LRPing Without Tears

Surviving The Game Perhaps the most important aspect of any game is the people you play it with. That's even more so in this one, because you've got so many people that it's child's play to snatch the balance of your game, take a few wet bites out of it, spit out the bits, grind them into the dirt, and.. well, you get the idea. So picking intelligent, mature players is key - pity that they're so rare in the twilight world of dice-jockeys. There are some house rules you can add to the game to create a (false?) sense of safety and legality. I have some suggestions: No Contact:- This is listed in the rule book, but I thought it could use some modification. Physical contact should be limited to peaceful activities - hand-shaking (vital for up-and-coming brown nosers), embraces, casual sex, etc. Picking up or striking another player is unacceptable, and probably unnecessary in the first place. No Drugs:- Though sometimes it seems as if an altered state of mind would make your roleplaying a little more effective ("I'm not a drunkard - I'm a method roleplayer playing a sodden alcoholic!) the cons definitely outweigh the pros. Besides, do you really want to see the other players snicker behind their hands at you after that last game and NOT KNOW WHY? No Metagaming:- Though this is the hardest to enforce, it's one of the most important. I've had games dominated by one group of people who all thought it would be 'a challenging roleplaying experience' to play an overbuffed genius who's ALSO a born leader. Don't allow players to grow too strong too fast - it's hardly believable to save up a monstrous amount of experience and go from wimp to superhero in the time between games. Try to avoid making horribly powerful NPCs as well. Either you or the player assigned to that role will eventually feel tempted to misuse it. You probably have some others you want to add. Go for it, but try to maintain a sort of light atmosphere (out of the game, not in it). No matter how important the game is to you, other players will probably have jobs, family, and even girlfriends (!) to think of between games.

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