| I have been an avid fan of role playing games | | | | differently than you do. |
| since I was very young. I can remember getting | | | | Make it a point to make decisions in the game |
| my hands on the original Dungeons & Dragons rpg | | | | differently than you would have made them had |
| very long ago. This opened a world of fantasy, | | | | you been there. This will be challenging and |
| imagination and creativity for me. I can remember | | | | extremely fulfilling. |
| the hours upon hours I spent engulfed in this | | | | Flesh out your character. Some systems do a |
| game. | | | | more extensive job of character creation than |
| Role playing games appeal to a creative person | | | | others. Fill in the gaps. Create a personality. I |
| with an active imagination. These games give you | | | | enjoy fleshing out my character as I go. I will |
| the ability to live in the stories that you are | | | | begin the game with a basic concept of who my |
| accustomed to reading. You are granted the | | | | hero is. I begin the adventure and initiate my |
| ability to take the protagonist of the story | | | | character's reactions to the environment. I take |
| wherever you would like him or her to go. | | | | notes on the developing personality of my |
| To truly experience the role playing game, you | | | | character so that I may be consistent. |
| have to learn to become the hero, your | | | | I do this as a game master as well. I will take |
| character, within the story. Stop using your mind | | | | notes behind my secretive screen about the |
| to make decisions and become the character. | | | | players' characters. I will insist that they play their |
| How would the character handle a situation? | | | | characters as their characters truly are. If I feel |
| Maybe your character has a low intelligence trait. | | | | that their character is beginning to venture off of |
| Make this reflect in your gaming. That is what role | | | | the unique personality, I will warn them. "Are you |
| playing is. You are not playing yourself. You are | | | | sure this is how Boris Frostberry would react to a |
| playing a fantasy character within a fantasy world. | | | | widow lady needing assistance? I mean, in the |
| So, enact this low intelligence. Make it a story. | | | | past he has been so compassionate to those in |
| Within all of us is the desire to succeed and win. | | | | need. Tell me, what is going through Boris' mind. |
| We also desire to see the "good guy" or hero win | | | | Why has he decided to so coldly ignore this |
| the battle or complete the mission successfully. | | | | desperate lady?" |
| That is natural. Within an rpg, this is also common; | | | | Now, the player's response would play a key part |
| however, we must learn to play this a bit | | | | in how his or her character would be rewarded in |
| differently. | | | | the form of points. Most rpg systems utilize a |
| An rpg is much like a script. You are acting out a | | | | form of experience points. If I felt the player was |
| part, however, you are also writing the story as | | | | not playing the part of personality effectively, I |
| you go. This is much more challenging and calls on | | | | would continue to advise of this. It would also |
| the imagination so much more. It is this challenge | | | | reflect in point rewards. |
| that fills the role player full of energy and | | | | Look around you and take note of the way |
| excitement. | | | | people are. What are their expressions like? If you |
| Remember, play the character. Become this | | | | know this person, are their expressions always |
| character. Learn to act like you think this | | | | consistent with the way they are feeling. Have |
| character would act. A good game master will | | | | you ever seen someone who seems to always |
| reward you more for playing in character than he | | | | frown, even when happy? I do. Think of the |
| she would if you were playing the character as a | | | | stereotypical dwarf. He always scowls, even when |
| carbon copy of yourself. | | | | content. That is the dwarf. Maybe your dwarf |
| You will also learn to enjoy a more dynamic and | | | | falls outside of the norm. Maybe those of the |
| exciting game once you learn to truly experience | | | | dwarven race are leery of your dwarf character |
| the rpg by becoming this character. It is much | | | | because he seems to always be smiling, even |
| more rewarding to adventure within an rpg by | | | | when not appropriate. This is what adds character |
| enacting a character that is not who you are, | | | | to your character. |
| rather a fantasy persona that thinks and reacts | | | | As the title says, learn to experience role playing. |