[dragonraid] Re: [DragonRaid] Comprehension Vs. Memorization...

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From: Jeff Smith <thehold@...>
Date:
At 05:29 pm 11/14/98 -0800, Colin Steele wrote:
>Hello everyone,
>
>    Question: What do you all do in your campaigns to stimulate
>COMPREHENSION of the WordRunes that are spoken? What I mean is, do your
>kids actually understand the meaning behind the verse(s) that they are
>reciting? In ministry, I have put much more emphasis on scriptural
>comprehension than memorization for the simple reason that you can teach
>a parrot to say all the right words, but if it doesn't understand what
>it's saying, then it's words are meaningless.
>    Many times in my campaign, I've had a cocky player smugly recite a
>verse in a tense situation, and then I've said, "Great, what does that
>mean?", and the player has no clue as to the meaning of what he just
>said. As has been stated many times before, WordRunes are not magical
>spells and they should not be treated as such.

(snip)

Good observation.  As it stands, the common practice of letting WordRunes
essentially be "magical" (that's not really what I want to say, but it's the
only word I have available) does accomplish one thing -- it get's Scripture
into the mind and memory of the player.  That, by itself, is not a bad thing.

But maybe we can use it to provide another of those discipleship moments so
critical to DragonRaid.  I'd suggest not doing so during LRT or RSS, as the
players are just getting a sense of the game (and it doesn't seem quite
appropriate when they're just using things like "Night Light").  On the
other hand, there a couple of places in MBR where they could get too
trusting in the "magic" of the WordRunes so that something challenging them
on the verse's meaning would be very effective.

If I ever get a chance to work on QFK, don't be surprised if that's in there
somewhere.  Do you mind if I steal your idea?

Jeff Smith - WilderLands Hold        <><    
<http://www.teleport.com/~thehold>
===================================
"President Clinton has done a lot for the U.S. Presidency: 
He has made Jimmy Carter look competent, Lyndon 
Johnson look honest, and John Kennedy appear virtuous."  

--Ed Meese in a speech to the 27th annual Eagle Forum 
Leadership Conference, Sept. 11-13, 1998       Pr 28:13
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