How to Play Good: Pay Attention!
When you’re at the table, pay attention. Shut off your phone. Get off your tablet. (More on that below.) You owe it to your friends to actually pay attention to them and what they’re doing when you’re together.
Focus on the game. Engage with each other. If you’re just going to sit there and play another game on your tablet, you need to go do that instead because I guarantee that when your turn comes up, you’ll be asking the DM to repeat herself because you weren’t paying attention. You won’t have a useful plan of action for your turn. You will be responsible for slowing the game down and destroying any dramatic tension or excitement the rest of the group has worked hard to build.
Again, just pay attention. Be mindful that you’re playing a game which demands your engagement for the game actually to work. You need to show up prepared to give the group that engagement.
Electronic Devices: Good or Bad?
This can be a loaded question. There are all kind of awesome apps for everything from character management to spellbooks. I’m a huge fan of D&D Beyond, myself, especially as a DM, because it lets me have the character sheets and campaign information at my fingertips.
But here’s the thing: If you don’t know how to use the app, but do know how to use paper, when you’re actually playing for heaven’s sake use paper. Sitting there going “Ummmm” while you click randomly in the app looking for a spell description is just as irritating for everyone else as leafing through a handbook.
When I’m playing (not DMing) I prefer spell cards and paper character sheets. If you can use your device without distraction, awesome. I can’t, so I don’t.
Like all things, this is something players and DMs need to discuss at Session Zero.
Bonus Tip: Share the spotlight.
Okay, you’re attentive and engaged. Now you need to share the spotlight. Again, it’s a matter of being mindful of the other people playing the game. Give the less-assertive players a chance to shine occasionally. Cheer others on. More on that later.
Next week, we talk about when bad things happen to your character. Stay tuned!
Every week as part of the How To Play Good series you’ll get a different post with tips and tricks in this series. But if you don’t want to wait, you can get the whole thing here, along with a crap-ton of GM tips.
