Mental health has always been an important subject for me. It is something that can feel incredibly personal, because sooner or later most of us encounter it in some way, whether through our own experiences or those of somebody we love. At the same time, it is a subject that affects people across the world, often in ways that are not immediately visible.
There is no single answer to dealing with poor mental health. Sometimes we need professional support, sometimes we need friends and family, and sometimes we simply need something that gives us a reason to step away from whatever is troubling us for a while.
For me, gaming has often been part of that picture. There is something wonderfully straightforward about sitting around a table with other people and being given a problem to solve, a story to tell or a world to explore. Games encourage us to think, communicate and make decisions. They can challenge our brains, provide a welcome distraction and, perhaps most importantly, give us opportunities to spend time with other people.
Gaming can be competitive, certainly, but it can also be collaborative, creative and incredibly supportive.
It was with all of this in mind that I came across Daundermyth during my recent visit to Tabletop Scotland.
A convention, a discovery and one very interesting table
Tabletop Scotland is a fantastic three day celebration of gaming, bringing together board games, card games, miniatures, roleplaying and independent creators at the Royal Highland Centre. Among the many games and creators at the show was Random Monster Table CIC.
I was immediately interested in what they were doing. Not simply because Daundermyth is a new fantasy roleplaying game, but because of the reason behind it. Here was a game using familiar ideas such as monsters, adventuring and imagination to explore something rather more important: our emotions and how we cope with them.
As somebody who particularly enjoys highlighting independent and local creators, discovering that Random Monster Table is based in East Lothian made it even more exciting.
I am very proud of Scotland and the incredible talent that comes from here. Finding projects doing genuinely worthwhile things right on my doorstep is something I will always be happy to champion.
Meet Random Monster Table
Random Monster Table CIC is a Community Interest Company based in East Lothian, Scotland. Established in 2018, the organisation uses art, games, drama and storytelling to help young people develop confidence, social skills, emotional resilience and an understanding of their feelings.
Its work is built around the idea that creative activities can provide children with a safe and accessible way to explore emotions that can sometimes be difficult to explain directly.
One of its key projects is Your Emotional World, which uses the idea of random monsters as a way of representing the things that can trouble us. Anxiety, anger, sadness and worry can all be difficult concepts to talk about, particularly for children. Turning them into something that can be imagined, named and explored provides another way into those conversations.
The team behind Random Monster Table brings considerable creative experience to the project. Founder and director Barry Martin is an artist, game designer, storyteller and teacher, while director John Sharp brings experience in writing, storytelling, organising and leadership. Advisor Jen Martin contributes professional communications experience alongside her work mentoring young people and supporting charities.
Daundermyth is therefore not a game that simply decided to put mental health into its setting. It has grown from Random Monster Table's wider work and experience with young people.
And that becomes particularly clear once you start looking at how the game actually works.
So, what exactly is Daundermyth?
Daundermyth is a collaborative fantasy roleplaying game designed for children aged six and over. There are heroes, magical powers, monsters, adventures and enchanted locations. Players create characters by choosing from nine Species and nine Roles, before selecting powers that help define what their characters can do.
What makes those powers particularly interesting is how open they are to interpretation. Rather than giving children a rigid list of abilities with complicated explanations, Daundermyth encourages them to decide what their characters can do and explain it through their own imagination. That makes the game easier to approach, but it also gives players plenty of creative freedom.
The emphasis is not simply on defeating monsters or completing an adventure. It is on telling the story together.
That distinction matters.
When getting hurt means talking about feelings
One of Daundermyth's most interesting ideas comes into play when a character takes damage. Rather than simply losing health points, players can receive Strife Cards representing emotions such as Anger, Fear, Sadness or Worry.
The important part is what happens next.
Another player is asked to provide support through roleplaying, comforting their friend or helping them deal with the emotion. There is no dice roll to determine whether the support works.
In many games, the solution to a problem is to roll the dice and hope for a high number. Daundermyth recognises that some problems are different. Sometimes the most useful thing another person can do is simply be there.
The game turns empathy into something players actively practise rather than something that is merely talked about.
Players can also earn Leaves of Hope through success and unselfish play. These can be used to replenish abilities, improve rolls or help another player by giving them a re-roll.
