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 The Glass Dream Game

By Ben Rosenbloom The Overview

A game of belonging outside of belonging The Glass Dream Game gives us teachers and students, ivory towers
Inspired by Dream Askew by Avery Alder, and scars of war, ethics and politics, games and philosophy, catastrophe
Dream Apart by Benjamin Rosenbaum, and the glint of a better world from an intellectual community, asking
& The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse “What do you do next?”

Powered by the apocalypse The time of war and destruction has ended. It ended because the world
rose up as one, then banded together to create an academy, meant to
Cover image from W.73, a cosmography manuscript preserve our best lessons and teach us how to move forward. And then
Courtesy of the Walters Art Museum they moved on, and forgot.

Nations once again populate the map, industry is returning, and people
continue to live as they always have, as best they can.

But we, the teachers and students, are still here, still studying, still
learning, still building a better world. If we learn enough, could we finish
what they started? Can we teach the world utopia? Can we learn it
ourselves?

Utopian thought and action in and beyond the academy.

Collaboratively generate a post-post apocalypse world.
For 3-6 players across 3-4 hours.
Tone & Setting Aside from other pedagogical works that have influenced this game,
Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and his belief that a
responsible, loving, action-taking education can change the world is also
My obvious, overwhelming influence is The Glass Bead Game, but it
incredibly important. A successful, revolutionary dialogue requires love,
should not be considered required reading. In The Glass Bead Game,
trust, reflection, and action, and is built not out of preconceptions of
Hermann Hesse paints a picture of a collegiate country - in the book,
revolution, but by the people who know what needs to change.
it’s referred to as “the pedagogic province” - created by the combined
might and will of the global population, after an age of apocalyptic war
Much of my thinking about Utopias has recently centered around
and destruction. Players do not need to have direct experience with
Friends at the Table’s two latest seasons, Twilight Mirage and Spring in
higher education to play either - the real world academy is exclusive
Hieron, and before those, Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed.
enough. In this game, you get to create your own. It need not look
anything like the academy we know.
& a Personal Note
The one message from The Glass Bead Game that bears repeating is
that it is (and I am) deeply critical of academic society, and its efficacy There are many problems with academia today. As I was finishing
and purpose. The story concerns the journey of one brilliant man who playbook design in earnest, a news story began circulating that, in 2017,
is particularly successful in the academy, but realizes that he cannot there were more than a dozen disciplines where no black students
accomplish what he wants from within. earned Ph.D.s, merely one of a horrible number of affronts against
students of color. College is enormously expensive, and I’ve seen the
That said, there are pieces of The Glass Bead Game that I don’t wish way my college failed to serve my friends of color, or my friends in
to directly influence this game - only men can join that academy, for poverty. The academy is sexist, racist, exclusive and exclusionary,
example, and it’s rooted deeply in a white european understanding of causes real harm through action and inaction, and profits from all these
education and accomplishment. In collaborating on your own and more. It’s hard to see sometimes that there’s anything good about it.
academy, some of these oppressive traits, and others inspired by the
academies of today, are included as prompts for things your academy And yet, the dream is hard for me to shake. I am the child of professors
might still struggle with. That’s not for “realism” - that’s to investigate and librarians. Since I was a kindergartner, I knew that I wanted to be a
whether a utopian society can address its own problems and history. teacher, and now I am one. I know that education alone cannot save the
world, but I have also seen the way meaningful connection and
The last explanatory piece of The Glass Bead Game is the game insightful help can change peoples’ lives. It does not excuse, or make up
referenced by the title. In the book, it represents the most abstracted for, or change what the world is, but I hope that it can change what the
form of academic pursuit - the reduction of all knowledge to symbols, world becomes.
and the playful manipulation of those symbols to perhaps prove a
point. Its rules are intentionally never explained, so they can’t be As a parting note, I want to make clear one last thing and apologize - the
reproduced here. The game (and its players) represent a kind of line drawn by Dream Apart and Dream Askew suggests that the way the
tradition and promise that is at its best, playful, educational, and belonging outside belonging engine/design philosophy/playstyle works
revelatory, but at its worst, navel-gazing, dull, and best is by telling the stories of marginalized communities. The Glass
counter-revolutionary. In the setting of The Glass Bead Game, the Dream Game does not concern a marginalized community, unless your
game is an important piece of culture, but is moving from a position of academy is different. The point is certainly not that anti-intellectualism
respect to one of tolerance. You are free to create your own or meritocratic exclusion makes a community marginalized, or, maybe
institutional game, and how it works into your world. worse, that “gamers” are a marginalized community.
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welcome to the   
 

