F

or the past ten-plus years of my life, Ive been

writing roleplaying games. Ive been playing
them for much longer. Back when I started, you
could abbreviate roleplaying game to RPG without
people immediately thinking about rocket propelled
grenades and the acronym is still around causing
trouble today.
In that time, Ive watched the market bulge, shrink, grow, recede and,
constantly, change. The consensus as I write this is that the hobby is
shrinking. To counteract that, of course, we need to recruit new players.
Hopefully, thats you.
RPGs are fun. Theyre worthwhile. They take more effort than a computer
game but I believe you can get a different kind of payoff. Give it a try and
you may come to agree. But Im not just going to ask you to baldly trust
my assertion. Im going to see if I can explain the precise appeal of this
peculiar habit thats absorbed so much of my time. In the process, Im
going to show you how to get the most fun out of it, by being a good
player. At the same time, Ill warn you about the pitfalls of being a bad
player. Its the whole package. Enjoy.

Whats Gaming?

Heads you win, tails you lose. Bingo. Fair, impartial, and easy to
understand. Lets tell our story!

Its like Cops and Robbers, only with dice and rules to curtail the
endless round of I hit you! No you didnt! disputes.

The only problem with this is that, if youre telling a story like

Thats one standard explanation, but its really only the thin edge

chance of knocking out Aragorn with one sucker punch to the

Lord of the Rings, the coin-ip gives Sam Gamgee a fty/fty

of the wedge. Its the rst step into the territory, but it merits

jaw, which any reasonable person knows Sam would need a

some expansion.

ladder to even reach.

Like Cops and Robbers, in roleplaying games you pretend to

On the other hand, it seems reasonable that Sam would have

be someone else. Only in games, the characters are far more

some chance of decking a goblin, or Peregrin Took, or Gollum.

detailed than the generic cops or robbers who run around the

Whats needed, then, is some way of determining which chances

yard shooting each other. The characters in RPGs are more like

are reasonable.

characters in novels or TV shows they grow and change over

Enter the Game Master. In gamings frenzy of acronymming,

time, they have tastes and history and quirks and motivations.
They exist, not only to do things, but also because theyre inter-

shes called the GM.

esting in and of themselves.

For Cops and Robbers, no one wanted some know-it-all standing

RPGs are games built through, and around, stories. The story

on the porch saying, Tommy, you cant hit him! Hes around the
corner and bullets only go in straight lines! Or, in our hobbit

progresses as the game is played. There isnt a winner or a loser,

example, Give it up Sam. Aragorns been beating people up since

and there isnt a board, but there are dice and rules... a radical
departure from standard Cops and Robbers.

you were a sperm.

The stated reason that most games have all these rules, with dice

RPGs are more complicated than Cops and Robbers because the
characters and roles are more involved, and the setting is more

or cards or other random number generators to provide absolute

complicated, and the events have both more factors inuencing

impartiality, is that it keeps things fair and resolves uncertain

them, and more repercussions arising from them. So I think we

actions. Im going to break with tradition and assert that this is

a crock.

can set Cops and Robbers aside.

The dice are impartial, but their application and interpretation

Football has impartial referees to pass judgment on the teams,

and a GM is something like that. The rules of the game serve the

can be confusing and subjective, giving a decided edge to the guy

same purpose, providing an agreed-upon structure. What is this

who understands the rules best. The more complicated the game,

structure for? It provides the logic of the setting.

the more advantage accrues to that guy. Known in the parlance

as a munchkin or a rules lawyer or a min-maxer, hes a

The Logic of the Setting

player who tries to build his character for optimal performance in

some area of play (stereotypically, its combat). He also plays his

Okay, Ill try really hard not to be overblown and pompous here.

character in such a fashion that events are resolved through his

But RPGs come with their own little worlds, an imaginary map

characters strengths. This is regarded as a bad thing.

on which the characters move. But this isnt just a map of physical
places, its a map of events and people and governments and

Yet I nd myself hesitant to dismiss a player who puts that much

starships and beliefs and magic spells and battle tactics and... well,

effort into his game. If only there was some way to harness that

everything that makes up a world, supposedly. RPG stories arent

drive and make it a force for Good, not Annoyingness. Hm...

told in the real world, because the real world is taken up with our

I got off on a tangent there. I was talking about dice and impar-

lives. So we build a pretend world, out of words and consensus,

tiality and resolving disputes. If you really wanted an impartial

and we tell stories there.

dispute resolution system, reach in your pocket and grab a coin.

