Anecdote Example and Z-Day City RPG For Learning To Use Public Transit

then we fast-forward through all the way from 11 to 30 something year old learning to use the bus system because a

1:00:57

lot of them are a hundred percent dependent on their caretakers so we have a game called z-day insert city name so

1:01:04

z-day Tacoma so you are an agent of shield which means you don't have a dress up in a costume because you're

1:01:09

undercover we start as a tabletop role-playing game and it's whatever system you want to use I use just a

1:01:14

generic one I've made and you use the actual bus system for the area you've

1:01:20

been told that there's a bad guy going to try to spread a virus through the town using the public transit system you

1:01:25

know and then they need to find out more we're not gonna shut down the public transit system on a rumor go investigate so they go investigate using the actual

1:01:32

schedule and map of the actual town they're in on the tabletop learning the

1:01:37

schedule as they talk to different people on the bus and in the alleyways and at bars and what-have-you unraveling

1:01:43

these clues in a modern setting and eventually find out yeah there really is a plot but we can't we still can't just

1:01:50

shut down the city because it'll alert it but we know where he's going to be and so the second to last day we have

1:01:56

them figure out where the actual bus stuff is to their actual house in the real world and then they take the bus

1:02:01

and they all meet it like the the main bus Central Station and then follow some

1:02:07

post-its or some people dressed up as NPCs however you want to do it and then here's the fun twist and this is this is this part I have nailed to

1:02:12

get to do the time he hasn't worked out but I dream of the day it will it doesn't matter if they succeed in

1:02:18

stopping the bad guy that's not the point the point is they learn to use the bus system yeah and I have a good time doing it and then as sticks it but the

1:02:26

way we wanted to time it one of these days is a lot of towns do zombie walks yeah and the virus is to turn everybody

1:02:32

into zombies and so the thing is if they don't unravel the clues in time they

1:02:38

turn left and they look and here's a thousand but it's kind of better if they

1:02:53

if they lose

an alternate modern day transitional tabletop-to-live-action RPG based loosely on Marvel's Agents of Shield setting used to teach the participants how to use the public transit system. The participants are “agents” tasked with investigating (and hopefully thwarting) rumors of a plan to use the Tacoma public transit system to propagate a virus that will turn everyone into zombies.

The program begins as a tabletop using the actual map and route schedules of the Tacoma transit system to track down clues, and unravel the plot. They play in this tabletop format until all the players achieve both competence and confidence in using the transit system from a tabletop setting. Then on the second-to-last session, they determine the nearest route to take from their actual (player) home to a central meeting location.

For their final session, they actually use the “real world” bus to meet, and finish, the adventure in a LARP format, using several transit resources, and then either succeeding (or failing to various degrees) to stop the “bad guys”. Whether they accomplish their mission, or not, they benefit from participation in the program either way.

There is a final twist to this particular program that adds to the potential fun, the greater Seattle & Tacoma areas regularly hold day-long “Zombie Walks” with hundreds, even thousands, of people dressing up as zombies and walking through the city streets as a horde. This make it possible to allow for a fun twist if the PC's fail to some degree to foil the plot. :-)

"Let's say there's a goal that says we want this group to learn how to use the public transit system in Tacoma," Robinson told VICE. The exercise that teaches them to use the bus is a tabletop RPG, that turns into LARPing in the final chapter. "You're all agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the game begins—placing the students squarely in the comfort of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, instead of the boring real world. As the students uncover the clues, they'll uncover an evil plan to release a virus using the public transit system in Tacoma—one that will turn everybody into zombies. "They follow some clues and ride a couple of buses to key locations to try to thwart the bad guy's plans," Robinson said.

A Recreation Therapy-related Program Plan Using Role-playing Gaming to Prepare

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Youth & Adults to Use the Metropolitan Bus 

http://rpgr.org/blog/using-role-playing-games-for-autism-spectrum-participants

Program plan utilizes tabletop and live-action role-playing game sessions to help Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) participants build up confidence and competence toward improved autonomy through use the public transit system.

This adventure activity begins by using tabletop RPG for phase I, and then Live-action role-playing (LARP) (actually using the buses) for the final phase II.

The original version of this program plan was reviewed by Professor Emily Messina, Director of the Therapeutic Recreation for Eastern Washington University.

It has also been reviewed by the Tacoma PAVE Group for addition to their programming schedule. The ASD guardians would like Hawke Robinson to come to Tacoma to implement the program plan, but due to the logistics (he resides in Spokane Washington on the other side of the state), has not yet been able to implement this program. The PAVE group does not have a formal facility, they utilize churches and other ASD guardians' homes for some activities, but generally arrange to meet at facilities for activities periodically. This is one of the reasons why The RPG Research Trailer would be very useful in helping to actually implement programs such as this.

 If you know of other programs with similar approaches (using RPG for ASD), please let me know, and I will gladly add a link to your information to this article. Thank you!