January 2, 2025 • 17 mins
French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire is often attributed to coining the phrase, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.” This Italian proverb reminds us to not overthink when it comes to planning and playing our tabletop games. In this episode, Clint will explore actionable steps to enjoy more by doing less when it comes to playing Tabletop RPGs.
***Save Your Seat! - Milwaukee In-Person Tabletop 101: Gaming Workshop, January 25th, 2025
Resources mentioned during episode:
- Episode 29 - The Problem with Scheduling Games - Click Here
- Free Tabletop RPG Quiz - Click Here
Games mentioned during episode:
- City of Mist RPG - Players Guide (Hardback) - Click Here
- City of Mist RPG - Players Guide (PDF) - Click Here
- City of Mist RPG - Master of Ceremonies (Hardback) - Click Here
- City of Mist RPG - Master of Ceremonies (PDF) - Click Here
- Fantasy Flights Star Wars RPG - Age of Rebellion (Hardcover) - Click Here
- Fantasy Flights Star Wars RPG - Edge of Empire (Hardcover) - Click Here
- Fantasy Flights Star Wars RPG - Force and Destiny (Hardcover) - Click Here
- Ironsworn Starforged - Deluxe Edition (Hardcover) - Click Here
- Ironsworn: Starforged - (PDF) - Click Here
- Ironsworn - (Hardcover + PDF) - Click Here
*As an amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Some of these links are affiliate links for other programs but once again, if you choose to purchase through these links, it's no extra cost to you. I only promote products or services that I have investigated and feel can deliver value to you.
Please Connect with us!
- Visit our Website at www.claimtogamepodcast.com
- Find Community - Join the CTG Discord Server- Click Here
- Join us on Patreon for exclusive content access - Click Here
- Send feedback, thoughts, or suggestions to clint.scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Clint Scheirer (00:00):
French enlightenment philosopher Voltaire is
often attributed to coining the phrase dont let the
perfect be the enemy of the good. This Italian
provb reminds us to not overthink it when it comes to
planning and playing our tabletop games.
In this episode we will explore actionable steps
to enjoy more by doing less when it comes
(00:20):
to playing tabletop RPGs. Welcome to
claim to Game. We help tabletop gamers have a
great time with friends to experience amazing
stories. It can be overwhelming to start and
run great games. Lets make it easier for you
to play any game you want to have fun with your
friends. Im Clint Scheirer. Ive helped thousands of
students in my career find their way to better themselves
(00:42):
and better their game. With more than 10 years experience
coaching, teaching and developing easy to follow learning
plans, I know I can help you too. Its time for
you to make your claim to game.
(01:21):
Hello and welcome back to episode 30,
season two of Claim, a game still a
predominantly educational fun podcast in which I am
daring to coin the word funal. Its like if
you were an octopus and were able to squeeze in between the crack on
a closed refrigerator door to eat an entire
bowl of shrimp cocktail. Bon appetit
my little octopus friend. This episode is all
(01:44):
about doing less, not more. This may or
may not surprise you, but I know for myself I
often find a high level of
perfectionism as well as diagnose
ocd. I want every single
detail exactly as I envision it regardless of
what project Im undertaking. A high level example
would be cleaning my living room. I, currently at the time of
(02:06):
this episode release, have three small children at home
and when I walk downstairs after work my brain
lights up like a Christmas tree of warning lights when I gaze
upon the war zone that is my living room.
Toys, pillows, blankets, snack cups, food crumbs and
all sorts of mess have been vomited
by a big invisible chaos monster all over the place.
(02:27):
What is my initial reaction? Well, what my brain and body
tells me is I need. I need to clean.
I need to do it immediately and wrangle up and order
this tornado of unmanageable filth. Clean,
Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com. Clean like theres no
tomorrow. Sometimes I succumb
to this internal command and I spend the next 40 to 45
minutes mindlessly picking up, wiping down surfaces
(02:49):
and vacuuming. But why? How
do I feel before, during and after I channel my inner
Danny Tanner from the 1990s sitcom, Full House? I feel
tired. I feel frustrated. I usually am a
tad bit irritated at my family members for creating
this mess in the first place and guess what
its just as messy tomorrow. No amount of
(03:09):
cleaning ever prevents me from ever having to clean
again. Its like a time warp. Its like Bill Murrays groundhogs
day where I play out the same scenario each day at
a time without end. Oh the humanity.
