Oh crap did I fall behind. Okay, some quickies. I’ll see if I can jam in the occasional hot take.
#4: Tell me about your character in an RPG you’re currently playing, or have played this year.
In lieu of blabbing about my characters, which honestly whooo fuckin’ cares,* let me share this marvelous and useful screencap that describes the “Plinkett Test.” Apparently this Plinkett dude reviewed The Phantom Menace and had problems with the characterization. This tiny little nugget is, for real, one of my most useful go-to tools.
* Actually I do sort of care. Nobody ever mentions my character work when I’m a player. I have fun! But I have to assume the best anyone can say about it is “it gets the job done.”
(Seriously, nobody! I get plenty of attaboys GMing, never as a player.)
This reminds me of the typical D&D start-of-campaign thing where the DM asks each player to describe their character, and the response is usually a laundry list of all the stuff they are wearing. “My elf has blue eyes… NO WAIT I mean grey eyes.”
I am deeply perplexed by everyone else’s gaming experiences, because my play group is just wall to wall gushing over each other’s PCs and their narratives. I think perhaps we’re doing it wrong!
I like this Plinkett Test!
The Plinkett reviews of the first three episodes of Star Wars are the single best reason for them to exist.
I know there has been some discussion about the discordance between the perceived value of good players and good GMs. I just recently sent a glowing message to my players. We are in a Tales From the Loop game and, because the emotional connections between our characters is so tight it has made us all unwilling to continue playing unless everyone can be there. Trying to be better about giving kudos to players. They make it more fun for me as a GM.
Best friend of holy man, following him into adventures and danger.
I remember watching that Plinkett review several years ago. Absolutely scathing review of the prequels, but you could tell that he really was a fan at heart. The character test above is a fantastic way to determine whether you’ve made a flat character or not.
This is why I love mechanized rewards. (Fanmail, Persona points, etc)
mercenary with secret heart of gold and a penchant for Disney Princess gear.