“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” – Philippians 2:3-4 NIV
The main point of every “game” is to have fun. People sit down to play monopoly or scrabble for a time of enjoyment with family and/or friends. It is understood there will be some (or perhaps “a”) winner and some losers, that is part of the game and makes it challenging. Everyone likely has their “favorite” game – whether it is Uno, Chess, or perhaps Exploding Kittens. Games are designed to be fun and should build good memories with our friends and family.
“Table Top Role-Playing Games” (TTRPGs) are markedly different in their nature than board or card games, but their goal is exactly the same – to have fun. Dungeons and Dragons (or “D&D” hereafter) is something both players and Dungeon Masters (or “DMs”) can – and will – invest a great deal of time, passion, and care into. I’ve spent hours spinning tales and designing dungeons and their denezens. “Amalgus” is a different world full of “homebrewed” monsters, classes, places, and bizarre characters. Several players that game with us have invested a great deal of heart in designing, drawing, creating, and embellishing their beloved character. Because of this kind of investment and passion surrounding the TTRPG, there are several things to consider when actually playing the game to ensure everyone has fun.
Granted, you make think it strange to use a Bible verse in the context of a TTRPG that some have wrongly associated with the occult – when they should have associated it with the likes of J.R.R Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, Ursala K. Le Guin, and many other talents who contributed to the fantasy genera. However, these biblical principles fit perfectly into the context of any game. The point again, of a game, is to have fun.
There are several questions gamers and DM’s alike need to ask themselves while “on an adventure” that will most certainly affect everyone’s “fun.” If theses questions are “filtered” through the principles of this Bible verse, they will help us all “have fun” together as we “adventure.” We will cover these questions here in hopes that all of us can have better adventures and our beloved characters can become the heroes we’ve dreamt they would be.
A group of people trying to play Dungeons & Dragons together.
#1 Is Everyone Having Fun At The Table?
This is possibly the most important question to ask during a TTRPG. This is not just the “DM’s job” – it depends as much on each player as much as it does the DM. Granted, there are stylistic differences betwixt players and DM’s galore. Every player and certainly the DM must observe this fact of diversity. Does everyone in the party have a voice? Is everyone able to engage? Is there shared laughter and experience or is it at the expense of others or excluding? We all should serve the common goal of encouraging one another and cultivating “fun” as our habit when we make the time for our shared adventures.
This is the main point of this article. To train us all in thinking about others’ interests and to get us in the mindset of looking at those seated around us and sincerely asking, “are we having fun yet?”
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)
#2 Am I The Main Character?
Let’s be honest – when we spend so much time and passion creating a character, investing a bit of our very heart and soul into them, it’s hard not to want them to find their time to shine. This is a great part of “Fantasy Role-Playing Games.” Honestly, every character in every party needs a moment to shine – that is something that DM’s and players should work towards. It may not happen every session, but it should be sought-after for both players and DMs as part of the story/adventure development. It’s fun when our characters “shine” but that does not have to come at the expense of others.
If we miss the principles of “selfish ambition or vain conceit” in this verse, we’ll often become the center of attention or insist on being so. We can act rashly, not considering the other players and complicate matters or endanger the party. The game is not for the entertainment of the “main character,” it is for everyone’s encouragement. If you find yourself focused on what you think or want to do and demanding “majority” of the DM’s and/or party’s focus, it can often drain the “fun” for the rest of the table. Draw others out, develop the teamwork of the party, and develope care about the collective experience.
“Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” (Proverbs 18:2)
#3 Am I Locked-In?
Dungeons and Dragons – like all TTRPGs – is a turn based game. This means, each person has a “turn” during a combat round and must explain, embellish, and elaborate on what their character is going to attempt to do. I’ve found with newer/inexperienced players, the table needs to be patient with each other as they learn the dice mechanics, spells, and how to apply bonuses and proficiency modifiers, make saving throws, and so on. D&D should be “story-driven” but there are some “base mechanics” everyone needs to strive to master so they do not “get in the way” of said story. Gaining this experience and fluidity is a process, takes both time and mutual patience for everyone at the gaming table.
