This game is a way of exploring how different people interact with propaganda surrounding the occupation. Because it is very complicated to explore the way people interact with the internet and media without influencing their actions, I decided to create an RPG where instead, you create a character whose actions you predict and think thoroughly about. You will need to do some research beforehand if you do not understand the occupation and the many sides of the occupation.
Game instructions:
Please read the whole instructions! If you read this and have difficulty understanding you can contact me at (734) 645-2657 or [email protected].
You'll need at least two other people. It will probably be more fun in larger groups but will take longer. In addition, it may be more difficult to understand the way the game is played if you have never played Dungeons & Dragons, but again, I am available to explain things if need be.
You will need: a deck of cards, some dice, and a piece of paper
Please take an audio recording or a camera recording of the game to send to [email protected].
The game includes what is referred to as a Dungeon Master (DM) in D&D. It is someone who creates the game and directs the game play by making up a story and telling players the consequences of their characters actions. You can play as either the DM or as a player. Have the person you are playing with who is more versed in the occupation play as DM. If none of you are versed in the history, you'll need to do some research beforehand.
You will choose a card from the deck at the beginning of the game. The card represents a scale of people's views on the occupation, the number you choose will be the stance of the person you are playing as. On one side (numbers like 1-3) are extreme pro-Palestinian characters, numbers 4-6 are people who don't know much about the occupation or don't care, numbers 7 - K are Zionist, Zionist extremists, and white nationalists (the scale is uneven because there is more power in the latter than the former).
You will also roll the dice to determine an additional piece of information about your character.
Once you choose your character and your character's affiliation on the scale, you are to make up a story about who your character is and why they affiliate with one side or the other (or neither). Write this down. Your DM will begin the game once this is ready.
The DM will start the story off in present day. There will be three large conflicts that will happen in the game. If you are playing with only one player and the DM the gameplay will be less intense and there will be less interaction between the different characters so you will have to make up some other characters to interact with your character. The DM will move from one conflict to another as you feel is appropriate. You can also continue talking about old conflicts as you explore new ones.
Take notes on what happens as you play.
1. The first conflict will be responding to Congressperson Ilhan Omar's tweets about AIPAC's lobbying of politicians. You will have your character respond to this as you feel they would, you will also do some research as to how other people have responded and see how your character would feel about this. Your DM will give you consequences to how your character reacts and how other people in your group react to your character. 2. The second will be the fight for BDS to be made illegal in the U.S. follow a similar format. If you need context, do some research. 3. The third will be reacting to the shooting of the press by the IDF during the Great Return March. Again, have your character react and interact with other players in the game.
If you are creative with this process, your game can be full of conflict and fighting between characters, interaction with propaganda, and unintended consequences. Hopefully this can get you thinking about propaganda, the way media and pressures online can twist people's views and ideas, and help you understand different views from this occupation.