{"id":16583,"date":"2026-11-12T12:23:03","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T12:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8d.nl\/projecten\/mythwatch-age-of-redbad\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T13:11:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T13:11:02","slug":"mythwatch-age-of-redbad","status":"publish","type":"projecten","link":"https:\/\/8d.nl\/en\/projecten\/mythwatch-age-of-redbad\/","title":{"rendered":"MythWatch: Age of Redbad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MythWatch: Age of Redbad<\/h1>\n\n\n

An accessible role-playing game set in the time of Redbad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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For Stichting Mythemakers, we built the design framework behind MythWatch: Age of Redbad<\/em>, an accessible role-playing game set in the time of King Redbad. Role-playing games are still too often seen as a complicated hobby, and one that\u2019s hard to get into, at that. With MythWatch, Mythemakers is changing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our role \n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n Defining design pillars that Mythemakers can build stories on <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Supporting co-creation and prototyping <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n Editorial advice on the rulebook, and building a website to give the MythWatch stories a home <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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\n Want to know more about co-creation? <\/h5>\n \n

\n Strategic Designer Bas would love to tell you more! <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Accessible
CC: Tom Jilesen, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9rique Nobel, Furkan Yesilyurt, Edwin ten Wolde, Elora Sperber, Skelte Braaksma Daan Jorissen and Dirk Jorissen. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Why Mythemakers needed a role-playing game of its own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Mythemakers uses role-playing games to bring people together, from young people in youth care to school classes and teams. Dungeons & Dragons<\/em> already worked really well for this, but new players find it complicated. So the foundation set out to share the fun of playing together with even more people.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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With its own game system, Mythemakers can create an accessible role-playing game and decide for itself how heavy the rules should be. It also keeps the historical themes of its stories in its own hands. The world of MythWatch: Age of Redbad<\/em>, for example, is based on research from the REDBAD project<\/a> into Frisia in the time of King Redbad.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Approach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What did the game need to do? To find out, Mythemakers and 8D held two sessions with six youth workers. These produced clear requirements: a session lasts two hours at most, the game needs little preparation, and failing has to be fun. Strategic designer Bas Altenburg turned these into five design pillars: fixed principles that every design choice has to meet. On that foundation, the rules and mechanics were developed, and Dirk from Mythemakers wrote the world, stories and characters of MythWatch: Age of Redbad.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then it was time to prototype: you play an early version of the game and use a test protocol drawn up in advance to see what happens. In the April 2025 playtest, Mythemakers ran the game themselves. The game world won people over straight away, but the rules raised a lot of questions, especially around combat. The test therefore led to refined guidelines: simpler rules, consistent rewards and more examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as important as the game and its mechanics is the explanation that comes with it, because that decides whether a new player takes the first step. So team member Nicole van den Berg dug into Mythemakers\u2019 draft rulebook and advised on an accessible structure and style. Her outsider\u2019s view helped: \u201cI\u2019m a complete novice when it comes to role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons<\/em>, and that actually turned out to be a big advantage. I ran into exactly the same questions as a new player opening a rulebook like this for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a game also has to be found. That\u2019s why we took care of the technical build of the MythWatch website and created the mood illustrations. They capture the atmosphere of the Archive<\/a>, the headquarters of the time travellers in MythWatch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Accessible
CC: Aron Weidenaar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n \n\n
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\u2018We wanted to make a game ourselves, but we were looking for guidance and expertise along the way. The design pillars we described together with 8D were crucial in getting to such a great end result!\u2019\r\n<\/h4>\n\n\n

\n Case: MythWatch: Age of Redbad<\/a>\n <\/h4> \n \n
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\n \n Gerda Roorda <\/strong>\n

Managing Director, Stichting Mythemakers<\/p>\n <\/div>\n \"\"\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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