I missed the blogwagon dates but I’m gonna do this anyhow because I’ve been thinking about it and “how to be a good TTRPG player” is an evergreen theme. Plus I have a hot take.
My hot take: a lot of blog entries on this topic completely miss the point by emphasizing how you as a player can make the game more enjoyable for yourself. Which is, yes, a good set of skills to have. But tabletop RPGs are a social activity and if you’re not thinking about how to improve everyone else’s experience at the table you’re missing out.
Vincent and Meguey Baker called this one in the GM advice for Apocalyse World: “Be a fan of the characters.” It’s a line which has made its way into countless PbtA games. It’s almost always aimed at GMs. Now is a good time to aim it at yourself as a player.
The more time players spend enabling and powering up each other, the happier everyone at the table is going to be. The first, easiest cut at this is just being appreciative. We all know how to do this: when someone rolls a critical hit, get excited! Say it’s cool! And extend that beyond the mechanical; notice when a character does something unusual and give the player a warm fuzzy. Reinforce each other. (You can do this for the GM as well, by the by.)
Nothing is better for community than appreciating each other.
Second tier technique: set each other up mechanically. I’m playing in a Draw Steel game right now and I never take a turn in combat without thinking about whether or not I can set up a flank for whoever’s going next. I don’t make a big deal about it, and I don’t sacrifice my dude’s effectiveness in the process, but I make opportunities.
You can set people up mechanically via roleplay. Understand where other players have spent their skill points (or whatever) and ask them to use those skills. Bonus points here if it’s something quirky, a weird choice, because people make those choices for a reason. Enable them. Notice them.
In the ideal world, everyone around the table is focused on enabling each other. Spotlight sharing becomes automatic. Everyone’s happier. That’s what being a good player is about.