So, you have your character… some extremely talented wizard with maxed-out Intelligence.   18 or 19 is pretty high, right?  And their name is… Grandalf (true story).  You’re boppin along with your merry band of fellow adventurers when you come across a puzzle inside a dungeon.  The gamemaster must have put a lot of effort into this thing because this puzzle looks particularly puzzling.  Hieroglyphs, numbers, and weird color patterns.  It’s not a trap, it’s a puzzle, and nobody can figure it out.  Not even you, and you’re the smartest gamer you know.

The gamemaster looks at you and says, “You know, any wizard of even a 16 Intelligence can figure this out.  If you as a player can’t do that, I’m going to have to lower your character’s Intelligence, or reward you with less experience this session.  Perhaps you should play some other character, one that isn’t supposed to be so smart?  Because you’re just not really playing to your character’s ability score.“

“But-but-but… of course I’m not as intelligent as my character; they have a 19 Intelligence!  My character is practically Einstein.  I should get a roll to figure this out, or maybe a clue!

“Sorry, this is a roleplaying game.  Do you even know what that is?

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Gentle reader… if you find the above statement from the gamemaster to be true and fair, then this article is not for you.  If you find it ridiculous, then read on (because I have a further point to make).

So, you find it ridiculous.  Great!  Now let me flip it…

Bob is playing Gronk, a 7 Intelligence fighter.  Bob says, “I know, it’s a simple picto-puzzle.  Just turn the hieroglyphs until they match the color patterns on this side.  See?”

—

I have heard of many gamemasters turning to Bob and saying something like, “Sorry, Bob, your character is too dumb to figure something like this out.  You should play dumb.”  I may have even done this decades ago, when I first started playing.

Do you see my point?  It’s ridiculous to penalize a player because they can’t play as smart as their character actually is, so why should we penalize a player for not playing as dumb as their character seems on paper?

How intelligent is a high Intelligence?  The difference between 10 and 19 is 9.  That’s a big difference, but nobody ever berates a player for not playing like Einstein.  How dumb is low Intelligence?  The difference between 7 and 10 is a mere 3 points, but people are so quick to jump on such a player for devising a plan, or solving a puzzle.

At what point is a dumb fighter with a 7 Intelligence allowed to solve a puzzle without condemnation? Do they need an 8 in Intelligence?  or a 9?  Does it have to be a baseline 10, where there are no penalties to rolls?

On most character sheets, abilities typically provide modifiers that specifically affect ability rolls, skill rolls, and saving throws.  The intelligent wizard tries to solve the puzzle and gets a bonus, while the not-so-intelligent fighter probably gets a penalty.  That’s it.  That’s all you need.  Roleplay it however you want, but the roll is the mechanical effect only if needed.  Our characters don’t gain experience on how well we interpret what a 12 Wisdom means, they gain experience from overcoming challenges and progressing the story.

Bob may play a 7 Intelligence fighter who is bad at math, or just can’t read.  Kelly may play a 7 Intelligence fighter who is simply a bit forgetful.  However, Mike may play a 7 Intelligence fighter just like himself… a normal dude who can’t seem to think straight when under pressure (taking the penalty of -2 on Intelligence-related rolls).

It just isn’t necessary to judge anyone on how “well” they play to their character’s mental stats, as everyone has their own interpretations… for their character.

So no, you’re not roleplaying wrong; there’s practically no wrong way in this regard.

Nobody goes to the table because they want to be judged on how well they roleplay their character’s ability scores; we go to the table for a shared and enjoyable gaming experience.  Don’t try to change others; just continue to improve your own game and you’ll simply continue to have more and more fun.

 

I’ve been into RPGs for a while now, and I’ve enjoyed both playing in and running the game. I guess I’d split running vs. playing as 50/50, so I’ve had my fair share of game masters to learn from, and plenty of time to solidify my own style.

I recently sat in a game with a brand new game master, and (like usual) had a grand time. This was his very first time running a gaming session, and I’d say he did a good job. He’d been playing in the game for a couple of years, and he’s one of those people who can read a book and remember everything—so he’s pretty knowledgeable about the rules.

We had a good time.

Well, except for one time…

You see, right in the middle of combat a player interpreted a rule one way (in their favor), and this brand new GM interpreted it another. There was some discussion back and forth between the two… including references to forums, and I could see both were getting a bit frustrated (especially the player). I really wanted to chime in with my own two cents, but I and everyone else just waited. After a couple of minutes, the player relented and the game resumed.

Now, there’s a variety of ways this could have been handled, and I guess it depends on what the people at your table prefer. Some say it’s perfectly fine for a player and GM to discuss their interpretations right then. Others say that the GM is god and should simply make an immediate and final ruling. Others say to immediately spend time looking up the rule and dissect the wording, or perhaps going online to search forums and social media groups to seek a consensus. Sometimes there’s even a group vote!

Now, I’m not talking about when a player is unsure of a rule; I’m talking about when a player and the GM have opposing views and are sticking to their guns.

Of course, after many years of gaming, I’ve seen the best solution make its way to different tables over and over again, because it’s the best…

Rule in favor of the player… immediately.

Then, research it later. Research it after the game, or even after a good night’s sleep. When you immediately rule in favor of the adamant player (even if you know they are wrong), you’re saying that their enjoyment is important to you, and you’re helping them achieve that.

We’re sitting at the table to play a game… to play a rolelaying game. Rule discussions and arguments take you out of character, interrupt the story, and kill the mood. So what if a rule is being interpreted incorrectly? Figure it out later. Figure it out when you’re not under pressure, when the player is more likely to listen to you with open ears. Who knows? Maybe you were wrong. If you were right, you can show them the correct interpretation–later.  Remember, the game master is not there to rule over the players like a god; they’re there to help everyone have fun in a fair way.

Besides, if you tend to rule in favor of the player, they’ll be more likely to trust you and accept when you actually rule against them.