Make it stop please. Well here'the deal.
I can make it stop. I do have
a choice. If I pause to recognize it I
(03:30):
can a not clean at all
b clean just enough
or c clean just enough and invoke the
help of my wife and children in a respectful non
cranky way. Maybe later. Now option B
and C to me are clearly the best
clean just enough or ask for the help of
others. And if I do my mood changes and
(03:53):
im no longer a victim of the circumstance. I can
choose to clean what im mentally able to handle
reminding myself I am still okay if its not
perfect. I accept reality as good
enough and next I ask for assistance to
reduce that feeling of being overwhelmed with the large
task. In the end ill be grateful that I took these
steps instead of just being cranky, overbearing and
(04:16):
a nazi of cleaning. Okay
so what does this have to do? What does any of this have to do with
you? Dare I suggest that we
sometimes treat tabletop RPGs like an
OCD neat freak like me might treat a mess to
be cleaned up to perfection. I do dare.
Oh I do dare suggest this. And if you hear
(04:36):
this and say clint this is totally not me.
I live in a mess without any discomfort whatsoever.
If that is you I am super jealous, super
jelly. And if this episode doesnt really
ring a bell with you it may not be for you. But
keep listening. Whether you hate mess or live with it
comfortably, I believe there are some excellent lessons
(04:56):
we can learn here about how to prepare, run and play
games that are less stressful and more fun.
Lets identify three in my opinion life
saving tips to employ here. 1
accepting the reality of good enough 2
invoking the help of others and 3
embracing gratitude. First up, life
(05:16):
saving tip number one accept the reality
of good enough. Choosing to not accept
things exactly as they are is choosing to set
yourself up for frustration. If I wake up in the
morning and wish that it were sunny here in beautiful
Milwaukee, but it isnt. And then I get
mad or frustrated all day because the sun
is not out in this godforsaken sunless abyss. Just
(05:39):
kidding. Milwaukee. Great. If I choose to align my
mood with what I wish were true but isnt, I am
setting myself up in the worst possible
way. Now acceptance doesnt mean that I have
to like it being cloudy and sunless. I can
still wish it was sunny but I dont have to
live in the gloom and the doom. I can still enjoy the people
(05:59):
in my life and the blessings that I have and everything
that makes life worthwhile regardless of
weather. The weather is cooperating with my
expectations in fact, and I believe
this is a placebo effect for me. But for the last several
years I have had a mood light for seasonal affect
disorders sitting at my desk both at my physical
and home office. Does it really change my
(06:22):
mood? I m don't know. But I will say
the act of turning on that light,
taking an action toward doing something about my situation
instead of just sitting in the sadness that does
I believe change my mood for the better. So once
again, what does this have to do with tabletop games? Ive
experienced expectations being shattered like a
(06:42):
sunless Milwaukee day many a time, both
when being the game master or when being a
player in the gaming tables that ive been a part of for the game
master and me what does it look like to accept
reality? Its accepting that not all my players may be
able to attend every game. In episode 29
we talked about the problem with scheduling games.
(07:03):
We gave tips as to how to remain
consistent using scheduling tools, but most
importantly to remain flexible. Good enough
is if the quorum of players my group determines is
needed to play a game shows up for the scheduled game
then we play our normal game. We dont always need to be
full force though to have fun. Even if the quorum is not
met. Good enough can be remaining
(07:25):
consistent in playing another game with the players who do
show.
The other GM plague that I face is wanting my
adventure, my combat, my storylines in all
modes of play when im running the game to be
epic and amazing cinematic
experiences for my players every single time.
And the reality is this will simply not be
(07:46):
the case. New game rules may arise which ive never
arbitrated before. For my players there may be
disagreements as to how certain actions are carried
out as the dice rolls and opinions flare up.
Certain games may have encounters that turn out
to be imbalanced or overpowered or even too
easy, creating a tension between frustration or
(08:06):
boredom. But this is all part of the Learning of a
GM'Craft There is no perfect GM out there.
