Hope this helps.

Okay, you’re got your character in front of you. You have dice and snacks along with your favorite beverage. Now what?

  1. Relax and have fun!
    I honestly can’t overemphasize this enough. We’re here to have fun and spend some time together. If something interferes with having fun, please tell the GM or talk to the other players out in the open. Yes, there are going to be complications in-game that might not always be super comfortable, but if anything is truly interfering with your enjoyment of the game, let someone know.

    You, the human player, are likely not perfect. Guess what. Neither is your character. Always try to put your character’s best foot forward. Even if the dice are against you, and things don’t go off exactly as planned, roll with the punches and make the best of it. No one ever succeeded 100% in every endeavor on the first try in fiction or in real life.

  2. Play your character, not just the character sheet.
    Your character sheet has all of those wonderful statistics and descriptions of who your character is and what they can technically do. Like characters in movies or books, your PC is more than a sum of their parts. They’re heroes and as such are much more capable of doing things no one thought possible.

    Always think, “What would my character do in this situation? How would they react to what’s going on?”

    The answer is not always, if rarely, on the character sheet. For example, the group comes to a locked door and a giant cave lobster is right behind. Can your character pick the lock? That’s a character sheet question. What about knocking the door down? What about trapping the lobster with a snare? Maybe cave in part of the ceiling in front of the lobster. Maybe the lock will open if struck from just the right angle. Maybe someone has dried fish in their pack to feed the beastie.

    The possibilities are endless. Yes, the character sheet can be useful. All those numbers and gear listings are great, but so is your mind as the player. Within the confines of your character and the GM’s world- you’re only limited by your imagination. (*Pro Tip: We Game Masters secretly like being surprised by quirky solutions we didn’t think of.)


  3. Above all, be good to your fellow humans at the table.
    Yes, have lots of fun. Please be kind to all of the other players and the GM. We all make minor sacrifices to be on time to the game. Someone has to play host. We’re all at the table with the same goal in mind.

    Please make sure you’re fun doesn’t tread on that of your fellow players. Be excellent to one another. (I think that was a line from a movie…) Work as a team. Be a cast of heroic characters. Do all that cool stuff and help one another make it even more fun.

    Don’t be afraid to crack a joke in or out of character when it’s appropriate. If you’re pretty sure it’s going to offend, keep it to yourself. Likewise be kind to your fellow players and don’t do any of those things we hear about on Reddit RPG Horror Stories. Anything that violates the safety and sanctity of other players or the GM is 100% off limits. Abide by any and all Safety Tools set in place by the group at Session Zero. Treat everyone at the table, even if they’re strangers, the same way you’d treat your best friend.

That having been said, have a wonderful week. May your next game session be as memorable as your first. Have fun!