Civic collaborative worldbuilding via role-playing games: recommendations from two case studies
Civic collaborative worldbuilding via role-playing games: recommendations from two case studies
This paper showcases the findings of current research around the use of collaborative worldbuilding techniques, facilitated by tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), to discuss aspects of transformative mobility and resilient futures. TTRPGs are great instruments to facilitate the design of worlds, via collective imagination. Since these games are inherently collective and collaborative, players often generate solutions to challenges together, being able to also change the gameworld, where their characters belong.
This paper first starts by outlining the features of TTRPGs that facilitate collective imagination, by focusing particularly on systems thinking, transformative mobility and resilient futures. We then utilise two case studies of current projects that address collaborative worldbuilding: a hybrid RPG game about participatory budgeting (Empaville) and an adaptive version of Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) for sustainability.
This is followed by an analysis of 4 one-shot games of 4 hours long each (16h of gameplay) of the DnD gameplay and 4 Empaville sessions, of 90min each (6h of gameplay). In both case studies, we have recorded the gameplay audio and we have taken observational notes. Our initial findings show that (fictional) shared objects in both gameworlds grounded the worldbuilding process. We suggest these shared objects could be further translated into the real world and influence policy making.
This work is centred around the themes of collaboration and co-creation, with further suggestions for the development of innovative frameworks that tackle citizen participation and the city observatory. TTRPGs can be great opportunities to study social sustainability and adaptive city systems.
worldbuilding, civic engagement, Civic Participation, role-playing games, Inclusive Cities
26-41
ESRC, University of Southampton
Wanick, Vanissa
d2941cae-269e-4672-b448-8cb93e22e89e
Gomer, Richard
71c5969f-2da0-47ab-b2fb-a7e1d07836b1
Risley, Kristina Louise
6b774963-ffc5-4041-b0cb-420392dce939
Gene-Rowe, Francis
d20d65f7-bdf1-4833-98e0-13c47b0f3a7f
14 July 2025
Wanick, Vanissa
d2941cae-269e-4672-b448-8cb93e22e89e
Gomer, Richard
71c5969f-2da0-47ab-b2fb-a7e1d07836b1
Risley, Kristina Louise
6b774963-ffc5-4041-b0cb-420392dce939
Gene-Rowe, Francis
d20d65f7-bdf1-4833-98e0-13c47b0f3a7f
Wanick, Vanissa, Gomer, Richard, Risley, Kristina Louise and Gene-Rowe, Francis
(2025)
Civic collaborative worldbuilding via role-playing games: recommendations from two case studies.
Turner, P., Blunden, L., Bahaj, A.S., Gauthier, S., Rodd, A., Alam, M., Ridett, E., Jain, R. and Kalsi, K.
(eds.)
In Book of abstracts for the 2025 International Conference on Evolving Cities and Towns.
ESRC, University of Southampton.
.
(doi:10.55066/proc-icec.2025.abstracts).
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
This paper showcases the findings of current research around the use of collaborative worldbuilding techniques, facilitated by tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), to discuss aspects of transformative mobility and resilient futures. TTRPGs are great instruments to facilitate the design of worlds, via collective imagination. Since these games are inherently collective and collaborative, players often generate solutions to challenges together, being able to also change the gameworld, where their characters belong.
This paper first starts by outlining the features of TTRPGs that facilitate collective imagination, by focusing particularly on systems thinking, transformative mobility and resilient futures. We then utilise two case studies of current projects that address collaborative worldbuilding: a hybrid RPG game about participatory budgeting (Empaville) and an adaptive version of Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) for sustainability.
This is followed by an analysis of 4 one-shot games of 4 hours long each (16h of gameplay) of the DnD gameplay and 4 Empaville sessions, of 90min each (6h of gameplay). In both case studies, we have recorded the gameplay audio and we have taken observational notes. Our initial findings show that (fictional) shared objects in both gameworlds grounded the worldbuilding process. We suggest these shared objects could be further translated into the real world and influence policy making.
This work is centred around the themes of collaboration and co-creation, with further suggestions for the development of innovative frameworks that tackle citizen participation and the city observatory. TTRPGs can be great opportunities to study social sustainability and adaptive city systems.
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Published date: 14 July 2025
Venue - Dates:
2025 International Conference on Evolving Cities, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom, 2025-07-16 - 2025-07-18
Keywords:
worldbuilding, civic engagement, Civic Participation, role-playing games, Inclusive Cities
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 506131
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/506131
PURE UUID: 27d453b1-681a-436e-8dc2-528f491feb52
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Date deposited: 29 Oct 2025 17:32
Last modified: 15 Nov 2025 03:11
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Contributors
Author:
Richard Gomer
Author:
Kristina Louise Risley
Author:
Francis Gene-Rowe
Editor:
P. Turner
Editor:
L. Blunden
Editor:
A.S. Bahaj
Editor:
S. Gauthier
Editor:
A. Rodd
Editor:
M. Alam
Editor:
E. Ridett
Editor:
R. Jain
Editor:
K. Kalsi
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