DayTripper
Explorer
(with apologies to The Herbaliser featuring Latyrx)
Over the years I have gone through phases of mixing with other gamers, going to conventions, dabbling in organised play, trying out different RPG clubs & games. My experiences may not be as extensive as others but are probably more than most (by virtue of age if nothing else). I have met many types of gamer, introduced more than my fair share of people to RPG (how many still play is another question), from all walks of life, gender (male, female, trans), lucky, unlucky, supra-genius, below average, very rich, very poor, clueless, clued-in, space cadets, ground control-freaks and everything in-between.
So I think I have acquired some wisdom about gamers and gaming. Somewhat arrogantly, I thought I would share this wisdom. If we all shared the values I’m about to list I’m sure we’d all have better gaming experiences. All of the points are linked to a greater or lesser extent, some may appear to duplicate but I think that they also stand-up for themselves. I’ve added a few extra comments to clarify what is uppermost in my mind for some of the points. There are other values that can be derived from each point too but rather than point them out I’ve left them as fairly plain principals. In no particular order:
Point 1: Be optimal, don’t optimise
Point 2: Play to the spirit of the game
Point 3: Be friendly
Point 4: Explore and be rewarded
Point 5: Participate – be an active & interested player.
Point 6: Commit – don’t be flaky: turn-up, bring your character sheet & dice!
Point 7: Invest – time and, where needed/possible, money. Learn the basic rules.
Point 8: Be creative – use your imagination, role-play, contribute to your gaming experience.
Over the years I have gone through phases of mixing with other gamers, going to conventions, dabbling in organised play, trying out different RPG clubs & games. My experiences may not be as extensive as others but are probably more than most (by virtue of age if nothing else). I have met many types of gamer, introduced more than my fair share of people to RPG (how many still play is another question), from all walks of life, gender (male, female, trans), lucky, unlucky, supra-genius, below average, very rich, very poor, clueless, clued-in, space cadets, ground control-freaks and everything in-between.
So I think I have acquired some wisdom about gamers and gaming. Somewhat arrogantly, I thought I would share this wisdom. If we all shared the values I’m about to list I’m sure we’d all have better gaming experiences. All of the points are linked to a greater or lesser extent, some may appear to duplicate but I think that they also stand-up for themselves. I’ve added a few extra comments to clarify what is uppermost in my mind for some of the points. There are other values that can be derived from each point too but rather than point them out I’ve left them as fairly plain principals. In no particular order:
Point 1: Be optimal, don’t optimise
Point 2: Play to the spirit of the game
Point 3: Be friendly
Point 4: Explore and be rewarded
Point 5: Participate – be an active & interested player.
Point 6: Commit – don’t be flaky: turn-up, bring your character sheet & dice!
Point 7: Invest – time and, where needed/possible, money. Learn the basic rules.
Point 8: Be creative – use your imagination, role-play, contribute to your gaming experience.