Our phones provide a myriad of distractions that tempt us during this “dead” time between turns. Our own questions can also easily become side conversations during combat. The temptation can be to dis-engage during the story or during combat itself because of the “required” pauses between everyone’s turn. The best thing to do is stay “locked-in” and consider the rest of the table. Our disengagement has repercussions and hinders the gaming experience overall. Holding to the principle of “valuing others above” ourselves means being “locked-in” even when it is not our turn.
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet…” (Proverbs 4:25)
#4 How Can I Help…Move Things Forward?
In most adventures there are themes, goals, benchmarks, and/or objectives. There are goals, challenges, battles, puzzles, environments, and varying “NPC’s” the group all has to navigate. The players have to work together often to discern a strategy for fighting monsters, keeping watch, and handling “NPC’s” of varying types. They have to think not only about what their character can do, but also what the other characters are capable of.
Learning about the abilities of other classes can be easily role-played and add color to the adventure. For example, when battling a dangerous undead wight, a fighter wielding a run-of-the-mill longsword may shout to the party, “I’m hitting this thing as hard as I can and it’s like barely doing anything to it!!! Can’t one of you wizards zap it with some magic or something!?” This should start a discussion of what the other players can do against a foe that is immune or resistant to non-magical weapons.
Handling puzzles, npc’s, and exploring the dungeon/environment itself is more nuanced. However, if everyone is “Locked-In”, these aspects of the game will also be “team exercises.” Usually, players should not “split-up” or “go off on their own” unless the party-leader and/or DM directs it. This is because running separate encounters at the same time in different places presents some logistic issues. It is not impossible to navigate a “split-party” but it needs deliberation and intent and should serve to move things forward. If it is not a “planned” split or it is a player “doing their own thing”, it really can hinder moving things forward.
All this goes back to the principle of this scripture of “looking…to the interests of the others”.
#5 Is This My Party or My Party?
In the end, if we are to be heroes of renown and become legends of the realm, we must “value others above” ourselves. Christ said “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11). Learning how to work as a group, how to foster the best in one another, and how to “play off” each other’s strengths and weaknesses, makes for the best and most memorable TTPRG experiences. If it is our party, we take ownership of one another in a heroic “ride-or-die” mindset.
It’s important to understand that we are not our characters. If I were to play a powerful warrior, seasoned by the battles he’s fought as a soldier, shaped by the trauma of loss and determined to be as strong as possible – I would have little “life-experience” to match the character. In the same token, such a character I find inspiring, interesting to write and develop, and fun to play. So, although it is not “me”, it is “my character” and so a bit of “me” comes to bear with it. As such, we will make fond memories together as a party playing our characters.
We are all “actors” in a sense in a “dynamic play.” We are part of a multi-faceted “choose-your-own-adventure” when we convene as a “party” on Sunday evenings for our D&D “sesh.” Our party is an amalgam of these fantastical characters we create and then get to decide fate for. We are acting as the heart and soul of these lovingly crafted avatars in this shared imaginary realm. When we act together, as a party, we bring out the best in our heroes.
“…We must unify and collaborate, or all is lost. If we cannot learn to work, fight, and serve together, we will fail and the Void shearing will continue to punch holes into Amalgus inviting a flood of deadly beings sure to lay waste to our homes and beloved families!
(Ahem, shifted into “DM-mode” there for a moment…)
A group of players having a great D&D session – onward to adventure!
Closing Thoughts On Having Fun
In conclusion, it always amazes me how pervasive the principles of God’s Word actually are! There are principles that are intended to apply to our relationships, perspective, and understanding of the more vital aspects of “real” life. If the matter at hand involves relationships, the Word of God will have bearing for sure – even in something as seemingly mundane as our matters of leisure and entertainment!
It is my hope that we’ll apply these principles from God’s Word and ultimately ensure we all “have fun”, build family, and make memories. Ultimately, we can grow our character “IRL” even as our characters grow in game. In any case, “have fun” and “God’s speed” in your quests and endeavors in both your imagination and your shared experiences.
“Imagination like a bird on a wing, flying free for you to use…I’m a believer, I ain’t no deceiver, mountains move before my eyes…” – O. Osbourne