What Makes a Good Player, Part 3
(or, Driving Stolen Vehicles in Traffic)
If you have, for some reason, read the previous two parts of this essay, you might notice the absence of any discussion regarding the interpersonal side of being a good player. This is because I do not particularly think there is much in that area unique to roleplaying games to discuss. The same set of principles that apply to being a good Dinner Guest can be used to be a Good Player in that sense of the term.
There is however one element which I'd like to touch on, and in doing so poke holes in one of the best pieces of gaming advice I've ever heard. Have your heard this one?
"Drive your character like a stolen car."
The meaning of this is to make decisions in play that are more interesting than safe. If they get horribly mangled in the process well that's just part of the fun! And this advice can lead to better games, especially for people who might otherwise end up with over-cautious and unsatisfying play.
However....
Like most pithy advice, there are different ways to interpret it depending on how deeply you read into it, and that's extra important for this particularly one because you are not the only one on the road.
So for some people drive like you stole it might mean go all out, leave nothing behind, and don't worry about wearing out the clutch. Or it might mean pull a bunch of GTA shit, run over some pedestrians, and crash into a school bus.
I was going to go into some examples but I think we've all been in a game where someone decides to try to diablerize the Prince halfway through or something. So yeah, maybe drive like it's a rental car with the full insurance package and you're in light traffic.