What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 30 mins in-class hours per weekHomework
1 hour per week. While not mandatory, students are encouraged to conduct research on Greek Myths & Heroes from week-to-week to allow better participation in The Three Pillars of Adventure. Students will be encouraged to research aspects of their D&D character, skills, abilities, feats and spells so that they may better participate in the adventure scenarios. Students may wish to make notes and summaries of their weekly experience for later reference.Assessment
There are no formal assessments in this course. It is up to the student to assess their progress in game play and their understanding of the content. Students are encouraged to ask for help from the instructor for feedback before, during, or after the session.Class Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
Beginner Level
"In its old age Cerberus is no longer subject to the will of Hades, allowing spirits and underworld entities to roam free and seek their revenge on the residents of Mount Olympus. The realm’s greatest hero has been sent to quell the guardian, but Hercules has not been heard from since and malicious creatures still pour out to create havoc. While the gods debate and argue over what to do, your band of heroes have been summoned to Olympus to help the stewards right the mayhem spilling out from the underworld, and maybe even help restart the cycle of Cerberus." In this On-Going course students will engage the World of Mythic Greece through their D&D Hero character as they role play, problem solve, and work together as a team to overcome divine obstacles set in their path toward achieving their quests. Inspired by "real" Greek myths, this class is designed to immerse the students in the rich legend and lore of Antiquity. The heroic adventuring team will begin their journey in historical, archaic Greece and venture forth on the path of the hero on an epic quest. Each week the students will participate in the Three Pillars of Adventure (exploration, role playing, and fantasy combat) set in the backdrop of an exciting Greek myth. Each class is designed to impart Ancient Greek Geography (biomes, terrain, topography), History (Bronze Age, Dark Ages, and Archaic Period), and other Social Studies themes (Economics, Sociology, and Psychology) along with immersing the students via their role playing in the culture of Ancient Greece while embroiled in a sweeping adventure, not always under their control. The vehicle that will transport them on this epic journey will be Dungeon & Dragons 5e - "The world's greatest role playing game". Using primary and secondary historical sources in support of the Three Pillars of Adventure will provide the students will a sound understanding of the 'real' Ancient Greece as well as Mythological Greece, which had inspired so much literature common to many middle and high school curricula. Students MUST have an account with Roll20 (free) prior to joining; this is the platform we use for our adventures. On Roll20 I can share my Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and other compendiums (the digital versions). This is a historically based adventure, thus your character must be HUMAN, but you may choose any official D&D 5E class. Mythical Greek Adventures: Series I The first series of Mythical Greece Adventures will be a module based upon the The 12 Labors of Heracles. Each session will begin with "Greet and Meet" check-in discussion, followed by a recap of last week's adventure, then a brief presentation of the mythological background of the 'real' 12 Labors of Heracles will be given to provide the context for the adventure as well as to plant some role-playing seeds for use during the adventure. History, Geography, and Literature themes will be integrated throughout each session. OVERVIEW: The cycle of Cerberus has come to its end. After untold years protecting the entrance to Hades and incensed by the blood of a demigod, he has grown too feral and savage, tearing apart the essences of the damned as they rightly try to shuffle off their mortal coils or ignoring escaping souls entirely. Denizens of the Underworld, either with axes to grind or having simply a proclivity for pandemonium, have begun to overwhelm the Mountain. Free from Cerberus' supervision, they have flooded up the slopes and wrought havoc in their wake. The gods themselves are none too concerned; this kind of thing happens every few millennia. It is the Stewards who are tasked with dealing with this annoyance. But the Stewards could certainly use the help, and what better opportunity to create champions of the mortal races? Session 0 - Introduction to the World of Mythic Greece, review (or introduction) of D&D rules, character creation and background of the adventure. Session 1 - The Adventurers