How To Player

Let's All Play

Enough with tips on How To GM.
Today we explore tips on How To Player.

I ran a panel called Tabletop RPG 101: A Player's Primer at PAX East back in 2015 with a host of Gamer Assembly folks, from fellow "Been playing since the '80s" veterans to "I played my first RPG last year" newbies. I found my notes, and I based the list below on the topics covered at that panel. I changed and added some things to reflect continuous learning over the past decade.

Suffice to say this one bit of writing will in no way exhaust the topic. It's my perspective based on experience, complete with my own assumptions and blind spots, so keep that in mind as you crack your knuckles and sharpen your comments. I started thinking about this thanks to the Blogwagon Summons over on Prismatic Wasteland. Writing began on 11/4/26, so we'll see if I make the 11/7/26 deadline. (Spoiler: I did!)

Buckle up. Please keep all limbs and other appendages inside the cart while the ride is in motion. And we're off...

Prepare

Before you even show up to a new game, at least be familiar with the rules. I'm not going to tell you how every RPG in existence works. I don't think I have enough life left in me to cover even half of the games out there. It's on you to know how the game works, or to learn the game as you go if it's a newbie or How To Play session.

During the game, the prep doesn't stop. Prep your character's backstory and relationships with the other characters in the game, hopefully through Session Zero collaboration. Make some combo actions that your character can perform, either alone (get your hunter's mark on your target before your attack roll) or with other party members (casting haste on your barbarian buddy). Figure out your next combat action while waiting for your turn. Even narrowing your choices down to a couple of spell options instead of perusing your entire spellbook at the start of your turn will help keep the game moving.

Listen Closely

Listen

This is my go-to piece of GM advice, but it works for players too. Pay attention to what's happening in the game. GMs love when you ask for more details on something specific, but aren't fans of you starting every turn with "OK, what's going on again?" Take notes, make sketches, or repeat back what you think you heard to get the scene clear in your head. Combat situations change dynamically second-to-second, so your character might not know everything happening on the other side of the battlefield. You don't need every detail to decide what to do.

Paying attention to other players pays dividends as well. Everyone needs their fair share of Spotlight Time, so bring their characters into your scene by asking for their help specifically. Help them shine. Start a metagame that rewards the player (or character, if you want to keep it in-world) who helped others the most during each session.

If someone sounds frustrated, what can you do to help? Boosting them to help land a devastating attack, weakening the enemy's defenses (I'm looking at you, bane), or even performing the Help Action to grant advantage can help someone reverse a bad mood or break a run of bad luck. It'll cost you a single in-game action, and it might make someone's day. Help your GM keep the whole table happy.

Communicate

Maybe I'm burying the lede here, but role-playing revolves around communication. If you don't communicate with the other players around your table, how do you express what your character does, feels, or thinks? I'm not suggesting indulging in a ten minute internal monologue during combat, but expressing a little something about what happens behind your character's eyes wouldn't go amiss to reach your audience (everyone else at the table). That one hint could lead to a deep in-character discussion later in the game.

Secrets can be fun to keep from other players or the GM, but they're somewhat less fun if you feel like everyone else shares information, just not with you. At some point you need to trust that people can separate their character's knowledge from their own. Err on the side of oversharing if you aren't sure.

Probably 80% of "problem player" issues come down to communication about expectations and unacceptable behavior. If you need to formalize a social contract with your table during Session Zero, by all means do so. Lay out topics that someone has an issue with, and steer clear of those. Use an X-Card to stop and redirect the game's action on the fly. On the flip side, let people know if you'll be playing a prick character and give them the heads up that you're planning to be A Problem At The Table. Let them decide if they approve of your selfishness, and be prepared to change your approach.

Wear Your Special Hat

Engage

Take the situation, and think beyond your character sheet. What would your character do when faced with a situation like this? It's OK to do oddball things, especially if it puts your character at a disadvantage, as long as the reasoning becomes clear soon thereafter. Taking the world the GM presents and adding something to it usually thrills them at least a little. It shows you care enough about the world to leave your mark on it.

So spin conspiracy theories based on everything your character went through to get here. Share your logic. Get others on board. Convert your table to the Cult Of The Pet Project, running parallel to the main campaign. Create traditions and habits in the game world. You write your own background, and some of it only surfaces during play to make the world deeper and more complex. If the GM has an issue with it, they can ask you to retcon it for something that fits better. But take the chance on your weird idea.

Don't Be A Dick

I want you to repeat after me: "I am partially responsible for everyone's fun."

You aren't totally responsible for other people's fun, but you can sure sink someone else's faith in humanity with one thoughtless action or an ongoing series of selfish decisions. Hogging the spotlight and having your character excel at everything makes everyone else wonder why they bother to show up to support your fantasy. Take note, bards and players allergic to failure. Weak spots and failure can be fun to play!

Having your character do something blatantly offensive or hurtful and using "That's what my character would do!" is a dick move. Don't do that. Ultimately you make that decision, not just your character, and you can just as easily choose not to inflict pain on your fellow players at the table.

Consent wins. If you're planning an action that others might take umbrage with, communicate what you intend to do before you do it. Taking a minute for an out-of-character, above-table discussion about the situation will keep everyone on the same page and prevent hurt feelings later. Your relationship with your fellow players always wins over the flow of the game. If you have a clear social contract in place, or at least a list of Lines And Veils, you already have an idea of how far you can push things. Don't cross the Lines.

*******

To sum up: Prep, Listen, Communicate, Engage, and Don't Be A Dick.
Or PLaCED for short.

(Note To Self: Remember to fire the Acronym Creation Team.)

There's so much more specific advice out there, but in my mind it comes down to a few ideas. When you play any RPG, you're part of a team creating a story in a fictional setting. Fighting that relationship breaks things faster than anything.

Remember it's not just you playing the game. You're part of an "us" playing the game. Honor that.

Now get out there and play something. Decide to make it fun for everyone. You have that power.

Abi lude.