{"title":"Courses","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"advanced-exercise-design-storytelling","title":"From Stories to Simulation: Using Roleplay and Narrative to Build Emergency Management Competence (Online)","description":"\u003cp class=\"Textbody\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is an independent study - online course.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Textbody\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis course bridges ancient storytelling traditions with modern emergency management practice. Participants learn how narrative, role-playing, and gamified simulations can unlock deeper engagement, improve decision-making, and build resilience under stress. Rather than relying solely on lectures or policy documents, students experience real-world emergency concepts through scenarios, character-driven decision pathways, and tabletop simulations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Textbody\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDesigned for emergency managers, planners, field leaders, trainers, and organizational mentors, the course leverages the mechanics of role-playing games (RPG), crisis simulations, and guided narrative exercises to model complex operations—from initial response through recovery and mitigation. Each module demonstrates how characters, motivations, environment, and constraints mirror the real pressures of disaster operations: resource scarcity, political constraints, personnel burnout, shifting objectives, and stakeholder conflict.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Textbody\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParticipants will learn how to build training environments that are safe, psychologically realistic, and effective. They will leave with practical tools to design simulations for tabletop exercises, training events, incident after-action reviews, and professional leadership development.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"HorizontalLine\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"EM Disaster Gaming","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47821861159144,"sku":null,"price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0754\/4317\/5656\/files\/Introduction_StoriestoSimulationcopy.jpg?v=1772498537"},{"product_id":"puzzle-mechanics-for-the-eoc-stand-up-challenge","title":"Build an EOC Escape Room! Puzzle Mechanics for the EOC Stand-up Challenge (Online)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is an independent study - online course.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Puzzle Mechanics for the EOC Stand-up Challenge is an advanced, practitioner-focused training for emergency management professionals responsible for designing, facilitating, and evaluating the EOC Stand-Up Challenge. A 30-minute, two-team escape-room–style exercise that validates and evaluates an organization’s ability to rapidly activate and operate an Emergency Operations Center.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis master class does not teach generic exercise design or tabletop facilitation. Instead, it provides a deep, implementation-level understanding of \u003cstrong\u003et\u003c\/strong\u003ehis specific escape room’s architecture, mechanics, and learning intent, ensuring that exercise directors can replicate the challenge faithfully, adapt it responsibly, and use its outcomes to generate meaningful readiness insights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipants will learn why each element of the Stand-Up Challenge exists, including its two-lane structure, functional pods, time pressure, puzzle-based decision gates, resource constraints, and final 60-second Incident Commander brief. Emphasis is placed on preserving decision stress, maintaining psychological safety, and avoiding common facilitation behaviors that unintentionally dilute learning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough detailed instruction, participants examine pod-by-pod design intent, puzzle construction and calibration, controller and facilitator roles, performance data collection, and debriefing techniques specific to this escape room. The course also addresses safe adaptation rules, allowing agencies to customize scenario content while protecting the core mechanics that make the exercise effective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUpon completion, participants will be able to set up, run, and debrief the EOC Stand-Up Challenge without over-facilitation, explain the exercise’s outcomes to leadership, and integrate the challenge into broader training and exercise programs as a diagnostic and onboarding tool.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntended Audience\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmergency Management Agency exercise directors\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTraining and preparedness officers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEOC managers and planners\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsultants and facilitators authorized to deliver the Stand-Up Challenge\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"EM Disaster Gaming","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47999950618856,"sku":null,"price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0754\/4317\/5656\/files\/PuzzleMechanics-IntrotoCases.jpg?v=1772498499"}],"url":"https:\/\/emdisastergaming.com\/collections\/courses.oembed","provider":"EM Disaster Gaming","version":"1.0","type":"link"}