Yes, it is early, late, and timely all at the same time. I was scrolling through Twitter one day and came across this RPGaDay questionnaire for the month of August. Rather than do it in 31 posts like I had done for a previous questionnaire, I figured it best to just answer them all in one go. I've been playing RPGs (primarily D&D) for just about 7 years now and there are stories that I tell of the adventures that my characters have gone on. Below are just a snippet of some of those adventures, some as a player and some as a GM. If you enjoyed this, I'd encourage you to make a post somewhere with your answers!
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Aug 1st: Real dice, dice app, diceless, how do you prefer to roll?
While I'm a bit behind on this, I figured I'd take a moment to answer the questions from RPG Brigade's #RPGaDay celebration.
Aug 2nd: Best game session since August 2015?
While a majority of my games are online, you can't beat rolling real dice in person.
Most shopping sessions are pretty dull, but we had a session where the druid sat in an armor repair shop slowly becoming addicted to coffee and swapping stories, the paladin turned his armor bright orange using an armor oil, 2 others were offered magical Tupperware, and an apathetic, pink, flumph-decorated, animated, intelligent shield joined the party.
Aug 3rd: Character moment you are proudest of?
My first time playing my Cleric insta-killed an enemy by rolling a triple crit, since then I have never rolled 3 20s in a row.
Aug 4th: Most impressive thing another's character did?
In my small group that I GM for 2 of the characters were investigating missing children/orphans and in order to get into the orphanage, the Master of Nine picked up the Paladin and threw him through the window as an improvised ranged attack. Needless to say, he was successful and there was a Paladin-sized hole that they climbed through.
Aug 5th: What story does your group tell about your character?
The character that I'm currently using the most is a 12-year old Killoren Scout called Jax. Most of the people in the party would say that Jax is a bit stupid, childish, and a little naïve. If you asked them about Jax they would probably tell you the story of how he was stupid enough to believe another party member that the best way to break diamonds was with your head (stupid low wisdom..). That action spun my character into not only having a concussion for all of the upcoming encounter, but also having an urge to find a tail of his very own (which eventually he found one).
Aug 6th: Most amazing thing a game group did for their community?
In my 5th edition campaign, we're slowly working our way up in gaining renown with the region we're in. The most notable thing we've done so far is that we escorted a large supply of food from our region to a neighboring region who had been plagued by a massive fire that destroyed much of the town and much of surrounding areas including their crops.
Aug 7th: What aspect of RPGs has had the biggest effect on you?
I had always enjoyed RPG video games, but with tabletop RPGs I liked how open-ended everything is. For example, in Fallout 3 or 4 you are presented with a bunch of options, but those options may not really represent how you feel at that time, with a tabletop RPG you can respond however you'd like and the story will still continue and mold to how you respond to it.
Aug 8th: Hardcover, softcover, digital? What is your preference?
I prefer to have a hardcover book since they're easy to navigate through, but I don't mind having a digital option as well if I have the screen space for it.
Aug 9th: Beyond the game, what's involved in an ideal session?
An ideal session has players who are immersed in their characters and the story. If a player is not focused on the game at hand everyone starts to lose immersion if you have to recap what the player was too distracted to pay attention to. Overall though, a session is about a bunch of friends coming together to roll some dice and have a good time.
Aug 10th: Largest in-game surprise you have experienced?
In a small campaign that spurred my now nearly 2-year filler campaign (long story short, we started a one-off when one of the players couldn't make it to play, needless to say she still hasn't been available, nor will she be returning to that campaign) we were exploring an old library and triggered an encounter with some dread wraiths. Unfortunately when that triggered I wasn't in a light source (which would have protected me) and got crit and was drained of all my constitution. Not the nicest surprise, but certainly a surprise nonetheless when your character gets one-shot.
Aug 11th: Which gamer most affected the way you play?
I don't think that any specific gamer has affected the way I play, but more that there are a few more mainstream groups that I've taken bits and pieces in how to be a better GM and player from listening to podcasts/livestreamed D&D sessions from groups like Penny Arcade (Aquisitions Inc), Thursday Knights, Crit Juice, Critical Role, and a couple that I've only listened to a little of.
Aug 12th: What game is your group most likely to play next? Why?
My 5th edition group is most likely going to play Maid RPG next as a one-off. I had played it once before and I hadn't found a group that would appreciate and accept it's bizarre nature until now.
My small group, if it ever comes to an end, might look into 5th edition or we may take a break since we've been doing this campaign for at least 1, but maybe 2 years.
Aug 13th: What makes a successful campaign?
This is a bit of an odd question because I've unfortunately never been part of a campaign that has reached a finale or with any sort of closure. Regardless, I see a successful campaign as one that engages the players and the GM alike. The goal is that everyone is having fun because no one wants to sit around a table and be bored.
Aug 14th: Your dream team of people you used to game with?
Honestly, my college group was probably the best group to play with, we met in person, we were all always excited to play and we all meshed well socially.
Aug 15th: Your best source of inspiration for RPGs?
I tend to randomly find inspiration from watching TV, playing video games, paging through monster manuals. Because I almost always set my campaign in the Forgotten Realms I can also use some of the lore from the D&D books to help drive what the cities are like and major events that may have happened or are happening that can drive exposition. Most of the time though, I take an idea and work through the story in my mind and see how it could fit into the here and now as well as trying to determine what it could become.