find themselves in the village of Kalogeros where an aasimar messenger from Mount Olympus greets the characters and summons them to a meeting with Chiron, a wise centaur, at Lounge Ambrosia in Kalogeros. The messenger is cryptic about the exact reason why; explaining only that the gods are looking to make new champions and that the village of Kalogeros has a serious problem it needs help dealing with. Session 2 - LABOR 1 THE WERELION OF KALOGEROS. When the characters first arrive at Kalogeros, they get the opportunity to prove their worth: among the souls escaped from the Underworld is a werelion with an old grudge against the head steward, Chiron. The characters will have the opportunity to prevent the lycanthrope's revenge plans and then track it down to put an end to its schemes. Session 3 - LABOR 2 THE HYDRA OF LAKE NAIADS. Disturbing accounts of a beast lurking beneath the waves have been reported by steward fishers on Lake Naiads — named for the nymphish spirits that protect the waters. In this labor, Chiron summons the adventurers to investigate the origin of these accounts and put an end to what he fears is another symptom of Cerberus. Chiron is correct: the adventurers will learn that a hydra has entered the lake through a portal to the Underworld that remains open; swallowing water spirits and draining the vitality from the lake. Adventurers must defeat the hydra and close the portal to bring peace to Lake Naiads. Session 4 - LABOR 3 THE HIND OF ARTEMIS. The players are informed over troubling sightings of the Hind of Artemis. Apparently the sacred animal has been injured by an unknown creature. The players must capture the frightened Hind to treat its wounds and perhaps uncover what monster wounded it in the first place. Session 5 - LABOR 4 THE ERYMANTHEAN BOAR. A wild boar, possessed by a spirit from the Underworld, is attacking hunters without provocation. In this Labor, the characters must find and capture the boar at its mountain lair to restore the once peaceful beast to its natural state. Session 6 - LABOR 5 THE AUGEAN STABLES. Chiron grows suspicious after noticing he hasn’t seen the stablehands in a few days. Unable to find them in his investigations, he did discover the stable is now inaccessible for some reason, having been sealed shut from the inside. Session 7 - LABOR 6 THE WINGS OF ARTEMIS. An escaped harpy from the Underworld seeks vengeance against the goddess Artemis for her death. She has slain many worshipers in the goddess's temple and has filled it with bloodthirsty birds that flock to her defense. In this labor, the characters will need to investigate the temple of Artemis and remove the birds and harpy from the temple in order for her followers to congregate safely once again. Session 8 - LABOR 7 HELLBEAST UNLEASHED. Mormo, a vengeful spirit from the Underworld, has possessed one of Chronus's hellbeasts of Tartarus and is using it to run rampage through the Mausoleum of Heroes. In this labor, the characters will receive a first-hand account from a panicked ghost, then quickly travel to the Mausoleum. Session 9 - LABOR 8 THE HORSES OF DIOMEDES. n the last few days villagers have taken ill and subsequently died. With a third villager now unable to wake up, our heroes are called for. The once man-eating mares of Diomedes are jumping between hosts and between dreams, chasing their former cruel master, Diomedes, who has escaped the underworld to terrorize the Stewards of Olympus. Session 10 - LABOR 9 THE GIRDLE OF HIPPOLYTA. messenger is sent to Fort Themis, home of the Amazons, to request assistance in keeping the town safe. The messenger never returns and the players are sent to investigate their disappearance. During their investigation, the players uncover a malicious plot of the hag Theatralis and will need to end her influence over the Amazons. Session 11 - LABOR 10 BAKCHOS AND THE ETTIN. A hill giant named Bakchos who was banished to the Underworld for disobeying Zeus has returned, and is slaughtering the red cattle he was once tasked with keeping, seeking to bring the prized beef back to the Underworld. He has manipulated his ettin friend, who once tended the cattle with him, into helping him. In this labor, the characters will have to deal with the imps that Bakchos brought with him from Tartarus before they can deal with the ettin or the hill giant himself. Session 12 - LABOR 11 THE GOLDEN ORCHARD. he orchard is under attack - however, the characters will learn the creatures are not looking for a fight, but instead for a single tree sprouting golden apples. The characters must track down one cyclops before they learn of their objective and of another cyclops roaming around. The party can choose to use force or they can help the cyclops brothers gain their golden apple. The Head Steward’s daughter guards these secret apples, but