Set the Stage: Enabling Storytelling with Multiple Robots through Roleplaying Metaphors

Gestures are an expressive input modality for controlling multiple robots, but their use is often limited by rigid mappings and recognition constraints. To move beyond these limitations, we propose roleplaying metaphors as a scaffold for designing richer interactions. By introducing three roles: Director, Puppeteer, and Wizard, we demonstrate how narrative framing can guide the creation of diverse gesture sets and interaction styles. These roles enable a variety of scenarios, showing how roleplay can unlock new possibilities for multi-robot systems. Our approach emphasizes creativity, expressiveness, and intuitiveness as key elements for future human-robot interaction design.