Stardust Odyssey: City’s Last Stand – Utilising Process Drama and Design-Based Research in Tabletop Game Workshops to Reimagine Active Citizenship in Thailand’s Neoliberal Education Context

This paper examines the practical application of Stardust Odyssey: City’s Last Stand, a tabletop game designed to support experiential learning about socio-economic inequality within Thailand’s neoliberal education system. Anchored in Process Drama and Design-Based Research (DBR), the study explores how the game operates as an educational tool by analysing participants’ engagement with its mechanics during workshop sessions. Conducted with university students, educators, workers, and welfare activists, the workshops demonstrate how interactive gameplay can foster critical dialogue about systemic injustice and prompt participants to consider alternative modes of civic engagement. Departing from purely conceptual approaches, this paper foregrounds the iterative process of game design, facilitation, and reflective analysis, positioning Stardust Odyssey as a compelling model for integrating participatory drama and game-based learning into educational practice.