The advantage to making your own world, obviously, is that you

The rules in whatever game youre playing should reinforce the

can depart radically from reality. In fantasy games, wizards weave

setting and the way events turn out. The game EVERWAY settles

smoke into air-weight castles as strong as steel and bold beggars

things with draws from a deck of symbol-laden cards, because

with a treasure map and a plan can unearth troves of rubies the

the setting is based on symbolism and intuition rather than the

size of hens eggs. In science-ction games, starships break the

logic of strict realism. Dogs in the Vineyard emphasizes emotional

lightspeed barrier with impunity in search of new alien races to

motivation for actions and emotional consequences for them.

conquer (or learn from, if thats your bag). In a horror game, the

Most other games tend more towards the idea of modeling

awfulness you need to fear isnt a terrorist, its an unquiet ghost.

physics, but even then they may be modeling the physics of an

Unless its the unquiet ghost of a terrorist.

action movie (where the hero can survive falling off a hotel if
he lands in the pool) or the physics of horror ction (where, no

Does the beggar nd the rubies? Which alien race triumphs? Can

matter how fast the heroine runs, the shambling zombie is always

the undead terrorist be stopped? The rules and dice are there to

right behind her).

resolve these issues, not by a fty-fty coin-ip, but with degrees

of likelihood.

Why is this Fun?

Believe it or not, degrees of likelihood are fun. They dont sound

Roleplaying games have been evolving since the 1970s, and

fun, but watch people playing poker theyre calculating degrees

there are some features that most of the games written have in

of likelihood. Betting on a football game, playing the stock market

common. Specically, they have character generation some

or bellying up to the roulette wheel are exciting and fascinating

means by which players create characters who roam through the

because theres uncertainty, but it can be managed. You pick the

world having adventures, making huge messes and/or cleaning up

horse with the best record on muddy track or you fold instead of

huge messes. Games almost universally have combat systems that

drawing to an inside straight. Interacting with uncertain events

resolve physical conict, often in loving, minute detail. Finally,

and testing your judgment against them is neat, and thats part

games usually have a setting, with pages and pages of description

of the thrill of gaming. Only instead of betting your hard-won

intended to evoke a particular feel or avor or style of game.

real-world cash, you bet the fate of a character youve created,

being rewarded with more power, glory or knowledge when you

I dont think thats an accident of lazy game design. Most games

win... or being punished with humiliation, injury or even that

have these things because all these things entertain. In one way or

characters death when you fail.

another, those three elements cover nearly everything thats fun

about RPGs.

Understanding the rules means understanding the logic of the

setting, which means understanding how things are meant to

Character Generation, or, The Joy of Ham

go. Nows a time when its helpful to compare games to ction.

Its a good time, pretending to be someone else. If you agree with

Characters in soap operas behave differently than characters

this statement, you probably dont need the rest of this section

in action movies, because theyre different types of stories. A

and can skip right down to the bit about ghting.

character on Days of Our Lives is unlikely to resort to Tae Kwon

All right, for all you skeptics: Inhabiting another role is enter-

Do to resolve her problems, because in that setting success arises

taining in and of itself, at least for many people. It makes a nice

from emotion and social interaction you cant just spinning-

change from the day to day life of a parent or a plumber or a punk

back-kick your troubles away. Furthermore, Jackie Chan can take

teenager instead of acting the way you always do, because its

on legions of enemies armed with nothing more than a ladder. In

right or expected or youll get red if you dont, you get to act

Saving Private Ryan, a grittier ethos is in place (and rightly so).

out. If youre normally laid back and noncommittal, you can nd

Am I comparing apples to oranges? Yes, but only to explain why

out how it feels to be a passionate, noisy troublemaker. Since its

you need different tools to get the juice out of each.

all in fun, all in the game, all in a made-up world, it doesnt count.