All GMs will tell you this. I mean they will if
theyre honest, with any measure of humility and a desire to
learn to be better at their game. These types of GMs
have learned to accept the reality of good enough
and still enjoy the game warts and all. When
(08:27):
I'm a player in a game, I have two very different
struggles in accepting reality. The first is
I may not always be the untouchable
hero. At heart. I am a min maxer when I
build my characters. I take great pleasure
in choosing just the right abilities, stats, equipment and
gear for my character in any game so that I
(08:47):
never feel ineffective as I go
through the GM's experience. For our adventure. I kinda
want to be a jack of all trades, a Swiss army knife, always
ready to kill it and destroy whatever challenge is
in front of me. But far too often, even if I
pour over my options until my eyes hurt, I
still never create the perfect warrior, the perfect wizard, the
(09:07):
perfect cybernetic hybrid soldier with dual operational
firearms. Okay, I made that one up. But to be
honest, that probably means the game is well
designed. A well designed game eliminates
overpowered options, in my opinion, so that all
characters can shine in their own way. So
how do I accept? Good enough. I sometimes just need to
(09:27):
tell myself Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com just make your damn choice and move on
will ya? Lifes too short to get hung up
on getting lost in the details. That is, unless you
are someone who derives pleasure, not stress from
getting lost in the details, then by all means enjoy the
complexities of creating that perfect character. Just
remember they can be perfect for you to enjoy,
(09:47):
not perfect to win a tabletop
role playing game. The point is telling a great story,
not necessarily to win when you're playing
tabletop games.
And this leads me to my second big
struggle. I used to hate when my
character rolled poorly and dont t get me wrong I still hate
it when I want my hero to make a kick ass
(10:08):
move like Spider man saving Mary Jane from the green Goblin
but instead I roll so low on the dice its more
like Spider man tripping over his doorstep on the way to high school
as Peter Parker. Well that stings a little bit.
Almost as much as getting bit by a radioactive spider. I mean
I should check to see if I can climb up walls by now but
after playing more narrative based games like City of My
(10:29):
Starforged Wars Fantasy Flight RPG Ironsworn,
Ironsworn Starforged Forged, I realized low
or less favorable roles only create an
opportunity for a different twist in the
story. Failing isnt truly failing if by
rolling poorly the story is moved forward in
an interesting way and as far as creating a believable
(10:50):
world to immerse in, characters should be able
to die. I believe it's the game masters job to still
make scenarios and encounters balanced and fair to match the
situation. But regardless of the effectiveness of
this, accepting good enough as a player means
for me to accept less favorable roles as a
potential opportunity for good storytelling. Life
(11:10):
saving tip #2 I dont need to do
everything myself. In fact I probably shouldn't. This is
a hard tip for me to follow. It flows right out of
not accepting the reality that no tabletop experience I
create will be perfect and I cannot be the perfect GM
bringing it all together. Plus, if I deprive
my players from the moments when they can step up
(11:30):
and assist with the organization of the game or the
adventure, I strip them of the agency that they
can take in and the pride that they can have in the adventure
itself. Some ways I've included my players as a GM
are having an adventure Quest Scribe this is
somebody who keeps track of memorable moments, so anyone who
isn't able to join the session can easily catch up by
(11:50):
reading their notes. I've also had Rules Advisor.
This role is especially great for someone who tends to be a
rules lawyer. That's a term given to someone who champions
playing the rules as written by the game developers and
ensures no one misinterprets or runs
afoul of these rules. There's also the game scheduler
and this role can be as simple as setting up the consistent date,
(12:11):
time and frequency the game occurs. This role isnt
needed necessarily for each group, but depending on the situation
it could be helpful. And lastly, ive even assigned a
mathematician the math man and
man was math hard for me in school. Anyone
whos played a game with me live knows it aint my favorite part
of tabletop rpgs. So I love it when people who
(12:31):
are good at math can step in without being condescending
and give me just a little help with the number crunching. And
im sure theres many other ways to include your players and ask for
help which im m neglecting to mention, but those are just
a few of mine. Now as a player the best way that
I can evoke the help of others is when I don't understand an
element of the game or an element of how my character interacts
(12:52):
with the world. A healthy group should
encourage asking questions.
A healthy group encourages asking questions. Im saying it
again because it's so darn important. It'an opportunity for
us to learn and better understand the game so that fun can
be had. So ask ask ask away as a
player and eventually youll find that you need to ask
(13:12):
ask ask less and less as time goes
on.
