The 7 Deadly Sins of Role-Play

As this is my seventh blog post, I desired a list of seven items. And what list is more seveny than the Seven Deadly Sins. I have copied such great historical allegory, subtracted the weighty theology and moralism, and crammed them into the role-playing universe. ‘Deadly sins’ is probably a bit strong, given the meager weight of the offenses, but it’s a catchy title that got you to click on this link. So, keeping in mind my high valuation of honesty, here I present to you seven mild-to-moderate annoyances of role-play:

1. Being a rude guest- Though the vast majority of role-playing occurs in the players’ imagination, our mortal shells typically congregate at someone’s home while our minds collectively adventure. Don’t be inconsiderate towards your host. Leave your play area as you found it, throw away any garbage you may have generated, and help them clean up before heading for home. Bring the snacks/drinks as a favor to the host rather than having them supply. Avoid being that guy whose gluttony is a net drain upon the communal larder (I am particularly guilty of this one, as I was the sole reason the chips were stored at the far side of the table). By all means, eat to your heart’s content, but if you are going to stuff your face, bring enough to compensate for your rapacity. Be gracious to your host(s) and respectful of any others who may inhabit near your game space; this will help ensure the presence of a sustained play space.
2. Disrespecting your fellow players- Being a poor guest may be unwise, but behaving badly towards fellow players is just downright idiotic. A character’s behavior towards their fellow characters can cause problems. It is all too easy to get caught up in whatever our characters are doing so that we forget about the disconnect that exists between player and character; just because two characters are at odds does not mean that their players should be. That’s not to say that confrontations should be avoided, as they are a natural part of life and can really enrich the role-playing experience. However, confrontations can be taken too far; finding that line can be a challenge. Exactly how far one can push will vary from person to person and requires at least a reasonable knowledge of the pushee.  One should also avoid indirectly discomfiting one’s fellow players through their own actions. Characters can get caught up in some shady actions, often involving the actual seven deadly sins (sometimes all at once), and a graphic portrayal might be too much for some. Everyone has a limit to their comfort, the line of the more jaded among us being farther distant than the more innocent. Just because you might be comfortable in describing the exploits born of your character’s lust does not mean everyone else may be comfortable hearing about it. Overly gratuitous depictions of sex, violence, substance use, or physical or emotional abuse may irritate, sicken, or upset. Get to know your fellow players and learn where their boundaries are; feel free to push them from time to time (what is life without a little personal growth) but, above all, respect the person.
3. Hogging the spotlight- Everyone who has played basketball, hockey, or soccer hates a ball or puck hog. The idea behind a team sport is just that, to work as a team; the same goes for role-playing. A story hog always attempts to make the story about their character. The battle was won due to their efforts, the baddies thwarted due to their heroics, the secret knowledge learned due to their brilliance, etc. Just as ball hogs are players of significant skill, story hogs are typically gamers of long experience and/or social confidence. It’s natural to dictate what your team does when you’re the best or loudest on it. If you have a group of such gamers, they will begin to attempt to out-story-hog the others. This clearly evident during reminiscence of past adventures: each will wax poetic about their characters exploits one after another, each talking over the previous about their role in the grand tale (even though everyone has heard the stories before). This isn’t inherently a bad aspect of such groups; the cooperative effort of role-playing gains an enjoyable competitive edge. However, when players of mixed social confidence and role-playing experience are playing together (as is almost always the case), it can isolate the lesser of the endowed and relegate them and their characters to the sidelines. Such can diminish their enjoyment of the game and, if persistent, possibly even drive them from the group. Make sure that everyone, especially those quieter or newer than you, gets a chance with the story. After all, there’s no opposing team other than the DM to worry about and a well-placed body check should put the odds back in your favor.