For many, the chance to have a change of pace in the form of

blowing off steam. Like theater or literature, game stories

a change of behavior is reason enough to game, period. Not to

can confront characters (and, through them, you) with truly

mention the opportunity to use outrageous accents and gesture

challenging issues. Your character could end up deciding whether

wildly. (Im thinking right now of one of my most amboyant

a mother or father gets the kids in an acrimonious divorce. You

players, who by day is an educator and presumably cant run

could be a tribal chief who has to decide whether a neighbor

around screaming, So angry! So angry! Ill piss on your shoes

tribes cattle rustling is worth going to war, or if you should just

when youre dead!)

let them get away with it. Your character might need to give up
true love for honor... or for peace or just for political advantage.

So pretending to be someone else can vent ya-yas whose expression

is otherwise unacceptable, what with the violent murders and

RPGs, like all stories, can present us with choices between

shoe-pissing and all. But theres more.

conicting values (or conicting perils). With the remove of

knowing its ction, we get all the interest and excitement of

Playing another role can go deeper and have a more profound

making important decisions... without having to actually deal with

impact than the supercial level of wilding and ranting and

the unpleasant consequences that such choices have in real life.

Trouble: The Overactor

Some players invest very little in their characters and get little out

Players like this need to understand that they dont call the shots,

of them. Thats really their lookout, and as long as theyre contrib-

that the group isnt there to serve their pleasure at the expense

uting to the game theyre only hurting themselves. One group of

of their own, and that its okay for selsh, odd-duck characters

players who damage the collective are actually those who get too

to grow and change so that they work better with the rest of

far into character.

the party.

This can take two forms. The rst is someone who gets too solidly

The other problem thespian player is the one who may work very

into a role that doesnt contribute or which actively impedes the

well in the party, and has no need to be a jerk or a control freak...

rest of the group. Say, for example, four of your players create

but he meanders. He enjoys playing his character so much that

hardy merchant sailors who are going to roam the seas trying to

going to the shop to pick out a new space suit is as exciting as a

outwit goblin pirates. Great: Lots of ne, swashbuckling, sea-faring

clandestine mission to extract a prisoner from a tightly-guarded

excitement there. The fth player creates a powerful wizard with

prison moon. He jaws on and on (in character), maybe amusingly,

a lot of connections to one specic port town. This wizard doesnt

maybe only amusing himself, while everyone else sits around

particularly care for sailing she gets seasick, in fact but signs on

drumming their ngers on the table... or worse, discussing their

out of greed or simply because she needs to get out of town until

latest DVD purchases.

the heat dies down.

A little in-character chatter is great. Some groups are composed

This contrast can work, if the player is willing to let her character

entirely of meanderers and for them, that works. They can have

grow into being a sailor with the others. The contrast can actually

long, involved, satisfying campaigns in which very little happens

provide a lot of friction, interest, and comic relief. Thats not

except that their characters were interestingly characterized. The

a problem.

problems arise when you get more typical players who have a
heavy interest in plot and mechanics, and who see the in-character

Its a problem if the player constantly tries to pull the whole

noodling as pointless. Theyre not out of line. In his own way, this

crew out of this weeks adventure because her character has no

meanderer is as much of a spotlight-hog as the selsh control-

interest in it. She wants to get back to her port town and work

freak, but in this case the x is much simpler. The GM just has

her intrigues and have the ships crew serve as her patsies and

to give him opportunities for in-character behavior within the

sidekicks. If anyone calls her on this spotlight-hogging, she says,

scope of the plot. Ideally, these chances let him contribute to the

Hey, Im just staying in character.

success of the party. In the space jail example, hed probably be

As if staying true to a toxic character is somehow a virtue.

just as happy developing his character by fast-talking the guards

into letting the party land their supposedly-crippled ship there for
emergency repairs. The difference is, now the other players are
happy with the character too.

