The first thing many RPG players are told about playing most RPGs is that is it a game where you can do "anything". Or a bit more wordy, but to the point "that your fictional character can attempt to do nearly anything within the fiction." Unlike nearly any other type of game, you can try to do anything.
However this is a very hard thing for nearly all players to understand. It just does not sink in. The idea of "anything" is just too overwhelming, it would seem. While some few can dive right in and improv, the vast majority of players are stuck either doing something Off Their Character Sheet or Nothing. It is common to have a foe say, climb away on a rope, and the player to look at their character sheet, then just hang their head and say "I do nothing".
And I only know one way to 'fix' this: the hard way. The player has to play roughly 50-100 game sessions, with the DM and other players often doing improv. Then, after all that time...it might 'click' for the player. Though, of course, this takes a Long time....and it's a Long time with the player not having "fun" as they don't improv any actions or really take any actions in the game. It's all on the player, except it's not their fault. Creativity, being smart, being clever, thinking out side the box and imrpov are all life skills someone may or may not have.
There is a bit of an odd Shortcut though: Magic. For some reason "magic" sparks that improv in people. The exact same player that has a character with 11 daggers, two hand axes and a bow with arrows who just sit at the table saying "nothing my character can do to stop the foe from getting away", will leap up with joy when they have a spellcaster and say "I shoot my cantrip tiny ball of flame at the rope, cutting it and dropping the foe back to the ground!" But when they are playing the martial, they never think that any of the sharp weapons their character has could ever cut a rope.
And, as a magic lover, I add thousands of spells to the game. And a lot of them are "useful" spells. A player favorite is Animate Dirt, a little pile of dirt that can carry a small item, knock on a door, or do many other little things. And the right player will be casting the spell often to do all sorts of things.
So the Question is: Is there a shortcut for Mundane Characters?
Abilities, skills and equipment do not really click with players of mundane characters. This is a bit editionless of a question...I play 2/3/5E. Though most of my younger players are in 5E games.
D&D skills, don't really inspire improv. They seem to be too vague. When a player need to cut a rope from a distance...no D&D skill really stands out as a "use me". While the cantrip ball of flame immediately makes them think "oh I can cut the rope with this".
So, second Question: Is there another skill or equipment system?
Is there a skill system, that can be plunged into D&D easy enough, that has "skill abilities" something like they way spells are in D&D? Maybe something that can give more inspiration? Something to jump start the mundane characters? When a player sees a spell like mage hand they can think of lots of potential uses, but when they see a hammer...their mind just goes blank.
So?
However this is a very hard thing for nearly all players to understand. It just does not sink in. The idea of "anything" is just too overwhelming, it would seem. While some few can dive right in and improv, the vast majority of players are stuck either doing something Off Their Character Sheet or Nothing. It is common to have a foe say, climb away on a rope, and the player to look at their character sheet, then just hang their head and say "I do nothing".
And I only know one way to 'fix' this: the hard way. The player has to play roughly 50-100 game sessions, with the DM and other players often doing improv. Then, after all that time...it might 'click' for the player. Though, of course, this takes a Long time....and it's a Long time with the player not having "fun" as they don't improv any actions or really take any actions in the game. It's all on the player, except it's not their fault. Creativity, being smart, being clever, thinking out side the box and imrpov are all life skills someone may or may not have.
There is a bit of an odd Shortcut though: Magic. For some reason "magic" sparks that improv in people. The exact same player that has a character with 11 daggers, two hand axes and a bow with arrows who just sit at the table saying "nothing my character can do to stop the foe from getting away", will leap up with joy when they have a spellcaster and say "I shoot my cantrip tiny ball of flame at the rope, cutting it and dropping the foe back to the ground!" But when they are playing the martial, they never think that any of the sharp weapons their character has could ever cut a rope.
And, as a magic lover, I add thousands of spells to the game. And a lot of them are "useful" spells. A player favorite is Animate Dirt, a little pile of dirt that can carry a small item, knock on a door, or do many other little things. And the right player will be casting the spell often to do all sorts of things.
So the Question is: Is there a shortcut for Mundane Characters?
Abilities, skills and equipment do not really click with players of mundane characters. This is a bit editionless of a question...I play 2/3/5E. Though most of my younger players are in 5E games.
D&D skills, don't really inspire improv. They seem to be too vague. When a player need to cut a rope from a distance...no D&D skill really stands out as a "use me". While the cantrip ball of flame immediately makes them think "oh I can cut the rope with this".
So, second Question: Is there another skill or equipment system?
Is there a skill system, that can be plunged into D&D easy enough, that has "skill abilities" something like they way spells are in D&D? Maybe something that can give more inspiration? Something to jump start the mundane characters? When a player sees a spell like mage hand they can think of lots of potential uses, but when they see a hammer...their mind just goes blank.
So?