Wyvern Seeker : School of Beginnings

Wyvern Seeker: School Of Beginnings is a game that has been designed to mimic the anxiety of starting at a new and potentially bigger school. This game can be use for transition preparation for pupils who are about to experience this. This game might work especially well for those who have Special Educational Needs.

The game mimics this by hinting at impending danger with it's look and introduction, while at the same time providing only an empty board for them to blindly attempt to navigate. As they play, they will stumble upon information and abilities that will lead to more information and abilities.

These are achieved via interactions with staff members and other people in the school and as such, this game requires a School Master (think of Dungeon Master in DnD). This person will play the roles of all of these in-game characters and interact with players. Sometimes these characters will turn into Wyverns and battle our players!

In this case, it it advised that the person playing as the School Master be the pupil's teacher, parent, guardian, etc. This person will be leading and guiding the game, making decisions on some of the specifics of the gameplay. For example, although the game is designed to hide some details from the players, the School Master may decide to divulge some of it before the game starts, for example, as to why the game includes toilet breaks.

This is required, as the game can be as open-ended, closed, or as linear as you want it to be for your pupils. For example, the game could have a clearly defined end, such as a given number of interactions, turns, or time. The School Master could even decide to make the game story-based, depending on how much time they want to spend. Make this game your own!

Another example could be that of allowing cooperative play between players, or even versus; both of these things add to the message the game is trying to send. Embarking on a new adventure with a friend is less daunting than doing so alone, but also, if players are allowed to attack each other, then it adds an element of bullying, which is often the main concern of pupils about to move school. This however, is already catered for, with "high traffic" areas in the game.

Any pupil with anxiety over moving school will get a taste of what it is like to go in blind, and perservere. They will do this by role-playing interactions with staff and more, which can be another source of anxiety when going to a new place. Pupils with Special Educational Needs will prefer this form of preparation (as opposed to diaries/ fact files) as it is more immersive and repeatable, making the learning happen by happy little accident.