Play boldly – Let yourself be vulnerable
by Elin Dalstål • September 10, 2012 • Essays • 3 Comments
Role-playing games can be powerful. They can make you feel, think and change. To get those kind of powerful experiences, you need to be bold. Bold enough to act and not pick the safe path. Bold enough to let yourself be vulnerable and to let yourself be moved by the expedience.
This a philosophy me and the rest of NordNordOst plays by and I’ll try to share it with you.
Don’t be overprotective
As players, we want to play it safe. We want to protect our characters, our ideas, and ourselves. To some degree it is natural and healthy, but it is easy to become overprotective. That affects the game in bad ways.
It creates games where players don’t do anything that risks their characters. Games where the characters don’t care, because caring about something can be used against them. Games where the game-master keeps a choke-hold on the story, killing off every initiative. It creates players that censor themselves because of what others might think.
Being overprotective leads to games where nothing really happens, good or bad, because no one takes any risks. It is a land of bleak boredom.
Stop being overprotective. Trust your fellow players. They wont hurt you; they will give you an awesome experience.