Allow Me To Introduce Myself
Hi, I’m Ang.
Roleplaying games came into my life during my senior year of high school, which was a very long time ago. In fact, I have been playing RPGs for longer than some of my fellow Princesses have been alive. While I had always been a fantasy and comic book nerd, it took an extroverted friend to drag me into the social chaos of gaming. The game was first edition AD&D, and rather than have me make a new character, they handed me an absent player’s halfling thief. I don’t remember too much about that game other than somehow surviving a TPK (Total Party Kill) by making a successful ‘Hide in Shadows’ check. What I do know is that day changed me forever.
Gaming became an ever evolving obsession in my life. First edition eventually gave way to second edition. The hack-and-slash high school antics of my early D&D group gave way to a more story and character driven group in college. Multi-weekly game nights and obsessing over Champions and World of Darkness characters eventually faded away as college gave way to the real world and the group I played with realized what a precious commodity free time actually is. After that came a dark period of little to no gaming, except that which I could find online (MU*s, EverQuest, etc). It took some time, but eventually that wasn’t enough. Despite a degree of shyness and uncertainty in new social situations, I worked up my courage and successfully found a new group to game with. That in turn led me to discover the joy of gaming conventions, both large and small. I found my tribe and there was no going back.
One reason I experienced such a long dry spell was because it simply never occurred to me that I could or should step into the role of Game Master. Between lofty opinions on what a game should be and players that delighted in manipulating and bending the rules until they nearly broke, I never thought I had what it took to be a GM. How could I live up to those standards or keep problem players under control? It was ten years ago, though, that I found that new gaming group (not so new anymore) where one of our core members was of the belief that EVERYONE should take a turn running a game. His favorite question is, “So what are YOU going to run for us?”
When faced with the eager expectation of a group of players that actually wanted me to run a game, I found my attitude and understanding of GMing changing. It took time and a couple different attempts at running games, but I came to understand that my skills as a storyteller trumped needing to have every single rule memorized. It opened up a whole new side of this fantastic, wonderful hobby that I’d been missing out on.
As one of the authors in this Rogue Princess Squadron, I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to write about this hobby that’s been a part of my life for so long. My focus will mostly be on roleplaying games, where I will tackle the subject from both the passion of a player as well as the inspiration of a Game Master. I am hoping to talk about different ways to launch games, the differences between ongoing campaigns and one-shots, group dynamics both around the table and between characters, storytelling and improvisation techniques, and so much more. There are a ton of ideas in my head that want to come out and this blog has opened the door.
I look forward to sharing my thoughts, ideas and ramblings. Let the games begin!
Since the day her father began to read The Hobbit to Angela and her little brother, she irrevocably and forever became a nerd. In the early days, it was just fantasy and science fiction with a healthy dose of comic books. Then one day in high school she was invited to play Dungeons and Dragons. She was handed a halfling thief and somehow and inexplicably survived a typical first edition AD&D TPK. That day created an obsession that is still going strong many years later. In recent years, Angela has slowly transitioned from just being a player eager for the next game to taking on the role and responsibilities of a Game Master. She is fascinated with both the power of storytelling and the social dynamics that exist in roleplaying games. As a relatively new GM, she enjoys experimenting with different game styles and methods for weaving a game’s story together. Even though she occasionally has doubts, her players assure her that her games don’t suck.
“I came to understand that my skills as a storyteller trumped needing to have every single rule memorized.”
This is such a critical breakthrough to make. Its not about the rules, its about the story and having a good time with friends. Don’t let the rules or rules lawyers get in the way of it! That was what it took for me to GM with confidence too.