Furthermore, by playing a character very different from oneself,

speaking suavely and being an unfairly-cashiered starship captain.

you can make those choices based on different values, combining

Why does fearsome warrior get a whole chapter devoted to it

the joy of thinking through the tough stuff with the joy of

when compelling public speaker does not?

chewing the scenery.

Heres why: Fighting is the lowest common denominator. A st

Combat: The Crimson Bliss of Power

to the face is a language everyone understands. So too in gaming.

A player who doesnt have the verbal skill to engage in a legalistic

RPGs grew out of wargames and it shows. Combat is nearly

duel of wits can still stack his character to dominate in combat

universal in these games, and for good reason: Its an intense,

and its a lot easier to drag the courtroom down to a brawl than

dramatic and exciting form of conict, one everybody can under-

it is to elevate a stght into articulate discourse. Furthermore,

stand. If you think youd enjoy having your proxy in the game

the consequences can be severe. You fail to grasp the nuances of

mow through hordes of unfortunate enemies with tireless swings

manners and your character looks like an oaf. You fail in battle

of his mighty axe, you probably get it and dont need a lecture on

and his skull could become your arch-enemys new goblet.

the desirability of specic combat rules.

Beyond its intensity, and the possible permanence of its outcome,

But maybe you do need that lecture. Maybe you think ghting

complex ghting rules may be desirable because many players

should be just another character element, like looking good and

Trouble: The Powergamer

The stereotypical min-maxing twinkie combat munchkin abuses

group? If you dont have a ready answer, it may be you. The good

character generation to get a character who is staggeringly

news is, help is here if you arent doing it on purpose.

efcient at ghting, often at huge expense to his abilities in

To cure munchkin syndrome, you just need to understand that

other areas. This is because he is not concerned with exploring

RPGs arent about winning, arent about getting the most power-

the nuances of character, or appreciating the interesting elements

ups, arent about being the toughest, and arent about hogging

of the setting. Hes going to ignore that stuff and get to ght

the spotlight. These games work best when players are working

scenes, which he will win, so that he can get some form of power-

half for their own characters, and half for the good of the game as

increasing reward, which is plunged into optimizing his character

a whole. One of the biggest rewards RPGs offer is the opportunity

for more combat. Furthermore, whenever any other player tries to

to keep playing, but thats a cruddy payoff if every player is trying

do something besides ght, he nds a way to sabotage it. Even

to one-up everyone else. No one wins at RPGs, but its perfectly

when the other characters can ght, he seeks out means to hog

possible for everyone to lose.

the spotlight, be the most powerful warrior, and suck up as much

of the GMs time and attention as he can. As far as hes concerned,

If you want to be the best ghter in the group, thats ne... as

the game is about his characters prowess and glory, full stop.

long as the players rally around that idea and theres enough

The other characters are sidekicks, barely more important than

GM attention to go around. Many other players actually dont

the endless parade of enemies. The setting is just a backdrop.

like combat all that much and are more into characterization or

The GMs ideas about theme or motive, or intrigue or story or

just grooving on the setting and plot. If youre a combat monster

meaning, are dismissed with a resounding Who cares?

player, you can be a great t with players who couldnt care less.
All you have to collectively do is understand when you need to

Doesnt this guy sound like a pain in the neck?

step back and let the expert do his job. For them, thats solving

Luckily, this pure-form stereotype is rare, and if you do run into

mysteries or making diplomatic overtures or coming up with the

one your GM has ample justication to give him the boot. Honest.

overarching master plan for world domination. For you, its when

Tell her I said its her sovereign duty to expel him for the good of

diplomacy fails.

players who arent jerks. But really, it should almost never come

Most players just need to have it explained that there is a wider

to that.

view of cooperation, and then they perceive it, pursue it, and

If youre a min-maxer, odds are good you dont realize how

are willing to take turns with the spotlight. Those who cant are

annoying you are. Quick, whos the most irritating player in your

probably real crybabies and your games better off without them.

