"My son loved the week-long camp experience. Each day he would come back recounting the day’s trials and challenges that his cooperative team took on, and what they still needed to accomplish. He rarely describes details from camp, but with StoryQuest, he described much more than the basics. He was fully engaged. He even asked if he could do one more week halfway through his camp! I highly recommend it."
-Jon B. (Eugene, OR)

"It was really fun searching for all the keys. I liked drawing the places we explored. I’d rate it 9.99 out of 10!"
- Remy (Eugene, OR)

"My son had a blast creating a world with his peers and working together to solve problems. His enthusiasm for the class stayed high throughout the week. He was ecstatic at the end of the quest when they achieved their goal. He’d definitely do it again."
- Jesse (Eugene, OR)

Hi, I’m Aaron Madzik (pronounced “magic”), the creator of Cohort Quest. I’ve been designing and running tabletop roleplaying experiences for more than 35 years, starting in 5th grade when I first began leading games for my friends. Over time I’ve explored a wide range of roleplaying systems including Dungeons & Dragons, Traveller, Daggerheart, Blades in the Dark, and Call of Cthulhu. What has always mattered most to me is the shared storytelling, creativity, and improvisation that happens when people collaborate around a table.Teaching and facilitation have been central to my career. After college, I worked at Apple as a Presenter and Business Specialist, training beginners and experienced professionals: business clients, photographers, students, and filmmakers. In 2003 I began working as an independent computer consultant, and in 2011 I founded my own company, Partners in Computing, where I help individuals and organizations use technology more effectively.I also bring extensive experience working with youth and families. As a young adult I served as a camp counselor for a music camp, and from 2009 to 2012 I was Program Leader for Creswell Clubhouse, an elementary after‑school and summer program, later serving as President of its Board. I am a parent of two children and have facilitated many narrative experiences for them and their peers. In addition, I coach youth soccer through Kidsports and volunteer with Rose Children’s Theatre (RCT); my most recent background check with RCT was completed in April 2026.This year I created and ran a Summer Camp for children ages 7-13 called StoryQuest. Cohort Quest grew out of these combined threads: decades of narrative design, a career in teaching and client training, and a commitment to creating environments where people can learn, experiment, and connect. My aim is to offer teams a structured, story‑driven experience that surfaces how they collaborate under pressure, respond to uncertainty and change, and support one another within a safe, low‑stakes setting that is meaningful and memorable.Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and a range of hobbies, including writing music, playing piano, rock climbing, kung fu, disc golf, hiking, backpacking, and cooperative games of all kinds.

What is Cohort Quest?
Cohort Quest is a facilitated, tabletop-style experience where your team steps into a shared narrative together. Participants imagine a character, describe what they want to do, and use simple mechanics when outcomes are uncertain. The focus is on collaborative decision‑making, reflection, and insight.

How does Cohort Quest replace traditional team building exercises?
Cohort Quest replaces disconnected icebreakers and stand-alone activities by giving your group one shared experience that unfolds over time. Instead of doing a quick exercise and moving on, participants work through a story together, which creates a more natural sense of teamwork, shared purpose, and follow-through.Because the group is making choices inside the same narrative, you can see how people collaborate, problem-solve, support one another, and respond when things get difficult. That makes the experience feel less like a game you “did” and more like a meaningful team moment you can actually talk about afterward.It also goes beyond strengths labels by asking a different question: not “What type am I?” but “How did each of us show up when the team needed us?” That shift makes strengths feel less abstract and more relevant to how people work together in real life.Cohort Quest also brings communication into the mix in a way that feels lived, not theoretical. Participants are actively listening, explaining, persuading, checking in, stepping back, and taking the lead as the story unfolds, so communication patterns become visible through action rather than just discussion.

What skills and dynamics does Cohort Quest help surface?
Cohort Quest is designed to highlight and practice:
- Teamwork and collaboration under pressure
- Communication styles and listening
- Creative problem‑solving and adaptability
- Perspective‑taking and empathy
- How individuals respond to stress, uncertainty, and change

What kinds of stories do you create?
Together we define a setting and tone that fits your group. The scenarios are tailored to highlight themes like navigating change, facing uncertainty, balancing competing priorities, or supporting one another under pressure. The goal is not to simulate your workplace literally, but to create a narrative that surfaces relevant dynamics in a fresh, low‑stakes environment.

Is Cohort Quest the same as Dungeons & Dragons?
Cohort Quest is inspired by the collaborative spirit of games like D&D, but it uses a much lighter system designed for non‑gamers and mixed groups. The mechanics are intentionally streamlined so participants can begin quickly, stay focused on the story, and spend their time interacting with one another rather than learning a rulebook.

Do participants need prior experience with roleplaying games?
No. Cohort Quest is built for mixed groups, including people who have never played a roleplaying game before. The facilitator guides participants step by step, and the mechanics are simple enough to learn as you go. The emphasis is on conversation, choices, and reflection, not on rules mastery.

How do characters work?
Each character uses four simple Traits: Strong, Fast, Smart, and Social. During character creation, participants assign different values to these Traits (+2, +1, +1, 0) to shape the kind of role they want to play. When a character attempts something challenging, they narrate what they are trying to accomplish (their intention), choose the Trait that fits the action, roll a 20-sided die, apply their Trait bonus and any relevant Modifiers, and we resolve the outcome together. This keeps the system intuitive while still giving structure to the story.

What is Stress?
Stress is a simple way to track pressure, setbacks, effort, and risk during the experience. Characters can gain Stress as a natural consequence of the story or when they choose to push themselves to Help their Cohort. As Stress accumulates, it influences how the character is feeling and performing, creating opportunities for support, recalibration, and reflection on how we manage strain in real life. If they fill their Stress bar, they gain a -1 Modifier to their rolls.

What are Modifiers?
Modifiers represent lasting effects from the narrative: bonuses or penalties that arise from what has happened so far. A character might gain a positive Modifier from a successful preparation or a key relationship, or a negative Modifier from an injury, misstep, or unresolved tension. These simple flags help the story leave a meaningful mark on the characters and keep prior decisions relevant.

Is Cohort Quest competitive?
No. Cohort Quest is cooperative. Participants work together to solve problems, face challenges, and build a shared narrative. The “win” is discovering how the group operates, what strengths show up, and how the team can carry those insights back into day‑to‑day work.

What does a Cohort Quest session feel like?
A session typically includes storytelling, character interaction, group decision‑making, light mechanics, and moments of humor, tension, and collaboration. You can think of it as a facilitated story where your team helps decide what happens next and then steps back together to examine what those decisions reveal.