DB

Today, I played a full round of golf. This is a sport notorious for many things. While it would be fun to talk about the accessibility of the sport, and how there is such a large barrier of entry to it in the cost of starting, that is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about how goddamn hard golf is, and how it is equally frustrating that storytelling can be frustratingly just as hard…well, harder.

This is the second time that I golfed 18 holes. Now, I just got started in the sport. I picked up some used clubs about a month ago, and prior to that I was using a spare set from one of my peers every now and then when I tagged along with them to the driving range, and to the first time that I played my first 18 holes at a golf course. As I have previously used these clubs a few times before, I was a lot more comfortable than I was with the loaner clubs I was using.

That being said, being a beginner, my shots were not consistent. There were a few shots that were definitely nice. There were many more that were not, but I wasn’t too upset because that was more or less what I expected. I can’t expect to hit the ball the way that I want to every time. I haven’t developed the muscle memory for that. I don’t have the proper time spent training to acquire that skill. So, instead of being upset at a poor outcome, I am pleasantly surprised at fortunate happenstance.

It is in those happenstances that I try to note what went right. It’s like a science experiment. I try to note my foot position, how I was moving my shoulders, hips, and how I made contact with the ground. Did I follow through? When did I collapse my elbow? Where was I looking?

It’s hard to note these things while playing in a golf course. That’s because you’re always changing the variables as you play across a course. You start with a driver, typically, and then move to different irons based on the distance you are from the…pin (I truly do not know why the flag/hole is called that)? It’s hard to note habits and to say for sure what was the result of your success, when your ball may be at the bottom of a hill, at the top of a hill, the wind against you, the wind behind you, trees surrounding you, whether you are in a bunker, the facing of your club…we’re not even talking body positioning, which can vary so much.

There are so many factors that are different in a golf course that make it hard to improve your game while actively playing it. So, how do you improve? You go to a driving range, where the ground is always the same level, you can always hit with the same club, and you can focus on your body positioning to achieve different types of shots.

There are two things here. There is the complexity of a real match, and the simplified training room where you can hone specific skills. In a fighting game, it is the same. There is playing against a real person, and practicing in the training room. In League of Legends, you can play a real match with real players, or you can enter the practice tool, which gives you unlimited resources to practice character mechanics, CSing, ward placement, and other delicate skills. In Counter Strike you can play a real match, or you can play a custom game, or various other game modes found in the workshop that will help you with training your aim, finding grenade lineups, or drilling spray patterns into your muscle memory.

The Complexity of TTRPGs

There are the real world, “true stages”, where you can play a game. The same goes with TTRPGs. The most complex form of a TTRPG is an actual game. The one where you sit down and do some silly make-em-ups with your fellow players. The rules may change, but at the end of the day you’re making a story together…that’s the ideal form of a TTRPG session for me.

And like these other games and experiences, TTRPGs are complex. There are so many moving parts. You have to delicately balance and listen to your fellow players to ensure that you are listening to their contributions and making them feel heard. You have to make fair rule judgements. You have to introduce story elements that are interesting for some people at the table. You have to embody a character, and bring life to a world, through your words and expressions. You have to employ proper music and timing to help settle in mood. You have to…you can do a lot of these things.

It’s a lot. And undoubtedly, you will mess up in parts of it. If you’re a new player or a GM, you won’t have the best playing experience. You’ll hit a lot of stray shots, but for the moments that click and sparkle…it’ll be magic. And that’s what’ll keep you coming back to the table. But, magic isn’t how you get better at TTRPGs. How do you get better, then? What does the training room for TTRPGs look like?

The TTRPG Training Room

Truly, I don’t know. It’s a multi-disciplinary nightmare. There are so many hats that a GM alone wears, or has the option of wearing, that I can’t imagine what is better than the others. But, there are a few activities that I think can help make some parts of the GMing and playing of TTRPGs easier, as these are skills which have some overlap with the activity that we love.

Acting

For both GMs and players, acting classes can be invaluable. Actors do deep dives in character work that explore how a character feels, and thinks about both the world and themselves. And through that psyche, it will inform the way that they speak and react to other people. Character work is but one of the large icebergs that acting has in its ballpark. By developing acting skills however, you can better tell stories from the place of a single character. You can say a lot just by appropriately giving a tone of voice, a proper pause, or facial expression that helps inform your fellow players about who your character is in that moment–are they a fierce leader? Are they scared, but hopeful in the face of danger? Do they have trust issues, but are willing to rely on a team?

There is so much juice in those character relationships and moments that can be explored through character work, and by learning how to express that to your other players, it’s just a lot of fun for everyone.