Academy   
 
   
Circle 3-6 Visuals     
towering spires, beautiful garden, well-kept temple, 
walls, ornate gate, cultivated forest, rebuilt houses, 
new architecture, train station, rebuilt buildings, 
wasteland, clever technology, patchwork libraries, the 
borders of neighboring states, conspicuous splendor, 
austere style, pastures, flowing water, the ocean, 
schools, new development, rubble, public spaces, 
concrete & glass, ivy, hillside hamlets, scarcity outside 
 
Circle 3 promises of utopia 
historical consciousness, culture of tolerance, 
restorative justice, ethical focus, healthcare, 
flourishing arts, scientific progress, food for all, 
environmental stewardship, freedom from fear, open & 
respectful discourse 
 
Circle 3 things in conflict 
widespread inequality, oppressive traditions, 
xenophobia, instability, dehumanization, 
over-intellectualization, dismissive of new voices, 
colonialism, capitalist thinking, insularity, reactionary 
politics 
 
Jot down any notes you need. 
Sketch a map to the right. 
 
 
 
 
 

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Introducing The   Choose a name:  Tips 

Magister 
Friedrich, Jordan, Aviva, Joshua, Sree, Salar, Judith,  ⊨ Advocate passionately for your 
Nathan, Tegularius, Mohammad, Enyue, Salma  interpretations and beliefs. 
⊨ Bring forward epistemic, ethical, and 
Choose a look:  metaphysical dilemmas and make them matter. 
Part public intellectual, part minor celebrity, part  tired eyes, intense focus, warm demeanor, strict  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
doddering professor. The Magisters of the academy  countenance, sharp tongue, rebellious attitude 
have scaled the heights of intellect, seen further and    Lure 
clearer the shape of a piece of the world, and  magisterial robes, practical garb, sharp dress,  Whenever someone comes to you for your 
returned, apparently to squabble amongst themselves.  careless affect, teaching uniform, meticulous style  expertise or experience, they gain a token. 
 
The Magister is a knowledgeable individual. Their  Choose the school you attended: 
power is methodical, precise, and scholarly. Waldzell, Borzeguim, Lyceum, Pushpagiri, Hirsland,  Strong Moves spend a token 
Taixue, Gukhak, Kachokolo, Gondishapur, Haskell  ⊨ Persuade someone with reason and discourse. 
⊨ Deduce a hidden truth or subtle beauty. 
Choose an academic speciality:  ⊨ Admit you don’t know an answer. 
ethics, music, art, history, economics, literature,  ⊨ Tell someone something they need to hear. 
dance, physics, alchemical symbology, aesthetics,  ⊨ Leave the academy to pursue other good. 
mathematics, biology, psychology, linguistics or   
your own:  ⊨ Ask “What could you teach me?” 
⊨ Ask “What here could I make better?” 
Choose 2 old friends: 
your school friend you haven’t kept in touch with,  Regular moves 
the professor you always get into arguments with,  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
your aging childhood teacher, your collaborator,  ⊨ Perform your duties, at the cost of your studies. 
someone outside your field you admire, your old  ⊨ Travel to pursue responsibilities or research. 
rival from away, an old student of yours, someone  ⊨ Converse professionally. 
you met in the neighboring states  ⊨ Teach a class or a person a standard lesson. 
 
Choose 2 institutional connections:  ⊨ Ask “What could my expertise accomplish 
a magister you met at a talk, the departmental  here? 
assistant, the foreign affairs minister, the 
professor who’s teaching your work, the head of a  Weak Moves gain a token 
school in a neighboring state, your latest student   ⊨ Get into an argument with someone. 
⊨ Alienate and make enemies of someone. 
Choose one to ask left:  ⊨ Get bogged down in details or duties. 
Play to Find out  ⊨ Why did I invite you to one of my lectures?  ⊨ React with rigid dogmatism and scorn. 
Are you visionary, collaborative, or stodgy?   ⊨ What official function did we suffer through? ⊨ Retreat to study, lapsing on your duties. 
Does your work make a difference?   
How far will you go to learn more?    Ask “What error have I committed recently?”

