世界史：暗黒時代の吸血鬼をロールプレイ

Step into a fantasy version of the Byzantine Empire in the year 1197. The learners take the role as a group of people who have just recently been turned into vampires in Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the biggest city of Christianity at the time.

But even as the city and Empire carries the legacy and grandeur of ancient Rome, cracks have begin to show. The past decades have seen bitter internal struggles as one dynasty of Emperors have been replaced by another, and rebellions are spreading in the East and the West.

The new vampires will have to learn about their new existence while treading carefully among the byzantine intrigues in the halls of power.

What will be taught?
Learners will explore hethics, and decision-making as well as the history of Medieval Eastern Europe through immersive role-playing in the role-playing game Vampire: The Dark Ages.

What topics will you cover?
While exploring a fantasy world with vampires, werewolves, wizards, and ghosts, the learners will also explore the historical events shaping the politics, culture, and conflicts of Constantinople in 1197 AD leading up to the Fourth Crusade.

Ethical dilemmas include Faith, belonging, and how ideals influence choices.
Political intrigue: Navigating the complex vampire power struggles within Byzantine society.
Storytelling & Roleplaying: Character development, moral decision-making, and immersive world-building.
How is your class structured?

✅ Pre-Teaching & Safety Tools:

Session 0 introduces historical context, play expectations, and safety tools (X, N, & O cards) to ensure respectful and appropriate play.
We establish clear guidelines for character choices and respectful storytelling.
Players will not role-play as victims or oppressors (e.g., no role-playing Crusaders raiding Constantinople). Instead, they navigate personal dilemmas and moral choices in a way that reflects historical conflicts without reinforcing harmful power structures.

✅ Balanced Perspectives & Discussion:
All learners will play vampires who work together as a group to achieve a common objective, chosen by the learners. Even so, role-playing is not binary "good vs. evil" or one-sided. Characters may belong to different factions but are NOT playing "oppressor vs. oppressed" scenarios.

Historical debriefing sessions at the end of each game provide additional context to clarify what was historical reality vs. fiction.

Historical topics (e.g., faith, political intrigue, survival) are framed as "How did historical figures navigate these challenges?" rather than reenacting oppression.

✅ Combat is abstracted and played through game mechanics. Players do not role-play as "conquerors" or "oppressed," focusing instead on survival, diplomacy, and decision-making.

✅ Teaching Historical Complexity, Not Bias
The Byzantines, and various factions are portrayed with historical nuance, showing how different people justified their actions in their own context.

Discussions highlight why the fall of Constantinople had multiple causes (internal struggles, outside forces, religious conflict) rather than reducing it to a simple “good vs. evil” narrative.

Each session follows a structured gameplay format, including:
A recap of past events.
Player-driven decisions that shape the story.
Role-playing through intrigue, negotiation, and conflict.
Discussion of historical context and themes.
Reflection on choices and their consequences.

How will you teach?
I act as the Game Master, guiding the story, playing key characters, and presenting challenges. Players actively shape the narrative through their actions and decisions. Discussions about history, morality, and strategy are woven into the gameplay, ensuring engagement and learning through experience.

What’s your teaching style?
I use a story-driven and interactive approach, encouraging learners to immerse themselves in history while making meaningful choices. I focus on collaborative problem-solving, role-playing, and historical discussion, ensuring that each player has agency in shaping the story.

How much will learners get to interact with you?
Learners interact with me constantly throughout the session. I:
Narrate the world and introduce historical elements.
Portray characters in the setting.
Facilitate group discussions on moral dilemmas and strategy.
Encourage role-playing through dialogue, decisions, and debates.

All sessions are highly interactive and discussion-based, ensuring that learners actively shape the experience rather than passively absorbing information.

The campaign will play out like this:

The Week of April 1st: Session 0 - we make characters together and go through the safety tools so that everyone can feel comfortable with the playstyle.

Week of April 8th: First session of the campaign, the players play their characters, the plot starts

Week of April 15th: Second session of the campaign. Plot twists and intrigues ensue, the players will have to handle precarious situations.

Week of April 22nd: Third Session of the campaign - the pressure mounts on the characters as they struggle to find a solution that can keep them out of harm's way. They will have to decide which factions to trust and which factions that will be their enemies.