could be convinced to help. Session 13 - LABOR 12 CERBERUS. n this twelfth and final task, the adventurers must travel to the Underworld, cross the River Styx, and confront Cerberus directly. After Cerberus is dealt with, they must track down and slay the spectral pups that spawn from his defeat, where they will run into a gorgon, a pair of manticores, and a shadow spirit. When they complete this task and return to Kalogeros, they are celebrated as heroes and crowned as champions of the gods. The following D&D Mythical Greek Adventures will be offered after completion of the Cycle of Cerberus or may be offered simultaneously: Series II: Jason and the Argonauts Series III: The Labyrinth and the Minotaur Series IV: Heroes of Delphi Series V: The Trojan War Series VI: The Odyssey .....Others to be announced at a later date. **(This is a "historical"/mythological based D&D experience with immense cultural value) ***(For UK parents - this course is in support of OCR GCSE (9-1) and AS/A Level Classics Modules)
Learning Goals
Throughout the Mythical Greece Adventure series:
Students will gain an understanding of the geography of the Grecian peninsula, the Aegean islands and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Students will gain an appreciation of Bronze Age (Homeric), the Dark Ages, and the Archaic Period of Greek History.
Students will learn about (participate in) Greek Mythology, the nature of polytheism, Greek Heroes and Hellenic Legends.
Students will learn about the daily lives of Ancient Greeks through their role playing interaction with various non-playing characters (NPCs).
Students will gain confidence in their role playing potential throughout the course.
Students will learn how to manage a D&D character at increasing levels of challenge throughout the course.
Students will learn to work as a team in order to overcome challenges.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Since Greek Myths, legend and lore can be a bit 'gritty'; I will be redacting all of the unnecessarily gory details. The focus will be upon having the students immerse themselves in this culturally rich content emerging invigorated to learn more about Ancient Greece. One of the main themes of the Three Pillars of Adventuring is combat, but this will be managed as "fantasy" combat; meaning they will fight and will (hopefully) slay a hydra or duel against the Minotaur using their critical thinking more so than their swords.
Supply List
Students will need an active imagination and a willingness to engage in role playing their heroic character.....plus, of course, a computer able to access Zoom. Students may wish to have a set of D&D polyhedral dice - for their own rolling enjoyment, however, I can have an on-line automatic roller available. I will present on Zoom (as the DM) a mapping/on-line RPG site - Roll20 to present the characters so they can visualize certain encounters. Students may wish to have a notebook/binder to record and organize their notes and summaries. Student may, if they enjoy the D&D part of the class, wish to buy the D&D Player's Handbook. Much of this information can be found with a free account on D&D Beyond and I will share much of the information they need to know for the class. Students MUST have an account with Roll20 (free) prior to joining; this is the platform we use for our adventures. On Roll20 I can share my Player's Handbook, Monster Manual and other compendiums (the digital versions).
3 files available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Teacher expertise and credentials
3 Degrees
Master's Degree in History from American Military University
Bachelor's Degree in Education from University of Maine at Farmington
Bachelor's Degree in History from Acadia University (Nova Scotia, Canada)
As a certified Social Studies teacher with 30 years experience and a huge fan of everything D&D, I am very excited for this opportunity to share my enthusiasm and knowledge with Mythical Greek Adventure students. For the past year, I have integrated D&D 5e with my Social Studies teaching, especially my on-line/remote teaching and have found this effort to be very successful. Classes similar to the ones I have recently taught I will bring to Outschool soon (e.g., The Hoplite Experience during the Greco-Persian Wars). As an AP World & European teacher with overseas GCSE/A-Level/I.B. History experience, I have thoroughly immersed myself in Ancient, Medieval and Modern History for the last thirty years. With a B.A. in History, a B.S. in Education and a M.A. in Military History I feel that I have a great deal of knowledge to subtly "sneak" into the fun and enjoyment of "the world's greatest role playing game".
Reviews
Live Group Class
$26
weekly1x per week
90 min
Completed by 40 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-6 learners per class