I Cast Magic Missile: Intro (Part 2)

Though some are content to categorize players into different playing styles, I firmly believe that there are as many different styles of playing as there are people on the planet, no matter the role. But there are trends that emerge in players, and though they might seem it, many aren’t mutually exclusive.

Dungeon Masters, for example, can take an infinite number of routes, depending on a multitude of factors, such as group size, personality, tendencies, and preferences. Trends in DMs, however, are easily recognizable once they are set:

The Quickie DM: This Dungeon Master is often in his position to fill a hole, or simply to experiment as being a DM. They aren’t quite familiar enough with the particular style of gameplay they want to forge, so they often resort to dice-rolling and consulting a guidebook. Storylines developed by these DMs are simple, but not uninteresting, and show a lack of thought before the gaming session. Descriptions are conjured hastily and often leave adventurers wanting, and lines like, “You kill the goblin,” and, “You enter the town,” pop up frequently. Though the want to create good gameplay is there, the will to create it isn’t yet present.

There’s a long gradation from this white into gray space that leads us to…

The Committed DM: These guys are really into what they do, and they absolutely love it. They contrast starkly to quickie DMs, and oftentimes even those in between, because of how intricate plotlines are, how varied geography and demography can be in their worlds, and how intense gameplay situations are. These DMs are in their element all the time, no matter what the adventurers do, and have a way of manipulating the other players to do just what they want to spring brilliant plot points upon them. Often, they employ every method they know to make the world more real: they might whisper to adventurers when they discover a secret that only their character is being told, or yell and flail intensely when the flame golem’s fiery hand comes down to crush the wizard, but at the VERY last second a spiraling spout of water erupts from his staff and puts the entire golem out, and then he turns to you, his blonde hair streaking out behind him, magical essence snapping in the air, and…

You get the idea.

Adventurers, on the other hand, face much more restriction: they only have one character to manage, and can only act as they would. But despite (or maybe because  of) these restrictions, there are hundreds of different playing styles an adventurer can take, such as:

The Looter: These people absolutely love the idea of amassing a huge store of gold and magical items and thusly do all they can within the game to acquire riches and fame for themselves.

The Quester: Players like this take joy in exploring the world that the Dungeon Master has laid out for them, and

The most important quality in a player is their willingness to play! If they dismiss acting out the adventure as silly or boring, act as a ‘troll’ within the group and go against everyone else’s wishes, or are just outright obnoxious, they become a nuisance quite quickly and can ruin individual sessions and even entire games. However, when the DM and the adventurers are committed, Dungeons and Dragons sessions can become the most anticipated hours of one's week, if not month. Because of this, I strongly recommend at least trying out a few sessions of DnD with a group that seems legitimately concentrated. Who knows? Maybe you'll be the player that turns the tables in that final battle with the dragon ;)


In my next blog, I'll be continuing the I Cast Magic Missile series, kissing the surface of actual basic DnD gameplay.

(Blogging Week 2)


Have fun, good gaming, and remember - don't feed the trolls.
-Toast

I Cast Magic Missile: An Introduction (Part 1)

                When critics and even gamers look at games today, they base much of their judgment on how free their gameplay style is – how many options there are available for them to customize their character, where they can go, what they can do, and so on. Most games are limited by the development team’s size, time allotment, and the style of game they’re producing. But there is one game out there that has only one limit: the imagination of its players. A group of five people can sit down for a couple hours and come up with a game that has never been conceived before, all the while having loads of fun, and not even noticing the time passing.

                What is this miracle game, some may ask?

                Well, it is known by many names. Some call it stupid, nerdy, and a waste of time; others refer to it as the greatest game ever devised; most, however, know it only as Dungeons and Dragons (or DnD for short).

                Once one can make it around the negative social stigmas associated with DnD, it is truly the most enormous game playable. To begin, one simply needs an imaginative mind and a group of friends. While guidebooks are available for purchase, they are known as guidebooks for a reason: they serve only to give players ideas as to what they could do in the game. But before a prospective player can dive into even the simplest game, they must first know the basics.

                Present in every session of Dungeons and Dragons are the players – they are, after all, the center of the storyline. They generally number from two to six (though this limitation can be expanded if they are experienced), and fall within one of two categories: the adventurers and the Dungeon Master (DM). Adventurers are the most numerous of the group, making up the majority of those at the table, as they play the characters that the story generally revolves around. They can come from any walk of life, and have any amount of experience (or a lack thereof). However, the Dungeon Master fills a very important role: s/he is the one that controls the world surrounding the adventurers, from plot to geography and everything in between. Dungeon Masters are generally very experienced players that have been gaming DnD and know its subtleties well, though there are exceptions (such as myself) that jump into the role with no prior knowledge to fill a hole in a gaming group.

[Note: I've decided to divide this blog up into many separate parts, as it will be incredibly lengthy. So watch for the next part as it is released!]

(Blogging week 2)