Additional Tips & Resources for Provenance of the Dead

Provenance of the Dead, my competitive storytelling game about archaeology, was recently published in the collection Roll for Learning: 51 Micro Role-Playing Games to Use in the Classroom by Play Story Press, which you can get free (or print on demand via Lulu)! The "textbook version" of Provenance of the Dead (whoa... P-O-D) includes tips for facilitating the game in your classroom, reflection prompts, references, and an expanded ruleset. 

These supplements might be useful/of interest to gamers and material culture-fanatics outside of the classroom, too. Since the book is also Creative Commons, I copied these appendices over here for easy reference!

Here's a brief rundown:

• Best Practices for Playing & Tips for Running the Game
• Safety tools, referee roles, time-keeping, and extra rules for "advanced" or more squarely collaborative play
• Guidelines for Classroom Implementation
• Adapting subject matter, necessary background knowledge, ethical considerations, etc.
• Assessment and Reflection
• Reflection questions for post-game discussion 
• Potential Learning Outcomes
• Four potential learning outcomes for aligning to your mandated learning standards of choice
• Recommended Bibliography
• Books, essays, and videos for helpful context
• Recommended Ludography
• Important games!

Best Practices for Playing & Tips for Running the Game

Using safety tools. Provenance of the Dead focuses quite sternly on consequential topics of death and burial. Learners are prompted to draw skeletons and other burial paraphernalia, likely without direct supervision. It is vital to include boundary-setting safety tools like the ‘X’ card to ensure a safe and comforting space for all players.

Assigning referee roles. Organize players into the referee roles to keep play fast and organized. Filling one role or another does not impact a player’s chance of success:

• SURVEYOR: Shuffles and deals cards during the BURIAL SITE phase. They make sure that players move their pieces correctly during their turn.
• FINDS MANAGER: Draws the grid and skeleton on the SITE MAP and ensures drawings are made in the correct unit.
• SITE MANAGER: Keeps score and watches the clock.
• RESEARCHER: Has a computer or textbook nearby to look up “yes-or-no” questions about the given time period.

Keeping time. To mark the end of each phase, it may help to use time limits rather than step completion. In this model, Steps 1-4 should be limited to 3-5 minutes each, Step 5 to 10-15 minutes, and Step 6 to 3-5 minutes. The full game should take between 45-60 minutes, with at least 10 minutes saved for conclusion and reflection at the end.

Increasing the difficulty. For more advanced groups, limit each DISCOVERY type to a specific kind of hand. ARTIFACTS can only be identified with numbers, ECOFACTS with face cards, and CONTEXTS/FEATURES with both face cards and numbers (i.e. 10-J-Q).

Encouraging collaboration, de-prioritizing competition. Provenance of the Dead is fully playable as a non-competitive story game. For this style, omit the PRESENCE role and all scoring rules, allow players to add one more HYPOTHESIS and TRAIT to their SITE PLAN during each break, and conclude by comparing final HYPOTHESES.

Guidelines for Classroom Implementation

Adapting to your course. It is highly recommended that the instructor adapt the HYPOTHESIS categories in Step 2 to fit their course’s area of study. For example, a class studying the Viking age might change the traits under TITLE to Thrall, Karl, Jarl, Gothi, and King/Queen. A class on Roman-occupied Egypt might replace AGE with “Culture” and then add traits like Roman, Egyptian, Greek, Noba, Syrian, or Sasanian. A survey course covering a historical era could adapt HISTORICAL ERA into a set of shorter PERIODS. Even other humanities, such as literature and philosophy studies, can use this as a review game by adapting it to a fictional or metaphorical setting. This adaptation process can also be built out into its own class activity, where the learners collaborate and brainstorm possible options for each preset category.

Thinking archaeologically. Before playing Provenance of the Dead, learners should be introduced to the basic logic behind how archaeological sites are organized, excavated, and recorded. Students should understand that where artifacts are found is just as (if not more) important than what the artifact is. A short selection from the bibliography below should be sufficient.

Ethical considerations. Archaeology is both a product and a tool of Western colonialism, and this reciprocity continues today. The sensitive history of archaeology, especially burial archaeology, should be addressed and interrogated throughout the preparation, gameplay, and reflection of this activity. These themes are already present in some of the mechanics and reflections provided, however, a more candid discussion should also be considered. The readings Alternative Archaeologies and Grave Matters, in particular, can be used to prompt class discussions on the critiques, threats, and potential future of the archaeological field.

Assessment and Reflection

After completing the game, it is recommended that the class comes back together to consider some of the following questions. Adjust as needed to relate to your area of study.

• Describe the unique life that your table pieced together from the burial site.
• How did you decide on discoveries? What would you do differently if you played again?
• Did any of the established traits seem to conflict? Please elaborate.
• What different effects did artifacts, ecofacts, and contexts have on your game?
• Which discoveries did you find the most challenging to interpret? Which were easiest?
• What methods did The Presence use in your game? Were they successful?
• What does it mean that archaeology is a “destructive science”? What can artifacts and material culture tell us about a past society?
• What kind of information can not be found through archaeology?
• Imagine these burial traditions were used in the present day. What kinds of modern objects would be used? How might the traditions change across different groups?
• What are the arguments for and against burial archaeology? Which do you agree with?

Potential Learning Outcomes

Historical analysis and interpretation

• Draw connections between material culture and identity in historical societies
• Reflect on the benefits and risks of archaeology as a destructive science

Intersectionality in historical research

• Consider how diverse facets of an identity might interweave, inform, and contrast with their role in a historical society 
• Anticipate possible assumptions from peers regarding historical-social identities

Methodological planning and problem-solving

• Create actionable plans, then adapt as the game’s landscape changes

Creative collaboration and improvisation

• Rely and build on on the contributions of competitors to influence the game

Recommended Bibliography

• Bahn, P. G., & Tidy, B. (2012). Archaeology: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Cooper Ferry’s Site. The Excavation Process. YouTube. https://www. youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiviSLd-gOIOiG496JWcmvmTpiFtGhNP-
• Han, D. (2022) Grave Matters: Conflict in Reburial and Repatriation. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/grave-matters-conflict-in-reburial- and-repatriation/
• Price, N., Hedenstierna-Jonson, C., Zachrisson, T., Kjellström, A., Storå, J., Krzewińska, M., ... 
• Götherström, A. (2019). Viking warrior women? Reassessing Birka chamber grave. Antiquity, 93(367), 181-198. https:// doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2018.258
• Trigger, B. G. (1984). Alternative Archaeologies: Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist. Man, 19(3), 355–370. https://doi.org/10.2307/2802176

Recommended Ludography

• Alder, A. (2019). The quiet year [Role-playing game].
• Eskridge, D. (2010). The resistance [Role-playing game].
• Lambert, R., Rilstone, A., & Wallis, J. (2012). Once upon a time [Story- telling game]. Atlas Games.
• Plotkin, A. Werewolf [Role-playing game].
• Pipkin, E. The ground itself [Story-playing game].