EDGE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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We realize that online learning in this discussion format may be new to many of you. We have put together a Frequently Asked Questions that hopefully will help you. We have included the questions below for your convenience.

Note that the above video may not reflect the current FAQ. When in doubt, follow the written version.

Where do I find all the course information I need to do my homework?

In the Course Content and Course Calendar, which gives you the sequence in which to do them. Make sure to thoroughly read the information under each Unit and watch the orientation videos provided for each Unit, which sometimes also serve as mini lecture introductions.

What are the textbooks for the programme?

Currently, we have one primary textbook for the Master’s programme, The Transformative Role-playing Game Design (Bowman, Diakolambrianou, and Brind, eds). 

We also are developing a Implementing Transformative Role-playing Games textbook to companion it (to be completed June 2026). For now, we will rely on other key resources, including Larp Design (Koljonen et al. eds. 2019), The Routledge Handbook of Role-playing Game Studies (Zagal and Deterding eds. 2024), the International Journal of Role-playing, Analog Game Studies, the Wyrd Con Companion Books, and other sources.

Curricular materials to augment the course are being developed by the Erasmus+ EDGE consortium (see below). 

How long should posts and responses to peers be?

Please write one (1) paragraph of 4-6 sentences of length for each numbered prompt in the initial discussion forum. Most discussions have 3 clusters of questions, each of which you should answer. In that case, you will have 3 paragraphs.

For replies, please compose five (5) substantive sentences including at least one question to prompt discussion from your peers.

Many of you may want to post more than this requirement, but please try to be brief and adhere to the sentence limits. We absolutely love that you get excited about the content and sharing with one another! But keep in mind many of your peers may have jobs, kids, other studies, and health issues that may prevent them from extensive engagement in the forums. 

Remember that you also have your reflection journals, which you can use as spaces to expand upon your thoughts from the Unit. You are welcome to exceed the sentence limits there. 

How many posts are required for each discussion?

The minimum is three (3): one (1) for your initial post, and then two (2) responses to the posts of your peers. Note that replies to your own posts do not count toward this minimum. Of course, we recommend continuing the conversation past the initial replies — hence the Ask a Question, Answer a Question format — but we realize not everyone has the time to communicate all week.

Is it rude to abruptly end a conversation?

Not in an online course. We all have schedules to maintain and some of us have more free time than others. Get what you can from the discussions, but also make sure you are moving on to complete the next required activities for the course.

Can I turn in late work?

Yes — but, you will be missing the most important component of this course, which is the active participation in the discussion forum. The discussion forum is the lifeblood of the online classroom. Please try to respect your peers by responding to their posts on time as much as possible. Similarly, please prioritize your time-sensitive Playtest Sessions and Peer Reviews above other assignments if necessary, as they are necessary for composing your papers and for providing crucial feedback for your peers.

My Group is too small/my peers are not responding/I need to change groups. What should I do?

Please contact us immediately over email and we can help you figure out a solution. You can also brainstorm solutions with other classmates on the student-run Discord. We have a forum in this Module for this purpose, but students will not likely check it, so Discord is preferred.

The reading/videos/other materials are difficult! How should I manage my time?

This is always an ongoing question in academic courses. In our case, we have some texts that are popular and intended for a general audience and some that are academic. Either way, the important thing is for you to get something meaningful from the texts that can help inform your work. Do not worry about understanding every word or memorizing facts. Later in the course, we will be learning the Toulmin Method, which I have found helpful in narrowing down the main thesis of a paper, its reasoning, and its evidence.

When in doubt, skim the materials and focus on your designing and writing, as that is a major component of your grade and our learning objectives for this class. Especially skim if we tell you to “familiarize yourself” rather than “read.” You can always return to these materials later.

Also, Sarah uses the Read Aloud function, which she finds very helpful for listening to texts rather than reading them. This is great for when she has chores or other activities to do, which she can do while listening. Adobe Acrobat and most web browsers have this functionality. The best one she has found so far is the web browser Microsoft Edge, which allows you to choose which accent you would like to hear and has a great natural flow. Some sources, such as videos on YouTube, also let you play at a faster speed.

If you have documented accessibility needs, you may be able to request more sophisticated software from the university.

Where will the instructors engage with my work?

We give brief feedback on each discussion post, but the journals and your Major Assignments are where we will give you individualized comments based on the content you provide. Of course, we cannot respond to everything you write, but we are reading and are present. For Major Assignments, we will grade using a Rubric, which you can see attached to the assignment.

Where can I find more sources on X or Y topic?

For the purposes of these courses, we ask that you focus on the resources we include whenever possible. However, we have developed a linked Archive with several bibliographies on various topics relevant to Transformative Game Design that you may use in future research, including for your thesis at the end of the programme.

How do I cite concepts in this course?

• Cite the specific chapter from the textbook, not the full book, which is an edited volume. The authors are different in each chapter. If you cite only the editors, you are erasing the contributions of other authors.
  • In Chicago Author-Date, chapters with more than three authors are cited with the first author, followed by et al. In our case, we will apply this principle only for in-text citations, as we want to acknowledge the authors in our field in the citations.
  • Therefore, for textbook chapters, you will cite in-text as either (Bowman et al. 2024) or (Diakolambrianou et al. 2024) and include the page number where you found the information.
  • In your References page, include all authors to give credit where credit is due.
• In general, in all academic work, you should read the original sources to make sure the concept is being conveyed accurately. You can then cite both sources, for example:
  • • (Kemper 2020; Bowman et al. 2024).
• If you do not read the original source, you must indicate in the text where you found the information in one of the following ways: 
  • If the source is cited in the text but not quoted, i.e., summarized or paraphrased, you will write “as cited in” for example:
    • (Kemper 2020, as cited in Bowman et al. 2024).
  • If you integrate a quote included in the textbook, you will write “qtd. in” for example:
    • (Kemper 2020, qtd. in Bowman et al. 2024).

What is EDGE and how does it relate to this programme?

EDGE is a joint Erasmus+ Higher Education Cooperation Partnership project between Uppsala University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Dragons’ Nest, Chaos League, and Avalon Larp Studio. The project is intended to augment the existing curriculum for this programme, including:

• Curriculum Development: New videos, modules, a Bachelor’s elective course, complete versions of the 4 core Transformative Game Courses, and an archive including extensive bibliographies on many relevant topics.
• Textbooks: The linked Transformative Role-playing Game Design and Implementing Transformative Role-playing Games textbooks (to be completed June 2026).
  • The textbook writers include: Sarah Lynne Bowman, Elektra Diakolambrianou, Josefin Westborg, Angie Bandhoesingh, Josephine Baird, Simon Brind, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Alessandro Giovannucci, Guus von Tilborg, Felipe García-Soriano, Halfdan Keller Justesen, Taisto Suominen, Sagalinn Tangen, and Josephine Rydberg.
• Tech Toolkit: Guidelines for integrating various types of technology into the analog role-playing experience, including pros, cons, and best practices. Link to the Tech Toolkit here. The Toolkit also includes a larp scenario called Meet Me Halfway that experiments with different technologies, and a Larp in Tech workshop. Some of these guidelines will be sourced with permission from previous workshop attendees.
• Transformative Game to Teach Design: A two-day larp teaching principles in transformative game design through embodied play for metareflection. This larp will be run in September 2025 in Italy as part of the project and made available for others to localize and run June 2026.

Click here for more information about EDGE.

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There will likely be more questions in the future, so we will let you know if more answers emerge.

We hope you find this information helpful!

— Sarah and Josephine –