Setting and the Sedentary Compensations

of the Couch Potato

like them. Strategy is fun. Chess has been popular for centuries.
Furthermore, guring out a complex set of rules is, for many
players, very engaging. Its interesting to try and optimize a

The third common element to the archetypical game is its

character to succeed at a difcult task.

setting. Sometimes this is a licensed setting like Dying Earth or

This is known as min-maxing and, as I mentioned earlier, its got

the Star Trek universe, but more typically its something custom

a bad reputation. But as I also mentioned earlier, putting a lot

built, because thats more satisfying and provides more creative

of attention into the game is something Id like to encourage. So

freedom. Cheaper, too. Its not uncommon for a successful game

Im going to go out on a limb and suggest that it is not the min-

line to have dozens of books providing ever more intricate details

maxing itself which other players nd so annoying, but rather

of the nations, races and cultures of the setting.

a host of behaviors that usually accompany min-maxing. Many

Why, though?

of these can be dealt with, and advice for such dealing is in the

Chess doesnt need a setting, nor does Cops and Robbers. But

nearby boxed text.

RPGs do because events and circumstances form character, and

without characters in your game youre not really playing a
role. Setting matters for the same reason that character matters,
because it shapes the story.

Trouble: Mr. Lazybones

Some players are used to being spoon-fed their entertainment by

If thats your situation, someone needs to step up. Someone

TV and movies. I love the tube and the theater as much as the next

needs to invest some energy and thought into the party and push

guy (though Im just lukewarm on spoons), but gaming requires

in a consistent direction. If you dont take that initiative, either

more investment. You have to gure out what your characters

someone else will, or the game is doomed.

doing and have at least a sketchy rationale for why hes doing it.

Maybe the person who puts the pepper in the recipe is your GM.

The lazy gamer, however, just goes with the ow. He likes to hear

Most experienced players prefer to be the ones making plans

about the cool spaceships and brutal bloodbaths. He contributes,

and developing strategy: When theres really only one path to

he has ideas but... hes passionless.

follow, the game might as well be a scripted computer game. This

is called railroading and while its widely despised, its widely

This can actually be just ne.

known for a reason, and that reason is that it works... kinda. Its far

If you are having fun and keep showing up, dont worry that you

from optimum, but its better than having a game atline due to

feel no urge to produce in-character journals, or use CAD software

terminal apathy. Many GMs, rather than see that happen, put the

to lay out a space station, or indulge in all the other diversions of

game on this sort of bossy life-support system. Just like a respirator

geek-craft typical to character-ham players. (Theres no shame in it

in a hospital, its an articial method of doing something a body

if you do, though. Ive personally done some lovely colored-pencil

ought to do.

character sketches.) Maybe your big reward is the company of

As a player, youre there to have fun, but you also have a respon-

your friends, together, gaming. Or doing whatever.

sibility to contribute something fun for others. (In fact, helping

This is okay. Arguably, youre getting less out of it than the

others have fun is, itself, fun having your creativity appreciated

frothing and committed fanatics, but thats your choice. In fact,

by an audience is one of the primo perks of the GM job, I nd.)

laid-back players make a ne counterbalance for those whose

If youre uncertain or shy or dont trust your ideas, its okay to

natural instincts make them want to hog the spotlight.

hang back especially if your group is full of people who arent

shy and dont hang back. The role of audience is necessary, if not

The problem arises when you get a whole group of passive players.

exactly glamorous. But dont be afraid to speak up when you

They expect to be fed a plot with several options, they casually

become comfortable. Maybe even a bit before that, just to get

discuss them until they pick, then they roll dice to see how it turns

practice. After all, its all imagined, and the only repercussions are

out. Lather, rinse, repeat, see you next week.

to characters who dont really exist and cant sue you.

