D&D 5E What are YOU working on?

[Cody C. Lewis]

Hey Guys/Gals,

New member here and I have to say, I am absolutely loving the community so far. Truly.

Moving on to the topic at hand. I know a lot of GMs/DMs constantly work on their craft. Heck I think it's probably safe to say the majority of members here are DMs, though I admit this is just a guess. I am currently in a group that is rotating games between myself and a second GM 2 weeks/2 weeks and knowing both sides of the screen has really made me self aware of how I am doing as a player. Am I a good player? Am I a poor player? Am I a problem player? etc...

What I would like to ask is what are YOU working on to be a better PLAYER?

There have been a ton of articles on how to deal with bad players, what makes a bad player, how to make better characters and what to do to be a better player. I am not really looking for a list of things people do that makes them a problem for the GM; I am interested in seeing what people think are their own weaknesses that they are trying to improve on.

To start this 'AA' of sorts I guess I should be honest myself.

I am a bit of an egotist personally and as such I fear I dominate RP moments and typically try and bulldog the group into doing whatever I/my character thinks is the best strategy. I am working on this. I am almost forcing myself not to talk all the time even if the group gets to a RP moment and no one else is going for it. It makes me uncomfortable with the awkwardness of the silence, but as I am working on sharing spotlight time I wait it out. Honestly, even knowing this I still can't 'turn it off' and I still think I get the lion's share, and afterwards I worry that I am not making the game fun for everyone. But at the end of the day, I am working on it.

So who else? Doesn't have to be a horrible sin. Just anything YOU are personally working on to be a better player. Maybe it's a cool voice, or understanding underwater combat, or learning your setting better as some examples. I think hearing what everyone thinks they could do better is very interesting.

 

[Miladoon]

1. Bring something everyone can eat. Eating in front of a DM that can't eat what you are eating because of an allergy is dangerous to your PC's health.

2. Stop telling others they need to shower. I am certain they already know this anyway.

3 Giving in to the whims of that hot nerd chick that happens to like D&D.

 

[ExploderWizard]

I tend to step up and take the lead if no one else does. Right now in the one game I am playing in instead of running, we are playing a scenario that I am very familiar with as DM so I am forcing myself into semi-henchman status. I do my part as a member of the party but I'm letting others make all the decisions and keeping my mouth shut to keep the adventure exciting for the whole party. Every time someone makes a decision that I know is about to smack us in the face with a load of hurt, I just smile inside and remember all the wacky stuff that happened in this adventure when I ran and played it as a kid.

 

[GainVanquish]

Sounds like my players personality is the opposite of yours

I play a Teifling Monk. He has bonded with one player only and will not talk / interact with the rest of the group.

I always try and play in my characters personality so i think im quite easy for the DM to work with so to speak

 

[Cody C. Lewis]

Sounds like my players personality is the opposite of yours

I play a Teifling Monk. He has bonded with one player only and will not talk / interact with the rest of the group.

I always try and play in my characters personality so i think im quite easy for the DM to work with so to speak

So is there ANYTHING you are working on? Do you role play with an accent?

 

[GainVanquish]

So is there ANYTHING you are working on? Do you role play with an accent?

Not really, i whisper to the player in which i have bonded with, i don't participate in discussions just tell that player what i think. I donate all money etc to said player who in turn just pays my upkeep.

When players talk to me i ignore them until asked by this one player

 

[MostlyDm]

I can relate some to your post, dakotahorn. And ExploderWizard's, too. I think my inclination is definitely towards taking action in the story, talking a lot, etc. When I'm playing with newer players I actively try to take a role more like Exploder is describing... But it's a specific effort on my part. I still find myself slipping into the role of decision-maker a lot.

I also do a lot of armchair quarterbacking in my head; noting that the DM set a DC too high or too low, thinking that a particular situation isn't clear enough or is too obvious, questioning whether the DM really thought through the ramifications for a given scene, etc. I keep it to myself, or occasionally gripe after the fact to a buddy, but I'm sure a lot of my complaints are just "that's not how I'd do it" nonsense.

In my experience I think some of this is common for DMs. We're used to talking more than the other players, prodding the action along when needed, and generally having everyone pay attention to us. DMs can make some annoying players.

That said, I think DMs can also make the absolute hands-down best players. They recognize hooks and are usually willing to play to them if at all reasonable. They're used to losing, and having their plans mucked up, so they tend to take setbacks well. They have mastery of mechanics and systems. They're used to RPing dozens or hundreds of different people, so their characters tend to be well-realized and entertaining.

The best game I have ever run, by a mile, is a current game I'm running for just two people. Both old friends, and both of them spend the majority of their time as DMs. They are an absolute delight. We've done some collaborative world-building and story-telling stuff I would have never dreamed of trying if my players didn't have extensive DMing experience.

 

[MostlyDm]

Not really, i whisper to the player in which i have bonded with, i don't participate in discussions just tell that player what i think. I donate all money etc to said player who in turn just pays my upkeep.

When players talk to me i ignore them until asked by this one player

Sounds like it could either go really well or be really annoying. No offense intended; I'm sure in your case it's the former.

This reminds me: Once ran a game for a friend who also DMs a lot. He wanted to help bring a new player out of their shell. So they made a pair of ex-bandits, and the DM's bandit had suffered a gruesome throat wound. He couldn't speak, but he and the new player's bandit had developed a method of speech consisting of whistles, pantomime, and hand signs. He communicated privately with the new player, and she had to translate him to the rest of the party.

It actually worked really well and was a lot of fun for a good while. Eventually, it got a little old, and the whistling bandit got in the good graces of a powerful cleric that restored his voice. By then the new player was totally committed to the game, so it worked out pretty well.

 

[GainVanquish]

Sounds like it could either go really well or be really annoying. No offense intended; I'm sure in your case it's the former.

This reminds me: Once ran a game for a friend who also DMs a lot. He wanted to help bring a new player out of their shell. So they made a pair of ex-bandits, and the DM's bandit had suffered a gruesome throat wound. He couldn't speak, but he and the new player's bandit had developed a method of speech consisting of whistles, pantomime, and hand signs. He communicated privately with the new player, and she had to translate him to the rest of the party.

It actually worked really well and was a lot of fun for a good while. Eventually, it got a little old, and the whistling bandit got in the good graces of a powerful cleric that restored his voice. By then the new player was totally committed to the game, so it worked out pretty well.

Generally it's worked quite well I'm sure it will start to annoy others soon. Still we are only 3 chapters in to hoard of the dragon queen

 

[ExploderWizard]

Sounds like it could either go really well or be really annoying. No offense intended; I'm sure in your case it's the former.

This reminds me: Once ran a game for a friend who also DMs a lot. He wanted to help bring a new player out of their shell. So they made a pair of ex-bandits, and the DM's bandit had suffered a gruesome throat wound. He couldn't speak, but he and the new player's bandit had developed a method of speech consisting of whistles, pantomime, and hand signs. He communicated privately with the new player, and she had to translate him to the rest of the party.

It actually worked really well and was a lot of fun for a good while. Eventually, it got a little old, and the whistling bandit got in the good graces of a powerful cleric that restored his voice. By then the new player was totally committed to the game, so it worked out pretty well.

Awesome!

CROAK! Wind in your sails!

We figure that means yes.