trust in gameplay

When entering into a new group, there are lots of reservations. I have joined several game groups where I do not know anyone (except my husband who joins me). It takes many weeks to become comfortable enough to begin enjoying the game. It is common to hear the suggestion to grab four friends, pick a GM and play, especially for those who cannot find a game group. This is because you are typically already comfortable with your friends.

Trust gets built over time. Some of the things that will encourage this are safety, encouragement, and consistency. The gaming table must cultivate all of these to create trust among all players, including the GM. As each of these increase, the players will begin to actually play their characters and the GM can experiment with new rules or scenarios, expanding the world through their creativity.

Safety first. This is not only physical safety, but this is emotional as well. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and to respect those experiences, it is important to have these conversations early (especially with unfamiliar players). Establishing good, clear boundaries will lay out what is acceptable and what would be a hard pass.

Allowing players to experiment with their character’s abilities, or stretching them thematically (even if you have to bend the rules), encourages them to think outside the box. Anything is possible in the make-believe world that you are adventuring in. Do not stomp out anyone’s ideas or creativity simply because you think it may be “stupid” or “unproductive.” The more a player (or even the GM) gets berated about an idea, the more they will shut down and eventually stop contributing to the party.

Being consistent in rulings and style of gameplay allows for predictability. This is not a bad thing. If you, as a GM, are predictable in how you will handle situations both in and out of game, it prevents situations that could become combative between players. If something has to change, like a ruling that unbalanced the game, talk about it before it comes up again, then be consistent with the outcome of that conversation.

Building this trust between the players and the GM comes over time. Do not expect new players to get into character right away (or maybe never based on their personality and/or comfortability). Encourage the players who show the behaviors you’d like to see around the game table.