Hey quick pause on the episode on January 25th,
2025 from 12:00pm Noon to 3:00pm Central in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I am hosting an in
person workshop for up to 25 interested
gamers. The workshop is for those who are new to
tabletop role playing or who just want to figure out the
(13:32):
basics of playing a tabletop role playing game. Perhaps
you want to learn tactics and strategies to
plan, run and play games for yourself and
for your friends. There will be a link to the registration page
in the show notes or if you have any questions
directly email me at
Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com
Shireaimtogamepodcast.com.
(13:53):
registration begins at $55 per person
and includes your very own seven dice set
of chesses, polyhedral dice,
color of your choice. There will be non alcoholic beverages,
refreshments and a whole lot of fun. You will even get
to play a quick one shot tabletop RPG
adventure to get your creative juices
(14:13):
flowing. Once again. The link to the registration
is in the Show Notes.
Thanks and now back to the episode the third and
final lifeavving tip is Embracing Gratitude Brother
David Stendelrossss, a Benedictine Catholic monk,
once said, its not joy that makes us
grateful, it is gratitude that makes us
joyful. So how can I feel the joy of playing
(14:35):
a tabletop RPG with others when I slip
into stressing about being the perfect player, the
perfect gm, creating the perfect adventure, winning
the game, always rolling well and never
poorly? Well, to put it simply, I cant
feel joy when I fail to accept reality. When
I fail to ask for help and share the wealth of
prep and play with others at the table, Im going to feel
(14:57):
stressed and discontent. I will constantly be
wondering what is wrong with me or what is wrong with the
other players whom im playing with? Why does the experience Im
trying to capture keep eluding me?
Instead, when I take actionable steps
to understand that perfection cannot be achieved,
to accept that when I remind myself I
Im lucky to get to play and be creative, when I share
(15:20):
the experience with those Im'playing with and interact with them
instead of for them, well then I can
be grateful for the game I have, not the perfect game Im
seeking but will never find. And when I embrace
gratitude, when I stop overthinking and
embrace good enough, well then I
can joyfully find the fun that Ive been looking for all
along. Final Thoughts Lets s recap.
(15:43):
Dont let perfect be the enemy of the good.
Accept the reality of good enough.
Invoke the help of others as you prep, run and play your
games. And don't forget to choose gratitude
for the good elements of your gaming table right in front
of you right now. Join us next time as we
find the best ways to have great times with friends and
(16:03):
experience amazing stories through Tabletop role playing.
Before you go, There are so many tabletop
RPGs that you can choose from, it can be
overwhelming which one to pick. To help you out,
I've created a free quiz to determine
which game is the best fit for you and your
group. Click on the link in the Show Notes to access
your quiz, answer the questions to the best of your
(16:25):
ability, and by the end youll get a recommendation for a
game that you should definitely try out for your next game
night. Games are curated in this quiz from a
list based on community favorites and current
market popularity, so you'll be guaranteed to find an
excellent tabletop game. And may you keep having fun as
we continue to make our claim to game.
French enlightenment philosopher Voltaire is
often attributed to coining the phrase dont let the
perfect be the enemy of the good. This Italian
provb reminds us to not overthink it when it comes to
planning and playing our tabletop games.
In this episode we will explore actionable steps
to enjoy more by doing less when it comes
(00:20):
to playing tabletop RPGs. Welcome to
claim to Game. We help tabletop gamers have a
great time with friends to experience amazing
stories. It can be overwhelming to start and
run great games. Lets make it easier for you
to play any game you want to have fun with your
friends. Im Clint Scheirer. Ive helped thousands of
students in my career find their way to better themselves
(00:42):
and better their game. With more than 10 years experience
coaching, teaching and developing easy to follow learning
plans, I know I can help you too. Its time for
you to make your claim to game.
(01:21):
Hello and welcome back to episode 30,
season two of Claim, a game still a
predominantly educational fun podcast in which I am
daring to coin the word funal. Its like if
you were an octopus and were able to squeeze in between the crack on
a closed refrigerator door to eat an entire
bowl of shrimp cocktail. Bon appetit
my little octopus friend. This episode is all
(01:44):
about doing less, not more. This may or
may not surprise you, but I know for myself I
often find a high level of
perfectionism as well as diagnose
ocd. I want every single
detail exactly as I envision it regardless of
what project Im undertaking. A high level example
would be cleaning my living room. I, currently at the time of
(02:06):
this episode release, have three small children at home
and when I walk downstairs after work my brain
lights up like a Christmas tree of warning lights when I gaze
upon the war zone that is my living room.
