Funcertainty: further guidance
Map Tips
Interpret ‘map’ loosely. Use quick sketches, doodles, labels, speech bubbles, etc.
The very simplest way to play is to have the teacher do all the drawing, on a whiteboard or the biggest sheet of paper you can find.
However, it will be more fun and rewarding to involve more students in drawing. Choose an approach you think will work well with your group.
When you start the game, the map should be mostly blank. But you can prepare by adding just one or two landscape features. For example, a river or bit of coastline, and perhaps 1-2 local landmarks.
Variations
One big map
The student whose turn it is adds to the map. Alternatively, choose 1-2 ‘cartographers’ to do all the drawing. You could swap them around occasionally to give more students a chance to draw.
Group maps
Seat students in groups of about 3-6. Each group has its own art supplies and draws its own version of the map. Having multiple illustrations of ‘the same’ future could be used in lots of exciting ways.
One big ‘collage’ map
Give each student their own small piece of paper. When it is their turn, they should draw something to represent their answer (or the answer that the group gives). Assemble these in a collage, e.g. using blu tack.
As many maps as students
Every student makes their own visual record of the story (on a single sheet or in a booklet). As with the ‘Group maps’ option, this gives the group opportunities to explore multiplicity and uncertainty
Design note
The visual element helps with worldbuilding and storytelling in several ways.
- They help the group to remember what has happened.
- Some of the storytelling prompts may feel quite challenging. It is very natural to go blank when you’re put on the spot and asked to imagine something. When you or your students get stumped, looking at the available ‘ingredients’ may give you ideas about how to answer them.
- During the activity, you may discuss lots of things that could go into the story. When something gets drawn, it makes it official.
Card Order
This is the recommended order for reading out the cards.
King of Spades, 7 of Spades, 6 of Spades, 9 of Spades, 3 of Spades, 4 of Spades, 10 of Spades, 8 of Spades, 5 of Spades, Jack of Spades, Queen of Spades, Ace of Spades, 2 of Spades.
3 of Clubs, 4 of Clubs, Ace of Clubs, 2 of Clubs, 5 of Clubs, 6 of Clubs, 7 of Clubs, King of Clubs, 9 of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, 10 of Clubs, 8 of Clubs, Queen of Clubs.
6 of Hearts, 9 of Hearts, King of Hearts, 7 of Hearts, 8 of Hearts, 5 of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, 2 of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, 3 of Hearts, 4 of Hearts, Ace of Hearts.
Design note
Why not just play the cards in a normal order, 2, 3, 4 etc.? That will work too, if you prefer the simplicity. But we think the unpredictability (from the students’ perspective) is a bonus. If you know when your turn is, then you’re just waiting for it.
Variation: Instead of using the order given above, the teacher uses a second deck of cards to generate a random order. Shuffle each suit separately. First read out all the Spades, then Clubs, then Hearts.
Variation: See the Appendix for some different prompts (Diamonds). You could shuffle in a few of your favourites to lengthen play, or replace cards that you don’t want to include.
Storytelling Tips
- It is okay to make up your own rules and conventions to make the game run more smoothly.
- Encourage students to listen generously to each other. Remind students to listen to one another’s ideas. Even if they don’t like an idea at first, they can ask themselves, ‘How could we fit this into the story?
- Safety tools such as the “X-Card,” “Lines And Veils,” or “Roses and Thorns” can empower more responsible and sensitive storytelling. The “X-Card,” for example, is a piece of paper with a big X written on it, placed somewhere where all students can easily get to it. If a student feels uncomfortable with what has just been suggested for the story, they tap the X-card, or hold up the X-Card, and the content is removed — they don’t need to explain why. For more information about safety tools, look up “TTRPG safety tools” online and decide if they are right for your classroom.
- If you want to find more educators using storytelling games, Discord could be a good place to go looking. Search for the ‘TTRPG in education’ server.
- See below for more ideas, including alternative prompts (using Diamonds cards), and a different set of rules you could use to continue the story after the main game is concluded.
Prompts Variations
Variation
Depending on space and equipment, you might want to project the text of the questions. You can find slides for doing this at bit.ly/FuncertainSlides.
Timings Tips
One session: There are 39 cards. If you play a very brisk game (about two minutes per card) you might be done in 90 minutes. But with more time (2-3 hours), you can do things like:
- Spend more time pondering different options, till the perfect idea comes along.
- Explore the facts that underlie the fiction (e.g. climate and sustainability science).
- Draw at a more leisurely pace.
- Make more space for spontaneous fun.
- Be even more supportive of the shyer storytellers.
- Introduce related material before and/or after.
- Have break-out groups or pairs where students discuss ideas together then present to the group.
