BRANCH RIDERS
FOR INTENTIONAL USE
Branch Riders was designed primarily as a fun system for telling evocative and moving stories. However, it was created with more than just entertainment in mind. Bodhana is a non-profit organization that uses tabletop gaming for therapy, education, and skill building. We also provide training for professionals on how to integrate gaming into their practices. Over the years, we've received many questions about how we come up with our campaign ideas. To address this, we combined therapeutic goal areas with different realms, making it easier for practitioners to create stories that naturally incorporate their clients' goals.
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While Branch Riders is not a therapy system, it is a tool for practitioners using games with specific intentions, whether for educational, therapeutic, or capacity-building goals. We have designed this game to facilitate work on client goals more easily. The core mechanics of the game support this, with elements like the Approaches system, which encourages clients to discuss various ways to solve problems, including different social strategies. Conditions help address the impact of harmful presences in our world and promote emotional expression. The interplay between Approaches and Skills encourages creative problem-solving. We are also finalizing a Facilitator’s Guide to help explain how to better understand and utilize aspects of the game in intentional settings. For more information about our training on Branch Riders and other offerings, please visit: www.thebodhanagroup.org.
THERAPISTS
Branch Riders is an excellent and highly adaptable system for intentional therapeutic settings. Bodhana has been using Branch Riders in group sessions for children, teens, and adults for almost two years. It has also been utilized by professionals outside of The Bodhana Group and is being proposed for clinical research to measure the efficacy of role-playing games for therapeutic and intentional purposes. Because the rules are simple and the Game Master (GM) does not roll dice, the system allows facilitators to focus more on running the story, where Bodhana believes the main mechanism of transference occurs in using role-playing games for clinical and therapeutic goals.
TEACHERS
Branch Riders offers various settings that create multiple opportunities for individuals to work on goals within an educational framework. The realms have been crafted with pastiches that lend themselves well to discussions about historical time periods, as well as contemporary issues, such as the impact of social media, the role of AI in our ever-changing world, and more. The game effectively provides narrative exercises compatible with literature studies, and it offers numerous chances to develop confidence in storytelling and enhance social skills and creative thinking.
PARENTS
Branch Riders can be a fantastic, family-friendly addition to any game night. The stories in Branch Riders can be tailored to any age group, allowing for gentle and kid-friendly narratives. While these stories are not clinical, they can impart valuable lessons to children, covering themes such as friendship, emotional management, and awareness of danger. Certain realms may convey these themes more effectively than others.