Toys, pillows, blankets, snack cups, food crumbs and
all sorts of mess have been vomited
by a big invisible chaos monster all over the place.
(02:27):
What is my initial reaction? Well, what my brain and body
tells me is I need. I need to clean.
I need to do it immediately and wrangle up and order
this tornado of unmanageable filth. Clean,
Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com. Clean like theres no
tomorrow. Sometimes I succumb
to this internal command and I spend the next 40 to 45
minutes mindlessly picking up, wiping down surfaces
(02:49):
and vacuuming. But why? How
do I feel before, during and after I channel my inner
Danny Tanner from the 1990s sitcom, Full House? I feel
tired. I feel frustrated. I usually am a
tad bit irritated at my family members for creating
this mess in the first place and guess what
its just as messy tomorrow. No amount of
(03:09):
cleaning ever prevents me from ever having to clean
again. Its like a time warp. Its like Bill Murrays groundhogs
day where I play out the same scenario each day at
a time without end. Oh the humanity.
Make it stop please. Well here'the deal.
I can make it stop. I do have
a choice. If I pause to recognize it I
(03:30):
can a not clean at all
b clean just enough
or c clean just enough and invoke the
help of my wife and children in a respectful non
cranky way. Maybe later. Now option B
and C to me are clearly the best
clean just enough or ask for the help of
others. And if I do my mood changes and
(03:53):
im no longer a victim of the circumstance. I can
choose to clean what im mentally able to handle
reminding myself I am still okay if its not
perfect. I accept reality as good
enough and next I ask for assistance to
reduce that feeling of being overwhelmed with the large
task. In the end ill be grateful that I took these
steps instead of just being cranky, overbearing and
(04:16):
a nazi of cleaning. Okay
so what does this have to do? What does any of this have to do with
you? Dare I suggest that we
sometimes treat tabletop RPGs like an
OCD neat freak like me might treat a mess to
be cleaned up to perfection. I do dare.
Oh I do dare suggest this. And if you hear
(04:36):
this and say clint this is totally not me.
I live in a mess without any discomfort whatsoever.
If that is you I am super jealous, super
jelly. And if this episode doesnt really
ring a bell with you it may not be for you. But
keep listening. Whether you hate mess or live with it
comfortably, I believe there are some excellent lessons
(04:56):
we can learn here about how to prepare, run and play
games that are less stressful and more fun.
Lets identify three in my opinion life
saving tips to employ here. 1
accepting the reality of good enough 2
invoking the help of others and 3
embracing gratitude. First up, life
(05:16):
saving tip number one accept the reality
of good enough. Choosing to not accept
things exactly as they are is choosing to set
yourself up for frustration. If I wake up in the
morning and wish that it were sunny here in beautiful
Milwaukee, but it isnt. And then I get
mad or frustrated all day because the sun
is not out in this godforsaken sunless abyss. Just
(05:39):
kidding. Milwaukee. Great. If I choose to align my
mood with what I wish were true but isnt, I am
setting myself up in the worst possible
way. Now acceptance doesnt mean that I have
to like it being cloudy and sunless. I can
still wish it was sunny but I dont have to
live in the gloom and the doom. I can still enjoy the people
(05:59):
in my life and the blessings that I have and everything
that makes life worthwhile regardless of
weather. The weather is cooperating with my
expectations in fact, and I believe
this is a placebo effect for me. But for the last several
years I have had a mood light for seasonal affect
disorders sitting at my desk both at my physical
and home office. Does it really change my
(06:22):
mood? I m don't know. But I will say
the act of turning on that light,
taking an action toward doing something about my situation
instead of just sitting in the sadness that does
I believe change my mood for the better. So once
again, what does this have to do with tabletop games? Ive
experienced expectations being shattered like a
(06:42):
sunless Milwaukee day many a time, both
when being the game master or when being a
player in the gaming tables that ive been a part of for the game
master and me what does it look like to accept
reality? Its accepting that not all my players may be
able to attend every game. In episode 29
we talked about the problem with scheduling games.