- Feedback on the experience afterward.
- Have breaks.
Three sessions: The game breaks quite naturally into three acts (Spades, Clubs, Hearts). You could play each one in a session of 45-60 minutes. Only deal the suit you will be using during that session.
Two sessions: You could play it over two sessions of 60-90 minutes each. For the first session, deal the student all the Spades cards, plus the Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Clubs. For the second session, deal the remaining Clubs, and all the Hearts.
Many sessions: What about playing slowly over a longer period of time, perhaps alongside other material, for example? That’s certainly possible. You will have to adapt things a little.
Variation
Very longform play
If you want to play the game gradually over time (ten minutes per lesson, over the course of the whole term), you could forget about the playing cards, and use the following method instead.
Get two containers. Write each student’s name on a slip of paper. Fill up one of the containers.
Each lesson, draw a student’s name, and get them to play the next move from the tables below. Put the student’s name in the second container.
When the container is empty of names, start again.
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CUSTOMISING PLAY
1) First of all, you don’t really have to stick to the questions here! They have been designed to more-or-less build a little story, if you’re lucky. But if you think the story needs something different from the prompt listed, make one up on the spot.
2) Second, you can pre-prepare your own set of prompts, your own deck, and/or your own order for the cards. For example, remove cards you think you won’t need, and choose some diamond cards (see below) for alternative prompts.
(3) Afterward, you can continue the story in smaller groups using Funcertain Futures: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game (see below).
Design note
You may notice something a little sneaky about this game. Similar oracle-based games (such as Kampala Yénkya or The Quiet Year) have the cards randomly shuffled. That offers more replayability. For this game, it is assumed that the teacher probably won’t play the game more than once with the same group of students. So a recommended order is given that will probably give the narrative a good shape. We’ve also checked to make sure that going lowest to highest works fairly well. However, you could also plan your own order, perhaps mixing the suits more fluidly, removing cards, and/or adding the diamonds below.
2. DIAMONDS
Diamond cards are not used in the standard version of the game. But if you want, you can customise the story by adding in some Diamond cards (perhaps to replace Spade, Club or Heart prompts you don’t want).
| Ace ♦ | A friend of the Main Character is visiting for the Big Festival from somewhere else. It is their first time in town. What impresses them about what they see? | This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 2 ♦ | Somebody supposedly spotted a strange new creature. Let’s mark on the map where it was spotted. Then let’s mark where it is hiding now. | This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 3 ♦ | Does the United Kingdom still exist? If so, is it England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales like in the 2020s, or has it changed? If it doesn’t exist, what exists instead? | This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. If you’re playing outside of the UK, replace the country name. |
| 4 ♦ | What is a danger that __________ has faced in the past 30 years? How did the city overcome this? Add something to the map that is a reminder of these events. | This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 5 ♦ | Things are not perfect.
Add some kind of pollution, danger, or damage to the map. |
This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 6 ♦ | Is food different in the future? Draw something to do with food. | This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 7 ♦ | Add something mysterious at the very edge of the map.
Is it: (1) A high security camp (2) A place where something is buried (3) A machine of unknown purpose (4) Something else |
This is a worldbuilding-style prompt. You might want to include it early in the game, perhaps to replace a spades card. |
| 8 ♦ | Birthday party. The Main Character’s nan, Dana Milks, is 100 years old today, and she’s trollied! Just about everyone on the map has come to her birthday party.
She loves reminiscing about the old days. What do you all learn about _______, and how it has changed? After you have played this card, the class takes a vote. Does the story end (go to the Final Scene), or continue a little longer? |
This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. |
| 9 ♦ | A big plot moment! First, let’s decide what it is.
(1) A betrayal (2) A big secret revealed (3) An act of self-sacrifice (4) A relationship revealed — two people (or things) we thought were unconnected are actually linked in some way (5) Something else Now let’s talk together about what the details might be. |
This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. |
| 10 ♦ | “Patience cooks a stone.” After years of debate, the community have agreed on a comprehensive plan to completely transform, maybe to abolish and replace something — what is it?
(1) The internet (2) Prison (3) Family (4) Money (5) Police (6) Borders (7) Schools (8) Farming? (9) Something else? Discuss and draw how this changes the local area. |
This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. You could also use it as more of a worldbuilding prompt in Act 1. |
| Jack ♦ | There are rumours that a glowing cube has been spotted flying in the sky, several nights this week. Everybody is arguing about what it is and what should be done. What does the Main Character decide to do? | This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. |
| Queen ♦ | In two weeks there will be the Big Race. What is the Big Race? What are the stakes? How is the Main Character involved? | This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. |
| King ♦ | Most of the artworks that were stolen during Western colonialism have now been returned. However, there are a few that remain outstanding. A mysterious figure approaches the Main Character, asking them to join a heist team to steal back the artwork.