4. Arguing with the DM- There is a difference between pointing out a discrepancy in the rules to the DM and arguing about a decision they have made; if you are unable to distinguish between the two, you are probably guilty of this sin. There is no simple distinction between a rules encyclopedia and rules lawyer; the terms rather exist upon opposing ends of a gradient upon which everyone who has pride in their rule-savviness will be judged dependent upon the context of the situation. Both the encyclopedia and the lawyer are capable of identifying when a ruling by the DM is either incompliant with the rules as written or the game’s reality as perceived. However, an encyclopedia will more readily accept the ruling while the lawyer tends to debate his or her case at length. If you are unsatisfied with the DM’s interpretation regarding the outcome of an action, you have every right to voice your opinion and/or provide supporting arguments. If the DM still decides upon the same course of action, then you must accept it and move on. Ultimately, everything is the DM’s call; that responsibility was given to them when they assumed their authority. If something is persistent and still bothering you, talk to the DM about it after the session and work to resolve any future issues of that sort. Don’t take time away from everyone else just to get your own ducks in a row.
5. Drawing attention away from gaming- Everyone has been guilty of this at one time or another. It’s often unavoidable, as most of us have lives outside of gaming: answering an incoming call, responding to an important text, checking work email, etc. While the ideal situation would be that role-playing sessions occur in an extra-dimensional bubble free from any distractions, that’s just not practical (unless you’ve a TARDIS on hand). As such, players should take care of these distractions as quickly and quietly as possible. The far greater offense is willfully distracting yourself while fellow players are role-playing. This signals to them that you are neither interested in what they are saying nor invested in the story. These distractions come in many forms, including playing on your phone or tablet, talking loudly to a fellow player, leaving the table frequently to get food, or any other activity which takes you out of the game. Avoid incurring the wrath of your group (especially your DM) and just pay attention, even if you aren’t currently a part of the action.
6. Playing dishonestly- This one should be patently obvious but it’s important nonetheless. With the preponderance of stats involved in role-playing, it is both tempting and easy to fudge the numbers every once in a while. It is especially tempting when the fudging is insignificant, i.e. if only my bonus to hit were +1 higher, if I only had a single more hit point remaining, etc. Don’t allow a dire situation in which you might lose your character or envy of other players’ successes to lead to you cheat. Let’s be honest, you’ll probably get away with it, unless you do something stupidly obvious (my fourteenth natural twenty in a row! Oh, you weren’t looking? Coincidence!), as there are just too many numbers of which the rules regulator (DM) can keep track. Altering the numbers isn’t the only way to cheat, either. Knowing a rule but keeping silent about it so as to benefit your character is cheating, purposefully giving false information regarding the state of your character is cheating, and the list goes on. Play honestly even if it’s to your character’s detriment. Reacting to the failure and loss that inevitably comes when stats aren’t fudged is an important part of the game.
7. Excessive repetition- While this one may not be as ‘deadly’ as the others, it is far more insidious due to its subtlety. Role-playing games are a fantastic medium in which players can explore all different sorts of situations as a myriad of different characters. If a player limits themselves to a single type of character, they are equally limiting their experiences within the game. It would akin to picking up a fantastic novel and just reading a few chapters over and over again. It’s not just limited to repeating the same class or character archetype (e.g. tank, glass cannon, etc.); one could repeatedly play the same exact class and still create a diverse range of different characters. This could be through different character personality, skill selection, profession, alignment, or even simply choosing to act in markedly different ways in response to similar in-game situations than one’s other characters (i.e. charge headlong into any circumstance rather than assess and strategize).  All the previous sins were offences against your fellow players; role-playing sloth is an offense against yourself. Mix it up with your characters; it may require a little more work now but will lead to a much more satisfying role-play experience down the road.

 
So thus ends the seventh list, composed of seven items ripped from a list of seven other items. I know that everyone’s pet peeves are different and there are bound to be a few that should have made the list. Everyone who has role-played for a decent amount of time has inevitably been guilty of some, if not all, of the items on this list; I know I certainly am. Also, I will definitely not be writing a list of eight items for next week. I’m not paid nearly enough for that. Happy gaming!
 
-Jake is an avid outdoorsman, board gamer, role-player, husband, scientist, video gamer, and history buff. Thus ends the last list of seven items he will make, ever. You can read his non-seven-related previous posts here and here.