Adult: “Okay, let’s do this writing exercise now.”
Kid: “Huh? Now?! Can we do something else instead?”
This scene should be familiar to parents and educators. Many students I know can’t even stand the idea of putting their pen to the paper, much less spend an hour and a half doing it. Unsurprisingly, it’s because writing can feel like a chore.
Situational writing (a structured form of writing that addresses a particular audience, e.g., letter-writing) is worse. Most of the time, students are not given the creative freedom to develop interesting ideas. Instead, they are expected to stick to the points provided by the visual stimulus or background information. This makes it a dry, rote, and boring activity.
Quill: A Letter-Writing Roleplaying Game may just be the answer to this problem.
Overview of Quill
Quill is a unique role-playing game in which you’re supposed to… well, write a letter.
Before starting the game, you will choose from 6 different character types, each with different levels of Penmanship (handwriting… sort of), Language (vocabulary) and Heart (creativity). You’ll also need to choose a skill specialty, which can grant you a boost to Penmanship, Language or Heart.
Once your character’s done up, you will need to choose a scenario, each with its own audience and objective. One scenario may involve you writing to a person that you have a crush on; another may involve you writing to an art dealer, to inquire about her artwork.
You will need to get as many points as possible by making use of good vocabulary, and by rolling dice to succeed in Penmanship tests, Language test and Heart tests. Successful dice rolls add to your final score, which determines how “well-received” your letter is by the other party. When the game ends, you should have five paragraphs, which is a good number for most forms of writing.
Using Quill in a classroom setting
What makes Quill intriguing is that it’s a game that can be used for educational purposes. Instead of trying to reach the minimum number of words or a passing grade, students will be aiming to attain as many points as possible. This makes it perfect for unmotivated students and weaker writers (including those with dyslexia).
The structure of the game is also very clear: you get points when you hit certain milestones (by adding special phrases, for example). This provides immediate feedback for students, which is very helpful in letting them know that they are on the right track.
Quill’s scenarios also provide helping words in a section called the “Ink Pot”. By using words and phrases from the “Ink Pot”, players and gamers… I mean students and writers can get more points. This can be especially helpful for dyslexic learners, who often struggle to come up with good vocabulary while writing.
Enforces a structured approach to writing
If you haven’t guessed it already, I like the idea of the Ink Pot very much. It’s a highly inspiring feature, one that can be used even outside of the game (e.g. in a normal classroom activity).
The scenarios are also well-structured, with the scenario’s audience and objectives clearly laid out. This makes it easy to start writing from the get-go. In fact, the game explicitly tells you that you should have five paragraphs, with each paragraph using ONE word from the Ink Pot. Expectations are very clear.
However, on the flip side, weaker writers may struggle to hit the five paragraphs. In such a case, it may be more advisable for an adult/educator to guide them along.
One interesting thing to note is that the Ink Pot can even be used as a guide for weaker writers. On a few occasions, my students would use the Ink Pot to help them drum up ideas for the next paragraph. One of them used “the Peaks of Vandrias” and based the entire paragraph on it, describing the scenery of Vandrias. If you haven’t guessed it already, I like the idea of the Ink Pot very much. It’s a highly inspiring feature, one that can be used even outside of the game (e.g. in a normal classroom activity).
Motivates one to write
Because Quill uses a scoring system that doesn’t depend on grammar, spelling and sentence structure, it can reduce anxiety for weaker writers. Completing a paragraph, or using a word/phrase from the Ink Pot, can automatically grant you a point. Of course, this depends on your dice rolls, but that’s part of the appeal. Players Students will see it more as a game than (ugh!) an assignment.
Any drawbacks?
There was one issue that came up while playing Quill—the aforementioned point system is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it turns your typically boring letter-writing activity into a fun game. On the other, you don’t need to write well to earn points. In other words, it doesn’t reward the writer’s effort.
This may create two problematic situations. Firstly, the player may not want to put in as much effort. Secondly, a player who puts in twice as much effort may still end up not doing well due to poor dice rolls.
Possible solutions to this drawback
Luckily, with a few house-rules, this wasn’t much of a problem. One of the things I did was to grants extra points for good handwriting. Students would also get extra points/dice for exceptionally good vocabulary. This encouraged students to put in more effort, especially when the dice failed them.
Final thoughts on Quill
I’m really excited to try out more Quill with the kids. It’s an exceptional tool, and I’m very thankful to Scott Malthouse from Trollish Delver Games for creating it. By itself, it’s not perfect, but it’s a genuine trove of ideas that mean well and work well.
And the icing on the cake: Quill is pay-what-you-want.
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