I may have had a certain M:tG card in mind for today’s comic. When it came time to set a table for Demon Lords, I could think of no finer menu. No doubt Magus would disagree with my picks for entrée though. She’s had to live by her rather dubious wits for the past several weeks, bluffing everyone from minor minions to today’s big bad dining demons. Fortunately for our body-swapped catgirl however, any entity with a lick of sense knows better than to call a Demon Lord’s bluff.

While Her Majesty, Queen Scratchypaws of the Demon Web Pits fills up on dinner rolls, what do you say the rest of us talk about her predicament more generally? Because even if I’ve never had to make nice with soul-eating monstrosities, I’ve had my share of uncomfortable group dynamics before. Forced to sit at the same table with a bunch of creeps, unable to find friends more her speed, and faced with a plateful of I’m-not-really-having-any-fun, we’re looking at the very essence of “no gaming in better than bad gaming.” And when you find yourself at such a table, there’s only one question to ask: Do you try and make it work or do you bounce?

While picking up your dice and leaving is a common piece of advice, it’s also important to remember that not all demons are created equal. RPG horror stories and actual red flags are certainly a thing. But suppose you prefer tactical combat to funny voices and bad acting, while the rest of the table wants to go for the Oscar.  Does that necessarily mean you should leave? If you’re a devotee of Forge Theory, you might say yes. (And if you feel like taking a deep dive down the rabbit hole of internet RPG theory, then here you go.) But interpersonal relationships, geographical location, and general scarcity of games can all be factors when it comes time to decide, “Who am I willing to game with?” In other words, picking out a group based on ‘creative agenda’ is a nice-to-have, but I find that it’s not the only factor.

I’ve linked it a number of times before, but one of my favorite RPG resources is The Manyfold Glossary. It offers a big list of the different kinds of fun you can get from playing an RPG, and many of them have nothing to do with broad categories like “actor” or “munchkin.” The list is by no means exhaustive, but I do think it’s a handy tool for wrapping your head around “what I’m looking for from an RPG.”

Therefore, for today’s discussion, what do you say we go through and list our top three types of fun from The Manyfold Glossary? What kinds of enjoyment are most important to you? And just as importantly, are you willing to play at a table with players that share different priorities? Whatever your preference, tell us all about your flavor of fun down in the comments!

 

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