If you want to become proficient, or even competitive, at games it is likely going to take a lot of practice. You aren’t likely to win the first game of chess you play (unless someone is letting you), and of course there is strategy to learn after you get the basics down. The same can be said for many kinds of games. Certainly the skills required in sports need practice to become good at them. Dribbling, passing, catching, scoring. You might have some innate abilities, but there is always something to improve. If you don’t, you might embarrass yourself when you get out there on the courtfieldpitchrink. Sometimes even seemingly simple games like Go become deceptively complicated when you start digging in. Can the same be said of tabletop roleplaying games? Do we need to practice them, and if so what do we practice? Ponder the answers as Never Say Dice discusses practicing TTRPGs.
Isn’t it just "pretend with rules?" What is there to practice?
One simple description of tabletop roleplaying games is that they are just pretend with rules. Something that takes the disagreement of "I hit you with Force Lightning!","No you didn’t, I blocked it with my lightsaber!" and adds a bit of fairness to it. Even if that fairness is random, chaotic, and can sometimes still seem unfair. Depending upon your play style, there is certainly still a lot of pretending to go around. There is also a whole lot of strategy - though sometimes it may just seem like “roll, hit, do damage.” In addition to those things, there are rules. Pages and pages of rules. Books and books of rules. Sure, you use a less "crunchy" system like Risus, but most of your big name brand games like Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, and Pathfinder are TONS of rules. So yes, it is pretend, but there are heaping amounts of other things as well.
How should you do it?
Okay, we can agree there are a few things that could be studied and practiced with tabletop roleplaying games. Now we need to figure out what can actually be done about it. First off, that stack of books doesn’t need to seem so intimidating. If you’re a player, read up on how your kind of character works. Even seasoned players need a reminder now and again on how their abilities, equipment or spells work. You might also need a refresher on the mechanics of whatever game you are playing. Things can change dramatically from system to system, or even edition to edition. What was once hitting Armor Class 0 is now just your armor class. If you’re a DM, flip through the pages until you find something that strikes you as interesting. Any tidbit you pick up is going to be helpful in the long run.
Practicing isn’t just about reading the books though. There are plenty of ways to learn more about tabletop games. Finding a stream of a session, even a bad one, can teach you a ton. You’ll learn different ways to play, both stylistically and rules. Depending upon the group, you may learn what not to do. It is also worth it, if you have the time, to try an adventure away from your current gaming group. Opening up your ideas of what the game can be is a great way to navigate to the things you want to practice. In addition to reading, streams, and extra adventures, there is the improv aspect. In a lot of games, they really lean into the roleplaying portion as opposed to the "rollplaying." Acting and improvisation are just like any of the other skills. Again, picking up some tips here could be as simple as watching a few videos to as complicated as taking improv classes. It is up to you what works best and seems worth the effort.
Tabletop roleplaying games can be just as complicated as other tabletop games or even sports, if not more-so. Reading about them, studying in different ways, planning out and working towards the things you want to do, are all fantastic to improve your tabletop skills. These are just a few simple ideas for what you can do though. What would you suggest people do to improve? I know I’ll be sitting down with a book from a system other than D&D as soon as I can. Until next week readers, enjoy your tables, and practicing at them.
Send questions, comments, and your practice suggestions to neversaydice20@gmail.com or Tweet us @nevesaydice2
