Main goal
The main goal of this area is to build a veteran community and create conditions for comfortable social interaction through a shared hobby.
After their service ends, veterans may face a changed social circle, difficulties returning to civilian life, a lack of regular meaningful leisure and a feeling of distance from civilian communities.
Tabletop role-playing games create a natural reason to meet regularly, talk and do something interesting together. Participants do not have to come specifically to “talk about problems”: interaction happens naturally during the game.
How social integration happens
Participants form small permanent or rotating game groups. Each participant controls their own character, and the game master creates situations that the group responds to together.
During the game, participants:
- communicate and get to know other people;
- work as a team;
- make decisions together;
- discuss different ways of solving tasks;
- share roles within the group;
- learn to negotiate and find compromises;
- show creativity and improvisation;
- build new social connections;
- gain a regular hobby and a reason to meet;
- gradually join the organisation's wider community.
The voluntary nature of participation is especially important. Each person decides how involved they want to be: from watching a game or joining a short adventure to regular game campaigns.
A variety of game worlds
Using different genres makes the programme interesting for a wide range of participants.
These can include adventure and heroic fantasy, science fiction, space adventures, post-apocalyptic worlds, historical settings, detective and mystical stories, cyberpunk, alternative history and other genres.
This way, each participant can choose the format that best matches their interests.
An important part of the programme can also be creating original scenarios and our own game worlds, including storylines developed specifically for the organisation's activities.
A safe and friendly environment
The organisation aims to create a space where veterans can be among people with similar experience while also interacting with civilian members of the community.
Before games begin, clear rules of mutual respect and personal boundaries are agreed. Participants can tell the game master in advance about topics they do not want to touch on during the game.
Storylines and scenarios can be adapted to the make-up of the group. Special care is taken to keep participation comfortable and voluntary, and to make sure it never requires a veteran to discuss their own combat or personal experience.
From game to community
A tabletop role-playing game is seen not just as a one-off event but as a tool for building a lasting community.
Around regular games, interest clubs, themed meetups, tournaments, festivals, workshops on board games, miniature painting, making scenery and models, scenario writing and other creative activities can gradually emerge.
Participants who have gained enough experience can learn to run games themselves and become game masters for new groups. This allows the programme to scale on the principle of “participant → active community member → game master → mentor for new participants”.
Expected social outcome
This area of work should contribute to:
- expanding veterans' circle of social contacts;
- forming new friendships and bonds of camaraderie;
- regular participation in shared activities;
- involving veterans in the active life of the community;
- creating veteran clubs and stable interest groups;
- developing teamwork and communication skills;
- discovering new hobbies and creative pursuits;
- training veteran game masters who can go on to bring in other participants.
In the long term, the organisation aims to create an open veteran gaming space where tabletop role-playing games become an entry point to a wider system of social integration, community, creative activity and mutual support.
In this way, tabletop role-playing games are used not simply as entertainment but as an accessible and appealing format of social interaction that helps veterans find a new social circle, join a community and return to active civilian life through a shared passion.
Want to join this programme?
Write to us and we will tell you about upcoming meetups and how to join.