Players need to play along

We finished one of our most recent campaigns, and now I’m diving into the new one, with a new character. My newest creation is Taeya, a multi-classed sorcerer / rogue that I’ve only played for a few sessions — and who does not want to be on the adventure. Taeya has been pressed into service to find and return a magical text that she and her friends stole. The friends got away, but Taeya was caught, so the book’s owners are making her go get it back.

I knew that a robbery gone wrong was the premise of the game, and that the story would involve making amends. That was part of the initial pitch of the campaign and the table talk after that. The Storyteller told me what I needed to know to create my character, and then it was my responsibility to make sure she would be able and willing to go on the adventure.

Art by Tithi Luadthong

It wouldn’t be fair for me to hear the game concept, then go roll up a character who would walk away from the story with middle fingers raised high. That was exactly what I wanted to play, and the Storyteller admitted that he was nervous — he was almost entirely at my mercy not to bail on the entire campaign. Sure, I had agreed to stick a magical item on Taeya that would imprison her, but she’s both a rogue and a sorcerer with a pretty good array of skills and abilities to get out of her shackles. We both knew that, and I had every chance to make life very, very difficult on the Storyteller.

But that’s not being a responsible player. The Storyteller has agreed to tell a game, and I agreed to play in that game. How fair would it be for me to just bail on that story? No matter what setup a game might present, players can always find a way to break it. When I write a book, I have utter control over what the characters think and do — but players have free will.

The Storyteller put the reins of his plot into my hands, and it’s my job to handle them appropriately. I could have Taeya leave, saying it’s what my character would do, but I made the character. I get to choose what she does and thinks and says — that’s the whole point of an RPG, after all. Player characters are the one thing that the Storyteller doesn’t control, so it’s our job to play them responsibly. RPGs are a team sport, and that means me playing as a part of that team.

So even as Taeya does her best to get away, as her player, I’ll be bringing her back again and again. I’ll give other characters the chance to catch her, and be actively seeking to forge bonds that will keep her around on the adventure. I want to play in this game, but the Storyteller can’t force my character to stay. That’s my job.