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Introducing the  Choose a name  Tips 

Student 
Marcus, Cassie, Nathan, Sam, Lane, Jamie, Salah,  ⊨ Discover the world through trial and error. 
Calder, Sofia, Amira, Devin, Paola, Lance, Will  ⊨ Push against the rules and others’ 
  expectations to become who you want to be. 
Choose a look  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
The Student is the reason for the entire endeavor.  pensive gaze, incisive eyes, bored glare, curious 
Without Students, there would be no need for an  stare, clever smirk, kind look, smiling face  Lure 
academy, or a utopia, or a pedagogy that bridges the    Whenever someone listens earnestly to help you 
two. But there are Students, and we must do right by  dirt and grass stains, paint splotches, pencil  learn or grow, they get a token. 
them.  smudges, inky fingers, scraped knees, rosy cheeks 
   
The Student is an eager individual. Their power is  Choose the school you attend  Strong Moves spend a token 
creative, playful, and inquisitive.  Hillcrest, Kasungu, Muroran, Eschholz, Nalanda,  ⊨ Stumble upon an important connection or idea. 
  Somapura, Azhar, Levey, Riverside  ⊨ Change someone’s mind with charm and wit. 
    ⊨ Break the rules and get away with it. 
  Choose your favorite subject  ⊨ Overhear an important conversation. 
  drawing, music, biology, the game, math, reading,  ⊨ Stand up to authority with confidence and 
  writing, logic, dance, chemistry, social studies,  knowledge. 
  technology, health, cooking, language, or your   
  own:  ⊨ Ask “How could I get you to do what I want?” 
    ⊨ Ask “What here can only I notice?” 
  Choose 2 new friends 
  the new transfer student, your hometown friend,  Regular moves 
  your class competition, the class troublemaker,  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
  your lab partner, your reading companion, your  ⊨ Offer to help. 
  sports rival, the “weird” kid, the shy kid, the class  ⊨ Do your school work. 
  president, the kid you help with homework  ⊨ Gather several students to talk or play. 
    ⊨ Let someone see you struggling. 
  Choose your latest plan   
  prove your teacher wrong, find a ruin of the old  ⊨ Ask “What do you wish I would do right now?” 
  world, trick your rival, impress your new friend, 
  beat someone important at the game, get really  Weak Moves gain a token 
  really good at your chosen subject, skip school  ⊨ Get caught breaking the rules. 
    ⊨ Lose a debate with an adult. 
  Choose one to ask left  ⊨ Deny ignorance or refuse help. 
  ⊨ How did I impress you on our first meeting?  ⊨ Confess something and seek forgiveness. 
Play to Find out  ⊨ What trouble did I create for you accidentally?  ⊨ Blunder into a situation totally unprepared. 
What does the future hold for you?   
Will you be able to make change in your school?    ⊨ Ask “What do I still need to learn?”   
What are you going to learn?   

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Introducing the  Choose a name  Tips 

Educator 
Moises, Ann, Elke, Piotr, Jo, David, Mary, Geoffrey,  ⊨ Consider the needs of your students. 
Youssef,   ⊨ Leverage education and knowledge against the 
  world and its problems. 
Choose a look  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
After graduating from the academy, many answer the  warm eyes, tired eyes, sad eyes, clever eyes, 
call to teach, and so serve the academy. Between the  knowing eyes, smiling eyes, bright eyes, big glasses  Lure 
problems of the past and promise of the future, there    Whenever someone uses your lessons just like you 
is the Educator, building the way forward.  professional attire, teaching uniform, sweaters,  taught them, they get a token. 
  outdoors gear, rumpled clothes,  
The Educator is a compassionate individual. Their   
power is kind, transformative, and thoughtful.  Choose the school you attended  Strong Moves spend a token 
Waldzell, Borzeguim, Lyceum, Pushpagiri, Hirsland,  ⊨ Persuade someone with their best interests. 
Taixue, Gukhak, Kachokolo, Gondishapur, Haskell  ⊨ Teach someone something they need to know. 
  ⊨ Say exactly the right thing. 
Choose your teaching proficiency  ⊨ Create the perfect opportunity for someone. 
drawing, music, biology, the game, math, reading,  ⊨ Leave the academy to pursue other good. 
writing, logic, dance, chemistry, social studies,   
technology, health, cooking, language or your own:  ⊨ Ask “What do you need in order to grow?” 
  ⊨ Ask “What are you really planning?” 
Choose 2 strong friends 
your dear friend from childhood, your  Regular moves 
student-teacher, your mentor teacher, your  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
favorite professor, your friend from teaching  ⊨ Provide comfort, support, or advice. 
abroad, your significant other, the local figure who  ⊨ Give someone a chance to show off. 
helped you settle here, the magister who regularly  ⊨ Teach your class a standard lesson. 
visits,   ⊨ Share food or advice with someone. 
   
