I have noticed a trend that spans decades of playing RPGs.

People often miss the point of playing a game in the first place because they have ulterior motives.
In my mind a table top RPG is created to do two things.

One is to provide an intelligent social gathering for folks that may not have any other recourse for thoughtful personal interaction. To put it bluntly, it is a smart group activity for folks that need that outlet.

Secondly, it teaches us how to thoughtfully work with other people though challenges and puzzles.

Now there are a lot of other aspects to the RPG but I believe that these two fundamentals are the basis for why we find the game so amusing and addictive. And when one or more members loose sight of these two objectives is when a game ceases to be fun. This can happen in a lot of ways, but the most preventable way is at the very beginning of the game.

When a person lays out a character on paper they are predetermining how they are going to behave as a player. I am not talking about alignment, class, or skill levels. I am talking about if the player is going to work towards the benefit of the game and group or against it.

So here are my hints for making a character that will be an asset and not a hindrance.

First off, try different character types.

If you have played a rogue before, go for pally. Ask for advice from an experienced player of that type so you can learn. Part of the adventure is overcoming ignorance and growing into a role. This applies to life and to gaming.

The learning curve makes the game more engrossing because it adds that trial and error aspect. This may not sound appealing to those power players out there but believe me, you will have a lot more fun trying new things than using Magic Missile for the 80 billionth time.

Number two, balance your character.

A lot of games are thrown off track because one player decides to make a Half-Dragon Celestial Wizard with a Tome of Greater Plainer Knowledge or something equeally as ludacris. That may be an exaggeration, but it isn't much of one. I realize that one of those aspects people often let dominate their gaming experience is a power-questing escapism.

We all like to play characters of great power and prowess. But when your character overshadows every other character in the game by a mile, it shatters the group dynamic and becomes a "leader and lackies" situation. And most people don't want to spend three to five hours a week being someones imaginary drone.

Some may ask, "But Mike, if they don't like it why don't they just make an ultra powerful character themselves?"

Then you have 5 players trying to upstage each other instead of working together. Instead why not make a semi-powerful character, but temper it with a flaw or two. I believe for every "ultra good", there sound be a "quite bad" added to a character. My favorite example is a gnome sorcerer with a constant metallic ball familiar, sure the ball was a valuable asset in a fight, but it was lawful-evil, and he was chaotic-good and it always arguing with him in his head.

And once you have worked out some flaws, let the GM know about them, so they can work them into the story in an interesting way.

You can go into a game with the mindset of "The hero of legend", but the result will often be that you will be in conflict with the rest of the group every week.

Before you start a game, talking to the other players is a superb idea. Get an idea for the way they approach problems, find out their strengths and weaknesses. Once you have a proper layout of the team dynamic you have to work with, then design a character to enhance the group.

I think a lot of us see gaming as a chance to be the center of attention, because the words "team player" have been warped to mean "puppet" by the business world. So when we have our chance to do extraordinary things in a game we fail to see the good that can come from cooperation and choose to go solo for more personal glory and xp.

The best way to break this mindset is to follow these simple suggestions; try new things, work for character balance, and tailor your character for the group. A group with a unified purpose and mindset is a hundred times more powerful than any twink character.

Next week, building a complete character...beyond the form fields.