The Players Responsibility

 

Must of us who have gamed for any amount of time have heard of or experienced RPG horror stories. Though, this is not about those. This is about the players responsibility at and away from the table. Lately, I have had a lot of personal experiences and known people who have had a lot of experiences with players not putting in the effort, being opening antagonistic, and other things to take away from everyone else's enjoyment. I am not sure what has causes this trend - maybe it is the generation, the phones attached to everyone's hand, brainwashed by video games/instant gratification, unrealistic expectations set forth by professional voice actors playing RPGs, and whatever other reasons their could be.

I am going to list responsibilities players should have at all tables. They are not in any particular order but these are a players responsibilities for in person games and online games. 

1. Be Prepared: If a player is part of a campaign, they should be prepared at the session (even if it is session zero). Have your dice, character sheet, concepts, ideas, notes, pencils, etc. ready to go. If it is a new system to you and you do not have the book, take the time to read up on some reviews to get an idea of the setting and system. Also, read whatever material the GM sends your way. 
2. Get Access to the Core Book: If it is a game or system you are interesting in or are going to participate in an ongoing campaign, get access to the core book, spend time reading it, and gain a mild understanding of the basics. I get money can be tight (especially in the current state of affairs) or some of us may have an unsupported partner/family in regards to the hobby. There are ways - pool your money with the other players and get a table copy for the group or buy the PDF. If not of these work, ask the GM for his copy and take some notes off of it. There are a lot of games now that have SRD's and preview copies. Plus, a lot of online reviews usually spell out character creation and the core mechanics to get you started. I have run into players who I do not think even own a players handbook from anything and they have been gaming longer then me (and these same players won't even take the time to research the game as stated above).
   
3. Communicate: Seriously, take the time to respond to emails, group texts, or whatever apps the group uses. I know everyone is busy but take the time to be active in communication. It really helps build the bond of the group and all of that jazz - plus it is just common decency. You do not have to active all  the time in the everyday BS chat but if people are talking about game dates or ideas, input is helpful and encouraged. If something unexpected comes up and you need to step away or miss a session let the GM and other people know. I know sometimes things get chaotic and it slips the mind (I did this recently where I got called into work in the middle of the night and I totally spaced about my morning game) but don't let that become a habit.
4. Effort at the Table: Role playing is a team effort. It takes everyone working together to have a good time and build a story. As a player, put effort into your character - do your best to immerse yourself in the setting, the story, the character. Don't be antagonistic and don't metagame like a madman. Look, I get it - everyone metagames a little bit as it is hard to completely avoid it and that is understandable but don't do it blatantly and put effort into. The type of metagaming starts to run the immersion for everyone. I had a experience recently where I was really excited to play in this horror game that is based of a famous franchise but one of the players did not want to work together as a team and then continued to be the worst case of metagaming I have ever seen. It really bummed a lot of people out. In addition, a few of the players did not take the time before hand to look over the cheat sheets of the rules/pre-made characters/etc and a lot of time was spent explaining the rules over and over again when they would come up. Also, pay attention to whats going on and be active participate (be ready on your turn and be proactive in the story! Follow those plot hooks! Create your own plot hooks, etc).
   
5. Put the Phone Down: Seriously, put the phone down. This kind of goes along with #4 but it is important enough to be its own responsibility. Put the effort it, and unplug for a few hours. Let everyone know you are going to busy for a few hours, etc. To be honest, I do not even like players have character sheets on their phones. It just leads to temptation and I think it breaks immersion as well. On the same note, borrow or buy some dice. Dice rollers are not the business and take away a lot of the experience. 
6. Be Respectful: Respect the GM's rules and table preferences when it comes to content and whats expected/acceptable within the game. Don't push boundaries or ignore agreed upon rules and etiquette. This is not even about being a responsible player, it is about being a decent human being. 

Maybe I am being a Gronard but by all that is holy in the nine hells, if you want to sit back and be entertained with minimal/zero effort go play a video game or read a book. Stop ruining the enjoyment for the other players and the GM. 

As a disclaimer, I am really impressed and applaud what all of the celebrity streams are doing for the hobby. They are making it main stream and bring a lot of new people to the hobby. The problem is with the people to watch and lose touch with reality at their local gaming scenes. 

 

This has been another episode of...