Shyness is a trait many people experience and develop during their childhood and adolescent years. Among the Filipino students, this can be assessed through how they communicate in class, and stems from their fear of criticism and lack of practice.
Narrative tabletop role-playing games’ (TRPGs) dynamic and collaborative gameplay can help students combat shyness caused by the students’ fear and lack of practice! However, the regular TRPGs can be tricky to play for first-timers, and can be difficult to incorporate in classroom activities.
Behold… Tabi, Tabi Po! –a card game for shy students, and a simplified and localized version of the fantasy-adventure tabletop games!
The Tabi, Tabi Po! project is a printed narrative role-playing card game about Philippine mythological creatures that seeks to promote the use of narrative TRPGs and its use to combat shyness among high school students in Metro Manila by providing them with a means to communicate and collaborate with other adolescents or young adults confidently in a fun and low-risk environment.
Learn more about the research—TRPGs in the Philippine classroom, the Tabi, Tabi Po! card game and its uses in promoting TRPGs in combatting shyness among the Filipino youth—here.
Role: Researcher, Graphic Designer, UI/UX Designer, Copywriter, Web Developer, Marketing Manager
You and your friends play as a group of travelers seeking adventure in a remote region in the Philippines, magically transported to a mysterious realm full of both enchanting and dangerous mythical creatures. You must work together as you navigate through the treacherous forest and face all challenges waiting for you in your journey home!
The players must work together in this narrative gaming experience using custom dice and cards as they navigate through the game and face all creatures and challenges presented to them on every card.
There are 4 issues in incorporating a standard TRPG material in the Philippine classroom and curriculum:
1. Huge time consumption – It takes 2-4 hours for a good TRPG session
2. Accessibility of the materials – Upper class hobby; use of English is essential to play and enjoy the game
3. Teachers' ability to be Game Masters – Most teachers are not familiar with TRPGs
4. Stigma and misunderstanding – Game materials being associated with the occult
Tabi, Tabi Po! is a simplified TRPG with a more controlled and ready-to-read narrative so that it can be played within a class hour (1 hour).
With fewer materials and an all-in-one game set to finish the whole game compared to a standard TRPG series, as well as the use of Filipino folklore and of basic English language while incorporating a few Filipino words every now and then, Tabi, Tabi Po! is more accessible to lower and middle class by affordability and material comprehension (familiarity of the theme and the language).
The components of Tabi, Tabi Po! include: 4 decks of cards, 7 6-sided dice, 39 tokens, and a guide booklet. The card game is used to introduce and promote TRPGs to non-players or first timers. Info about its use to combat shyness is also shared in the set's guide booklet.
The use of custom cards, custom dice and dice can help create a familiarity among players, and can act as an introduction to the more complex TRPG materials.
The gameplay focuses on creating an easy atmosphere for communication by providing a lot of storytelling and maintaining an exciting tone within the narrative, as well as for collaboration by encouraging group decision-making during the events on the cards.
Players of the game should have a feeling of being immersed in their own world to be comfortable and let loose while playing. The tone focuses on being descriptive and narrative to keep the mystical and inviting feel of the game.
The overall visual style of the cards is typographic to emphasize the communication skills the project is supposed to influence, and colorful geometric through illustrations to emphasize native Filipino art, and to be light and fun-looking game materials to avoid fueling the stigma and misunderstanding of TRPG materials.
The Tabi, Tabi Po! official website is created to market the card game, and inform about shyness and TRPGs. The site is where users can order for the game set, find more information about the game, about shyness in the Filipino youth, and about TRPGs and its role in combatting shyness.
Visit the site here.
The website also includes tips on how to play in virtual/online setting, and external links that could help create a good social and gaming experience, such as links to the TRPG communities in the Philippines, links to other forms of TRPGs, and links to online shops for TRPG materials.
There are also videos about the project's cause, an animated how-to-play video, and a sample game session for a better understanding of the game.
View the videos on Tabi, Tabi Po! Official YouTube site here.
Social Media Posts
Post 1 caption:
We are happy to finally introduce to you… Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game—a simplified and localized tabletop role-playing game about Filipino mythology. 🇵🇭
Play as a group of friends magically transported to a mysterious realm and face both enchanting and dangerous Philippine mythical creatures as you find your way home together!
Know more about the game at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #pinoy #mythology #cards #gamenight
Post 2 caption:
Students couldn’t participate well in class because they’re shy? 😳👉👈
Shyness is totally normal. It's a trait many people experience and develop during their childhood and teenage years. However, it can lead to worse problems in the future if it's not overcome!
Behold… Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game—a simplified and localized tabletop role-playing game to help combat shyness among Filipino students. 🇵🇭
Know more about Tabi, Tabi Po! and shyness at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #folklore #pinoy #shyness #students #communication
Post 3 caption:
Did you know there’s a game where you can fully immerse yourself and control the story you’re in?
Or better yet, have you ever wondered what Dustin, Will, Mike and Lucas were playing on the first episode of Stranger Things? 🧐
Tabletop role-playing games, or TRPGs, are where players play as their characters in a story, usually stories of quests, and verbally make decisions with their fellow players to expand the story during the game—a perfect tool to combat shyness and improve our speech and vocabulary (and even our creativity)! 🤘
Know more about TRPGs and how it helps in combatting shyness at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #folklore #pinoy #cards #shyness #communication
Post 4 caption:
Encounter random challenges on every card turn and dice roll, work together to stay alive, and finish the game in less than an hour—an ideal game for shy students in the Philippine classroom! 🇵🇭
Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game is an immersive fantasy-adventure game about Filipino mythology that aims to create easy communication and collaboration among the players. 🤘
Buy a game now at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #pinoy #mythology #students
Post 5 caption:
Tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) can help children and teens overcome their shyness, but it can also be really difficult to include as a class activity in the Philippine classroom.
Because of this, not many Filipinos know about TRPGs, therefore, misses out on an effective tool in combatting shyness among the Filipino youth. 🙈
Introducing to you Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game—a simplified and localized TRPG specially made for students in the Philippine classroom! 🇵🇭
Know more about the game and its difference from the regular TRPGs at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #pinoy #cards #shyness #communication
Post 6 caption:
Great news, everyone! 🎉
Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game is now available in our partner stores—✅ National Bookstore, ✅ Booksale, and ✅ Fully Booked!
And to celebrate this, we are offering 10% OFF on the game set for the first week of its release, from September 15 to September 21, 2024. Visit the branches near you and order a game set now!
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #pinoy #mythology #cards #discount
Post 7 caption:
Learn how to play Tabi, Tabi Po! Card Game—from custom dice to custom cards—and work with your family and friends as you navigate through the treacherous forest and face all dangerous mythical creatures waiting for you in your journey home! 💀💀💀
Don’t miss out—order a game at www.tabitabipo.com
#tabitabipocardgame #cardgames #tabletopgames #pinoy #mythology #cards #shyness
By the end of the experience, the users would be able to:
• Communicate and collaborate with others more often;
• Make new friends or acquaintances;
• Construct sentences in the English language more comfortably and spontaneously;
• Enhance their creativity, decision-making, and critical thinking skills;
• Learn that TRPGs are not a niche activity and that anyone can play them;
• Not hesitate to befriend or talk to TRPG players anymore;
• Play other TRPG materials with new players.
