CREDIT: KGEIGER (CC)
A couple of roleplaying-related tidbits converged for me the other day. First of all, Wizards of the Coast’s “player-in-chief” Shelly Mazzanoble (author of Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress, a book that encourages girls to play roleplaying games) declared July to be Dungeon Master Appreciation Month.
He’s not our parole officer or congressman or math teacher or anyone else who deserves our ire and squabbling. He’s just a guy who spends an awful lot of time every week preparing for a game he can play with us.
As Player-in-Chief, I herby declare the month of July Dungeon Master Appreciation Month. Maybe I will bring him flowers or bake him a cake.
About the same time I read a fun article by Esther Schindler titled 10 Business Lessons I learned From Playing Dungeons & Dragons. Number one on the list is Feed the DM.
Gamers laugh as they say this (and slide the veggie tray in the DM’s direction), but it’s important to treat those in power with extra kindness. The DM is busy rolling dice for your battle with the monster, while simultaneously responding to a scribbled private note from another player (“My character Rumin Bard is stealing gold from the cleric’s saddlebag”) and preparing for an interaction at an upcoming crossroad your party hasn’t reached. If you take care of the DM (or your manager), perhaps he’ll be kind to you. Or to your character.
So whether you play D&D, Warhammer, Shadowrun, or any other RPG, make the effort to bring a special treat for the Game Master. He or she spends extra time to make your experience more enjoyable, and it’s high time the favor gets returned.