Communication

You’re playing a game with a group of people, and each of you has very real stakes in the game. Each of you has created characters, and aspects of an imagined world from the things that you love. If somebody talks badly about your creations, it can hurt. Conflict resolution, level-setting, and interpersonal communication skills are key in making sure that everyone feels safe in your group. If people feel safe, they can take risks, which are a lot of fun.

People need to feel safe, and they need to be able to settle any conflicts at a table. With that, you need to be able to confront, or bring up your issues that you have with your peers so that they can be solved. Reach a compromise. Or, recognize that the differences are too vast, and do something else–if you still love these people, maybe they’re just not great for you in a TTRPG space.

And also, you have to wrangle these monkeys to meet up at the same time to do a thing that you all love. And despite the shared affection for each other and the table that you share, this can be incredibly hard. Communication skills really helps with this very important part of the game.

Game Design

The most famous of TTRPGs, Dungeons and Dragons, was modeled after war games. War games are a type of tactical combat game, and many other TTRPGs are modeled after tactical combat. This means that understanding how corridors, wide open spaces, sight lines, points of interest and all of that shebang can help you create engaging maps, terrain, and combatants that are appealing to your players.

In addition to encounter design, you may have the inkling to create homebrew rules, items, or games. Rule design helps one understand how big or small numbers in a given system make a player’s experience change.

There is also the aspect of environmental storytelling. You can create little clues in the environment about what occurred in a place. Are there still blood trails left over from a murder? Who would document their experiences, and where would those notes be? If someone was using this space to hide, how can you arrange boxes and rubble to hint at secrets for your players?

TTRPGs aren’t just writing rooms or improv groups–they’re games. And by learning how to make some games, you can help make your own game better.

Improv

As a GM, and as a player, improvising is a valuable skill. Undoubtedly, you will come to a point where either GM, player, or both of you have nothing else planned. You can choose to end the game there, but if it’s the start of the game and nobody knows what’s happening, you need to figure out how to work through a scene, or lead a discussion to find shiny tidbits that are interesting to you or your group that you can build on. Finding those shiny nuggets in what you, or your fellow players are giving are invaluable, and help push a game along.

And also, when you’re making up NPCs, or rulings, or any of those shenanigans, being used to being on your toes can definitely help.

Music

If you are DJing for your group and ensuring that the vibes are immaculate through proper choice of music, then you are helping to cement the world as even more real to your fellow players. Either by being an avid music enjoyer, or a musician, you can understand how different music makes your group feel. You can acquire a sense of timing for your audio cues and your musical drops by volunteering at your community theatre and helping out with the crew. You can pick up an instrument, or play music with people. By developing a sense of musical timing, you can better develop your own sense of when to hit the “play” button, and help make moments at the table all the more memorable.

And heck, if you’re making your own music, you can cater a playlist and tunes that will only be associated with your game. It’ll be like a bookmark in that headspace for your group…and how great is that?

Visual Art

If you can draw, paint, or sketch in a style that you like for yourself, you already know that people like asking for drawings of things. You can help create your characters, world, and your fellow party in a medium that can be immediately appreciated by your audience. Visual art helps set the tone, expectations, and brings you all to the same imagined space through…well…just showing your group.

Sometimes words are hard, and a lot of times, a picture or a sketch can help clarify any faces, buildings, or scary monsters for people at the table.

Writing

Writing is an invaluable skill in TTRPGs, especially if you are playing in a play-by-post game, or in a text RP. Understanding how to communicate your character, your ideas, and your actions in a written medium is invaluable. Additionally, by understanding narrative structure, which is also explored in both acting and improv, you can better plan for future sessions, or plan large ideas about how the world and the characters fit together. I’ll put some worldbuilding in here, as that is a part of what is expected of a novelist, which is a type of writing that you could do, and has value in the TTRPG medium.

In addition to better narrative planning, it can also be a part of your character building. Do you enjoy poetry? Your character can be a poet, or there can be poets in your world. Do you enjoy technical writing? Your notes can be the foundation on which your group understands the world. Do you enjoy essay writing? You can post all about TTRPGs on a blog for others to enjoy.

The Ever Expanding Dojo

I can’t hope to know of all the skills that you can employ in your collage that is your TTRPG persona. Each person has different interests and passions, and it can truly help create some wonderful groups. Many of us running our home games aren’t backed by a whole staff of people who create environments, sounds, lights, and pictures to help us tell and experience our story.

For the most part, we only have our peers, and ourselves. Make the most of it, learn what’s interesting to you, and hey, it can probably help with your game!

I…still don’t know what specific games and exercises can make you better at TTRPGs…but hey, at least there are a lot of shared disciplines! And those fields definitely have a lot more documentation and history than the good ole world of tabletop.