{"id":6818,"date":"2016-09-23T07:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/?p=6818"},"modified":"2016-09-16T19:55:33","modified_gmt":"2016-09-17T00:55:33","slug":"the-gm-awakens-teaching-the-art-of-roleplaying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.d20radio.com\/main\/the-gm-awakens-teaching-the-art-of-roleplaying\/","title":{"rendered":"The GM Awakens – Teaching the Art of Roleplaying"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This series follows the trials, tribulations, successes, and failures of a fairly inexperienced GM who has recently picked up the hobby after a long time away. It aims to assist new GM\u2019s by examining what worked, didn\u2019t work, and what failed miserably as he spins up new campaigns, modules, encounters, and adventures for his friends and family in Fantasy Flight Games\u2019 Edge of the Empire\/Age of Rebellion\/Force and Destiny system.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This is part 4 in a series of articles devoted to helping old and new gamers alike bring their children and younger players to love RPG\u2019s.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The first<\/a> few articles in this series focused on getting younger players into RPG’s by simplifying character creation, jumping into early action, limiting daunting choices<\/a>, and changing up the initiative system to eliminate competition.\u00a0 This time I’ll be talking about another thing I should have done with my first time players.\u00a0 There’s an easy trick a friend of mine taught me, and I have no idea why I didn’t listen.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the newest elements for a person who has never played a roleplaying game is the fact the player can simply describe or do whatever he or she wants to do.\u00a0 As I discussed in part 2 of this series, the amount of choices young players have is almost too daunting.\u00a0 In many cases, they almost have to see how it’s done.
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A Helping Hand<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

One of the more obvious issues at my table of new, young RPG players is the lack of RPG experience. My son plays in a group I have running full of seasoned gamers, and he does great. This is because he can hear what the other players are doing. The other PC’s can suggest things to him. He can read the vibe and listen to the conversation, deciding the best way to act. You’d never know he was a new player in that experienced group.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the problem with any new player, especially younger new players to a RPG, is that they have likely never really seen one played.\u00a0 (When I described what an RPG was to my son’s friends they looked at me like I was from Mars.\u00a0 “So, it’s a board game, but with no board?\u00a0 Just pieces of paper?”)\u00a0 They don’t know how to narratively describe their actions or feelings of their character.\u00a0 Usually heard at a table of new players, especially younger ones, are things like, “I shoot my blaster,” or, “I swing my sword,” or, “I open the door.”\u00a0 But that’s not doing the game any justice or unlocking what we love about RPG’s.\u00a0 They need to see how it’s done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just telling the PCs what they could do from the GM’s chair is fine, and can go a long way.\u00a0 But here’s a couple things that can really show younger players just how<\/em> to roleplay.
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