Players: Guiding Morals in Playing

[CreamCloud0]

hmmm, if i had to say anything it'd probably be "if you play a style of game in good faith to what it's trying to be there's a chance you might enjoy it, unlike if you're just resenting it the whole time for not being something else that you wanted"

or to put it another way "don't be so caught up in having fun in one specific way that you miss having fun a different way"

 

[payn]

hmmm, if i had to say anything it'd probably be "if you play a style of game in good faith to what it's trying to be there's a chance you might enjoy it, unlike if you're just resenting it the whole time for not being something else that you wanted"

or to put it another way "don't be so caught up in having fun in one specific way that you miss having fun a different way"

Ah yeah, the dreaded "tag along and sabotage the campaign so the group moves onto something you do want to play" type. I'd add a principle as a player to politely bow out of the group if they are fully intent on playing a game you do not want to play.

 

[Committed Hero]

Fun is everyone's business.

 

[overgeeked]

It's a game. Enjoy it for what it is. Don't try to make it something it's not. Things RPGs aren't: stories, movies, novels, creative writing exercises, a theater troupe, or improv.

There are randomizers in the game. They will produce random results. That's what they're there for. Don't get mad when the randomizers...gasp...produce random results. If you don't like randomizers, try to minimize your need to use them via roleplaying or play games that rely less on randomizers.

You are not your character. If your character dies, nothing bad happens to you. Laugh about the silly way they died and roll up a new one.

Don't force your kind of fun on others. Check with the rest of the group. What's fun for you might be nails on a chalkboard annoying for others. If whatever that thing is is so integral to your enjoyment of the game, find a group of like-minded players. Examples include, but are not limited to: funny voices, cosplay at the table, power gaming, RPG as acting, beer & pretzels style play, etc.

Don't argue with the referee during the game. They're in charge. If you don't like a call they made, ask for clarification. If you still don't like the answer talk to them about it after the game. Stopping the game so you can argue a call, rule, or ruling with the referee is about the most selfish thing you can do. Don't be that person.

Remember that no one cares about your war stories from past games, campaigns, or characters. If someone asks you, tell them. But literally no one will ever ask you. Why? Because they're here now to play now with these characters in this game. That's what the focus should be.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I think 'Morals' is the wrong term. Etiquette would serve better.

Mine have changed a bit with my transition to online (which I love), and are listed in no particular order:

1) Be on time.
2) Mute when eating or drinking.
3) No PvP, be it violence or theft.
4) Play your own gender.
5) PC names are subject to GM veto.
6) The dice fall as they may (with Roll20, in front of all)
7) Share the spotlight
8) Know the rules
9) If its not on your PC sheet or the party inventory, you do not have it.
10) If anything at said at the table or done in the game offends you, that's your problem.

 

[MGibster]

• Example 3, the lawful good Pally detecting evil everywhere and fighting anything they find.

I was running a Living Greyhawk game way back when, and one of the players had a paladin who would detect evil on every single NPC they ran across. I don't remember the name or the details, but there were a good amount of NPCs. He detected evil on every goddamn one of them until I politely told him to stop.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I was running a Living Greyhawk game way back when, and one of the players had a paladin who would detect evil on every single NPC they ran across. I don't remember the name or the details, but there were a good amount of NPCs. He detected evil on every goddamn one of them until I politely told him to stop.

I've had a few players like that over the years. None lasted long.

Another player I loathe are those who think that because they come up with an idea, it should be allowed. An example was a player who wanted to hold a bottle of whiskey in front of his pistol, thus gaining a flamethrower effect. And then argued about it.

 

[Lanefan]

My one guiding moral as a player that pretty much informs everything else:

If it's what the character would do, then for better or worse the character does it.

Tied to this as essential corollaries are another two:

Keep player emotions and character emotions completely separate when out of character; and
When in-character only the character's emotions matter, those of me-the-player are irrelevant.

By this I mean what happens in the fiction stays in the fiction; and when there's an internal dispute between what the character would do and what the player might want it to do, the character wins.

@clearstream hit another one, which I also think is hugely important:

As far as practical, play what's on the character sheet.

And someone else caught another important one:

As far as practical, leave my baggage at the door.

 

[pemerton]

I try and bring what I want players to bring when I GM: a strong sense of one's character, including an agenda for one's PC.

 

[MGibster]

I've had a few players like that over the years. None lasted long.

Another player I loathe are those who think that because they come up with an idea, it should be allowed. An example was a player who wanted to hold a bottle of whiskey in front of his pistol, thus gaining a flamethrower effect. And then argued about it.

Yeah, I've had stuff like that happen. When the PCs were involved in a tank battle, the enemy tank hid behind the hill and one of the PCs wanted to use the main gun like an artillery piece and lob it over the hill. I explained to him that his canon was a direct fire weapon and isn't designed to lob things over a hill and he fought against me pretty hard on this. When I got home, I double checked and it turns out I was right. In WWII, the United States experimented with some tank canons that could be used in a direct fire or artillery mode, but it sucked at both and they abandoned the idea.

So, yeah, don't fight the GM. If he makes a ruling you don't like, just live with it for now, get on with the game, and bring it up later. As a GM, I've made bad rulings, moved on with the game, only to do a little thinking and apologize for the bad ruling the following week.