The All-New OHS Tabletop Role-Playing Game Club
By: Xander Early & Ethan Pendleton
With school clubs back in full swing, a new organization is taking the school by storm. Mr. Mark Adkins, an instructional assistant here at OHS, has started a Tabletop Role-Playing Game Club and the student response has been incredible. We sat down with Mr. Adkins to get a rundown on the TTRPG Club and the opportunities it can open up for you.
XE: Thank you for joining us, Mr. Adkins. First, tell us about the Tabletop RPG Club.
MA: The main game that we play is called Pathfinder, but there are a variety of different role-playing tabletop games–Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Star Trek. You and a group of friends all sit down at a table and you are creating a story together. One person at the table will usually have a title called the “Storyteller” or “Gamemaster”. Their job at the table is to construct the overarching story. Everyone else at the table is then in control of what’s called a player character. They will use the rules of whatever game they’re playing to invent a character that kind of fits their imagination, such as a knight, archer, or wizard. These characters are placed in the story and have to react to whatever the Storyteller comes up with. Based on the choices that they make (and how the dice rolls of the game go), they might succeed or they might fail.
XE: So it’s gaming based on a story that one of the players creates?
MA: Yes. You just kind of build a story together. The excitement and enjoyment of the game is the back and forth of not knowing how the story is going to (unfold). The Storyteller comes up with the big idea of the game, but they don’t know how the players are going to react.
XE: How many kids are involved?
MA: Right now, we have over 70 students that are actually members of the club. But we have had about 25 to 30 who have made it to one of our actual after-school game days.
XE: How do the game days usually go?
MA: If you were to come participate in a game day, we would have about six tables going at a time. Usually about four to six people play at each table.
XE: How often does the club meet and/or have game days?
MA: We meet twice a month. And we do have a schedule through December of this year in our newsletter (see attached). Our Halloween party is going to be on Tuesday, October 25th. We also have 30-minute meetings on club days. Right now we’re on Club Day A, but the club is so big that they actually might be splitting it into Club A and Club B.
XE: Any final remarks or why students should join the OHS TTRPG Club?
MA: Just that one of the great things about tabletop RPGs is that there is a large amount of creativity involved, so everyone can kind of find their own role or place in our club.
You can check out the OHS Tabletop Role-Playing Game Club Newsletter here and if you have any interest in joining, be sure to reach out to Mr. Adkins (mark.adkins@owensboro.kyschools.us).