Where is the artwork being kept? What is the plan to steal it back and return it to its rightful home? |
This is an adventure-style prompt. You might want to include it in Act 2 or Act 3. |
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CONTINUING THE STORY AFTERWARDS
After students have played Funcertain Futures: Building New Worlds, they can continue to have adventures in the world they have imagined. Here are the rules for Funcertain Futures: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game[1].
You will need:
- Three to seven players.
- Paper and pen.
- Two dice.
- Your imagination!
The story should will have two to six playable characters. Usually each student will create their own character and control their actions in the story. If you want to try it with a bigger group, see PLAYING WITH A BIGGER GROUP below.
CHARACTERS
One player is the Storyteller. The Storyteller is in overall control. The Storyteller describes what is happening, and decides when a player must roll dice. The Storyteller will usually be the teacher.
Each student should create a character. This could be one of the characters from the story you told earlier, or a completely new character. This character is now you. You will portray this role. Take a piece of paper and record these details:
- What’s your name? Write it down.
- What do you look like? Write down some words, or draw a picture.
- What is something you are good at? Write it down!
- What are two things you often carry with you? Write them down!
- What is an interesting fact about yourself? Write it down!
HEALTH POINTS
Your character begins with 15 Health. Write it on your character sheet!
If you sustain a minor injury, lose 1 Health. If you sustain a big injury, roll one die and lose that many Health. If your Health falls to zero or below, it could be game over! Or maybe you just get knocked out and wake up the next day. The Storyteller will decide.
You can heal Health through rest or medicine. The Storyteller decides how much you heal by.
Storyteller tip: If you are a teacher, you should probably should never actually kill a student’s character! Health can be used to create a sense of danger, or a major setback (such as getting captured by the bad guys).
LUCK POINTS
Read to the students.
Now write ‘Luck: 0’ on your character sheet.
Every player starts with 0 Luck Points. When themes of nature and climate come up in the story, if a player demonstrates good knowledge, the Storyteller can reward them with a Luck Point. At any point in the game, you can spend a Luck Point to reroll one die roll. Keep the best of the two results.
Storyteller tip: Or if you like, you could use counters to represent Luck Points. This might make them feel more precious.
GAME PLAY
The Storyteller makes up a situation and describes it. Each player describes their own character’s actions. The Storyteller describes the results. Players can also ask questions to clarify what is happening.
Storyteller: As you are running down the street, you see a strange sight coming toward you. A robot is pedalling a bicycle. There is an angry crowd chasing him.
Namazzi: What does the robot look like?
Storyteller: Appears to be an older model. His paint is peeling. There is black smoke coming from the top of his head. You have been distracted by the robot, and in the meanwhile, the museum guard has almost caught up with you! What are you doing?
Namazzi: As the robot rides past, I jump onto the bicycle seat behind him.
Storyteller: OK, please roll the dice! Let’s see if you make it!
If there is disagreement about what is happening, the Storyteller has the final say.
CHALLENGES
When a character tries to accomplish something risky or uncertain, the Storyteller may ask the player to roll dice to determine the outcome.
- Roll two dice and add them together.
- Can the class think of some advantages that may help the character succeed? For each advantage, add +1 to your roll (maximum of +3).
Example advantages: You have prepared for this moment. A friend is helping you. You have a useful piece of equipment. This is something you are good at.
- Are there some disadvantages too? For every disadvantage, the Storyteller takes -1 from the roll (maximum of -3).
If the total is 8 or higher, the character succeeds! Otherwise, they don’t succeed. Either way, the Storyteller describes the consequences.
For example:
Namazzi: As the robot rides past, I jump onto the bicycle seat behind him.
Storyteller: OK, please roll the dice! Let’s see if you make it!
Namazzi: Can I have a +1 bonus? I used to be a bike courier!
Storyteller: Hmm, I don’t think so. Riding a bicycle is different from jumping onto one.
Namazzi: Me and my friends used to do this all the time!
Storyteller: OK, OK, I’ll let you have +1.
Namazzi: I rolled a 3 and a 4, plus 1 is 8. I made it! I grab onto the robot and yell, “Pedal faster my big metal friend, they’re after us!”
Storyteller: The robot makes a bleeping noise that sounds like a complaint. But seems to pedal faster. There’s a roadblock ahead. OK, meanwhile, Felix, you are still on the roof. What are you doing?
Felix: I’m looking around across the city. Can I see Namazzi?