Aug 16th: Historical person you'd like in your group? What game?
For the 'What Game' part, my answer will always be Dungeons and Dragons because its pretty much the only tabletop RPG that I play and I greatly enjoy it. For some reason I think having Dr. Seuss in a D&D group.
Aug 17th: What fictional character would fit into your group?
I think any D&D group could have C-3PO or Han Solo fit in perfectly. C-3PO would be a great for any group that only have common as their language and I think every group could benefit from someone cool/snarky like Han Solo to make the PCs jealous.
Aug 18th: What innovation could RPG most benefit most from?
Hologram board to allow a map and characters to be rendered in 3D would be sweet.
Aug 19th: Best way to learn a new game?
Most of the time if I'm learning a new game I play it with a few people who have played before. While it puts you at a bit of a disadvantage for some strategy-based board games, it still helps having multiple people that know the rules and that can help you out. For RPGs it is hard to play if only the GM knows the rules since it inevitably turns into a "can I do this", "how can I do this", and "I didn't know I could do that" situation very quickly.
Aug 20th: Most challenging by rewarding system you've learned?
I have learned a lot about 3.5e Dungeons and Dragons and so far it is still my favorite system because it's had so much time to be developed, many aspects of the game have rules set out for them meaning you can pretty easily find an answer to a question without losing too much play time.
Aug 21th: Funniest misinterpretation of a rule in your group?
I cannot think of a rule misinterpretation that we've had that wasn't solved by a simple rules check. Nothing all that amusing there.
Aug 22nd: Supposedly random game events that keep recurring?
In the campaign I play in, one of the players keeps critical failing and getting his Glaive stuck in things, while it's unfortunate it does provide a bit of comedy.
Aug 23rd: Share one of you best 'Wost Luck' stories?
I mentioned this story before as one of my "surprises", but my character getting one-shot by a dread wraith was pretty bad luck. That being said though, most of my new characters no longer low-ball CON since the thought of getting one-shot by anything is pretty bad.
Aug 24th: What is the game you are most likely to give to others?
While it's not an RPG, I'm probably most likely going to give people Settlers of Catan because its an enjoyable strategy game that doesn't take too long to play and doesn't have too many rules that would make it difficult to pick-up quickly.
Aug 25th: What makes for a good character?
A character that has some sort of backstory and some degree of moral compass makes for a great character (I know the question only asked for a "good" character, but great will have to do). As a GM I like having players that have elements of a backstory that I can utilize in the campaign. For example, a character that has previous acquaintances with an NPC may be more likely to try and help that NPC (provided they are on good terms) which may help the narrative direct towards that story arc. Having a character where you know their moral compass and their opinions and feelings about things can really help your players become engaged with their characters which in turn will make them make less rash decisions because they care about their character's well-being.
Aug 26th: What hobbies go well with RPGs?
Very often the people I play with watch anime and play video games, which really is the more stereotypical stigma of the RPG player. However, beyond those hobbies, model makers will really enjoy making/painting miniatures if your group plays in person. Designers of all kinds will enjoy the map-making and storytelling of all sorts. Writers will obviously enjoy the narrative driven adventure. Pretty much any hobby can find its way into an RPG, you may just have to work with your GM to see how it can best fit.
Aug 27th: Most unusual circumstances or location in which you've gamed?
Oddly enough, I have gamed in a couple odd locations. I've run a Maids RPG campaign in a hookah lounge and I've also run a one-player campaign in a laundromat while my roommate and I were doing our laundry.
Aug 28th: Thing you'd be most surprised a friend had not seen or read?
I know this really doesn't quite fall in the realm of RPGs, but I'd be surprised if someone hadn't read or seen one of the Harry Potter Books/Movies. They really have gotten shoved in everyone's faces. I have nothing against the series as I enjoyed them all, but it really is something that has quite a devoted following.
Aug 29th: You can game anywhere on Earth, where would you game?
I've always wanted to run a campaign in a medieval themed tavern. I don't know if any exist, but it would be great to sit in a tavern, where it seems most adventures begin, and just play D&D for a while.
Aug 30th: Describe the ideal game room if the budget were unlimited.
My ideal game room has a large table in the center of the room that has a digital screen that I can use to run the campaign. Comfortable chairs since sitting in any chair for 3-4 hours on end can be quite a pain. LED ceiling panels to create the ambiance of the situation (at a bathroom fixture store they had LED ceiling panels that emulated the light of a thunderstorm, a clear day, and even simple colors). Surround sound would be great to set the atmosphere of the room because music is one of the best ways to influence the emotion of the situation. Finally, shelves fully stocked with hard cover versions of the different editions of D&D.
Aug 31st: Best advice you were ever given for your game of choice?
I've listened to a bunch of podcasts and read a couple books about D&D and the best advice I've gotten came from the book "Of Dice and Men" and of course when I want to find the direct quote from the book, I cannot find it and both my copies of the book are lent out so I cannot. However, the gist of the quote is that regardless of how old you or your players are, you need to be sure to communicate what the expectations out of the game are. What are the rules, what do they want out of this campaign/adventure, etc. The great thing with this advice is no matter what RPG you're playing as long as there is communication at the beginning, it should be easy to ensure that everyone is enjoying their time.