A lot of people have negative opinions about table-top role playing games (RPGs). But I think they are no worse than any other hobby. As long as they don't become an obession, they are a great way to spend an evening with your friends. I've played a lot of table top RPGs (Dungeons and Dragons, Vampire, Werewolf, Star Wars), and I believe these experiences have made me a better person. Here are the top 10 things I have learn from playing table-top RPGs:1.) The journey is more fun with friends.
Life, business, and gaming are better in groups. Companionship
builds confidence. In groups you have people to share your success with; you
have people to play devil’s advocate against your silly ideas; you have people
to make you laugh at your failures; you have people to get your back when you
bad mouth the half-orc barbarian after one to many pints of ale in the local
tavern.
2.) Your choice of companions can determine success or failure.
The best adventuring party consists of a group of people whose
individual strengths compensate for each other’s weaknesses. A group of wizards
are not going to be able to climb the parapet or hold the crashing gate while their
friends escape. A group of barbarians aren’t going to be able to detect and
disable the trapped exploding treasure chest. Find people who complement your
weakness and strengths.
3.) Natural ability will only get you so far, everything else must be earned.
In all table top roleplaying games, you start off the quest
as an exceptional individual in an exceptional world. Compared to the average
peasant, your character is an amazing individual, capable of incredible feats
of strength, cunning, or magic. However, compared to fellow adventures, kings,
dragons, and enemies your character is nothing but a level one individual. It
is only through working and gaining experience that your character gets
stronger, faster, and better and is able to reap the rewards of adventure. Don’t
take your natural talents for granted keep striving to get better. Eventually
you’ll find a challenge that can’t be overcome by raw talent alone.
4.) The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.
When raiding a level one goblin den you’ll be lucky to find
a common steel sword and a few pieces of silver. However, by sneaking into the
red dragon’s lair and defeating him, you’re going to land yourself a cart full
of gold, magic weapons and armor, and a ton of experience. Be a wolf. Weight
the consequences and gamble with the maximum you can afford to lose.
5.) You must have a plan….
You can’t just run into that den around the corner and hope
to take out everything that’s in there. It’s best to have your rouge sneak in
and find out that are four adult trolls: one is sleeping, two have their back
to the wall arguing, and one is vigilantly watching for approaching danger.
Then you can make a plan on what spells to use, where to send your paladin, and
make sure to finish the job with a healthy dose of fire.
6.) … and when that fails, you must be able to improvise.
Like actions in life, actions in table top RPGs never go exactly as planned. When you run into
the den of trolls and find out they are only illusions attached to an advanced
warning system set up by an evil band of warlocks and shamans, you’re going to
need to execute a new plan on the fly. Take change in stride, work with your
advantages, do the best you can, and never give up.
7.) Even the best will fail; even the weakest can turn the tide.
Every table top RPG that I have played has a chance outcome
for even the best to botch their roll, and even the worst to be able to score a
critical hit. I have played a character built specifically for dealing with
explosives and demolitions fail his rolls every time he tried to throw a
grenade. I have played a level one illusionist wizard who unexpectedly
incapacitated the high level commander of an invading war party with a single
stone. Like life, you have to roll with the punches. Sometimes even with all
the planning in the world you are going to fail, sometimes you’re going to be
bested by someone or something who is obviously inferior to you. That’s life.
8.) The seven deadly sins will catch up with you.
I’ve played games with other players who displayed one of
these attributes as a character flaw. Usually this character becomes the first
to succumb to the challenges of adventure (sometimes by his own party’s hands).
Don’t let your negative attributes cause you and your party to fail.
9.) Every choice you make has consequences. Everything is a choice. The worst choice you can make is doing nothing.
We often don’t realize that everything in our lives is a
choice. We make a choice to take action literally thousands, if not millions,
of times a day. These choices become more apparent in a role playing game. Do I
take a left or a right at the fork of the road? Do I trust the young thief
child, or the rich noble man? Should I sneak past the sleeping dragon, or start
a fight while I have the advantage? The worst possible decision is to do
nothing. Stopping on the road will not further your quest. Not choosing between
the thief and the nobleman will gain you two enemies rather than only one.
Eventually that dragon is going to wake up.
10.) It’s not over until it’s over.
Even when my character was up against impossible odds, I
never stopped trying something to overcome. Most times he made it through, if a
little worse for the wear. The worst that happened… he died. It’s the same in
life. Never stop fighting until you can’t fight.
Thanks for reading. Keep building those cathedrals.
-P
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