using special abilities and facing the tactical challenge of Drama Clocks! All of the game is designed to help kids imagine dramatic, but non-violent ways of resolving problems, whether a cook-off using basilisk peppers or a breakneck race in magically-powered airships. Characters solve problems using who they are, not what they own – their friendships are just as important as their own skills.
As players master the game, it invites them to begin designing their own stories, using what they’ve learned about scenes and characters to set up and run their own!
In addition to the book itself, Stories Podcast has released an entire series of podcasts where the cast plays a parallel storyline to the tales in Starsworn! Listen along and you’ll learn how it works – and get clues about the plot (leading up to moments when the two crews of heroes work together in Chapter 4!).
Best of all? This is only the beginning! We’re planning a regular StoriesRPG podcast with a crew from Stories Podcast, where you can listen, learn, and design scenes for the cast from home – in addition to regular, play-at-home updates for subscribers.
At the time of this article, the support of our awesome backers has unlocked four stretch goals, including 100 community copies for librarians and teachers, a story class for backers with the creator, a world-building game update, and a whole new chapter of stories to play. Help us unlock a digital coloring and activity book with a slew of amazing items and magical creatures – and more!
We’re so excited to be able to share this approach to falling in love with stories, and hope you’ll join us!
Go check out the kickstarter to support this awesome project, and if you liked this post and want to keep up to date on other features projects, make sure to subscribe to the TTRPGkids monthly newsletter! Stay up to date on the latest reviews, tips and tricks, game and podcast list updates, and more! Thank you for playing tabletop RPGs with your kids and sharing this awesome hobby with the next generation!