Players (not DMs): What do you do between games?

[Desdichado]

Your character will hate you for this, and to spite you, he will fail his saving throws. It's like having a "back-up" girlfriend-- "You know, honey, just in case!" No matter how you spin this one, it's not going to go over.

Really? I've found that it works great for me...

 

[Ycore Rixle]

I play in one campaign, and in between sessions my gaming-related activities are:

1) DM another campaign
2) Read spell descriptions again and again looking for ways for my death priest/necromancer to surprise his foes
3) Read Dragon and Dungeon
4) Slowly work through Manual of the Planes and, now, Deities and Demigods
5) Copy over my character when he levels up
6) Plan my character's future (constantly revising it) - once I emailed the DM about my ideas but he never answered. I'd love to get more involved in the plotting for my character.
7) Read the rules again and again so I know what my player can and can't do.
8) Read the equipment sections in the splatbooks... lots of fun stuff to spend gold on.
9) Calculate the experience costs incurred in making various potions, in case I ever start using that feat I took a few levels ago.

 

[GralTok]

Work on char that leveled
Come on EnWorld
Work on my campaign
Be sure that the next week-end we got games to play(I am the one that take care that everyone will be there)
Read DragonLance book...

 

[War Golem]

Sounds like that irritates you. And understandably so, I think. DMs put in a ton of work to make the game fun, and when players can't take 15 minutes out between sessions to make sure they have accurate character sheets, etc., it feels like you're being taken for granted.

It does, but I know not to take it personally. I would prefer to have a group of players who were more involved in the campaign and their characters, but that's always a double-edged sword because that's asking for more work than I already put in (which is not insignificant). I know they are all adults, with jobs, some with kids, some without ready vehicular transportation.

I always keep it in the back of my head that to a large degree, the time I spend on my campaign, and keeping abreast of the hobby in general, is for my own personal enjoyment as much as for the players' come game time.

This is even more highlighted in the time I spend painting minis, which take hours and hours. Most of my players think they are cool, but probably wouldn't get much less enjoyment out of the game if we used generic tokens for the monsters.

<sigh>

-War Golem

 

[Victim]

Yeesh. I should probably do that, too.

But I think that might be on my list of bad karma. Any one of the following transgressions just screams, Dead Man Walkin'!

1) An unnamed character
And no, you can't just go with "Bob." You better have a name before you roll that first d20. You know what happens to guys on Star Trek who don't have a name, right?

2) Using an unpainted miniature
Nothing broadcasts your intentions to the powers-that-be like an unpainted miniature. If you don't care, why should they care. Buying and painting your miniature doubles your character's life expectancy. At least.

2) An unkempt character sheet
This includes folds, wrinkles, holes in the page where the pencil poked through, and spots where you have erased the sheet over and over until you have worn a hold in it. Oh, and you can add foodstains to the list, too.

3) A new character sheet
Now, I admit it, this is just plain superstitious, and maybe it's just because I'm an unlucky sort. But if you spend hours painstakingly recopying your character, you can be sure he's going down next session.

4) Having a ready back-up character
Your character will hate you for this, and to spite you, he will fail his saving throws. It's like having a "back-up" girlfriend-- "You know, honey, just in case!" No matter how you spin this one, it's not going to go over.


Wulf

I used an ugly d12 for my mini, had several back up characters, and switched character sheets twice after they became too messy. Travanos was the only character around from the begining who never died. Even the players who joined much later on lost characters, although they usually opted out of raise dead.

You may be on to something - my cleric usually failed important saving throws, even when they came from his good saves. Of course, I started using Endurance, Deathward and Spell Resistance wards to beat back those failed saves.

Besides, I think I wasted most of the low rolls on initiative. I remember on occassion when because we we having 2 fights in short succesion, the DM asked if we wanted to keep the same initiative or reroll. Since my score was 1, I voted for rerolling. My new initiative was a big, fat zero. If I rolled a crit with Sunspear or Searing Light, as often as I rolled a natural one on initiative, I would have had one dangerous character.

 

[Agamon]

Download Pr0n!




...or, at least, I think that's what my players would say

 

[Kichwas]

1) An unnamed character
And no, you can't just go with "Bob." You better have a name before you roll that first d20. You know what happens to guys on Star Trek who don't have a name, right?

2) Buying and painting your miniature doubles your character's life expectancy. At least.

An interesting list. In the group I play in it don't work that way for most of them though.

1: naming a character means it will die that session.
2. Buying a mini means it will die that session.
3. Making a full character sheet means it will die that session.
4. Drawing a picture means it will die that session.
5. Doing a backstory means it will die that session.
6. Having a backup character you like more means your character will live until 20th level.

Those rules have held for most of the players.

 

[Devall2000]

I find that between sessions, I'm usually going over my character concept in my head along with playing back the latest installment of the campaign. I don't do too much on paper unless I've leveled up. I think about what I want to do, and I try to think what I can do to do a better job roleplaying.

If DM's want to get their players working, they can have them come up with a background between sessions or work on journaling.

"Listen up you primitive Screwheads" for Cyberpunk 2020 gives some great examples of what players can do to enhance their characters.

-Jamie

 

[rounser]

An interesting list. In the group I play in it don't work that way for most of them though.

1: naming a character means it will die that session.
2. Buying a mini means it will die that session.
3. Making a full character sheet means it will die that session.
4. Drawing a picture means it will die that session.
5. Doing a backstory means it will die that session.
6. Having a backup character you like more means your character will live until 20th level.

Those rules have held for most of the players.

I concur, arcady. Joined a 12-13th level game recently. Did up a character portrait, detailed personality, background, appearance, etc.

TPK the session he joined, resulting in campaign end. The dice gods frown on PCs you put effort into.

 

[Shallown]

Well I GM a game as well as play in one with most the same players.

But as far as the campaign I play in I spend time thinking about the game. I am playing RTTOEE and spend some amount of time trying to figure out who is in charge what they are planning etc. I am the only player who does this but it is interesting.

I plan out possible tactics for the group.

I also maintain all the records/notes so I spend time organizing them and rewriting them to help me think.

I also handle all the groups money and such for equiping the party so I spend a fair deal of time recording treasure found and worrying about what magic items we will buy make or have made. It keeps me busy.

I don't do all of these every week but someotimes one or two of them. It actually doesn't take much time compared to what I send preping for the game I run.