A Resolute New Year
By Cape Rust
By now you have been spammed with hundreds if not thousands of articles and social media posts about, referring to, or making New Year’s resolutions. Often these are made with the best intentions and some of them even last past the first 30 days of the year. In practice I skip making these resolutions as I try to keep my word and why should I set myself up for failure? In fact I purposefully skipped last week’s scheduled article to give you, our amazing readers, some breathing room from that torrent of New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, rather than asking you to make your gaming resolutions publicly know by posting them in the comments section of this article (if you can even call this an article), I am going to pass on a few suggestions on some things you might want to consider doing this year in your gaming life. Lucky for all of us none of these are binding, nor do they require any commitment on your part.
Bill and Ted had it right when they said “Be excellent to each other.” At and away from the table that is a good rule to follow and it sounds great when said in a “Dude” voice, which is much different than the actual voice of “The Dude” who hopefully abides. We all know this is much easier said than done, but if we just apply this statement to our gaming life, I have a feeling things at the table will be much more fun and the bonds of slaying dragons and saving the world on a weekly basis will only grow stronger.
Try something new. I know you are tired of hearing me say this, but for some reason we all like to hide behind the same game and the same type of character we always play. Try playing a race you’ve never played, or gods forbid a new game system. The New Year is often seen as a time of renewal so why shouldn’t that apply to the game table? Most people I know who game, game because they want to be something else and they want to be able to do things they can’t do in the real world; I know that is a big draw for me. But in practice I see those same people who escape the real world and end up playing the same character who does the same things in those fantastic worlds. Sure that static character can do amazing things, but if you look at it really hard all that person is doing is the same thing they might do in the real world, and that is being the same.
I fully understand the comfort that is associated with playing the same type of character, especially when you are really good at it, but come on! Try a different type of character, one who has powers you don’t know inside and out. Why? Because even if you don’t know how to twink that character, class or a set of powers you are learning and growing as a person and as a player. Use the New Year as an excuse to mix things up a bit.
Finally, have fun at and away from the table. We get so caught-up in all of the pressures of the real and fantasy world that there is a good chance we forget to have fun. Games should be fun. Yes we all want to “win” but winning should never come at the cost of fun. If your character dies, get over it. Sure you might have come to know and love that character, but in the end, what kind of gamer are you if you can’t come up with a new character that is just as memorable if not more so? If you have a bad night rolling the dice, oh well… often fumbles and fails make for the most entertaining moments at the table. If you lose a treasured magic item, move on, it is after all just a magic item. I actually saw a player who had his cleric write and perform a “burial” for his lost magic item. Sure it was silly, but not only was it well done, we all had fun being a part of it, he even mentioned how the item felt about each and every person in the party (even though it was not an intelligent item).
These are just a few nuggets from yours truly, and I hope they are helpful. With some very slight behavior modifications you can really change your outlook on life and gaming. Rather than making New Year’s resolutions, be resolute during the New Year and I think good things will happen.
Oh one more piece of advice, stay away from Gazebos!
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