(07:03):
We gave tips as to how to remain
consistent using scheduling tools, but most
importantly to remain flexible. Good enough
is if the quorum of players my group determines is
needed to play a game shows up for the scheduled game
then we play our normal game. We dont always need to be
full force though to have fun. Even if the quorum is not
met. Good enough can be remaining
(07:25):
consistent in playing another game with the players who do
show.
The other GM plague that I face is wanting my
adventure, my combat, my storylines in all
modes of play when im running the game to be
epic and amazing cinematic
experiences for my players every single time.
And the reality is this will simply not be
(07:46):
the case. New game rules may arise which ive never
arbitrated before. For my players there may be
disagreements as to how certain actions are carried
out as the dice rolls and opinions flare up.
Certain games may have encounters that turn out
to be imbalanced or overpowered or even too
easy, creating a tension between frustration or
(08:06):
boredom. But this is all part of the Learning of a
GM'Craft There is no perfect GM out there.
All GMs will tell you this. I mean they will if
theyre honest, with any measure of humility and a desire to
learn to be better at their game. These types of GMs
have learned to accept the reality of good enough
and still enjoy the game warts and all. When
(08:27):
I'm a player in a game, I have two very different
struggles in accepting reality. The first is
I may not always be the untouchable
hero. At heart. I am a min maxer when I
build my characters. I take great pleasure
in choosing just the right abilities, stats, equipment and
gear for my character in any game so that I
(08:47):
never feel ineffective as I go
through the GM's experience. For our adventure. I kinda
want to be a jack of all trades, a Swiss army knife, always
ready to kill it and destroy whatever challenge is
in front of me. But far too often, even if I
pour over my options until my eyes hurt, I
still never create the perfect warrior, the perfect wizard, the
(09:07):
perfect cybernetic hybrid soldier with dual operational
firearms. Okay, I made that one up. But to be
honest, that probably means the game is well
designed. A well designed game eliminates
overpowered options, in my opinion, so that all
characters can shine in their own way. So
how do I accept? Good enough. I sometimes just need to
(09:27):
tell myself Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com just make your damn choice and move on
will ya? Lifes too short to get hung up
on getting lost in the details. That is, unless you
are someone who derives pleasure, not stress from
getting lost in the details, then by all means enjoy the
complexities of creating that perfect character. Just
remember they can be perfect for you to enjoy,
(09:47):
not perfect to win a tabletop
role playing game. The point is telling a great story,
not necessarily to win when you're playing
tabletop games.
And this leads me to my second big
struggle. I used to hate when my
character rolled poorly and dont t get me wrong I still hate
it when I want my hero to make a kick ass
(10:08):
move like Spider man saving Mary Jane from the green Goblin
but instead I roll so low on the dice its more
like Spider man tripping over his doorstep on the way to high school
as Peter Parker. Well that stings a little bit.
Almost as much as getting bit by a radioactive spider. I mean
I should check to see if I can climb up walls by now but
after playing more narrative based games like City of My
(10:29):
Starforged Wars Fantasy Flight RPG Ironsworn,
Ironsworn Starforged Forged, I realized low
or less favorable roles only create an
opportunity for a different twist in the
story. Failing isnt truly failing if by
rolling poorly the story is moved forward in
an interesting way and as far as creating a believable
(10:50):
world to immerse in, characters should be able
to die. I believe it's the game masters job to still
make scenarios and encounters balanced and fair to match the
situation. But regardless of the effectiveness of
this, accepting good enough as a player means
for me to accept less favorable roles as a
potential opportunity for good storytelling. Life
(11:10):
saving tip #2 I dont need to do
everything myself. In fact I probably shouldn't. This is
a hard tip for me to follow. It flows right out of
not accepting the reality that no tabletop experience I
create will be perfect and I cannot be the perfect GM
bringing it all together. Plus, if I deprive
my players from the moments when they can step up
(11:30):
and assist with the organization of the game or the
adventure, I strip them of the agency that they
can take in and the pride that they can have in the adventure
itself. Some ways I've included my players as a GM
are having an adventure Quest Scribe this is
somebody who keeps track of memorable moments, so anyone who
isn't able to join the session can easily catch up by
(11:50):
reading their notes. I've also had Rules Advisor.
