Things I learned early in Gaming that still apply to Real Life

[Jack7]

Always be prepared for any contingency, because everyone's life just may be contingent upon that

A good Plan is worth far more than ten thousand times its weight in gold

Good communications are essential for conveying things

Explore with Caution and live to enjoy it

Check and Recheck your equipment before you go anywhere - if you don't, who will?

A weapon is only as useful as the amount of time you spend mastering it

Every good tool has multiple uses

It is a far, far better thing to ambush than to be waylaid

Get there first and see what you're up against

Get there last and you're probably too late

You march and travel in a certain order for a reason - sloppy order makes messy ends

A night's watch is far less exhausting than a slit throat

There's no such thing as an unbeatable enemy if you kill him first

Basic skills, like map reading and direction finding, are never outdated

If you pay attention to your environment you can anticipate danger rather than endure it

Survival skills are timelessly valuable - so learn a few

Loss of treasure is the price of the business of getting it

To be mentally prepared is the first step, and usually the most overlooked one

Everything is an adventure to the man who is willing to try it

Keep everything in good working order and it will be less work when you need it

Expect nothing less than to be bested on occasion

You will get better with practice, but ya gotta practice

Heroic deeds are nothing more than what you train for

Do not be impressed by appearances, or appear to be impressed by them

Never underestimate others, cause you don't know them that well

Never overestimate yourself because you're not that good

The world will do fine without you, so go ahead and risk yourself and see what happens

If you intend to solve every problem by fighting then you're already dead

Wisdom is better than Intelligence

Intelligence is better than Strength

Strength is more useful than weakness

Dexterity is more than Speed

Constitution doesn't make ya tough, being Tough does

Charisma is far more potent than just being pretty

 

[Jack7]

Other Lessons Learned

A good observation is what everyone else has so far overlooked

Being reckless doesn't make ya heroic, but timidity sure don't either

Courage is not a word, it's a mind-set

Adventure is the Enterprise of Hazard

Enterprises are dangerous - that's just the way things are

You can't save everybody, but try it anyways

Never leave a friend or comrade behind (unless they insist on it)

Sacrifice yourself first, after all that's your job

Cover your weaker comrades so that they'll have time to do what they do

Everyone should be far more than their Stats

Games of chance are a fine idea and all but real fights don't work that way

A good offense kills from a distance - a good defense does too

Initiative is far more than a roll of the dice, it's a choice

Play it out and you can control events, wait around and luck does

Luck is a fickle mistress

A statistic is not a certainty

Hope is not a plan, and luck is not an achievement

You can change your fortune by acting differently

Rules are meant to be rewritten when a better idea comes along

Never let the sun go down on your ignorance

Action trumps indecision

Battles go to those determined to win

You don't win every battle no matter how determined you are

Outsmart an enemy and you've beaten him twice

Outsmart yourself and you've beaten your past limits

A beaten enemy is better than a wounded one

Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes it's best to just go around

The lone wolf is dangerous, the pack often lethal

Kill a dozen enemies one at a time and they're still just as dead

War is a helluvah lot easier on paper than in execution

Theory bleeds a lot longer than the Truth

When you're in a real hurry make sure you're traveling in the right direction

Fools rush in because that's what fools do

If you don't know what you're doing then sooner or later it'll become obvious

A good retreat is a thing of beauty - a rout not so much

If you're flexible in combat then you're solid in a fight

 

[Jack7]

Last but not Least

If you can track then you're one up on those who can't

Don't charge into enemy territory when you can sneak up on it

Wait until they turn away, then prove what ya know

Well organized is well-disciplined

Risk is it's own reward - when you do it right

If someone is willing to pay you to risk your neck then let him pay often and early

You can live on a good reputation, it's hard to live down a bad one

It's better to kill evil quickly than let it breed slowly

Don't wait until the enemy knows more than you do or he will

Know how to forage or expect to fast

Water seems like such a small thing until it isn't

If you're good with traps you'll live longer

Being good at negotiation is very helpful in certain quarters, especially locked ones

Sycophants make great scouts but poor friends

Your dog and your horse sense things better than you do - that should tell ya something important

Scars are good for a man but tend to leave a mark

Fire burns!!! So will flesh if you get caught in one!

A good spear is my way of saying, "I'd rather you die without touching me."

An arrow well placed is hard to pull out

Hardened, experienced men know a thing or two - and often a lot more than that

A Bard hath charms that remove the savage dress

Don't urinate where you're easily ambushed, and don't crap there either

A good vantage point is usually to your best advantage

Night eyes are better than shut ones

Shhhhhh!!!! The field is no place for chit-chat kid

Every now and then stop and listen, cause that's what the enemy is doing

Pay attention - it's always your safest bet

A well guarded secret pays high dividends, a spoiled one costs plenty

Go quietly into that good night and no one will know you're there

A little forethought lasts a lot longer than most any other kind

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Passive aggression is no substitute for the real thing.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Never run out of ammo.
I can run faster scared than you can angry.
Audacity. Audacity. Always audacity.
Sun Tzu's teachings are always applicable.
So are Uncle Chuck's.

 

[Jack7]

"Passive aggression is no substitute for the real thing."

Unless you're married, then it is the real thing.

 

[Jack7]

Don't kill the messenger, he may still know more than he claims

One man's monster is another man's "let's see if that's possible!"

Explore every possibility but always rope yourself off first

Behind every new door lies the unlimited opportunity for severe injury

If it looks like no one has touched it in awhile maybe you shouldn't either

Nothing goes bad quite as fast as stupidity

If it outweighs ya by 700 pounds or more you're probably gonna need help

"See, I told ya so!"

If you're surrounded on all sides by problems then you didn't plan very well, now did ya?

A Troll is useless in a narrow tunnel

If you can see the whites of their eyes then go ahead and poke em out

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can fool everyone at any time if they're all looking in the wrong direction

If the bad guy talks a lot then put a knife in his mouth - he'll quiet down

Write it all down so you can debate it later

It's cold underground

Great disasters begin as little neglects

Explosions are much better enjoyed at a distance

Panic is no way to problem solve

Launching an expedition is a lot easier than living through one

One more day of this and you won't have to worry about who gets what

Food is still the best way to cure hunger

Always look up when you feel like you're being watched

If it moves when you step on it then step back

 

[Ulrick]

A couple years ago I went through a Halloween haunted house with some friends. One of my friends said to me "Stop treating this place like a dungeon!" Apparently, I was moving through the place too slowly, avoiding obvious places where "monsters" could jump out, checking places for "traps", listening before entering a room or area, and letting other people outstide the group go first to be subjected to whatever horrors the house might hold (like hirelings).

 

[nedjer]

You can bewilder almost any opponent by keeping a tub of gaucamole dip handy and dipping their elbow in it when they're not looking.

 

[Andor]

Whack it in the leg, then run.