To be filed under articles I never thought I’d have to write.

Tourism in the TTRPG hobby can best be defined as someone new trying out the hobby for the first time. Maybe this person has only been in the game for a session or two to test the waters. Maybe this player has just recently purchased a Dungeons & Dragons Player’s HandBook with a set of dice and is itching to try the game out.

Somehow, the term “tourist” has become synonymous with “unwanted noob” by some of the Old Grognards. It’s being used to target and gatekeep new players to the hobby who have maybe only been around for a few years. One example of this nastiness was aimed at a Dungeon Master who was giving advice after only having been in the hobby for a few short years.

Please note that the DM in question has also run D&D in a Castle at least twice that I know of. Whether you are new or a longstanding veteran of the hobby, that castle session can be long and grueling. It takes a special kind of person to want to run a session for 6-8 people for up to 16 hours. That’s a mini campaign, folks. Trust me, if they’re running that, they ain’t no tourist.

I don’t care if you’ve been in the hobby 10 days or 10 years.

Honestly, as long as players show up to my game with a decent character, roll their dice, have fun, and don’t cause problems for anyone- I could really care less how long they’ve been gaming. It’s that simple. Be cool and have fun. That’s what I try to teach my new players.

If someone wants to share DM advice in person or on social media, I’ll listen to them. Yes, as a long time veteran of the TTRPG hobby, there’s a chance I may have heard some or all of it before. It might even be GM advice I’ve given in the past just coming from a new source. What’s old news to us OGs might be a new thought to someone who’s only been here for three years. That’s okay.

Just because someone is giving advice with only a couple of years under their belt doesn’t make it any less valid. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it. You have every right to not take advice from someone you don’t respect. Just don’t make a big stink about it.

Personally, I find new perspectives on running the game to be a refreshing change in the rhetoric. Use what I find relevant and forget the rest. It’s pretty much what I do with any GM advice. Take what sounds good and try it. Let the rest go.

For crying out loud, don’t chase them off!

We need a constant steady stream of new players in the hobby. Who cares if they’re only trying it out because they saw Critical Role or played Baldur’s Gate 3. We shouldn’t be trying to keep them out. We should be trying to bring more in.

I’ll be the bloody tour guide for the Forgotten Realms if that’s what it takes to get new players. Seriously, if I absolutely have to run a game of 5E just to get some new players, it’s cool. We can always introduce new/better games at a later time. D&D has always been a bit of a gateway game, anyway. 

Keep the gatekeeping back in the past 30+ years ago where it belongs. These new potential players are testing the water. Let’s show them the best it has to offer. Let’s make the best of BG3 and the tail end of Critical Role’s mainstream fame.

Nothing kills an online discussion faster than calling a new player a tourist. It screams “gatekeeper” at full volume. It’s right down there with “woke” or “woketard.” Just plain don’t do it!

Welcome people to the game. Be the change you want to see in the hobby. Show the very best the TTRPG hobby has to offer.

I’m getting down off of my soapbox now. Please just show one another some love. I appreciate you.