Don’t taunt the Monster!*

For those who don’t read (or post) comments, I am happy to share that I don’t suffer from spammers or trolls. 

I do read a lot of news posts, and some forums, and I find that I have to remind myself that I don’t need to like, unlike, or comment on anything anyone says.  I get upset when I see someone who I feel is incredibly stupid, misinformed, and just wrong.  I want to correct them.  

 

It’s better to step back, take a breath, and just move on.  If, the next day it’s still important enough, and no one else has done so, I’ll go back and leave a comment. 

How does this relate to gaming?  It does so in a couple of ways.  First, the obvious – replying to trolls on gaming blogs and forums is a bad idea.  A.k.a. don’t feed the trolls!  Along with that comes things like the edition wars – don’t just post to say that your game is superior to someone else’s.   It’s better to just explain you’re viewpoint without trying to convince anyone of your point of view. 

Besides that, there are lessons that dungeoneers can bring from the real world into the game. 

To begin with, not everything reacts the same way to sword and spell, and it isn’t always necessary to act as though those as your only tools.  Remember your goal, and avoid unnecessary encounters that drain your resources.  For example, you and your 1^st level friends are traveling to the big city, and you have to cross a bridge with a troll.  The goal is to get to the city, so you pay the silver each, even covering for that guy who spent every copper on equipment, and you continue on.  If you forget your goal, and you see the troll and his big bag of silver coins, and you decide that getting the silver coins is more important, so you attack?  TPK, and now the troll has everything you used to have. 

Next, when you think you have the upper hand, getting off a witty remark can be fun, but outright taunting is just asking karma (or the DM) to come and smack you upside the head. 

*Blog topic courtesy of Rusty Battle Axe’s Son of Random Blog Post Topic Generator