#firsttimerpg

"Begun again, the Edition Wars have." Whose edition of D&D is best? Which one do you prefer? Do you still use any of the sourcebooks as reference material? I just love games and want people to be happy.

Dungeons & Dragons Edition Wars have returned. There’s a very old, old argument that has been around as long as I can remember over what edition of D&D is the best. Let’s roll down the list of possibilities minus a few Basic sets. Brown Box/White Box. The old, old original 1974 version. B/X Moldvay. 40+ years in and still popular. BECMI. The edition I started with. I rather enjoy it. Rules…

Definitions: Homebrew: tabletop game content created by the Game Master, players, etc. Premade: store bought content created by game designers at an established company. Game Master, aka GM: Person that just wants a fun game to play with friends.

Here’s one I never imagined I’d see. What’s better- Making your own setting/campaign or buying one someone else made? Believe it or not, this is something of a dilemma for me. I pride myself on creating campaigns and worlds, which I then intend to sell on the World Wide Interwebs. Am I a bad gamer for loving my own creativity so much? Let’s separate this out a bit. There are adventure modules,…

What sounds better- exploring a dark and scary dungeon to recover some cool loot or staying at home with your settlement and overseeing the construction of the coffee house? New Dungeons & Dragons rules will soon pose this question and more.

Bastion building, supporting the Union Crawler, Community building… With the (re) addition of Bastions in Dungeons & Dragons along with a host of other games sporting fortress or settlement building mechanics, I have to ask what’s going on here? Back in my day, we didn’t have a fancy observatory. We were happy just to get our castle built and keep the peasants from revolting.Back then the castle…

Should the Game Master be able to step in and tell the player what their character does or does not do? Should players get to decide everything that happens to their character in every situation no matter what?

I see arguments about this on X (Twitter) on a regular basis. What is “Player Agency?” I hear this term slung around a lot, but it’s getting more prominent every day. One of the biggest problems so far is that no one can seem to agree on what it means and others still can’t figure out why it’s important. Everyone’s take on player agency that I’ve seen so far has been incredibly subjective. Most…

Jump in and play a character. The numbers on the stat lines aren't nearly as important as the descriptions, background, and personality. You bring your character to life no matter what the system. Learning the rules and stats help, too.

Player secret unveiled: The system doesn’t matter. Some people may like to make a big deal out of this as if there were only one true way to roleplay and their way is the only way. Don’t believe it for a second. You, yes you, can be amazing in any RPG system. Think of the system as just a set of general guidelines, a foundation on which the actual character is built. In a future article, I’m…

Does your character's backstory matter in a long term fantasy tabletop roleplaying game campaign?

Here we go (or went) again. This story might be cold by the time I’m done typing it. The topic of backgrounds in tabletop roleplaying games has arisen again. Should we (Game Masters) ask for them? Should they be woven into the larger narrative of the campaign? How long should they be? Character backgrounds seems to come up as a Silly Argument about once every 4-6 months. It’s another one like…

Putting a few tips out there for players new to the RPG experience. Have fun. Think about what your character would do without looking at your sheet first. Be cool with one another.

Hope this helps. Okay, you’re got your character in front of you. You have dice and snacks along with your favorite beverage. Now what? Relax and have fun!I honestly can’t overemphasize this enough. We’re here to have fun and spend some time together. If something interferes with having fun, please tell the GM or talk to the other players out in the open. Yes, there are going to be…