Storyteller: She’s nowhere to be found. But you can hear a commotion in the distance. Could that be her?
Felix: I can’t risk taking the stairs. Is there a drainpipe I could climb down?
Storyteller: No, but there are a lot of vines growing on the side of the building. They look pretty strong.
Felix: I’m going to climb down. Do I need to roll?
Storyteller: Yes, roll the dice!
Students who have previously earned Luck Points can spend them to increase their chances of success.
Storyteller tip: When a player fails a roll, think of a way that it can advance the story. Don’t just block progress: create new obstacles and complications for the players to tackle.
THE WORLD IN 2070
TTRPGs usually work best if the Storyteller doesn’t bring fixed ideas about what kind of story will be told. The story should emerge naturally from the players’ actions (and the outcomes of key dice rolls).
However, it is a good idea to prepare the setting in advance, so that students feel that they are exploring a believable, cohesive world. What are some places the students might visit? What are some characters they might encounter?
You can use some or all of these approaches.
If you have already played Funcertain Futures: Building New Worlds, you are all set!
- Think about the local area of the school, and how it might change by the year 2070. Try to imagine a future that is realistic (a world reshaped by climate change) but also optimistic (rapid action has prevented the worst effects of climate change, and we have found ways to adapt).
- Take inspiration from science fiction, especially solarpunk, climate fiction, Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism, and Indigenous futurism. For example, ASU Center for Science and the Imagination have several great free fiction anthologies online. Explore writers like Vandana Singh, Ernest Callenbach, Starhawk, Andrew Dana Hudson, Cory Doctorow, Kim Stanley Robinson, Nisi Shawl, Janelle Monae, Ursula K. Le Guin, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Rem Wigmore, and Alia Gee.
- You could spend a session getting the students to design the world they want to play in. For example, you could create groups and get each one to think about a different aspect, e.g. transport and the built environment, disaster preparation, democratic institutions, the future of work, the future of food.
- Explore existing tabletop roleplaying games, adventures, and supplements. The website itch.io is a great place to start. Look up the Applied Hope Games Jam.
- Try reddit.com/r/solarpunk/ for more inspiration.
STORY HOOKS
- Something or someone on has gone missing. Why do the players’ characters want to solve this mystery? Where do they begin? What clues do they find?
- The players’ characters all volunteer in a repair cafe, where people can bring broken things to get fixed. But it is developing a reputation as more than just a repair cafe, as people start to bring all sorts of problems that need solving …
- Uh-oh. The nanotech experiment has got loose and got into some of the 3D printer ink. Now there is a blob of the stuff wandering around the neighbourhood getting bigger and bigger.
- The early warning system says there’s a big storm coming. Your little sister has wandered off. You’ve only got two hours to find her!
- Nowadays most decisions are made via direct digital voting, with a little help from AI. But there have been some very strange choices made recently. What are some of these decisions? (Look at your map for inspiration). Could there be a glitch in the system? Or is there actually a good reason for decisions that seem strange at first? You have been recruited to get to the bottom of it.
- There are rumours that a glowing cube has been spotted flying above the lake, several nights this week. Everybody is arguing about what it is and what should be done. The players’ characters decide to investigate. How will they investigate? Will they try to find some eye-witnesses? Interview people with different theories about the cube? Find a good place to watch from? And/or something else?
- A strange pestilence has started to spread in the mushroom farms which are used to make sustainable plastic. The players must deal with the consequences of the mushroom shortage, and at the same time investigate the source of the problem.
- Forest fire! It is a good thing that your town is so well-prepared for this. How do the players’ characters help to control the blaze?
PLAYING WITH A LARGER GROUP
What if you wanted to play Funcertain Futures: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game with a bigger group?
It is a little brave, but it can be done!
Teams. One approach is to divide the class into teams. Each team is responsible for one character. “Okay everybody, take five minutes in your groups, and discuss what your character is going to do next.”
Referenda. Alternatively, create characters beforehand — maybe just one main character, or maybe two or three or four. If there are several characters, print out a picture of each one and pin them in front of the class. The entire class decides what characters do. Have a discussion, get some suggestions, then take a vote.
You can also experiment with incorporating more drawing. When there is a new scene, a significant turning point, a new character, etc., assign a student or a group of students to create an image. As they are completed, hang them on the walls to create a storyboard. This can be a good way of keeping lots of students feeling engaged, even if their suggestions aren’t ending up in the official narrative. Be aware that some students may find the drawing distracts from the storytelling, so include plenty of reminders and summaries.
- [1] Funcertain Futures: The Tabletop Roleplaying Game is a hack of Kampala Yénkya Multiverse, inspired by the fiction of Dilman Dila. ↵
