Acclaimed Advice: You’re only limited by your imagination.
I think this is one of the most inspiring thing to tell new players to the roleplaying hobby. Yes, the Game Master is going to impose a few limitations to keep the game in balance for the other players, but other than that- the sky really is the limit. My wife would disagree because she wants to play Vanyel from the Valdemar series in every game, and I won’t let her. I mean, the character is pretty broken, and you don’t get special exemptions for being my wife. (*Have I mentioned how comfortable the couch is? LOL!)
Seriously, I’m more than happy to work with players, especially new players, to make a character they’re really going to enjoy. While I may have adventures planned, if the group wants to wander west for as long as it takes for something to happen, then that’s what we’ll do. About the only thing I don’t allow besides the stuff we discuss during Session Zero is the characters to sit in a tavern doing basically nothing.
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.
If the group won’t come to the adventure, something will come looking for them.
Slept on that plea for help fending off the angry dragon? Failed to stop the demon cult? Maybe weren’t paying attention to multiple clues that a revolt in the kingdom was imminent. Well, try to look surprised when the tavern catches fire with the group inside. Run outside to see the dragon, cultists, and a bunch of angry peasants.
I’m not a fan of railroad style games, at least not in a home campaign. But if push comes to shove and all the group wants to do is carouse and shop for bargains on lamp oil, trouble will find them. Adventurers are natural born trouble magnets.
I reward imagination as much as I can.
All I ask is that players give me half a page background about their character. I’ve got tons of resources to aid in background generation. I just want something to work with to help bring the characters further into the story. Sometimes I even let the players help with some of the worldbuilding as long as it’s halfway reasonable.
It can be a bit of a balancing act. Sometimes the players want to play an exiled Wind Mage from the cloud castle in the sky no one ever noticed before. We lovingly tell those players “No” to some of their more insane requests, and maybe say “Yes” to their angelic bird person concept with limited flight. Some character concepts fit right in; others require a bit of fine tuning. (The sky castle came way later in the campaign.) I’d much rather say “No, but…” than an unequivocal “Yes.”
I love some of the crazy weird characters people come up with. I also have a lot of love and respect for a guy that just wants to make a human fighter with a club named “Bob.” Hopefully Bob isn’t descended from royalty of a long line of Snake People or something. I’ll let just about any background Bob wants to have as long as he’s not starting out with a full adventuring career and a pile of magic items. (Hey, I can imagine a lot of magic loot, too. But it’s not happening.)
The usual speech.
You’re only limited by your imagination.
Have fun.
Play nice with others.
Do what works best for you (the GM) and your group.
Be creative.
Eat snacks.
Roll dice.
Yell “Huzzah” when something cool happens.
Did I mention have fun yet?
Get into your character.
Think about how your character would react in any given situation. Try not to overthink.
Do wacky, wild things when character appropriate.
Feel free to experiment with character concepts and take on a new outlook.
HAVE FUN!
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 