I’m going to try and take part
in the #RPGaDay writing prompts for 2021. The idea is there’s a prompt every
day that asks you to write about something in RPG’s you really like. There are
a couple of alternate prompts offered but I’m going to try and do the main one
every day. If you want to try it yourself, you can head here for the calendar
for this year.
I don’t
know what to do for mention. I’ve looked at a lot of other people’s posts and
nothing has really jumped out at me as a way I can fulfill this post. What I’ve
decided to do is give three pieces of advice to anyone getting into gaming. I
suppose I’m mentioning them here and we’ll call that the tie in.
1: Be
respectful of the table and its tone. When I was in high school and really
getting into the swing of gaming my friends and I created our fair share of
asshole characters. It was funny to play the guy who did the weird destructive
thing. It also ruined entire evenings. I’ve been the game master on the
receiving end of the guy that murders the quest giver and I’ve been the player
pulling the trigger. I don’t know exactly when I realized, “It’s what my
character would do,” was only a decent defense once in a great while. If you
find yourself using it a lot, you’re playing the wrong character for the table
and should either make a new character or excuse yourself from the game. This
may not be a failing on your part, because sometimes what your character wouldn’t
do is burn an orphanage to the ground.
2:
Help out when possible. Pitch in with whatever your group needs. This can range
from tracking initiative to bringing snacks. Ask your game master if they need
a hand cleaning up or getting ready. Always be willing to pitch in when you’re
needed. Have an extra pencil or a spare dice. Remember sometimes you’re the one
who needs a hand. This can also mean not showing up to a session. If you’re
sick or distracted by a real life emergency then maybe let your game master
know what’s going on and stay away. I’ve been in games where people showed up
sick because they didn’t want to let the group down and just ended up giving
everyone else their cold. The exception to this is if you’re having a hard time
and need to be with people to help take your mind off of it then please come
and play. It’s a good idea to let the gm know ahead of time what’s going on and
that you may leave early or step away from the table if you need to. But once
again just to make sure. If you need to be around people for your own emotional
support please come to the game.
3:
Learn the game. You don’t have to know the rules; god knows I don’t. Hell I run
games and don’t know all the rules. There too many systems with too many
mechanics to remember them all. However, I will learn the game. I know what
dice to roll for an attack, I’ll make notes to keep my bonuses straight. Hell,
I used to practically have a flow chart for my bonuses when playing my 4th
edition barbarian to make sure I didn’t forget anything and could quickly
figure my to hit numbers when rolling. Do I have the rules for grappling in
DCC, pathfinder, or D&D memorized? Hell no. It comes up far too infrequently
and is well overcomplicated. I know where to look if I need them and can follow
the instructions if I have to.
That’s
my mentions. If you’re getting into the game these are some quickish tips and
what to think about moving forward. Maybe
they’ll help you. They’ve helped me.
I’ll
see you tomorrow for the final RPG a Day topic…thanks.
Until then,
stay safe and be well.
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