This review is about 27 years late. I was in both the after-school program and summer program in 6th and 7th grade. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I have some of my fondest memories playing Abantey. It forever changed my life for the better, and wish I was still living in California so I could go back as an adult. Becky is such an awesome mentor and role model, and all I can hope is this program continues for years to come. read more

The Roleplay Workshop has been the perfect extra-curricular activity for my 17 year-old as he has a very creative intellect and he is not particularly into team sports. This program provides the socialization and teamwork you get from team sports, while building on problem-solving/mathematic skills and allowing the kids to be creative. My son has been attending for 6 years...even though we moved from Oakland to the suburbs a couple years ago, my son still wanted to continue, going two Saturdays a month and summer camps. Only negative I can come up with is that parking can be difficult on Piedmont Ave... Becky and her crew are terrific.They are dedicated to providing a safe, fun atmosphere to help kids mature outside of a school environment. I know some people perceive role playing games as some bizarre thing that nerdy kids do but when done well, as this outfit does it, it can be a very valuable experience. Do your kids a favor and get them off the computer and over to the Roleplay Workshop! read more

My son is going back for his second time this summer and can't wait. He loves The Roleplay Workshop - including all the math, detailed "world" rules and information he learns and the game itself. Each game lasts one week, and each table has one game team. It's similar, I think, to D&D, with heavy science and math and a lot of fun too. His creativity, critical thinking and sense of adventure are all activated during the camp. He's also getting better at frisbee (they take the kids out once a day for a long break to work up a sweat at a local park). I will be signing my kid up for extra weeks this summer. Just fantastic. One note, it's mostly boys. Seems to not be as exciting to girls, but when girls sign up, they get the best characters. And of course, rule the board since they are natural strategists. read more

I grew up attending The Roleplay Workshop and I can't possibly express how positive an impact it had on me. Becky and the others immediately made me (a very shy 11 year old at the time) feel not only comfortable, but welcome. I looked forward to every session during the summer; getting to game every morning and play frisbee in the park every afternoon left me with some of the best memories I have. The confidence and social skills I built up at The Roleplay Workshop have served me for the last 12 years ( it I'm getting old). read more

I started playing RPGs as a kid on a playground, but I was quickly introduced to The Roleplay Workshop by a friend and never looked back. Becky (and the GMs she trained over the years) runs the best games I have ever been apart of, as a kid or an adult. For years finding a well run and organized RPG group was a dim prospect, but reconnecting with Roleplay Workshop and their weekend games has solved that problem. Becky is a GM who runs intricate, well thought out scenarios with extensive planning and excellent props and materials. Compounding this is the amazing nature of the Abantey game, an RPG that is unique. A complex, realistic system is combined with a living, breathing setting that rivals any other from great works of fiction. Years of players and adventures have left their mark on the setting, and the layers of complexity and story make it fantastic to play in. If you want to play an awesome RPG with great people, I cannot recommend Becky enough! read more

Becky is hands down the best GM on the market. The game she's created, abantey, is complex and incredibly satisfying to master. The ganges will leave you shocked, excited, and coming back for more. This isn't your childhood game of DnD; dark and mature, personal stories with world shaking consequences, that's what I've come to expect from games at the roleplay workshop. read more

My son, Alex, has attended Roleplay Workshop since he was in elementary school. He loved it then and still loves it as a senior in high school. He can't wait to go and comes home from every session bubbling over with enthusiasm. He can't wait to share his day. Becky Thomas, the director, is brilliant with kids and teenagers both. She's a unique influence in their lives - not mom, not a teacher, and certainly not there to take any nonsense - but the kids love her and the game she so beautifully crafted. The game itself is a terrific one because it has all of the complexities of role-playing games without being on a computer. The kids interact and enjoy themselves over a table and not a screen. They even sneak out to play ultimate frisbee in the park. Seriously, you have to check this out. Your kids will love you forever! read more

My teenage son has participated in The Roleplay Workshop over the past 7 years. Over these years, he's attended ongoing Saturday sessions, school holiday workshops, summer camps, camping trips - never loosing his enthusiasm for the game. The creator and director Becky Thomas has crafted an extremely creative, interactive game where kids have great fun and at the same time improve their social skills - learning about communication, cooperation and consequences of behavior. This is a win-win for both kids and their parents! Becky is very tuned into kids of all ages. Her background as a teacher is evident by the way she treats the kids - she has expectations of responsible behavior and the kids live up to her expectations. And they still have fun! I highly recommend The Roleplay Workshop for anything from the after school program to summer camp. Becky is even available for one-on-one tutoring in math and science. What a great resource for families with school age kids. read more

This is one of the best after school, summer and school holiday programs out there. Our son started when he was 8 or 9, he's 15 now. He still enjoys the small groups, honing his math skills, teamwork and lots more. Becky, Steve and crew are great with kids and love to teach. I'd recommend this program to kids who enjoy stories, creating characters etc. --Nancy --Oakland read more