Decide what you do outside of school  ⊨ Ask “What do you need help with currently?” 
civic volunteering, gardening, after-school  ⊨ Ask “What should I be on the lookout for?” 
activities, the game, traveling, hiking, performing, 
reading, independent research, attend lectures  Weak Moves gain a token 
    ⊨ Admit you don’t have the answer to someone’s 
  Choose one to ask left  question or problem. 
  ⊨ What teaching seminar did we both attend?  ⊨ Make a mistake that damages your 
  ⊨ When did you observe my class?  relationship with a student. 
Play to Find out  ⊨ Appeal to your superiors for help. 
Do your teachings help others?  ⊨ React with dogmatism or a closed mind. 
Are you loving, demanding, or compelling?   
Is the academy’s pedagogy the best way to teach?    Ask “How did I fail you recently?”

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Introducing the  Choose a name  Tips 

Visitor 
Vladov, Plinio, Golden, Aphra, Charles, Yuri, Battu,  ⊨ Tell other people about your home and how it 
Harriet, Zheng, Ricardo, Viet, Faith, Marta, Ivan  is different, valuable, and compelling. 
  ⊨ Challenge the academy and its assumptions. 
Choose a look  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
The academy is not closed to those who live outside in  traditional fashion, cutting-edge style, heavy coat, 
the neighboring states, but Visitors are rare. Some  traveling garb, professional wear, honorary robes  Lure 
come to learn, some to debate, and some to prove to    Whenever someone gives you an opportunity to 
themselves that this so-called paradise is doomed to  combative attitude, earnest demeanor, distinctive  prove yourself to the academy, they get a token.
failure. Rarely does a Visitor leave fulfilled.  accent, untrustworthy vibe, silvertongue, 
    Strong Moves spend a token 
The Visitor is an observant individual. Their power is  Choose the school you are visiting  ⊨ Change someone’s mind with passionate 
investigative, challenging, and refreshing. Waldzell, Borzeguim, Lyceum, Pushpagiri, Hirsland,  debate and resonant experience. 
Taixue, Gukhak, Kachokolo, Gondishapur, Haskell  ⊨ Deduce an important truth of the old world. 
  ⊨ Realize a personal mistake or error. 
Choose your recent interest  ⊨ Change the academy’s opinion of your home. 
international relations, economic history, logic,  ⊨ Return to your home, prepared with 
evolutionary psychology, comparative mythology,  knowledge and the power to change it. 
business, information theory, or your own:   
  ⊨ Ask “What do you wish I would do next?” 
Choose 2 contacts from near and far  ⊨ Ask “How are your beliefs vulnerable?” 
your host and their family, your spouse, your child, 
your representative back home, the ambassador,  Regular moves 
your friend you met as an exchange student, the  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
magister you’ve been arguing with, a fellow  ⊨ Travel to another part of the academy. 
traveler, your spymaster and handler, your intern,  ⊨ Challenge someone to a debate. 
the mysterious researcher you keep running into  ⊨ Meet with someone important. 
  ⊨ Point out someone else’s mistake or error. 
Choose what you hope to accomplish   
show the academy their error, reconnect with an  ⊨ Ask “What here do only I observe?” 
old friend, prove yourself smarter, get revenge, a 
mission of national importance, learn something  Weak Moves gain a token 
  ⊨ Blunder due to inexperience or ignorance. 
Choose one to ask left  ⊨ Trust someone you shouldn’t. 
⊨ Why did I meet you when I was traveling  ⊨ Stubbornly lose an argument. 
through your part of the academy?  ⊨ Demand an explanation from someone. 
Play to Find out  ⊨ What did you think of me when we met at the  ⊨ Fall prey to doubt or skepticism. 
Will you change or be integrated into the academy?  event for notable visitors?   
Can the academy offer anything to the outside world?  ⊨ Ask “Do you think I actually belong here?” 
Are you argumentative, pedantic, or sincere?   

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Introducing the  Choose a name  Tips 

Functionary 
Bertram, Margaret, April, Richard, Shirley, Cassius,  ⊨ Collaborate with others about rules and 
Samir, Stanley, Donna, Randall, Yann, Lucy, Liz  bylaws and make them important. 
  ⊨ Explore the tension between community and 
Choose a look  laws, and between red tape and civil service. 
The nations of old world failed. But they left their  wimpy build, bad posture, stiff back, tense  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
blueprints for us - their paperwork. Therefore, we  shoulders, relaxed demeanor,  
have the Functionary, to manage the paper and the    Lure 
people. What else are utopias made out of, if not paper  biting wit, calm voice, sarcastic tone, practiced  Whenever someone comes to you for help with 
and people?  patience, chipper attitude,   official duties or the rules, they get a token.
 
