d&d: The lost Gem
Building community with social games
What is this program?
D&D: The Lost Gem combines playing a game with the audience with a live magic performance to create a memorable and exciting 90-minute presentation.
The Game-I host a Live Play game, portraying a wizard on a quest to find The Lost Gem in a streamlined adventure with many possible outcomes. If you are familiar with these games, my role is a combination of player and D.M.
Interactive Choice- Attendees can participate in multiple ways. They can portray a character on their feet in front of the room, they can roll dice to determine random events, or they can decide to watch while occasionally offering ideas.
Live Magic-During the game, I perform magic to overcome obstacles and complete the quest.
What is the magic?
This program is designed for two groups of people.
New players- People who have heard of the game and are looking into it for the first time will have a fun, engaging experience that will open them up to playing their first full game.
Experienced players- Graybeards who have been playing since the 1970’s will get new ideas for their own games and enjoy a new take on a hobby that they love.
Added service for libraries
Jonah the Wizard performs magic based on spells from role-playing games.
I present a list of over a dozen available spells at the beginning of the game and when I encounter an obstacle, the audience can decide which spell I should use.
Available spells include, but are not limited to:
Confusion
Falling a great distance safely
Disguise
Creating food
Prestidigitation
Summoning objects
And many more
I provide an optional service with this program for no additional charge: consultation on how to launch or further develop a roleplaying game program at your library.
This can take many forms such as an in-person conversation on the day of the program, email, video call, etc. I am happy to be a resource to help you create a new program or grow an existing one.
D&D is the tip of the iceberg of a massive community. What other creative game programing can you support, such as designing, writing or publishing? Is there a demand for other types of gaming groups in your area?
I love these games and want your community to benefit from them. Ask about these or other ways that I can help.
Why is it 90 minutes?
Because of the degree of audience interaction, finishing the story in 60 minutes is not always possible.
90 minutes allows for questions and signup information for your libraries’ D&D program.
Children as young as 6 will enjoy the program with a parent.
Playing these games is recommended for ages 10 and up as the rules can be complex.
Rated PG for adventure.
Because of the audience interaction, it is possible that a particular scene might get into PG-13 territory. If it does, I will guide it back to PG.
I don’t know how long I have been playing tabletop roleplaying games, but I know why I keep playing them.
Creativity, friendships, problemsolving, storytelling, socializing… I’m actually not sure of all the reasons.
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is the most popular of these games and every librarian that has D&D programming knows that when the word gets out, people will come. And they will keep coming.
With interest from middle grade readers on up, D&D builds creative problem solving, teamwork, and communication skills. As you get better at the game your reading, writing, and math skills have been shown to increase.
A 90-minute program by award-winning writer and performer Jonah Knight
An introduction to tabletop roleplaying games (as needed)
Can serve as an introduction for absolute beginners, a conduit to join a library program, or a fun, one-time presentation
An interactive game with multiple ways for attendees to participate and gain experience
A story that changes with each presentation
What is the Story?
Jonah the Wizard encounters a number of characters (played by audience members) as I travel through strange and dangerous places to find a legendary gem (similar to interactive theatre).
The other characters help or hinder my quest by becoming obstacles or allies. The story can lean dangerous or silly depending on the decisions made by the audience.
Who is the program for?
Did you know that I am also a published role-playing game designer and writer?
And that I have a podcast where we play these games?
Let’s talk.