Implementing Tabletop Role-Playing Games for Workplace Learning: The ADVENTURE Framework in Practice

Abstract

Organizations seek innovative approaches to develop collaborative competencies among knowledge workers, yet traditional corporate training often fails to address complex social and cognitive skills required in modern team-based work environments. This paper presents the practical implementation of the ADVENTURE framework, demonstrating how tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) can systematically enhance workplace learning through structured intervention design. TTRPGs offer unique advantages through cooperative storytelling, shared problem-solving, and reflective practice, creating immersive learning experiences that mirror real workplace challenges while maintaining high engagement levels. The absence of systematic implementation frameworks for professional contexts has constrained their adoption in organizational learning programs. The ADVENTURE framework addresses this gap by providing evidence-based methodology for designing, implementing, and evaluating TTRPG interventions in workplace settings. The framework integrates Self-Determination Theory with European LifeComp competencies through a three-level architecture encompassing theoretical foundations, operational implementation, and stakeholder engagement. This comprehensive approach ensures theoretical rigor while providing practical flexibility for diverse organizational contexts. The Adventurer’s Diary assessment methodology captures learning processes and group dynamics through structured reflection prompts aligned with autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs, enabling systematic evaluation of competency development. Implementation involves knowledge worker teams engaging in four weekly TTRPG sessions designed to progressively mirror workplace challenges within fictional contexts that promote collaborative problem-solving and adaptive thinking. Game systems emphasizing collaborative narrative construction are selected using systematic criteria, with scenarios increasing in complexity and requiring sophisticated decision-making strategies. The five-phase implementation methodology guides practitioners from initial assessment through competency integration, ensuring systematic application while accommodating organizational constraints. Data collection integrates pre-post competency assessments, behavioral observations, and diary-based reflections using multiple methodologies to ensure comprehensive evaluation. Anticipated outcomes include improvements in LifeComp competencies, particularly collaboration, communication, and learning-to-learn skills, enhanced team dynamics, increased engagement, and measurable transfer of competencies to workplace contexts. Practical contributions include systematic game selection criteria, structured facilitation guidelines, comprehensive assessment protocols, and implementation guidance addressing organizational challenges. This work demonstrates that TTRPGs, when systematically implemented through frameworks such as ADVENTURE, may offer viable alternatives to traditional training methodologies while providing engaging approaches to developing workplace competencies, with implications for organizational learning and development practice.