What is it like to write a story when you, the very author, have no say in the outcome? How does a writer prepare for the inevitable devolvement of their precious work at the hands of several Mountain Dew and Dorito-fueled fools (myself included) who like to play pretend?

Role Playing Games are a layered and gritty performative art - one which involves the passing of writing to a human who is then responsible for guiding several other humans through a collective experience. This is tricky - like a game of distorted-magic telephone - and thus, it requires a unique approach to write them.

This class recognizes the creation of RPGs as a creative writing process, and will explore the puzzling experience of crafting in the open-ended and choice-driven narrative style of Role Playing Games. Utilizing the Dungeons and Dragons: 5th Edition game system, students will learn to craft a dungeon of their own, paying close attention to the complexities of writing specifically for the Dungeon Master’s utility. We will isolate and examine the elements of a 5-10 room dungeon: Monsters & Villains, Traps & Maps, Clues & the NPC, and learn to implement them in our own playable work.

Carnegie Mellon University. Fall 2025.