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I hate getting sick! (I don’t know anyone who actually likes it.) There are some illnesses that are over and done within 24 hours, then there’s the others. Everyone has a particular illness they get more frequently, or just seems to never go away. For me, that is the common head cold.
When I was younger (high school), I could be down for 2 weeks because of a cold. The first week I would sniffle through the day, drugged up on cold medicine, and using one tissue after another. Of course, after the first day, my father would make me go to school unless I had a fever (which was hardly ever). After that first week though, I would gain a new determination to get over it. I would just decide I was no longer sick and move on. Usually took another week to really go away. As a college student, I carried around the medicine like a badge, and I always had a glass of orange juice in hand. The tissues were down in a pocket somewhere, deep in my backpack. I’ll not forget the day I walked into my advisor’s office and asked if I could use his mini-fridge to house my big bottle of juice (so I could get refills throughout the day). He laughed of course, but offered up anything I needed. I’m still the same. Spent four days on the couch being miserable, drugged up on cold medicine, and drinking orange juice (sleeping through the marathon of my favorite shows). Then, just like that, I decided this was done! Day 5: got up, showered, put on a cute outfit, and went out to lunch (and dinner too). Sure, I have some lingering effects, but give me another day…there will be no more!
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You have friends, you even have books, you may have already learned to put together characters, but no one wants to adjudicate the game (be the Game or Dungeon Master). It can be tough to find someone who is both willing and…qualified?
Let’s stop there! Everyone starts somewhere. I started running games because no one else wanted to. I definitely didn’t feel like I knew the rules well enough. Sure, I’d played several games, but nothing serious, and none of them lasted any real length of time. Long campaigns were foreign to me, and the one-shot….don’t think we ever finished a plot. But there I was, friends and family in front of me waiting for the story to open up. They were eager to play and I was worried I’d forget which die to roll. I admit, it’s not easy to run a role playing game when you barely even understand the basics, but don’t turn your back on it too quickly. Draw straws, rock-paper-scissors, roll a die, doesn’t matter how you do it, just pick one of you to start. Encourage them to work up a session and run it. If they don’t like it, start the process over and pick someone else. There is a good possibility that one of you is going to enjoy this. As the company comes under fire for the various antics they try, Dungeons & Dragons can often become a point of contention among others. Some refuse to buy anything from them at this point, others have moved on to different systems all together. I do not fault anyone for wanting to do either of those things, or even something in the middle. What I want to discuss is how I feel when this subject comes up.
The first thing I want to do is just hide. When others start to talk about how the system is broken (and it is in many ways), I start to look inward and ask myself, “Is it that bad?” Every time, my answer is “No.” Maybe it’s just how I run it, or the players that I surround myself with. We homebrew or adjust any rules that seem unfair or broken and I adjust combat not on challenge ratings, but on my players’ abilities. And, honestly, I don’t look too deeply into company matters. My next reaction is anger, and I don’t like that. I often feel like I have to defend why I like the system. To me, it is simple. The rules in the book are guidelines, adjust them however you see fit. If it takes a lot of adjusting for you to have a fun time with friends, then this system is not for you. Pick a different system and stop hounding the D&D system. Just say you don’t really like it and move on! (I don’t play Shadowrun because I don’t like the system, but if you enjoy it, then play.) Finally, I feel like I need to remind others there is a plethora of third party content for this system. Hidden gems within these books set up items, characters, and monsters that are new and exciting to explore. Also, you will find various rule adjustments, or new rules all together that help to adjudicate the brokenness of the original ruleset. I found that the D&D system was lacking seafaring rules so I found and used “A Complete Guide to Nautical Campaigns” by Great Gamemaster. I supplemented this ruleset when my players took to the sea. If you and your players are having fun, regardless of the system, that is what truly matters. I do not like board games like Stock Market, Monopoly, and Life. I will NOT choose to play those of my own accord, but I will still play if I am having fun with the company I keep (actually, that goes for Shadowrun too). Do not tell me my fun is wrong simply because you may not like the game system I choose to play. Recently, I was asked to run another one-shot for a group of people who enjoy playing, but do not have the time to commit to a long campaign. The thing I find ironic about this request is if they do not have time to commit to a regular game, are we going to find a common time to even do this short one?
As a GM, this is a bit frustrating. You put in time to prepare and build a game that you believe the players are going to enjoy. Gathering monster stats, NPCs, maps and even miniatures can be a grueling task (well, they are for me), but you do it anyway. When you finally get a date nailed down, it’s still not set in stone. If one person cancels or has a conflict, the whole event can fall apart. Don’t get me wrong here. I still think we should continue to try to schedule a date/time for these games, especially if you are introducing someone new to RPGs. The biggest issue is one person needs to spearhead the scheduling. If everyone is just throwing out available times, and no one is committing, it will not happen. (Honestly, I think this is why I am asked to be the GM. I will set a date and time and whoever shows up I will take on an adventure.) I have come to realize that our Tuesday night group is unique. It is unusual for people to commit to gaming on a weekly basis, spending three or more hours every week with each other. I always try to have something for my players every week, and I enjoy roleplay heavy games with minimal combat. Thankfully, I have four people who like to play with me and also show up every week. |
AuthorJodie 
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April 2025
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