You Choose what you Bring to Your table
TTRPGs are a collaborative storytelling game. When you collaborate in writing the story of your table, you are the author. You make the authorial choice of what to bring to the game. In a world with wizards, orcs, and elves, there is no such thing as “historical accuracy.” There is only what the players are interested to explore, and what they choose to bring to the table.
Level 1: Don’t build problematic characters
Unfortunately, a lot of villains and heroes from popular media are heavily flawed individuals. While this can make a character seem well rounded on the silver screen, it can be an uncomfortable situation to force onto other players at your table. A little casual racism from an uneducated character in a book or film can be “cute”, but when that casual racism is pointed at an NPC, or worse, another player, it causes problems. A short list of topics you can choose to avoid is:
Slavery
Racism
Torture
Sex/Intimacy
Class/Caste Tensions
If your character ever brings up these topics, remember that you brought that topic to the table. We never excavated the ruins of a real Drow city that said they took slaves and tortured them. You can have a Drow city and never see it or seek it out.
Level 2: Make sure your Character wants to be there
It seems silly to say, but when you make a hero for DnD, make a character who wants to be a hero. This is another ripple effect of popular media, and the hero’s journey. In the hero’s journey, the hero is reluctant. The hero is drawn to adventure only through circumstance, and it sucks for them. They may suffer greatly, losing friends and limbs to accomplish the goal they were called for. Don’t make Bilbo, who has to be strongarmed by Gandalf. Don’t make luke skywalker who needs his entire family murdered in order to get off his butt. Be han solo, sitting in the Cantina with a chip on his shoulder, ready to fly.
In a cooperative game, if all 5 people are reluctant heroes, why are any of you there? Don’t make it your party’s job to convince you to adventure. If your character wakes up in a tavern and tells the mysterious hooded figure with a quest “no”, then the hooded figure will ask the next table full of sword wielding naer-do-wells.
LEvel 3: Don’t make your PArty’s life harder
This is something I still get wrong fairly often. Think about your character choices and acknowledge whether it is going to require everyone else to make up for your deficiency somehow. Do you think being a blind swordsman is cool? Well… does your party think tying a rope to you and leading you through a dungeon full of spike pits is cool? Do you think being a pacifist is cool, and talking your way out of fights is fun? Well… does your barbarian?
Remember that your character choices can impact your party. This doesn’t mean never make the pacifist character, but do check in with your group and make sure they’re OK with the ramifications.
It is all about PErsonal Responsibility
When you realize that your choices can either help support your teammates or else force them to support you, you have the tools to build a character who improves the party. You choose what you bring, so bring the good stuff!