Pre-game activities and required knowledge

Before embarking on a mythology role-playing game,  students need a working knowledge of Greco-Roman mythology.  As a minimum, students should be  acquainted  with the main pantheon of gods and domains.  Beyond that, these myths are a good starting point.

• Perseus and the Medusa
  
• Theseus and the Minotaur
  
• Jason and the Golden Fleece
  
• The underworld, it's general lay-out and inhabitants
  

The Odyssey: Students need not know much about this book.  I tread lightly here because students read the entire book in ninth grade English.  It helps if they understand the following:

• Odysseus is a Greek hero attempting to return home after the Trojan war by sea and is harried by Poseidon
  
• What Sirens are and why they should be avoided
• How Odysseus encounters and escapes the Cyclops
• Who the Lotus eaters are and what power the Lotus holds

The Trojan War:

• The contest for golden apple
• Helen and how her husband was chosen
• The house of Priam and his children: particularly Hector and Paris
• The contest between Hector and Achilles
• The Trojan horse and its entry into the city (as told by Virgil in Book II of the Aeneid) 

The Aeneid :  It is not necessary that your students know they entire story.  Since the RPG is loosely based upon the journey of Aeneas, they should have familiarity with the following ideas.

• Aeneas is a Trojan prince, forced to flee burning Troy
• Aeneas' destiny is to find a new homeland for his people, who will have a glorious destiny as rulers of all other nations
• Aeneas' journey follows Odysseus' at certain points - particularly his encounter with the Cyclops
• Aeneas must travel to the underworld for a final test of his determination and to see the glory that awaits his future nation.

Students need not be experts.  Due to the popularity of the Percy Jackson books, they will probably already have familiarity with of these many monsters and scenarios.  However, the more comfortable students are with the mythological world,  the more vivid the RPG will be for them.  They need to know that strangers should be treated as guests, gods should be respected and never challenged, and most importantly,  fate is fickle and fairness cannot be expected. 

How you acquaint your students with the myths is up to you.  Over the years,  I have done a number of different projects to teach mythology, but by far, the best vehicle I have found for teaching these stories is simply to tell them orally.  I tell one myth every Friday and the class loves it and more importantly, remembers it.