Do Not Hide Bad Behavior Behind The Game's Meta

In the event that you're living under a rock these days, you probably haven't heard all the discussions about the triumphant return of the kender and the gully dwarves. If you're even marginally plugged-in to the happenings in gaming circles, though, you have likely seen three hundred or more discussions of these, along with a lot of other aspects of the Dragonlance setting the World of Krynn, since it was announced it was going to get a re-release recently.

However, while this has sparked its share of flame wars, I wanted to focus on a specific aspect of the conversation going on right now. Because this is bringing to light how a lot of players will use the meta of a game or setting to cover up their own bad behavior... and that's something we all need to learn to recognize, and put a stop to before it ruins the game for everyone.

Because the problem isn't the kender... most of the time.

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Thieving, Practical Jokes, and Responsibility

For those who aren't familiar with Dragonlance, this setting goes all the way back to the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Last I saw any content for it was in the 3.5 edition, and it seems to have skipped over the 4th edition entirely. But now it's coming out for 5th edition, and a whole new crop of gamers who've never heard of it are dealing with a lot of old gripes and even older horror stories from the so-called old guard.

Sitting at the top of that list is the kender.

If you have not encountered a kender before, picture a halfling. Now add an unquenchable wanderlust, an utter lack of understanding of the concept of personal property, a cultural emphasis on cutting insults as a form of entertainment, and curiosity that borders on a death wish. For the book series, where a single author was in charge of how scenes went and how characters acted, kender were amusing creatures that we often found entertaining or endearing. However, if you handed that to the wrong player (and most people who ask to have it will reveal if they were the wrong player soon enough) that is a recipe for frustration, irritation, and a lot of player-v-player combat.

Do not anger the barbarian. They don't take jokes well.

A lot of folks will say the problem is the kender for the way they're written. Or the gulley dwarves, which are, at best, a silly take on gnomes attempting to be dwarves in the most absurd way possible (and at worst they're a way to punch down at people who live with mental disorders). Or how many settings describe gnomes specifically as, "playing practical jokes on people," as part of their write up. The list goes on.

Honestly, at the end of the day, this is just another version of someone saying, "But it's what my character would do!" as a way to duck responsibility for stirring the pot, and being a pain in the rest of the table's collective backside.

You Can Play Any of These (Without Irritating Everyone Else)

All of the characters mentioned above are completely playable concepts. Just like how you can play an evil character in a non-evil party (as I mentioned in Making The Lone Evil Character in a Good Party Work), if you really want to. The key to it is to look at the character you're playing, at the table you're playing with, and to ask yourself, "How do I have fun with this concept in a way that won't piss everyone else off?"

Some concepts are, admittedly, tougher than others.

I covered this in Make Sure Your Character is as Much Fun To Play With as They Are To Play, and all those lessons stand. Everyone else at the table is spending hours of their time in-game with this character; at least do them the courtesy of making the experience as positive as you can.

That doesn't mean you need to utterly ignore the meta, either... you simply need to adjust the dial to fit the table you're at.

For example, if you're playing a kender, you may still randomly pocket stuff on your day-to-day... but make sure you aren't pocketing the rest of the party's stuff. Hell, you can't carry the fighter's great sword, and the barbarian's shield is bigger than you are, so what would even be the point? Instead, swipe some apples from a cart as you walk by, and toss one to the sorcerer because they didn't have an apple and they looked hungry. Take the jailer's keys when they walk past, and then just hand them over to the rogue who is now in on the joke with you. And if you really want to go whole hog with it, walk away from any kind of treasure that's heavy or pointless, because if you don't acknowledge personal ownership chances are good economics is far beyond you, and someone else in the party tracks your share and covers your bills.

That kind of stuff might be amusing, and while it could generate some negative situations between you and NPCs, it isn't putting you directly at-odds with the rest of the party. And as long as you're contributing to the group's efforts you're more likely to be seen as a scamp or a minor troublemaker than a nuisance that has to be dealt with.

Long story short, don't be a jerk. Have fun with your character, and mold them to fit in with everyone else. This is a team sport, and everyone needs to be having fun if you expect the group to get back together next week.

Also, even though I couldn't find a convenient place to fit it in here, don't forget to check out my 5 Tips For Playing Better Evil Characters along with 5 Tips For Playing Better Noble Characters. They tend to generate a lot of friction as well, so I wanted to toss them here at the end.

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