More often than not, it seems the people who don't mesh well with our table group don't even realize that they're being obnoxious, hogging attention, or making bad decisions that affect the entire group without consulting the group. Holding a tribunal can be awkward and yes the person at hand could react badly to it, but most of the time everyone walks away happier and more understanding of each other. None of the following ideas are brand new, but you'd be surprised how many people could benefit from keeping these ideas in mind at the gaming table.
6 Player Character Reminders
- Trust your intuition: "In battle, confusion is death". Second guessing yourself will lead to confusion, doubt, meta-gaming, and a lag in table time. Go with your gut! You will get outcomes that fit your character, relieve the stress on your brain, and keep the action moving. Sure, it may occasionally get you into a sticky situation, but after some time you will find yourself not regretting anything. That feeling is amazing!
- Don't meta-game: Don't think what "you" would do in the current situation, but what your character would do. Obviously this is called "role-playing" but people often forget to think like a being within the world. Meta-gaming can allow things to transpire that shouldn't be possible. For example, you knowing what your ally is doing across town because you heard the GM describe it. Living in the game world and in the moment will lead to fantastic immersion, role-play moments, and a true feeling of teamwork.
- Embrace failure: These games typically rely on dice rolls so failure is always an option. However, failure doesn't always mean you're losing, or you're a bad player, or that your character isn't cool. In fact, I believe flaws can create the most memorable characters at the table. A bad persuasion roll could lead to your character just being a bad liar so they choose to only tell the truth, always. A critical fail on a defense roll could lead to your character being maimed and walking with a limp at all times. All possible flaws have the potential to improve role-playing moments!
- Share the spotlight: Remember you're a team, remember how fast a game night goes by, and respect the turn order. These three little things will do wonders in making your game night fun, your team feel complete, and each individual feel like an important part of that team! The easiest way to complete this task is by thinking ahead of your turn about what you may want to do.
- Lift others up when they fall: One of the greatest feats of friendship is sacrificing your own shining moments to help a friend succeed instead. If there isn't a lot you can do on your turn due to placement or another factor, look at how you could help your teammate on their turn. Can you get them closer to their target? Give them an attack buff? Protect them while they charge up for a massive spell? Doing this will help your team as a whole and let's face it, make you seem super cool to your friends!
- Respect the GM: Even when you think the GM got a rule wrong, just go with it! No GM enjoys being questioned, whether correct or not. It just makes them feel like they messed up or like they don't know their own game world. Then they tend to question and doubt themselves, ultimately leading to more mistakes and a negative mood. Now, if you truly feel like the GM is out to get you or fudging rules on purpose, just ask to have a tribunal and talk it out. Going with the flow and respecting the GM's rulings will typically result in more shared fun, faster games, and the GM may react better when you make suggestions in game.
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