How you play is more important that what you play

Whew!  The blogotariat is a-roar with rants regarding the covers of the new D&D 5E books, and few have even gotten to the content, yet...

Sorry, if it doesn't have miscreants pilfering gem eyes from
a giant idol, I'm not buying.

Which brings me to two old blog posts I re-discovered (and hunted down) today:



58-year old first-timer

Max owned this game

Both of these players were new to role-playing, and took the idea to heart. Role-playing, huh?  What can I try? Anything, you say? Ok...

The greatest detail is that these two people were generations apart, but both played with creativity, purpose, and intent. They didn't approach the game as a set of rules, they approached it as a milieu to be explored and experimented with. Both of these people played creatively and well and left an impression on the 'experienced' gamers around them.  Now, they were both playing OD&D-type rules, so they weren't encumbered with feats, traits, DC's and all that, but they both employed a bit of lateral thinking that could be used anywhere.

I remember only two sermons from church growing up.  One was about maintaining a childlike wonder of the world.  Not childish (i.e. immature) - but child-like.  Approach things with an open mind and open vision. See it new again and again. We forget that. I forget that.

So this new ruleset - it sounds like it's more complex than previous sets, or perhaps it's simpler, or some combination.  Doesn't matter.  Do you want to play it?  OK, do so. Sticking with an older edition, or one of the myriad clones?  Fine.  Either way, it would do us all good to take a step back, shake off some patterns, preconceptions, and perhaps even a few rules, and just play.

(Oh yeah, and have FUN)

And remember that a severed leg stuffed into your backpack may come in handy later...

Anthony gets it...

Side note: We could probably do the same for other compartments in our lives, as well....