There’s a golden rule among the Dungeons & Dragons community that took me a while to grasp, but once I did, it forever changed how I see my games, as both a DM and a player at the table. Technically speaking, there’s a huge list of rules for the popular TTRPG, which is often something that pushes potential new players away from it. There are some D&D rules you can ignore.
A lot of them are flexible based on what works best for the table and what the DM finds appropriate. However, outside of the official framework and even some homebrew rules for D&D, some community-driven rules and guidelines help you better appreciate the game. There is one that is frequently echoed by the community, but it only really clicked with me recently.
There’s Nothing Better Than Being A Fan Of Your Fellow D&D Players
Caring About Characters Is The Pillar Of Storytelling
One unofficial rule for the TTRPG is to be a fan of your fellow players. This changes everything. It can be a bit tough to get into that mindspace if you’re still learning the ropes of the game and are preoccupied with what you’re going to do and how to do it, and even more so if the other players don’t really care all that much about their characters in Dungeons & Dragons to the point they seek narrative development or tactical decisions apart from their build’s bread and butter.
Nevertheless, if you do see yourself as a fan of your fellow players, you can’t go back. It’s likely you’ll already be invested in your own character’s journey and abilities, but if you can cheer on for the other player characters at the table in the same manner, you’ll learn to appreciate the game a lot more. You’ll not only be happy when your own character’s story progresses, but you’ll be rooting for whatever happens with your friends’ characters, too.
This is why Dungeons & Dragons actual play shows get us hooked. Take Critical Role, for example: we learn about the cast’s characters, their motivations, their fears, and celebrate when they succeed and mourn when they fall. Caring about characters is one of the pillars of storytelling across all media, and it shouldn’t be different in your tables. It’s not about creating a complex weave of narrative arcs, but seeing player characters develop, too.
Cheering For Your Friends’ Characters As If They Were Your Own Changes Everything
It’s A Reminder That D&D Is A Collaborative Storytelling Game
Rooting for a fellow character’s accomplishments is a sign that you’re involved in their story in a similar way that you’re involved with your own character. It’s less about caring solely about your own character’s journey, but the collaborative story you’re telling as a group in D&D. As a fellow player, you’ll be intrigued by the revelations that occur in another character’s story arc.
Meanwhile, as a DM, you’ll be thrilled by what decisions that player of yours makes with the situations that are thrust upon them. Surely, the TTRPG can be played in a way that combat and mechanics are the top priority, but if you can get enticing narrative arcs to develop along the way and keep you hooked on top of the central plot that unites the Dungeons & Dragons heroes, why wouldn’t you?
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Publisher
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TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
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2-7 Players
