DEEP in the bowels of Cockburn, people with disabilities are wielding swords against orcs and fighting giant bats in dank, gloomy dungeons.
Thankfully the participants are all sitting safely behind a desk, playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons at Rocky Bay’s Cockburn hub.
For the past nine decades the health provider has been helping people with disabilities access the best services available.
Recently that has included playing the fantasy role-playing boardgame Dungeons and Dragons, which is a great way to “foster socialisation and work collaboratively to reach goals,” says Rocky Bay support worker Aimee Kiely.
• Left to right: Rocky Bay lead support worker Taylah Drazic, clients Alannah and Shawn, and Rocky Bay support worker Mitch Constantine enjoy a game of Dungeons and Dragons.
Kiely only started playing Dungeons and Dragons about two years ago, when her partner was running his own ‘campaign’, an ongoing storyline that can last several gaming sessions and sometimes many years.
She was soon hooked and has since played three campaigns – one lasted for eight months – and has been a Dungeon Master – the game’s referee and storyteller – for four campaigns.
“All the campaigns I’ve played have been ‘homebrew’ meaning that instead of running a prewritten module, the Dungeon Master writes their own storyline, characters and adventures,” Kiely says.
“My favourite campaign so far was ‘swashbuckling pirate’ themed and began with stealing a ship.”
After chatting to Rocky Bay client Luke about her gaming exploits, he expressed an interest to play, so Kiely started writing a fun yet educational storyline for him.
“I wanted it to be something simple and fantastical whilst involving real-world tasks,” she says.
“I ended up settling on a few unlikely heroes being asked to submit their resumes to the castle for their dream jobs within a strict deadline, bringing real-world activities into this fantasy world.
“I also simplified the mechanics of the game to make it easier for beginners as the game can be very overwhelming for first-time players.”
Since the first roll of the 20-face dice, the games have gone down a storm with clients and they are now held regularly for 18-25 year olds at Rocky Bay’s hub in Cockburn Central.
Kiely says there are multiple benefits to playing the fantasy boardgame.
“My favourite part is watching our customers, who might usually struggle in a social setting, relax into themselves and feel confident and comfortable being a little silly without fear of judgement,” she says.
“I have seen differences in customers within two to three sessions of playing, watching their confidence grow, and I have even witnessed players exchanging details post-game who would not have done so beforehand.
“Dungeons and Dragons is an incredible team-building exercise; it’s excellent for practising communication, lateral thinking, creativity, public speaking and so much more.
“I think role-playing games are an excellent opportunity for those who might normally struggle to create and maintain friendships to build those social bonds.”
To find out more about Dungeons and Dragons see dndbeyond.com and for Rocky Bay go to rockybay.org.au.