The Functionary is a meticulous individual. Their  Choose the school you attended  Strong Moves spend a token 
power is material, interpersonal, and bureaucratic.  Waldzell, Borzeguim, Lyceum, Pushpagiri, Hirsland,  ⊨ Convince someone using rules and logic. 
Taixue, Gukhak, Kachokolo, Gondishapur, Haskell  ⊨ Use or break the rules to help someone 
  substantially. 
Choose your purview  ⊨ Reveal that someone present owes you a favor. 
academic administration, departmental assistant,  ⊨ Create a lasting change in the traditions or 
foreign ministry, elections and assignments,  bylaws of the academy. 
calendar & holidays, travel logistics, supplies, or  ⊨ Leave the academy to pursue other good. 
your own:   
  ⊨ Ask “Who’s really in control here?” 
Choose 2 connections  ⊨ Ask “What here could I make better?” 
a librarian in the archives, the lab manager, 
someone in food service, the local taxi operator,  Regular moves 
the assistant to an important magister, your  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
counterpart in the neighboring countries, a  ⊨ Make a useful connection to or for someone. 
gossiping school secretary, the care coordinator at  ⊨ Take care of your official responsibilities. 
the local clinic.  ⊨ Make someone think you are beneath notice. 
  ⊨ Advise someone on a rule or point of fact. 
Choose what you really want   
a quiet life, power & prestige, to travel, civil  ⊨ Ask “What do you wish I would do?” 
harmony, to pursue creative endeavors, to master 
the game, to spread the academy’s reach  Weak Moves gain a token 
everywhere, love  ⊨ Fail someone who is not served by the rules. 
  ⊨ Fall behind on your responsibilities.  
Choose one to ask left  ⊨ Draw someone’s scorn or disgust. 
Play to Find out  ⊨ What favor did I do for you?  ⊨ Cave to the demands of your superiors. 
Does bureaucracy serve the people and utopia?  ⊨ What official function did we meet at?  ⊨ Interfere with a friend out of scruples. 
Are you servile, altruistic, or determined?   
Who and what do you prioritize, when time is short?    Ask “What do you really think of me?”

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Introducing the  Choose a name  Tips 

Ludor 
Kat, Joseph, Eleni, Phiona, GIta, Austin, Gonzalo,  ⊨ Involve other players and their interests in the 
Brenda, Kacey, Judit, Nihal, Hikaru, Natsuki, Boris  game, and describe to us how you play. 
⊨ Explore the tension between play and work. 
Choose a look  ⊨ Make your character fallible and relatable. 
sharp & piercing, languid, joyful, mischievous, 
For some, the game represents the highest possible  careful, manic, contemptuous, wise 
truth. The culmination of human knowledge. A    Lure 
universal framework, in which all art and science, all  well-dressed, official robes, teacher’s uniform,  Whenever someone invites you to play the game 
thought is made to play together. That is the Ludor’s  casual wear, gaudy outfit, disheveled  with them, they gain a token. 
task - to make everything and more into 
entertainment.  Choose the school you attended  Strong Moves spend a token 
  Waldzell, Borzeguim, Lyceum, Pushpagiri, Hirsland,  ⊨ Persuade someone using demonstration and 
The Ludor is a creative individual. Their power is  Taixue, Gukhak, Kachokolo, Gondishapur, Haskell  play. 
playful, holistic, and analytical.  ⊨ Win a game. 
Choose your current area of focus  ⊨ Deduce an important, true, and beautiful idea. 
invented languages, optimization mathematics,  ⊨ Teach someone something they should know. 
solid-state physics, theoretical chemistry, 18th  ⊨ Leave the academy to pursue other good. 
century dance, feminist philosophical history, race   
& class in post-industrial economics, aesthetics,  ⊨ Ask “What could you teach me?” 
innovations in harp music, or your own:  ⊨ Ask “What do you need in order to grow?” 

Choose 2 rival players  Regular moves 

A stubborn magister who won’t quit, your old  ⊨ Take action that risks reprisal or rebuke. 
master, a child prodigy, your best friend, the  ⊨ Challenge someone to a game. 
academy’s favorite, a strange recluse, a surprising  ⊨ Travel somewhere on “official” business 
school teacher, the underdog, your rival school’s  ⊨ Perform in official ceremonies or events. 
champion, a challenger from outside the academy.  ⊨ Spot a flaw in someone’s logic or idea. 
 
Decide what do you do besides play  ⊨ Ask “What do you intend to do?” 
read voraciously, scavenge old tech, explore the 
old world, travel here and there, meditate, get into  Weak Moves gain a token 
arguments, go to live performances, sleep  ⊨ Lose a game. 
⊨ Repel others with your focus on minutiae. 
Choose one to ask left  ⊨ Make a mistake that costs you respect. 
⊨ When did we play together, and what did you  ⊨ Treat someone like a game instead of a person. 
Play to Find out  think of the game?  ⊨ Isolate yourself in contemplation or study. 
What is the game, and does it reveal important truths?  ⊨ Why were you at one of my public games?   
Are you inventive, insightful, or self-centered?  Ask “How do I offend you or push you away?”
Can you use play to help others learn and grow?   

