Role-Playing Games
EntrepreNewbies, a fantasy business RPG
*This product currently exists as a lite version that we are playtesting. Contact us if you're interested in playtesting and receive a discount on any purchase.*
The only time we heard the word "economics" in school was an elective taught by the softball coach. We also recall arriving at college and realizing, “Rent, utilities, loans, budget... Mom, help."
Entreprenewbies is an interactive, project-based Role-Playing Game that guides students through researching, launching, and expanding their own fantasy business. We describe the core experience as "a mad hive of innovators solving the absurd problems of a fantasy business."Â
Past groups have built a spy network, franchised a chain of gladiator arenas, managed video game studios and soccer clubs, invented rocket-boosted cars and a service that reincarnates deceased grandparents into customizable pets. Â
This game is not an academic exercise of forcing economic lessons into a fun-sized container. It’s about inspiring an entrepreneurial spirit and discovering a passion for curiosity and innovation when equipped with the proper tools and the proper crew.
Living History, an historical narrative game
*This product currently exists as a lite version that we are playtesting. Contact us if you're interested in playtesting and receive a discount on any purchase.*
History is where games truly shine. The major decisions that have shaped our world rest in your hands, not in a textbook. By creating an immortal, kids will travel through centuries of history, gaining and losing skills, items, relationships, as they participate in the rise and fall of cities, feel the weight of diplomacy, march through the Civil War, sneak through the Cold War, and brave the underground railroad together.Â
First hand, students learn what makes and breaks civilization, and why so much is lost in translation between citizens and leaders. They'll pull back the curtain of a pivotal moment, become the decision makers, and gain a nuanced view of the different perspectives that create historical conflict.
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Economic Games
Trading Floor, an investing game
Trading Floor is a dynamic team-based stock trading game, where players use their communication, math and probability skills to buy low and sell high. Play is simultaneous, with teams shouting out their strategies, drawing cards, calculating the odds, and hoping that the markets are still in favor by the time they resolve their trade. Each trading card can only be used once, so probabilities, brain-crunching calculations and the chances of big profits change each turn.
Standards Covered
Collaboration, Multiplication and Multiples, Addition, Subtraction, Probability, Market Cycles, Free Markets, Return on Investment, Risk Management
What You Get
- 1 Timesheet
- 1 Double-sided game board
- 140 Buy and Sell Cards
- 20 Coffee Cards
- 5 Market Tokens
Bloat, a civic negotiation game
Bloat is a game about co-planning a diverse community of housing and amenities…sort of. It’s the realistic version, with a dozen different groups negotiating and lobbying – hopefully compromising -- to build structures and pass legislation that best fulfills their goals.
This game has no traditional winner and, like real life, the random draw of a hand might bias for or against your objectives. Once all available lots are built, players earn constituency points for completing their projects or preventing other interests from staking a hold in the community.
Standards Covered
Accounting, Planning, Negotiation, Debate, Collaboration, Credit Cycle, Loans and Interest, Policy, Checks and Balances, Risk Management
What You Get
- 8 Proposition Cards
- 15 Interest Group Cards
- 10 Permit Cards
- 30 x 5$ bills; 90 x $1 Chips
- Game Board
- 20 Voting Chips
STEM Games
Civics and Historical Games
Vocabulary-Building Games
Treasure Hunters, a sly clue-giving game
Treasure Hunters is a game where teams race to give clues that connect multiple words, turning a grid of random words into a path toward treasure. The game increases creativity, synonyms and vocabulary comprehension.
Standards Covered
Vocabulary, Summarizing, Synonyms, Antonyms, Inferencing, Classifying
What You Get
- 75 Word Tiles
- 15 Color Tiles
- 12 Map Tiles
Get Those Gears Turning, a creative synonym game
Get Those Gears Turning is a game where teams invent one-word clues that connect two vocabulary words (gears), then swap their gears with one another to solve all clues and get their factories running. The game increases creativity, synonym proficiency, and deepens vocabulary.
Standards Covered
Vocabulary, Summarizing, Synonyms and Antonyms, Inferencing, Classifying
What You Get
- 2 Factory Boards
- 48 Gears
Keep Answers Weird, a creative clue-giving game
Keep Answers Weird is a game where students write one-word clues to help a teammate guess a target word. The catch is that if any clues match, those clues are eliminated. The game increases creativity, synonym use, and deepens vocabulary.
Standards Covered
Vocabulary, Summarizing, Synonyms, Antonyms, Classifying, Inferencing
What You Get
- 32 Target Cards
Creative Warm-Ups
Rebus Brain Teaser Booklet
50 word riddles for fun team-based warm-ups. Shown to increase collaboration during the regular classroom period.
No rules necessary. Simply leave the booklet at a group table and watch the teams investigate and solve on their own.
Calming Fantasy Mandala Coloring Book
35 fantasy-inspired mandalas for calming coloring warm-ups. Shown to improve Persistence throughout the class day.
Testimonials
“He’s still D&D strong. Has several groups he plays with and, over the years, got his oldest brother into it, too. [He] wanted me to let you know that he leads some of his groups and he learned a lot from you.”
- Tara, Parent (SandboxEd Group)
“[He] is still in a gaming group today! He is in the early college program at Crockett. Thank you for encouraging him on his learning path!"
- Clara, Parent (SandboxEd and Entrepreneurship Groups)
“He really loved playing with you and the group! Such awesome memories he said! He mentioned getting the group back together for another session lol.”
- Tina, Parent (Entrepreneurship Group)
Behavior Policies
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We operate in a “magic
circle.” This term refers to the responsibilities and rules of play expected when a player steps into a game world. |
We dedicate the first session of every class to discussing, agreeing to and codifying a set of standards unique to each group. Democratization encourages students to uphold the honesty, fairness and community he or she helped define.
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Our core policy is constant:
cooperation is not about helping each other win, it's about helping each other play. |