April 25, 2025
Four Tips to Being a Good D&D Player (from a Forever DM)
Envision this: you are at your typical D&D table; everyone is laughing at the Dungeon Master’s (DM’s) silly jokes and people are making heroic moves, but eventually you end up in a serious and dangerous position with the main villain right in front of you. Your villain gives you a deal: he will spare your lives and leave you alone as long as you hand him one mysterious stone you found after clearing the dungeon. The entire party agrees, going with the obvious plot hook, except for one. Jimmy McJimface, your resident D&D pro, stands up and shouts, “We aren’t agreeing with this guy, right guys?!” and rolls a nat-one to attack.
Have you ever wondered if you are being a good player at your D&D table? Are you ever worried that the other players are getting annoyed at your antics? Do you struggle with communication skills? Well, follow these four tips to being a better D&D player!
- Don’t be afraid of communicating openly! D&D is a team game. You’re playing with a group of people, which means you should have a clear idea of everyone’s expectations. Before you play D&D, have conversations about your expectations, what you want out of the game, your plans for your character, and if there are any problems with how someone plays D&D. When it comes to this amazing tabletop game, we all might have different expectations and playstyles, which is completely okay, but if you aren’t willing to communicate those aspects or adjust to other people, then you won’t have as much fun. You might also be ruining other people’s experiences without communicating openly. This isn’t saying that you can’t be a crazy character, or play as a murder hobo, but make that clear. Ensure that how you want to play also is fun for everyone else.
- Make friends! If you are playing D&D, make friends with everyone at the table! If you aren’t doing that, then be prepared for things to be very awkward when you are sitting around the table before a game starts. This tip also applies to being in character! When you are playing as your character, be well acquainted with your other party members. You don’t exactly have to make your character friendly with everyone, but that doesn’t mean you should be some loner who is constantly leaving the party alone to do their own thing which takes time away from everyone else. If you are playing as someone who doesn’t make friends easily, play into that. Have awkward character interactions with other players. Make flavorful argument scenes. Spring your antagonistic character into a reluctant friend of the party. Remember, D&D is a team game, so always be willing to interact with other people and stop thinking that you don’t have a team!
- Stop trying to “win!” D&D is a game yes, but unlike many games, you aren’t just trying to beat a level; you are trying to work your way through the story. For D&D, the game is the journey. The journey might lead to an awesome ending, but until you get there, stop trying to constantly speed things up. Yes, if you do somehow successfully kill the main villain in the first session, you would prevent lots of tragedy, but then where’s the flavor for the rest of the entire campaign? As a player, you are playing in a world or story that the DM is running; that doesn’t mean you have to act as a train being railroaded but also stop treating the game like a race. Sometimes in D&D, you will encounter difficult boss battles, or you might even lose something precious to you. Frustrating things might happen, and it’s all okay. Take a moment to breathe and remember that the point of the game is to have a fun journey. Journeys contain all sorts of twists and turns, so be prepared for all sorts of things. That means no, Jimmy, you may not use prestidigitation to kill the evil god that is bringing ruin to this world.
- Your number one priority is having fun! This last tip is very simple. Have fun! That’s all that D&D is for; it’s an entertaining activity, and if you aren’t enjoying the hobby, then why are you doing it? When playing D&D, remember that you are just having fun with a group of friends all sitting around and acting like geeks. So, go have fun, you nerd!