A Corporate Team Building Event like you’ve never experienced.
D&D
Team building with Dungeons & Dragons
02. What is D&D?
03. Why a D&D event?
04. Meet your Game Master
05. Event details
06. Contact
The ultimate team exercise
You’ve tried the typical team building exercises; it’s time for something radically different. You probably have heard of Dungeons & Dragons, but you may not have considered incorporating this into a team workshop. Here’s your chance.
Embark on an adventure with your teammates that will be both entertaining while challenging you to think creatively, collaborate, build trust and strengthen your bonds.
On this team building event, a group of players will learn the rules of the tabletop role playing game Dungeons & Dragons, create a character (or select one from pre-made options) and embark on a collaborative adventure in a simulated fantasy world.
Tabletop
But wait, What’s
Dungeons & Dragons
If you’re new to the world of tabletop role playing games, it can be hard to imagine what this game is about. Here is a short explanation and a video to give you a good picture.
In a nutshell…
“The core of D&D is storytelling. You and your friends tell a story together, guiding your heroes through quests for treasure, battles with deadly foes, daring rescues, courtly intrigue, and much more. You can also explore the world of Dungeons & Dragons through any of the novels written by its fantasy authors, as well as engaging board games and immersive video games. All of these stories are part of D&D.”
Theatre of the mind
D&D is a tabletop role playing game. You and your teammates play adventurers who embark on epic adventures full of dangers, mysteries and treasure. It takes entirely place in your collective mind. In this game, you role play as your character, which generally means you speak as them when needed.
With some rules
Like any game, some basic rules are needed. Those allow you to decide how capable your character is at achieving certain things. It makes the difference between a strong athletic but shy fighter and a smart but frail wizard. When a challenging action is attempted, dice can be rolled which determine the outcome of the action. But don’t worry too much about the rules, to help you with all this comes…
The Game Master
or Dungeon Master or GM for short. The GM is your game’s storyteller. They simulate the world, ask for dice rolls, decide on the outcomes of all actions, and plays the roles of all the characters the players are not. When the GM does their job right, you don’t have to worry too much about the rules; they’ll just tell you what to roll.
limitless imagination
But despite the rules and what you’re told what your character can do, at the end of the day, the sky’s the limit. If you think of something clever, risky or simply fun, just ask your Game Master if it’s doable. Chances are, they’ll say yes. This is not like a video game with predetermined courses of actions and a specific ending in place. The world reacts to your actions and the GM adapts to anything you come up with. Don’t be shy to try something.
Got 10 minutes?
This video says it all…
Added Values
Why a D&D event?
Sometimes you just have to try it to understand, but here are some of the benefits from such such an event.
A fun space for growth
The nature of tabletop role playing games allows participants to experience imagined but vivid situations in a safe space. Being able to explore scenarios without the anxiety that comes from real-life consequences such as confrontations, negotiations, traumas, etc. facilitates healing and growth.
Uncover Leadership
A game where players take on new characters is a great opportunity to try different roles. This is a perfect occasion for untapped skills to reveal themselves organically. If you are your team’s usual leader, you can take a step back and see if others step up to the role.
Lasting Bonds
Even though your adventures take place in your mind, what you experience with your peers stay as real lasting and vivid memories. It is common for teammates to reminisce years after about that epic quest they triumphed over.
Team Collaboration
Many games are competitive, but the foundation of role playing games is collaboration. The game is designed so one character cannot excel at everything. In this fantasy world, there are dangers to face, and players naturally understand working together grows their chances exponentially.
Creative Problem Solving
There is no A to B to C in role playing games. Although an adventure has been prepared, how the players tackle it is entirely up to them. Even better, if they think of a clever idea on reaching an objective that wasn’t planned for, it’s likely to work. This game encourages players to think out of the box and reward them for it.
And much more…
If you want to find out more about the benefits role playing games can add to your team building events, here are some articles.
Meet your
Game Master
Alp Tekyildiz
I have discovered tabletop role playing games in my late teenage years and it has been part of my life ever since. I am a creative and a storyteller at heart, and I cannot imagine the two being absent from my life both privately and professionally.
Role playing games supported my growth from a child to an adult They have helped me heal from traumas of my childhood, and overcome my shy and introvert nature. Today, I am comfortable in most social settings, can present myself with confidence in front of strangers or an audience, and I believe I owe this in part to my experience with role playing games.
As a storyteller, I have gravitated towards the role of Game Master, the facilitator, the world creator, where I have spent countless hours imagining adventures, mysteries, plot twists and foes to entertain my players.
I believe Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop role playing games can bring fun and benefits to people’s lives. One of my goals is to help people discover and play these games. With this purpose, I have founded the non-profit association SwissRPG, which has grown since 2018 to a community of about 1700 adventurers all over Switzerland. At corporate level, I help teams strengthen their bonds through D&D Initiation team building workshops and events.
workshop
Event details
On a D&D Initiation team building event, a group of teammates will learn the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, create a character, and embark on a collaborative adventure in a simulated fantasy world.
Logistics
- Duration: 2 to 4 hours
- Attendance: maximum 6 players
- Possibility to have follow-up sessions and multi-table events
At your office or online
The event can be held at your office in the comfort of your meeting room with a table large enough for everyone. Playing online is also possible, in which case all players should have a webcam and microphone for video conferencing.
Character creation
We will go through character creation at the beginning of the event. If you would rather go straight into adventuring, it is also possible to choose from a selection of pre-made characters.
No prep needed
Players don’t need to plan or prepare anything. Rules will be explained throughout the event. Just show up with your adventuring mind on. If, however, you are curious and keen to look into rules or which character you can play, feel free to do so. Here is a useful guide to get started.
Image attributions: Alex Chambers | Erica Li | Alperen Yazgı | James Pond | Dice icons by Lonnie Tapscott