1. Not just a stat block
Your character isn't just a bunch of numbers and dice rolls,
she has a personality and motivations. It can be easy (especially if you have
little experience) to just concentrate on the mechanics, but this sort of
defeats the purpose of the type of game you are playing. In an RPG you have the
chance to create a whole and completely new identity to assume when
play starts.
Your character has a personality and motivations, you should know what these are, if only on a
small scale. I find it a good idea to write down about 3 personally traits
about my characters on the character sheet which I can keep referring back to,
it helps me think just how my character would react in different situations. Of
course you can take this much further, but just having a short and clear idea
of how you're character acts is usually enough.
Not understanding your character can not only slow the game
down but destroy the suspension of disbelief, pulling everyone out of
character. So this is something you should be considering right after sorting
out all your stats.
2. You weren't born yesterday
When you create a new character you will almost certainly
not be making a new born baby - unless you're playing a very strange and
uneventful game of crying and poop - that means your character has had many
years of experience before you took control of her.
These experiences shouldn't just be forgotten when she goes
out adventuring, they should affect how she reacts to different situations.
Maybe her parents were killed by Kobolds, so now whenever a chance arises to
kill Kobolds she will drop everything else and go to slaughter. Maybe she still
wants to avenge her parents' murder and tries to get her adventuring group to
help her find the very Kobolds that took her parents from her. The loss of her
parents could have made her tough and headstrong and she finds weakness
disgusting, or maybe she now has a soft spot for sob stories and always wants to
help people.
It's easy to come up with backgrounds for your characters,
just think of your favourite characters from movies, comic books, video games
and books for inspiration and you will soon have a rich back story.
3. NO NO I didn't mean that...
Stay in character! That needs repeating: Stay in
character!
This often happens when someone doesn't have a clear idea of
who their character is - they end up just acting as themselves all the time
which can lead to a lot of meta gaming (covering that next) and distractions.
It is a good idea to adopt a 'character voice' and a 'passive voice' in order
to differentiate between when your character is speaking and when you are
speaking. This doesn't mean you have to put on a silly voice, but you certainly
can if you want. It just means that when in character you should have a way of
speaking that is different than you.
Your character may speak very flamboyantly or in short and to-the-point sentences, whatever it is just make sure to be consistent. It
can get very confusing if you're constantly talking in different ways. You
should use your character voice whenever your character is speaking, or making
an action - pretty much anytime you're talking about anything in game! You
should use your passive voice if you have a question for the GM which you can't
ask in character (like a rules question) or you're saying something not relevant
to the game.
4. Guys...guys, I've read this, there's a secret passage
here!
Meta gaming is out of character thinking being used to
dictate your actions in game. Everyone does it, it is very difficult not to.
After all, as players we will know more about the game than our in game counterparts do, just as they know things about the game world that we don't. But
just because it is easy to do and can often give you an advantage, doesn't mean
it is a good thing.
When faced with a decision, stop and think "what would my
character think of this situation?". For example, you and your group have
nearly defeated the big-bad-villain when he suddenly grabs a hostage and uses
him as a shield. A Paladin, the protector of the weak would probably stop his
attack and try to save the hostage, but the more morally grey Rogue would be
more likely to take the risk of killing the hostage in order to defeat the
villain. Neither is the wrong decision, it is simply how that character would
react. Just make sure to know your character and be consistent. Meta gaming
can be very destructive so do your best to lose yourself in your character and
worry less about the rules, that's why there is a GM after all.
5. I use my attack power on number 2
Combat should be an in-character experience too. When attacking
that Dragon, don't simply say you "attack the Dragon", explain how
you take a deep breath, gather your courage before charging the dragon with
your sword held high, and plunge the blade deep into its throat. This makes for
a much more exciting time.
I must admit I am a huge culprit of this one, in fact my
whole gaming group is, personally I blame the power/encounter mechanics of
D&D4E that we are currently playing, the flavour of attacks is so
complicated and encounters take so long you sometimes can't be bothered saying
anything more than I use "Ardent Strike on that Rock Golem". But that
isn't a good thing and is something I will attempt to rectify!
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