How to Use the SCORP Authoring Guide

For Educators: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

---

Before You Start

What You'll Need

• 30-60 minutes of preparation time
• A text editor (Word, Google Docs, or even Notepad—no coding required)
• Optional: images or documents you want to include
• Optional: the SCORP authoring template file

What You Don't Need

• Programming knowledge
• Technical background
• Experience with SCORP (we'll guide you through it)

---

The Writing Process: 5 Steps

STEP 1: Write Your Basic Information (5 minutes)

This is like writing the cover of your syllabus. Answer these simple questions:

1. What are you calling this? Roleplay Name:

Peace Negotiation Summit

Make it clear and descriptive.

2. Who made it? Creating Organization:

International Relations Department

This gives you credit.

3. What's the one-liner? Roleplay Description:

In this simulation, diplomats from three fictional countries negotiate a trade agreement while managing domestic political pressures. Think of it like a Netflix description—short enough to read in 5 seconds.

That's it for Step 1. Leave the other fields with defaults for now.

---

STEP 2: Describe What Students Will Learn (10 minutes)

Put yourself in a student's shoes: "What will I understand or be able to do after this roleplay that I couldn't before?"

Write 2-3 learning goals: Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand how trade negotiations balance national interests with global commerce
• Students will experience the challenge of representing a constituency with competing pressures
• Students will practice diplomatic communication under time constraints

Who should take this? Expected Audience:

• Upper-level undergraduate students
• Prior knowledge of international trade policy helpful but not required

Tell them what to expect: Introduction:

• This is a realistic simulation of international trade negotiations.
• You will represent one country's interests.
• You have 90 minutes to reach an agreement or declare negotiations failed.
• Pay attention to both the official goals and the political pressures.

End with reflection questions: Debrief Questions:

• What was the biggest challenge you faced as a negotiator?
• How did you decide which issues to compromise on?
• What surprised you about the other countries' perspectives?
• What would you do differently if you ran this negotiation again?

Why this matters: These become the pages students see before and after the roleplay. Good ones help students get the most from the experience.

---

STEP 3: Define Your Timeline—Phases (10 minutes)

Think of a phase as a "chapter" in your simulation. Most roleplays have 2-4 phases.

Example timeline for trade negotiations:

Phase 1: Opening Statements

What happens:

• Each country gets 10 minutes to present its opening position
• The facilitator summarizes the key interests
• This sets the tone for the rest of the negotiation

Phase 2: Bilateral Negotiations

What happens:

• Countries pair off for direct negotiations
• You have 30 minutes to find areas of agreement
• Be willing to discuss strategic compromises

Phase 3: Final Agreement

What happens:

• All countries meet together to finalize the agreement
• You need everyone's approval to succeed
• If you can't reach an agreement, the deal falls apart

Tips:

• 2-3 minutes per phase is realistic
• Each phase should have a clear purpose
• Make descriptions concrete (time limits, activities)

---

STEP 4: Create Your Characters (15 minutes)

This is the heart of your roleplay. Each character should have a public face and secret pressures.

Example: Prime Minister of Eastland Character Name: Prime Minister of Eastland What Everyone Knows:

• You lead Eastland, an agricultural economy that exports grains and dairy.
• You're concerned about protecting farm jobs and prices.

What Your Allies Know:

• Eastland's official position: We want 25% tariff protection on agricultural goods.
• We're willing to discuss technology transfer in exchange.

What Only You Know (The Pressure):

• Your country is in debt and NEEDS to increase exports by 20% this year.
• If you fail, opposition parties will push you out of office.
• You've been given secret authorization to go as low as 15% tariff if necessary.
• You're most afraid of mass agricultural unemployment and rural collapse.

Key insight: The private description is what makes it real. That's the pressure cooker that creates interesting decisions. How many characters?

• Minimum: 3 student roles + 1 facilitator = 4 total
• Typical: 4-6 student roles + 1-2 facilitators = 5-8 total
• Usually one per student, but you can clone roles

---

STEP 5: Map Out What Students Do—Activities (20 minutes)

For each phase, decide what activities students participate in. Use the checklist below.

Phase 1 activities might be:

• Read background on their character (ShowDocument)
• See all the other characters (Cast)
• Read the rules and schedule (Introduction, Schedule)
• Make an opening statement in chat (Chat)

Phase 2 activities might be:

• Negotiation chat with one other actor (Chat)
• Maybe a decision: "How much will you offer?" (Decision)

Phase 3 activities might be:

• Final negotiation chat (Chat)
• Answer debrief questions (DebriefQuestions)

Don't worry about the technical template format yet—we'll handle that part for you. For now, just plan what activities each phase should have. The Activity Options:

For each phase, you can include:

• Introduction - Show the learning goals and what's about to happen
• Schedule - Display the timeline and phase lengths
• Cast - Let students see who else is involved
• Background Info - Give each character their role description and context
• Chat - Allow students to discuss and negotiate with others
• Make a Decision - Have students choose between options
• Reflection - Ask debrief questions at the end to help students process what they learned

Start simple. You don't need every option in every phase. Pick 2-3 activities per phase and you'll have a solid roleplay.

