Growth Mindset

Torchbearer An Adventurer's Essentials
1

As a teacher in another life, we really focus on the growth mindset and how it related with learning.

I cant help but notice how close the BW games mirror that research. (Quick summary: To learn you have to try things that are difficult that you will fail at in addition to reinforcing skills you know by reviewing easy things.)

My question for Luke, Thor, Jared, or anyone who knows, were you aware of Carol Dwick’s research when you started the game or was it just something you came up with on your own because it made sense and made the rules better?

2

We were only aware of our own constant failures.

Failure is a part of life, especially part of learning. It always irked me that failure didn’t count for much in other games.

Plus, failure is a huge part of fiction! Our protagonists must fail, otherwise the story is boring.

Thanks for asking!
-Luke

3

Thanks for the answer. I always wondered. I started playing Burning Wheel before I was introduced to any of the research and even then I appreciated how interesting failures and twists made the games to run.

>>Plus, failure is a huge part of fiction! Our protagonists must fail, otherwise the story is boring.

I agree with this. I think it is why I always found Harry Potter/Superman/etc. so boring.

4

I recently read one of Pixar’s “Rules of Storytelling”: We don’t like characters because they succeed, we like them because they try.

I thought of Torchbearer immediately.