Player Advice: My Two Cents

Apparently there is a lack of player advise in the realms.  It is one of those things as a GM that I hadn't really thought about.  It makes sense though.  Motivated people really into gaming, the kind that would maintain blogs, also would have a tendency to become GMs and so blogs are GM focused.

Being a player is hard.  As a player you only control one small piece of a bigger picture, and it is very easy for someone else to come through and take your thunder.  In the past, I have posted some player tips (look here),  So to help the greater community, I will try to post more player tips.

So here is my top ten players tips today:

1. Make an Impression -- Too many players don't ever get the point across in the game as to what their character is all about.  If you're in that mode, stop, pick a spot in the game, and start role playing with you other players to start building a view of your character in the other players' (and GM's) minds
   
2. Talk to / Help Your GM  -- GMs are people too.  Talk to them.  Tell them when they do good, tell them when you wish they'd change something, tell them when you're looking for something new.  Tell them where you're headed with your character.  Tell them what magic gear you are looking for.  Giving them information and feedback makes the game better and helps the GM.  Tell them when you need a text if there is no game tonight.  Reward them whenever and however you can.  Helping carry a bag, bringing in a bag of chips, or just helping look up a rule all let them know you appreciate what they do.
   
3. Be Prepared -- This applies to both when you arrive for the game and when your turn rolls around in the game.  Try to split your focus between what is going on in game and what you want to do next.
   
4. Talk to the Other Players -- Talk to the other players OOC to discuss the bigger picture as well as the current tactical picture.  Also, remember, that often the best plotting and scheming happens after the game on email or texts.  Your membership in the game doesn't end from the time until this session ends until the next session begins -- stay connected.  This often plays into Being Prepared.
   
5. Deconflict Your Character -- and help others do the same.  Deconflict means that your character and other characters have different roles and different strengths for those roles.  If you are the rogue in the group who takes care of traps, you don't want another person building a trap rogue with a higher speed and better stats, because then you don't get to shine.  Deconflicting characters is mostly about communicating with other players during character creation to the full spectrum is covered.  This, of course, has to be balanced with what everyone wants to play.  If everyone in the party wants to play a cleric, go for it.  Just make sure you have different strengths and all your skills are covered.
   
6. Take Notes -- The GM usually isn't talking for no reason.  He is telling you relevant information through NPCs and narration.  Take the time to write it down, with names and places, so you can solve the mysteries and speculate at the connections in the game.  Also, make sure the loot gets written down by everyone.  If someone leaves the group, you don't want to lose everything.
   
7. Avoid Distractions -- Building dice towers, ordering pizza, reading and sending texts and email, and having loud conversations about non-game topics all distract from the game, as do a lot of other things.  Avoid all these temptations during the game, or at least, keep them to a minimum.
   
8. Play Your Character -- This is hard.  Try not to focus on everything.  Try not to focus on what other players should be doing.  Play your character.  If your character wants another character to do something, let them know in character.  Don't focus on "winning".  The story of the journey is the point of the game.  Keep in mind that in all good stories, the characters grow from what they started as to something more (and I'm not talking about combat).
   
9. THINK --  This is one of the biggest frustration for GMs -- that players do not take the time to stop and think.  There are clues constantly being dropped by the GM.  The players need to pick up those clues (see Taking Notes) and try to put them together.  In addition, players need to think a few moves ahead.  Sure you are going to blow up the bridge now, but what impact is that going to have on the bigger picture?
   
10. Avoid Bleed -- Bleed is when the in-game emotions and out of game emotions start to cross the invisible barrier between game and real-world.  Bleed is almost always bad.  If you feel really bad when your character dies, that is bleed.  If you get frustrated with another player and take it out on them in the game, that's bleed.  If you get backstabbed in the game and take it out on another players, that's bleed.  Most games that people play are not designed for bleed, save for the simple truth that the player is not supposed to want their character to die.  Everything else is annoying at best and dangerous at its worst.