---

Common Scenarios: Copy and Paste These

Scenario 1: "Classroom Debate"

What students do:

• Phase 1: Read background, see cast
• Phase 2: Debate in chat
• Phase 3: Vote and debrief

Activities:

``` Introduction → ShowDocument → Cast → Chat → Decision → DebriefQuestions ```

Scenario 2: "Small Group Negotiation"

What students do:

• Phase 1: Get their character info
• Phase 2: Pair off and negotiate privately
• Phase 3: Group negotiation and agreement
• Phase 4: Debrief

Activities:

``` Introduction → ShowDocument → PrivateChat → Chat → DebriefQuestions ```

Scenario 3: "Multi-Round Game"

What students do:

• Each phase is one round
• Round 1-3: Make decision → see results → get injected event
• Final: Debrief reflection

Activities:

``` (per round) Decision → Inject → Announcement → (repeat) → DebriefQuestions ```

---

Writing Tips

For Character Descriptions

Public description = What everyone knows

``` ✗ "She's smart" ✓ "She's the Minister of Trade with 20 years of negotiation experience" ```

Private description = The conflict

``` ✗ "She wants to succeed" ✓ "She wants to succeed, but her government is threatening to replace her if she makes any concessions. She's desperate but trying not to show it." ```

For Phase Descriptions

Bad: "Negotiation phase" Good: "You have 30 minutes to negotiate directly with one other country. Find one area where you can reach agreement." Bad: "Wrapping up" Good: "Final 15 minutes. Try to lock in the agreements you've made and address any remaining sticking points."

For Learning Objectives

Bad: "Students will learn about trade" Good: "Students will understand how trade-offs between national interest and global cooperation shape policy"

---

When You're Ready to Submit

Before you send it in, check:

• [ ] I've written learning objectives (what should students understand?)
• [ ] I have 2-4 phases with clear descriptions
• [ ] I've created at least 3 student roles with good private descriptions
• [ ] I've planned activities for each phase
• [ ] I've included debrief questions for reflection

To submit:

1. Save your roleplay as a text or Word document 2. Attach any images, documents, or background materials 3. Email to: [email@scsw.org] 4. Include your name, institution, and expected class size

What happens next:

• We review it (1-2 days)
• We discuss any questions or refinements
• We convert it to our system
• You test it with a small group (1-2 sessions)
• We make final tweaks based on how it runs
• It's ready for your full class!

---

What Happens Next

1. We review your roleplay (24-48 hours) 2. We convert it to the technical format (2-3 days) 3. You test it with a small group (1 week) 4. We refine it based on feedback (1-2 days) 5. It's live! You can use it with your full class

---

Example: A Complete Mini-Roleplay

Here's a tiny complete example to show you what the finished template looks like:

Roleplay Name: Classroom Budget Committee Roleplay Version: 0.0.1 Creating Organization: Community College Roleplay Description: You serve on your college's budget committee and must allocate limited funds among competing departments. Learning Objectives:

• Understand budget trade-offs
• Practice prioritization under constraints
• See diverse stakeholder perspectives

Expected Audience:

• Any students interested in governance and finance

Introduction:

• You're serving on a committee that decides how to allocate $5M in budget cuts.
• Each person represents a different department.
• You have 45 minutes to decide.

Phases:

• Opening Statements
• Negotiation
• Final Vote

Characters: Character 1: Biology Department Chair

• What Only You Know: Biology is only $2M, but you need another $500K to keep the lab open. If you don't get it, you'll lose 3 faculty members.

Character 2: Business School Director

• What Only You Know: Business brings in more tuition than any other program. You'll argue to protect enrollment.

Character 3: Library Director

• What Only You Know: The library serves everyone. You'll argue for cutting specific services instead of deep departmental cuts.

Character 4: Provost (Facilitator)

• What Everyone Knows: Your job is to keep the discussion fair and move toward a decision.

Activities:

• Phase 1: Introduction → Show Document (here's the budget)
• Phase 2: Chat (negotiate)
• Phase 3: Decision (vote) → Reflection Questions

That's it. Simple, but effective.

---

Troubleshooting

Q: Do I need to write everything in this template?

A: No. Sections marked "Optional" can be skipped. At minimum: metadata, learning goals, phases, actors, and activities.

Q: How long should character descriptions be?

A: 2-3 sentences each. Students will read these in 1-2 minutes.

Q: How many actors should I create?

A: One per student, typically. If your class has 20 students and you want groups of 4, create 5 actors and have them clone to 4 students each.

Q: What if I want to change something after students start?

A: Tell your facilitator immediately. Small tweaks (like adding an Inject message) can be done on the fly. Major changes should wait for the next run.

Q: Is there a time limit to complete the template?

A: Spend as much time as you want, but you don't need to be perfect. 60 minutes of thinking + 30 minutes of writing is typical. You'll refine after testing.

---

Need Help?

Getting Started:

• We have example roleplay templates available
• Our team can answer questions about your design

After You're Done:

• Contact us when you're ready to submit
• We'll review your roleplay and help refine it
• We handle converting your written guide into the technical format
• You'll test it with a small group first before it goes live

Questions?

• Email us at: [email@scsw.org]
• We're happy to help with design questions before you submit

---

Good luck! We can't wait to see what you create.

SCORP Team Seachange Simulations Project August 2026