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you also play the  Sources 

Neighboring   But that the present order of things was not to be taken for granted, that it 
presupposed a certain harmony between the world and the guardians of 
culture, that this harmony could always be disrupted, and that world history 

States
taken as a whole by no means furthered what was desirable, rational, and 
beautiful in the life of man, but at best only occasionally tolerated it as an 
exception — all this they did not realize. Except for those few political thinkers 
After the world ended, people went on. The age of wars, of climate  like Dubois, almost all Castalians were unaware of the secret complex of 
problems underlying the existence of Castalia. 
change, of apocalypse? In time, even these become lessons. 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
 
 
And so, they made the academy to teach them. Once upon a time, that  Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels 
was the deal. Can you teach someone utopia? Can you educate away  and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global 
the harm of war? We owe it to them to find out, if they’ll let us. instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict. They will likely lead to food and water 
shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and 
destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe. 
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when 
– Chuck Hagel, “2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap” 
unrest, scarcity-thinking, war,  Someone travels to the 
self-preservation, hegemony,  neighboring states, or you have an 
cultural exchange, alliance  idea why they might send an  One cannot teach the conflicts (or anything else, for that matter) by assuming 
envoy.  this neutral "view from nowhere," for it is no view at all. In other words, the 
Assumption of a View from Nowhere is the projection of local values as 
Tips  Trade away when  neutrally universal ones, the globalizing of ethnocentric values… 
⊨ Describe and introduce people  You have to interact with the  – David Theo Goldberg, “Multiculturalism: A Critical Reader“ 
from outside the academy, give  neighboring states or they take an 
them names and make us care  interest in you. 
about them. 
⊨ Make decisions about the  Moves 
politics and culture of other  ⊨ Introduce a political or cultural 
nations.    threat to the academy. 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and  ⊨ Expose factions among the 
build on the answers others  neighboring states and 
give.  pressure the academy to take 
sides.  
⊨ Exploit weaknesses in thought 
or statehood. 
 
After every move, ask “What do 
you do?” 

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you also play  Sources 

Truth &  The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is 
to change it. 
– Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach” 

Beauty 
 
“My enemy is not Europe, it’s purity — the idea that purity ever exists, or that if 
it does exist, that it is somehow more culturally creative than mixture.” 
– Martin Bernal 
 
Once, the world was so cruel as to make the study of truth, the  “If you can see a thing whole,” he said, “it seems that it’s always beautiful. 
appreciation of beauty, the domain of only the powerful and privileged.   Planets, lives.... But close up, a world’s all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life’s a 
  hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. You need distance, interval.” 
We know better now, that these have always belonged to all of us. That a  – Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Dispossessed” 
 
better world depends on all of us, hearing from each other what is true 
All the interests of my reason, speculative as well as practical, combine in the 
and beautiful. Listen - someone is speaking it to you right now. 
three following questions: 1. What can I know? 2. What ought I to do? 3. What 
may I hope? 
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when  – Immanuel Kant, “The Critique of Pure Reason”, tr. J. M. D. Meiklejohn 
metaphysics, artistic expression,  Someone devotes themselves to 
fixation, isolation, ethical action,  study, makes a claim about  It is the secret of beauty and the real substance of all art. The poet who praises 
awe, parsimony, utopia, kindness,  knowledge, or you want to  the splendors and terrors of life in the dance- measures of his verse, the 
passionate debate  discuss philosophical society. musician who sounds them in a pure, eternal present — these are bringers of 
light, increasers of joy and brightness on earth, even if they lead us first 
Tips  Trade away when  through tears and stress. Perhaps the poet whose verses gladden us was a sad 
⊨ Explore the beliefs of  You seek out the truth or the  solitary, and the musician a melancholic dreamer; but even so their work shares 
characters and how they  beautiful, or get otherwise lost in  in the cheerful serenity of the gods and the stars. What they give us is no longer 
impact action.  study. their darkness, their suffering or fears, but a drop of pure light, eternal 
⊨ Describe the beauty in  cheerfulness. 
everything, even immaterial  Moves  – Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
things, using sensory details  ⊨ Provide opportunities for 
and imagination.  revelation and grandeur. 
The question is only: Where do we classify this phenomenon? What do we call 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and  ⊨ Twist easy answers and show 
it, how explain it? That sounds like the pedantic schoolmaster, but we 
build on the answers others  complication. 
Castalians are schoolmasters, after all; and if I want to classify and find a term 
give.  ⊨ Make it beautiful and true. 
for your and our experience, it is not because I wish to destroy its beauty by 
 
generalizing it, but because I want to describe and preserve it as distinctly as 
After every move, ask “What do 
possible. 
you do?” 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
 

