Player Tips: I made a cool new PC, now what?

So you've sat down at the table to game, you've rolled up some player characters (or started off with some pre-generated ones) and now you and your adventure party are ready to dive in to new interstellar exploits!

The GM tells you that you've arrived at the spaceport that will be the home base for your future adventures, so "Start exploring!".

Uh, okay.... so.....er....now what?

Having a big RPG sandbox to play in (or even a small one) can feel a little intimidating if you're a new player or haven't stretched your roleplaying muscles for a while. You might feel overly cautious or maybe just unsure of which direction to head in first.

Well, you can badger your GM with questions about the campaign's setting but you want to be doing something, not just get filled in on background information. It might just be helpful to know what your options are right out of the gate. Here's a very basic (and not nearly exhaustive) list of tasks and tactics to get you started:

1. GOLDEN RULE: Ask the GM questions and try stuff. Have fun!
2. Talk to the other players and make sure everyone has an equal chance to contribute. Work as a team and be welcoming to everyone who pulls up a chair to your game table.
3. Look around at your in-game surroundings, try to be aware at all times.
4. Listen - this means both you as a player and your PC in game.
5. Learn about your character's abilities--and let your character learn about the abilities of others. See Golden Rule.
6. Look in your gear bag, learn about your stuff, see Golden Rule.
7. Check for traps - decide if they should be disarmed or sidestepped? Left for enemies to run into?
8. Always be searching for clues, information is as valuable as treasure!
9. Record any clues you find or hints you might suspect are being dropped.
10. Learn about your enemies, keep a record in case you run into them again or someone who might know them.
11. In combat - look for cover and take up key positions when possible.
12. After combat - loot the bodies, see #7, and see #8.
13. In some games, you gain XP not when you collect treasure, but when you convert it to liquid currency if needed. You earn XP for spending your income.
14. Return to HQ/town/etc. and get information on what you've found. Refer to previous clues discovered.
15. Heal yourself and other teammates whenever possible (this includes rest and nourishment).

Trial and Error, pre- and out-game tips/advice for campaign style play
Some additional advice that may take a little preparation before gaming or practice in multiple game sessions:

• Besides sticking to your class and/or race attributes, determine who's doing what on the team --(e.g., is one of you the group's "leader"? Who looks after team-owned gear? Who is the group's astrogation expert? etc.).
• Learn about basic tactics in combat (flanking, etc.)
• Get a primer on basic parts of air and space craft as well as flight maneuver basics for piloting and combat.
• When in doubt, ask the locals. Brush up on bribing, interviewing, and intimidating NPCs. Even if encounters appear to yield nothing, there could be a clue in their temperament or mood. What aren't they saying?
• Try to determine who might find value in the treasure or information you've discovered. It may take a while to track down someone with the proper knowledge about an artifact or clue.
• Always review your character sheet -- look for ways of improving yourself. How will you spend your XP? Think about how you want to develop your character while you're away from the game table. Work with your GM on your plans.

Supplies at the game table:

• Dice - preferably at least one of each: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20; ideally a few d4s, at least 3 d6s, and 2d10s for percentile roles
• Writing utensils - pencil works best on character sheets, colored pencils or pens are helpful if you're the group's mapper
• A dedicated notebook for gaming - you'll need to keep track of clues, monsters encountered and draw maps etc.; you can also use it to pass notes to other players or the game master
• Players guide book - also called a players handbook; this can somewhat of an investment, depending on the game, but it's extremely handy to have this at your disposal (or to help with preparation before playing)
• Miniature - does your game use minis? Not all do, but if it does, you should have one for your character and if your team has a spaceship, you should have it represented as well

The supply list is really just the bare minimum. Every gaming group is different. Be sure to check with your GM about anything else that might be needed at the table. Remember the Golden Rule, be an excellent gamer and have fun!

 Top image: Spaceport concept art by the incredible Ben Wooten

Variations on Experience Points for One Shots and Conventions

One of the main incentives during roleplay games (other than, ya know, playing the game!) is to gain XP to level up. But in convention games or one-shot adventures, there's really no chance of continuing that session later on. So what's the motivating factor for players to earn XP?

Top image: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World

Here are two ways players can get more out of XP in games that are short-lived:

Idea 1: Use XP to Fuel Next Encounter

Call it insta-leveling! We all agree that there's no incentive to hold on to XP in a one-off game to build their character, right? So players might as well try and acquire XP to do more in the current game. Since no one's leveling up let's award XP after each encounter. Players are rewarded for roleplaying (highest value), achieving game goals (medium value), dispatching foes (lowest value).

• Step 1: Make the XP awards nice and round, so everyone gets 40 each for helping to slay the space dragon and 60 each removing the eggs from her lair. Total = 100
• Step 2: If they choose to now, players can divide their XP total by 10 (In this example, 100 /10 - 10 points.
• Step 3: Players can elect to use those points to add to future rolls, spells, impossible feats, or just add to damage. They get to parse it out as they choose in the next encounter, be it combat, checking for traps, fixing the warp drive, etc.
• Step 3: Repeat through next encounter.

XP earned = XP used!

NOTE: While you may get a fair amount of XP in the first encounter, the next one could be really light on XP. So, think strategically about how you want to spend your XP bonus. You can spend and save, splurge, or save it all up for the end.

A variation for in-game encounters might be to award for solely for roleplaying, so as not to highlight combat as much and really drive them to get into the setting more. The more engaged you are, the more you're rewarded for the next encounter.

Idea 2: Roleplay For Your Rolls

So this is more abstract, and would take some explaining at the table. It's feeling right now like this might be more geared toward newbies specifically.

Basically, anytime a roll is required, the players need to give a deeper explanation of what they're doing. We're dropping XP all together--if we play this style--to make it as simple as possible:

Scenario: During a cantina encounter a PC finds himself in a gunslinging showdown. His dexterity is the same as or lower than his opponent, so he'll need to roll to see if he can pull off a shot before the other dude.

"Hey Bobby, take off that helmet and show him how ugly you are!"

There's not so much, steps, as a scoring system:

• Roleplay to Roll: Provide details about how you'll pull of feat = +1 to hit 
• "I lift my head ever so slightly to throw him off, reach for my , but I'm sweating up a storm!"
• GM confirms this is enough detail to allow the PC to fire his weapon 
• Signal Your Wingman: Include another PC in your attempt = +2 to hit
• "I wink at Hoss in hopes that he'll get my cue to throw a drink and distract my enemy."
• Hoss complies by tossing a shot onto the floor. (Note: Hoss can only roleplay a solution, he can't really perform a separate action like shoot the badguy himself.)
• Call the Calvalry: Get your whole team involved = +1 to hit for each team member
• "I whoop and hollar at my crew to shout alien obscenities the moment his hand reaches for his weapon."
• Team members each roleplay something to help the PC gain an edge in distracting foe.
• He earns a +1 from each of them to add to his roll

The idea here is for PCs to gain some sort of advantage in the situation. It's essentially everyone understands that the modifiers only apply to whatever action the PC is currently attempting in this round. GM's prerogative: add in extra +1s or give a damage bonus if the your compadres really go for it with the roleplaying antics.

Sometimes, not every situation may lend itself to this kind of co-operative roleplay. The other party members might choose to comply, choose not to, or choose to do something so off-the-wall that it garners more points on their pal's behalf. But it's worth experimenting with to see how your party members get involved.

Remember that RPGs are a "team sport." When you and other players are faced with a situation, this is a chance to encourage one another to think about engaging the team--and be rewarded accordingly!

NOTE: These concepts in are a test phase. Feel free to comment with questions or suggestions!