Different settings provide different pleasures. Hard SF gives a

again the next Sunday for another. Most games go from session

glimpse into a future that will never be, while historical revisionism

to session, like issues of a comic book theres usually a session

offers an alternative past that never was. Comic book settings let

climax, but the characters continue to press on towards a larger

players nd out if ight really is better than invisibility, which is a

goal that takes many sessions to accomplish. If youre going to be

meditation on power and temptation all on its own.

part of a gaming group, make the time commitment or explain to

the GM that wont be able to be there every time. If youre only

In short, the outr and bizarre settings of RPGs give us a break

showing up every other session, get used to sketchy rundowns of

from the real world, just as playing characters offer us a break

what you missed, and get used to plots that focus on the people

from our real selves. Furthermore, the kind of profound and

who are there consistently. No ones demanding Cal Ripken-like

literary emotions stirred by a deeply-empathized character going

perfect attendance, but its hard for a GM to center stories on your

through a wrenching and difcult choice are mirrored in the

character if she doesnt know if youll be present.

tragedies or triumphs of nations in conict. All within the safety

of ction.

If you like gaming but your schedule just wont let you commit
to your group, there are a couple ways around it. If the plot and

Setting provides a chance to explore alternate societies, places of

structure permit it, your character may just be intermittent like

unreal grandeur and bizarre philosophies based on a world that is

a recurring character on a TV show who isnt in every episode.

magical, not logical. In a word, it provides spectacle.

Otherwise, you may have to agree to let the GM control your

There are many gamers who nd settings interesting. They like

character while youre away, expecting her to play it safe, not take

having characters possibly characters who are two-dimensional

big risks, and not depict him getting drunk and fathering a slew

and rather passive tour the regions, hear the neat descriptions,

of illegitimate children (unless, of course, thats the character

run into fascinating denizens, and engage in hand-to-hand combat

you want). Alternately, you can let your fellow players run your

with them. Theyre not obsessed with nding the optimum killing

character by consensus in your absence. Neither one is a perfect

attack in every situation, theyre not chewing the scenery, theyre

solution but, hey, its an imperfect world.

enjoying richness of the setting. This is the third joy of gaming:

Pay Attention

Seeing what new marvel the GM or the game designer has to

show you this week.

You cant expect to be spoon-fed the joy like you can with passive
media. Gaming is interactive: If you dont respond to whats

The only real problem setting-explorers is that they can sometimes

going on, it doesnt work. This means youre expected to under-

are little bit too laid-back.

stand the rules. Total command of every nuance isnt required,

Your Mission,
Should You Choose to Accept It

but have a general idea of how the games mechanics kick in to

determine success or failure. Pay particular attention to rules
that come into play a lot for your character. If your game has

With all that stuff about character, system and setting in mind,

fairly involved systems for piloting a starship in combat, either

just what are your duties as a player? When you play, what are

do the homework of learning them or let someone else be the

you expected to do?

ier. Similarly, in a high fantasy game you probably dont need to

Show up

study how magic works if your character isnt going to be casting

spells. If she is a sorceress, understand the games idea of magic.

Most obviously, youre expected to be there and be a warm

Not only does this keep you from dragging the pace of the game

body. Gamers refer to sessions which means (for example)

to a crawl as you look up the rules, it makes your character more

that Im going to be at Thomas house around 1:00 on Sunday

effective since you actually know what she can and cannot do.

afternoon, and well play the game until 5:00 or so, then meet

More than that, follow the script. Pay attention to what the GM

Its not just character problems that can stick in your throat,

tells you. Remember the characters names, and if you cant

either. It may be that your GM misinterprets a rule and your

remember them, write them down. In a mystery novel, the

character suffers as the result. Let it go. Every pro ball game has

detective eventually puts the pieces together. In a game with

some bad calls, and GMs arent perfect. Many great GMs sacrice

a mystery plot, those pieces arent going together unless the

complete delity to the rules in order to keep the game moving

players do it. You dont need to be obsessed, but you do need to

at an exciting pace, or to provide for a better plot in the long run,

be invested.

