Role-playing games, such as Magic or Dungeons and Dragons have been around for some time.  In such a game, a person creates a character, and that character gets certain traits based on luck, usually the roll of the dice.  For example, with the role of a die, a character could have on a scale of 1-6, with 6 being the best, a Physical Strenght Level of 6 but have an Intelligence Level of 1.  He could be relied on for brute force, but you would not want him to plan an attack if you were at war.  These games are available online, and players challenge each other based on characters that they have created.  The following is a link to such a role-playing game that involves Thanes.  I don't know if I want my students spending class time playing such an online game, but I do know that this game is a way to connect literature to life.  Also, I would love them to invent a board game based on BEOWULF, so here is a chance to talk about game design.
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http://www.grendelscave.com/   This online game is popular, and I bet it will capture the attention of some of your students.  What would their version of the game look like?