Playing Tabletop Role-playing Games (TTRPGs) in my school library has changed my life. I do not say this lightly. It truly has been a form of therapy for me. Whatever type of TTRPG you decide to play, whatever number of students you can bring in, your goal should be to have a moment like the one described above.

Thank you for purchasing this guide! I really hope you find it useful. Why have I written a book helping librarians to run TTRPGs? One of the main reasons is that they can be a huge amount of fun. In fact, this would be my number one rule: to have fun. If you aren't having fun with your players, you will need to ask yourself or your players why this is. Yes, the games can be chaotic and sometimes feel slightly unhinged, but if you organise yourself and do a little preparation, the sessions will be very beneficial.

The games, activities and events that I will discuss in this book are meant to be a catharsis. I want to share the research and discussions I’ve had with other people from around the world in regard to the benefits you can take away from playing TTRPGs.

Another reason I wanted to write this book is that I genuinely feel they can act as a form of therapy for both you and the youth you serve. I am not a psychologist, so I’m not qualified to say what the actual impact is, but I know it has helped me a great deal.

That said, I have spoken to medical professionals, other librarians and players themselves about these benefits and I want to ensure that public and school librarians understand how great TTRPGs can be. Yes, they are games, but there is a tangible mental health and well-being benefit to them. I know this because I benefit greatly from them myself. TTRPGs are a form of therapy. You might think to yourself, ‘Well, I’m just playing a game,’ but as this book will explore, there is a lot of research to prove how therapeutic this can be.

I also wrote this book because when I first approached TTRPGs I felt a huge amount of anxiety. The scope of the games simply felt too massive: I was overwhelmed by all of the rules and I was paranoid that I was missing something crucial.