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Game 
We live permanently in that realm beyond time and conflict embodied in those 
very works and which we would know nothing of, but for them. And we go even 
further into the realms of pure mind, or if you prefer, pure abstraction: in our 
Glass Bead Game we analyze those products of the sages and artists into their 
components, we derive rules and patterns of form from them, and we operate 
with these abstractions as though they were building blocks. Of course all this 
Everyone in the academy learns to play the game, of course. The game  is very fine; no one will contend otherwise. But not everyone can spend his 
represents the true promise we made; not just that all knowledge would  entire life breathing, eating, and drinking nothing but abstractions. History has 
one great strength over the things a Waldzell tutor feels to be worthy of his 
be made clear in time, or that it could be bent, coaxed, painted into a 
interest: it deals with reality. Abstractions are fine, but I think people also have 
game. No, the promise is that it would be fun to learn. 
to breathe air and eat bread."  
  – Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
The game uses every symbol ever devised, and new ones as well. It has   
its own language, it is its own language, and masterful players are  Foregrounding playful learning does not mean that all learning has to be 
constantly pushing at the boundaries to see what new connections and  playful, or that every moment of playfulness involves significant learning. What 
truths they can wield. When you play, do you feel the same way?  it does mean is that a close look at play and playfulness reveals numerous 
emotional, social and cognitive features that can powerfully abet learning in 
many, perhaps most, circumstances. 
– Ben Mardell, Daniel Wilson, Jen Ryan, Katie Ertel, Mara Krechevsky and 
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when  Megina Baker, “Towards a Pedagogy of Play” 
hidden meanings & connections,  Someone plays the academy’s   
playfulness, teachable moments,  game, or you want to discuss its  “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the 
spectacle, cross-discipline ideas,  effect on the academy.  play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the 
escapism, transcendence  objects it loves.” 
– Carl Jung 
Tips  Trade away when 
   
⊨ Ask people about their  You do any of the above, or 
passions and how those  otherwise encounter the game.  
connect to other topics and 
people.  Moves 
⊨ Describe the physical game but  ⊨ Make a surprising connection. 
leave room for symbolism and  ⊨ Challenge someone’s idea. 
interpretation.  ⊨ Speak as universal knowledge. 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and   
build on the answers others  After every move, ask “What do 
give.  you do?” 

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Traditions   “Nothing is cooler than following all the rules.” 

– James D’Amato, @OneShotRPG 

& Bylaws 
“Our enduring strength is also reflected in our respect for an international 
system that protects the rights of both nations and people -- a United Nations 
and a Universal Declaration of Human Rights; international law and the means 
to enforce those laws. But we also know that those rules are not self-executing; 
they depend on people and nations of goodwill continually affirming them.” 
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that it’s only a little academic tradition and  – Barack Obama 
history that keeps the various schools of the academy together.   
Alexander sighed. "That is your view, but not the view of the Order and its rules. 
 
A brother in our Order has moods, and at times he wearies of his work — there 
That tradition and those rules cut both ways, though. When you outline 
is nothing new and remarkable about that. The rules show him the way to 
the boundaries of the acceptable, you make clear who (or what) is  regain harmony, to find his center again.” 
outside. Is tradition the shield to protect the academy, or is it a sword to  – Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
cut away everything that might challenge its authority?   
   
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when 
institutional knowledge, stability,  When you want to describe the 
bureaucracy, discipline, obscurity,  history of the academy, there’s a 
holidays & celebrations, peace,  debate about rules, or you have an 
asceticism, hidden archives    idea about internal politics. 

Tips  Trade away when 

⊨ Introduce bureaucrats, faculty,  You are involved in debates or 
and people who keep the  ceremonies. 
academy running. Give them 
names and make them  Moves 
important.  ⊨ Show someone the process by 
⊨ Suggest rules and traditions for  which things are done. 
others to build upon.  ⊨ Offer knowledge and resources 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and  for following the rules. 
build on the answers others  ⊨ Introduce a long-running and 
give.  divisive debate. 
 
After every move, ask “What do 
you do?” 

