Hey /tg/, this is just something that's been rattling around my head for a while.
I'm sorta forced for work to be involved in social media, so I see a LOT of D&D stuff every day, mostly people talking about their group, their games, etc.
Now here's my question: I see TONS of people coming off a recent session being like "Holy fuck that was awesome! Best night ever we killed some goblins!" or some other shit like that. Basically, just the act of doing mundane RPG stuff or fighting an enemy from the monster manual is enough to blow their mind. I see people talking about how tense things are in the middle of fighting a...I dunno, ogre or something? Whatever.
Here's why this is weird: I have never seen this. In my life.
I've been playing RPGs for nearly 15 years now and never once have I seen people get that excited during or after a game, no matter how dramatic or down-to-the-wire or whatever the actual session is. I've barely ever seen players seem somewhat interested in what's going on around them (regardless of the group or who is DMing).
Why is this? Am I just missing something here? This makes no sense to me.
I have a theory about stuff like this that basically boils down to how much exposure someone has to the medium.
If you're in your first game ever with your first character, stuff is new and exciting. However, if you have been playing 3 different campaigns a week for years. Most stuff is going to seem mundane because, eh, characters come and go.
>>47644829
Sure, and it's a theory that makes sense, but it brings an important question;
If players who have experience are, "jaded" for lack of a better description, is there ever a reason to play with people like that?
I mean, what good reason might I have to slave away creating a compelling narrative, trying to build tense and exciting scenes, or weave character-building drama for people if the response is a resounding "Eh."?
By and large, experienced players are not better roleplayers despite what conventional wisdom might suggest, so is it worth it?
>>47644829
this is some to do with it, it can also have to do with specific personalities, some people may be very excited but not show it, or only get very enthusiastic in retrospect while they're relatively unphased by events as they happen.
I know I've not played a large number of games, but the retelling of events is much more energizing than they were to play, even when the playing of them did genuinely interest me. having a story, even if it's about some stupid monster manual encounter can make it better.
>>47644782
Couple layers of selection bias here.
1. You're not going to see people tweeting about what a mediocre and totally decent time they had.
2. You've been playing for 15 years, you've probably seen about everything. People who actually tweet stuff about D&D are probably pretty new to it.
>>47644782
They're playing with their friends, and playing with them gives them unique experiences that they enjoy even if it's something as mundane as killing goblins. The goblin-killing wasn't the fun part, the fun part was hanging out with their pals and creating a memory.
Maybe? I dunno man
>>47644782
Strong emotions are more likely to be expressed and joy is more acceptable than bitching about how you not had fun playing games.
Different people also express themselves differently. People who are more expressive will probably also exaggerate their impressions.
>>47644782
I get pretty excited about stuff still. Well, Idid before my GM got all "I must be doing aomething wrong, you guys aren'y dieing enough." It got kind of boring once we realized her answer to us was to just throw CRs out the window. We'd end up with a party of 6 leveled 5-7 against a CR14 encounter. Also every session was "go kill shit." At the beginning though it was tons of fun.
>>47645218
See, I've had virtually the opposite. I tried to weave interesting storylines, give my players cool moments to work through, and all kinds of drama and atmosphere, but even for the "hardcore roleplaying" crowd, I have noticed that universally, people only get excited by fighting enemies.
>>47644782
OP your image is how I fine when I eat the spicy curry to impress my lady friend. My asshole suffers a fire from the gods. My burps are corrosive. Why must you do this to me Vindalloo curry.
>>47644782
>I've been playing RPGs for nearly 15 years now and never once have I seen people get that excited during or after a game, no matter how dramatic or down-to-the-wire or whatever the actual session is. I've barely ever seen players seem somewhat interested in what's going on around them (regardless of the group or who is DMing).
Sounds like unfun people in general.
>>47644782
>I've been playing RPGs for nearly 15 years now and never once have I seen people get that excited during or after a game, no matter how dramatic or down-to-the-wire or whatever the actual session is. I've barely ever seen players seem somewhat interested in what's going on around them (regardless of the group or who is DMing).
This is sad. I don't know what else to say, it's just sad. I'm a forever-GM, and I've GM'd for both new and "jaded" players, I've seen reactions ranging from enthusiastic near-ectasy in new players to faint smile & "that was a cool session" with the hardened guys. I sure had my share of fuckups, but to last FIFTEEN YEARS without witnessing engagement/excitement from other players? If I were you I think I'd just drop the hobby after first few attempts.
Normies are a lot more emotional which makes them have more fun, and consequently they are more fun to be around.
They are also better at deluding themselves, which is much better than it sounds. Thinking rationally about whether or not something is good is one of the most irrational things that fa/tg/uys do when trying to have fun. They have to make sure they don't lose status by enjoying something that could conceivably criticised.
That's why I play with my normie friends instead of faggot nerds. Nerds suck.
>>47644782
played for 5 years. 2 months ago ran across a single standard 4hp kobold. best time ever since my first session. ended up not killing it and not collecting 25,000 worth of cool stuff as a lvl 3. its the player's and DM's job to have a fun time. you need to work harder as a player to have fun.