or simply because they made a mistake. If you really must make

Let It Go

a case for a different interpretation of some specic text in the

Involvement yields enjoyment... until things go poorly. Its quite

a GM defensive like being criticized in front of the other players,

possible in many games to spend multiple sessions building a

because she needs to have some authority to run the game. Even

great and powerful character and then, through the cruelty of a

if she admits it was wrong, dont hold a grudge and dont demand

few bum rolls, your character dies. Or goes insane or breaks his

some kind of redress. Just accept that bad calls happen to good

magic helmet or undergoes some other miserable setback that

characters and hope that the next fumble goes in your favor.

certainly wasnt in your plans. When that happens, you have to

Usually, they balance out.

book, talk it over with your GM after the session. Nothing makes

be philosophical.

Share

It is possible to enjoy the death of your character, if its a kick-ass

The game is not about your character, it is about your groups

death. If you go down swinging and are overwhelmed, while the

characters. If your GM is doing her job, you get your time to excel

other characters survive and complete the mission, thats about

and look like a champion, and so do the other players. One very

as heroic as it gets. Its particularly poignant if the GM lets you

common complaint about bad players is that theyre RPG ball

get in some cool last words like Tell Martha I always loved her

hogs they want to be the most important actor in every scene.

or Avenge me, Kuin! or I am fortunate. I shall rest with honor.

When you get a group of these attention magnets together, its

You, my friend, must continue the struggle.

ugly. Its like babysitting toddlers on a rainy day.

Far more often, the setback wont be something so dramatic.

Good groups, on the other hand, support each other. Suppose

You roll badly and the villain makes you look silly. Your character

events have been building towards Leons character Xanthars

throws up at the drinking contest. You bungle an easy task and,

confrontation with High Lord Gharst. Your last several adven-

instead of being suave and cool, your character looks like a ninny.

tures have involved nding evidence to link Gharst with the plot

If youre willing to take those lumps without taking it personally,

to poison the queen, and now Xanthar (the good looking and

you may enjoy the setback as comic relief. Failing that, you can

eloquent diplomat) is going to present what you know. But, in

look at it as the background for the eventual triumph. After all,

a surprise twist, Gharst shows up to frame him. Its down to a

in movies the hero typically gets knocked around a lot before

battle of wits.

his nal success. You cant have a dramatic, come-from-behind,

Leons a big ham, so hes got all kinds of speeches planned. If

underdog victory if youve always succeeded at everything. If

youre a good player, you sit back and let him have his moment in

you can negotiate a course between apathy towards the game

the sun. If youre a bad player, you have your stuttering barbarian

and obsession with it, you can groove on the highs and shrug at

attack Gharst so that it degrades into a big ght scene (thats the

the lows.

Powergamer tactic). If youre a great player, you nd some way

to enhance Xanthars speech. Even simply shouting Hear hear!

when he makes a good point can work. Most essential, though, is

respecting his turn in front. If you do that, Leons far more likely
to enjoy a scene where Xanthar talks about what an indomitable
warrior your character is (or expert sailor, or smooth loverman,
or whatever your character concept is).

Contribute
In the spirit of aiding Leon and Xanthar, learn how to contribute
to the game. The more you put into it, the more enjoyment
youre going to get out of it, and that doesnt just apply to your
character. If youre seeking ways to make other characters look
good, their players just might return the favor. If you look for
ways to make the GMs job easier, everybody benets as the game
runs more smoothly. If you show up planning to accept whatever
youre given, you get something. If you show up wondering how
you can make the game cooler for everyone, you get more. If
everyone shows up focused on making the game great with their
characters, instead of making their characters powerful in the
game, you can get something spectacular.

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