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Reputation   For many years Master Thomas von der Trave had employed a Shadow named 
Bertram who seems to have been more lacking in luck than in talent or good 
will. He was an excellent Glass Bead Game player, of course. As a teacher he 

& Rivalry
was at least adequate, and he was also a conscientious official, absolutely 
devoted to his Master. Nevertheless, in the course of the past few years, he had 
become distinctly unpopular. The "new generation," the younger members of 
the elite, were particularly hostile to him, and since he did not possess his 
 
Master's limpid, chivalric temperament, this antagonism affected his poise. 
One of the great lies of the past was that the intellectual pursuits were 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
free from the follies and foibles that flesh is heir to. That there was 
something so perfect and true about it that it couldn’t possibly still be  It used to be said of politics on the university campus that it was the worst of all 
human.  kinds of politics because the stakes were so small. We should be able to take at 
  least minor comfort, then, from the present situation in the educational world: 
But the Academy has never worked that way. Every piece of it is human.  The stakes today are not at all small. 
It is a world made of people, by people, for people. Human problems,  – Charles Frankel 
and human triumphs.  
“By the happy workings of Providence, at the same time, outside in our country, 
a man of the world had precisely the same thought. He dreamed of a 
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when  rapprochement and interpenetration of Castalia and the world. That man was 
interpersonal strife, friendship,  You want to introduce another  Plinio Designori."  
disagreement, honor, pride, fame,  character or when someone does  Master Alexander's mouth took on a slightly sour expression as he said: "Well 
self-destruction, collaboration,  something shocking or  yes, I have never hoped for anything very good from this man's influence upon 
competition, judgement  praiseworthy.   you, any more than I have from your spoiled protege Tegularius. So it is 
Designori who brought you to the point of a complete breach with the system?"  
Tips  Trade away when 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
⊨ Introduce experts, academics,  You do any of the above, or your 
   
artists, and intellectuals, from  reputation or rivalries get you in 
inside and outside the  trouble. 
academy. Make them relatable, 
and give them names.  Moves 
⊨ Give players and people social  ⊨ Bring two people together. 
connections and complicated  ⊨ Show someone the social 
relationships.  consequences of their actions. 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and  ⊨ Offer someone the opportunity 
build on the answers others  to condemn, forgive, or rebuke. 
give.   
After every move, ask “What do 
you do?” 

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Old World  The great majority of Castalians, the officials no less than the scholars and 
students, lived in their Pedagogic Province and their Order as if these 
constituted a stable, eternal, inevitable world. They knew, of course, that it had 
not always existed, that it had come into being slowly and amid bitter struggles 
  in times of cruel distress; they knew it had originated at the end of the Age of 
History tells us that once, the world was different. That it was falling  Wars out of a double source: the heroically ascetic efforts of scholars, artists, 
apart at every seam, stuffed full of tragedy and war, soaked with  and thinkers who had come to their senses, and the profound craving of the 
atrocities and blood. We have tried to put it behind us.  exhausted, bled, and betrayed peoples for order, normality, reason, lawfulness, 
  and moderation. 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
But it’s still there, in our history books. If you squint, you can see the 
scars of it still, in the neighboring states. It echoes even here. It is the 
But whether or not my attempt to find a meaningful place for myself was mere 
earth, and we are its latest seed. Can we bear better fruit? 
conceit on my part — in any case, it ended as it was bound to end. The world 
was stronger than I was; it slowly overwhelmed and devoured me. 
– Hermann Hesse, “The Glass Bead Game”, tr. Richard and Clara Winston 
 
Circle 2 Desires  Pick up when  Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of war, where every man is 
dangerous relics of war, new life,  You want to describe history and  enemy to every man, the same consequent to the time wherein men live 
scarcity, forgotten knowledge,  its reach into the present, life  without other security than what their own strength and their own invention 
environmental disaster, refuge,  outside civilization, or the natural  shall furnish them withal. In such condition there is no place for industry, 
influence, to challenge the future,  world. because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no culture of the 
the end of the world again    earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by sea; 
no commodious building; no instruments of moving and removing such 
Tips  Trade away when  things as require much force; no knowledge of the face of the earth; no 
⊨ Give people a reason to  You explore the old world,  account of time; no arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, 
explore the old world.  confront the past, or dig deep into  continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, 
⊨ Show the lingering impact of  history. nasty, brutish, and short. 
the old world on traditions,  – Thomas Hobbes, “Leviathan”
culture, biases, and resources.  Moves 
⊨ Ask compelling questions and  ⊨ Reveal an unfortunate truth. 
build on the answers others  ⊨ Give history a voice. 
give.  ⊨ Offer an opportunity to 
someone who ventures into the 
old world. 
 
After every move, ask “What do 
you do?” 

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