I spent several years at The Roleplay Workshop when I was about 10 and they were first getting started. It had a profoundly positive impact on my life. It taught me a great deal of social skills and provided a fantastic creative outlet. Much love to Becky and Steve for creating such a safe and encouraging environment for budding young minds. read more

The workshop is an amazing place for children to be creative while learning school skills like math and having fun. They learn life skills of working with others and strategizing. Again all while having fun. They don't even realize they are learning anything. My son went on weekends and summers for 4 years and still talks about it fondly. Two years after his last sessions at Abantey, he has taken up drawing to make figures for a Roleplay game, has worked with friends to develop a whiole Roleplay game and has started a Roleplay club at his high school to continue developing his game. I can't thank Becky, the owner, enough for nurturing him and his creativity. She and her staff are exceptional. We are trying to figure out how to squeeze a week or two into his summer schedule to attend; we will figure it out. We can't recommend this more highly. read more

The program is super engaging and creative. Becky and staff enrich the creative minds of the lucky youth who attend the program. Not only are the kids engaged, but they learn collaborative problem solving and critical thinking skills. An amazing antidote to screen and boredom. read more

My 14yo has been playing this for two years and he loves it! He gets more excited about this than video games, and that it really saying something, since this is about the only thing he's into that doesn't involve a screen. Abantey involves math, writing, and lots of creativity. It's also a great way to make friends and build social skills. There are always day camps during school breaks and if that doesn't match with your schedule, Becky will even organize something for kids on their own holidays. read more

My 16 year-old twins have been loving Abantey for 4 years now. Becky and Steve are great with the kids and the game is very exciting. If your child (age 12 and up) loves fantasy, adventure, and roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons, then they will probably love Abantey. Abantey is an interactive storytelling game that: a) teaches students math, science, and problem solving skills, b) allows youth to work through complicated mysteries to create their own story, c) teaches youth personal responsibility both in the game and in real world using fantasy scenarios, d) allows youth to experiment, succeed, fail, and learn in a safe environment that teaches about real life consequences, and e) is *completely* computer and technology free with a focus on interaction between players and making new friends,.Abantey was created by a classroom educator, but my kids think it's just plain fun. read more

The absolute best thing I can imagine for teens. Becky, Steve, and all of young leaders are awesome!

I was playing a game with Becky, and in describing something my character was doing I unconsciously started to switch out a larger word in my head for another simpler, less precise word. I had picked up from various social pressures that I wasn't supposed to be smart (in general, but especially as a girl), and I had responded by changing how I talked without even realizing it. Becky was (is!) a wonderful role-model who showed me that it's a good thing to be a smart woman, and provided Abantey as a place for me to develop the self confidence to show others. I finished my sentence, probably missing a beat, with the original word, and made a point of never censoring my intelligence again. Lucy G. Oberlin College 2012 read more

I was among the first teens lucky enough to get to experience The Roleplay Workshop, back in 1990-1992 when Becky had recently developed the game. Learning how to roleplay taught me so much and gave me the opportunity to improve my storytelling, problem-solving and math skills... not to mention my self-confidence. Best of all, I got to express myself creatively in a highly supportive environment, have an enormous amount of fun while learning great skills, and make wonderful lifelong friendships. I look back fondly on my years playing Abantey and wish that I lived close enough to Oakland to send my own child to roleplay workshops here someday! read more

My bright 11 year old twin boys love The Role Play Workshop. It is highly educational as well as multidisciplinary but they just think it is fun. read more

My son loved Abantey. Really immersed in the game --couldn't stop talking about it when I picked him up from camp!

The lessons I learned at The Roleplay Workshop as a player covered topics from the conventional--statistical analysis, physics, and storytelling--to the transformative--resilience in failure, improving from mistakes, and, most importantly, working with others towards mutual success. It's an experience I would be lost without and I can't recommend it enough. read more

As an alum, I couldn't be happier. I learned a lot... especially with regards to math/statistics, problem solving, and increasing social skills. We're not running around killing bad guys, we're facing problems where fighting might not be the best option. Plus it's in a really cool location and we got to play ultimate frisbee during our lunch breaks. Love this place. read more

My son has attended The Role Play Workshop (Abantey) for the last 2 1/2 years, since he was 10, and absolutely LOVES it. He goes as many weeks in the summer as he can and also on Saturdays and holidays during the school year. It is a truly a unique and creative camnp - which is not captured by the rather serious name of "Role Play Workshop" and I just feel so fortunate that it is practically in our backyard. If your child likes imaginative play, and/or likes to make up games s/he will really like this. The kids create their own characters and go on missions in a wholly created, very imaginative world. And it's all done with an aim to emphasizing positive values and problem solving. Math and other skills are slipped in too. I agree with another reviewer that Becky, the long-time director, is brilliant with kids and teenagers. The kids love and respect her. I can't say enough good things about this camp. During the summer, the kids also go to the park at lunch and play ultimate frisbee so there is also time for running around. read more