Once again, cooperation has a tangible place within the game. Helping another player is not just good manners. It is part of how you succeed.
The Tree of Hope
There is another wonderfully simple idea at the centre of Daundermyth: the Tree of Hope.
If a player becomes uncomfortable, overwhelmed or frightened by what is happening within the story, they can touch the tree. This silently signals to the Game Master that the tension needs to be reduced and the story moved somewhere safer.
No lengthy explanation is required. A child does not have to interrupt the game and announce to everyone that something is making them uncomfortable.
It is a small feature, but one that says a great deal about the thought that has gone into the game.
Safety is not treated as something that only needs to be discussed before play begins. Daundermyth recognises that feelings can change during a story and gives children a simple way to communicate that.
What makes a monster?
The first of the two adventures included in the boxed set explores the question: What makes a monster?
Players create their own monster, explore what makes them worried or scared and then set off on an adventure to overcome it. It is a wonderfully accessible metaphor.
A difficult emotion can be hard to understand when it is sitting inside your own head. Turning that feeling into a monster gives it a shape. It becomes something that can be named, discussed and faced alongside other people.
That does not mean Daundermyth is trying to replace professional mental health support. It is not, and it should not be viewed that way.
What it does provide is a playful environment in which children can practise communicating, cooperating, expressing themselves and supporting their friends.
Sometimes that is a very good place to start.
More than just a game
What I find most encouraging about Daundermyth is that mental health is not something that has been added to the game as an afterthought. It is present in the mechanics themselves.
It is in the Strife Cards. It is in the Tree of Hope. It is in the Leaves of Hope. It is in the encouragement to support another player rather than simply concentrating on your own character. It is also in the freedom to imagine.
For children, having the opportunity to create a character and decide what that character can do can be surprisingly powerful. It gives them a chance to make decisions, experiment with ideas and express themselves in a setting where there is no single correct answer.
And, importantly, it is fun.
Mental health conversations can be difficult and sometimes very heavy. That does not mean every activity that supports wellbeing has to feel that way. There is real value in giving children somewhere to laugh, imagine and play with their friends while developing skills that can help them outside the game.
Daundermyth seems to understand that particularly well.
A Scottish project worth championing
There is something especially satisfying about seeing a project like this emerge from Scotland.
I have always loved highlighting local creators because there is so much talent here, sometimes tucked away in unexpected places. Random Monster Table is a brilliant example. Its work combines games, storytelling, creativity and community with a genuine desire to make a positive difference.
The organisation also has a strong community focus, and plans to provide a portion of its manufactured games directly to schools free of charge.
If gaming can become a useful tool for encouraging emotional resilience and communication, making sure that opportunity is available to children who might not otherwise have access to it is an important part of the picture.
Rolling the dice for something good
Ultimately, what excites me about Daundermyth is not simply that it is a new roleplaying game. It is the reason it exists.
Gaming already gives us so many things. It can challenge us, make us laugh, encourage creativity and bring us together. Daundermyth takes those familiar qualities and gives them an additional purpose.
It asks children to imagine. To communicate. To listen. To help. And yes, there are still monsters to defeat.
For Random Monster Table, those monsters are sometimes a little closer to home than the ones we normally encounter around a gaming table. Fear, worry, sadness and anger can all feel enormous, particularly when you are young. Giving children a way to explore those feelings through play is a simple idea, but a genuinely thoughtful one.
I came across Daundermyth at Tabletop Scotland expecting to discover another interesting game. Instead, I found a Scottish project using one of my favourite hobbies to tackle a subject that matters enormously.
That is something worth rolling the dice for.
About the Author
I’m Kirsty, a writer based in Scotland, and I am incredibly proud of my home and the talented people who create, design and build wonderful things here.
I particularly love championing projects that have a positive purpose, especially when they show how our hobbies can bring genuine good into our lives. Mental health is something I care deeply about, so discovering a Scottish project that uses gaming to encourage confidence, communication and emotional resilience really stood out to me.
My own hobbies have always played an important part in my life too, whether I am writing, reading, exploring history or sitting down for a game. Sometimes we do not realise quite how much the things we love can give back to us until we stop and think about it.