This role is especially great for someone who tends to be a
rules lawyer. That's a term given to someone who champions
playing the rules as written by the game developers and
ensures no one misinterprets or runs
afoul of these rules. There's also the game scheduler
and this role can be as simple as setting up the consistent date,
(12:11):
time and frequency the game occurs. This role isnt
needed necessarily for each group, but depending on the situation
it could be helpful. And lastly, ive even assigned a
mathematician the math man and
man was math hard for me in school. Anyone
whos played a game with me live knows it aint my favorite part
of tabletop rpgs. So I love it when people who
(12:31):
are good at math can step in without being condescending
and give me just a little help with the number crunching. And
im sure theres many other ways to include your players and ask for
help which im m neglecting to mention, but those are just
a few of mine. Now as a player the best way that
I can evoke the help of others is when I don't understand an
element of the game or an element of how my character interacts
(12:52):
with the world. A healthy group should
encourage asking questions.
A healthy group encourages asking questions. Im saying it
again because it's so darn important. It'an opportunity for
us to learn and better understand the game so that fun can
be had. So ask ask ask away as a
player and eventually youll find that you need to ask
(13:12):
ask ask less and less as time goes
on.
Hey quick pause on the episode on January 25th,
2025 from 12:00pm Noon to 3:00pm Central in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I am hosting an in
person workshop for up to 25 interested
gamers. The workshop is for those who are new to
tabletop role playing or who just want to figure out the
(13:32):
basics of playing a tabletop role playing game. Perhaps
you want to learn tactics and strategies to
plan, run and play games for yourself and
for your friends. There will be a link to the registration page
in the show notes or if you have any questions
directly email me at
Clint.Scheirer@claimtogamepodcast.com
Shireaimtogamepodcast.com.
(13:53):
registration begins at $55 per person
and includes your very own seven dice set
of chesses, polyhedral dice,
color of your choice. There will be non alcoholic beverages,
refreshments and a whole lot of fun. You will even get
to play a quick one shot tabletop RPG
adventure to get your creative juices
(14:13):
flowing. Once again. The link to the registration
is in the Show Notes.
Thanks and now back to the episode the third and
final lifeavving tip is Embracing Gratitude Brother
David Stendelrossss, a Benedictine Catholic monk,
once said, its not joy that makes us
grateful, it is gratitude that makes us
joyful. So how can I feel the joy of playing
(14:35):
a tabletop RPG with others when I slip
into stressing about being the perfect player, the
perfect gm, creating the perfect adventure, winning
the game, always rolling well and never
poorly? Well, to put it simply, I cant
feel joy when I fail to accept reality. When
I fail to ask for help and share the wealth of
prep and play with others at the table, Im going to feel
(14:57):
stressed and discontent. I will constantly be
wondering what is wrong with me or what is wrong with the
other players whom im playing with? Why does the experience Im
trying to capture keep eluding me?
Instead, when I take actionable steps
to understand that perfection cannot be achieved,
to accept that when I remind myself I
Im lucky to get to play and be creative, when I share
(15:20):
the experience with those Im'playing with and interact with them
instead of for them, well then I can
be grateful for the game I have, not the perfect game Im
seeking but will never find. And when I embrace
gratitude, when I stop overthinking and
embrace good enough, well then I
can joyfully find the fun that Ive been looking for all
along. Final Thoughts Lets s recap.
(15:43):
Dont let perfect be the enemy of the good.
Accept the reality of good enough.
Invoke the help of others as you prep, run and play your
games. And don't forget to choose gratitude
for the good elements of your gaming table right in front
of you right now. Join us next time as we
find the best ways to have great times with friends and
(16:03):
experience amazing stories through Tabletop role playing.
Before you go, There are so many tabletop
RPGs that you can choose from, it can be
overwhelming which one to pick. To help you out,
I've created a free quiz to determine
which game is the best fit for you and your
group. Click on the link in the Show Notes to access
your quiz, answer the questions to the best of your
(16:25):
ability, and by the end youll get a recommendation for a
game that you should definitely try out for your next game
night. Games are curated in this quiz from a
list based on community favorites and current
market popularity, so you'll be guaranteed to find an
excellent tabletop game. And may you keep having fun as
we continue to make our claim to game.
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