Inside the Mind of a PC

Since I am currently playing in two games currently, one as the DM and one as a PC, I thought I would switch gears a bit and talk about my experiences on the other side of the table. While the "Inside the Mind of a DM" will probably be more informative overall, since I think less people see that side of the game, I think it is easy for DMs to forget what it is like for players sometimes. Also there are certain traps that players can fall into that can cause conflict.

Below is a list of thoughts that I believe should be running through every player's head.

1: "My character makes a difference in the world around him." 

"In roleplaying games in general, the DM will create a world around the players, while the players will interact with said world." This means both sides need to have some responsibilities here. The PCs are the main characters in a story. If the world is so static that nothing the player could do would ever change it in the slightest... why is there a story about this person? On the flip side, as a player, I need to make sure my character is going to go out and try to make a difference. It is one thing to be a reluctant hero that needs to be pushed into it, it is another to constantly be doing nothing. Again, the question should be "why is there a story about this person?"

2: "My character has his own goals and motivations."

The character I play on Saturdays has two simple motivations: protect those weaker then him, and prove his superiority. Because of the interaction of those two simple motivations, he goes out of his way to protect the rest of the party, but he also tends to get on their nerves a bit as well (when having a character with charisma as a dump stat, play it up a bit.) He isn't motivated by money or not even really fame. He believes he is better than the "mind-blinds" for being psionic. That doesn't mean he doesn't like them, and he has already grown a bit as he is forced to see them pulling off things that he couldn't do (150 points of damage from a volley of arrows.)

3: "My character will respect the goals and motivations of the rest of the party."

He might have his own reasons for doing so. Maybe he is going along because he agrees with them or maybe it is just to be helpful. Maybe he is doing it because he wants the other characters to owe him later. Maybe he is just being paid for his time. What ever the alignment, motives, or background of your character, make sure you can justify staying a member of the party and working with them. This does not mean your paladin should be alright with them selling the souls of the innocent for fun and profit, of course. What it does mean is that your paladin will not try smiting them if he catches one of them pickpocketing from a crooked politician.

4: "I want to be able to do my character's trick."
When most characters are made, the player making them will have something in mind that they want that character to be good at.  Maybe he is a damage dealing machine, or maybe he can take more damage then the rest of your mind-blind party members put together. Even if your character doesn't have one specific trick and is more jack-of-all-trades useful guess what: that is her trick! DMs shouldn't have to know every little thing that the PC can do (that is the players job to be informed of that) but should have a good knowledge of what each character's trick is. If that player is really good at social situations make sure there is a chance once in awhile for social situations or that player is going to feel useless. Don't baby them and give them everything they want, but still they should at least have a chance to shine once in a while (see thought #1)

5: "NPCs are friends not food."

Or maybe call him "Nemo"...

If you treat npcs like throwaway chunks of XP, then that is all they will be... to you. It is far more rewarding to have your character treat them like they were actual people. This is especially true to those no-named NPCs that the DM may or may not have made any actual plans for. These are the times that the player gets to do a little world building for the DM. That no named guard? Ask him if his name is Sven and if he was a member of the old sell swords guild, since he looks familiar. The DM says yes: then your character reunites with an old long loss friend... or the guy who borrowed 20 gold and never paid you back. In short, if  you want a more rich and rewarding world for your character to play in: treat it as such.


Stay tuned Facedown-fans. Next time, we're going for tacos!