character sheets are an important window
into the tabletop role-playing game
experience but they're also the best way
players can vote on what they want to
see in a game assuming you can read
their handwriting of course Zoe what is
a sort of heck and riddles nope you're
right not the time for this once again
shout out to our guest writer Eddy Webb
for another table top RPG episode thanks
for helping out Eddy since the 1970s
character sheets have been lovingly
photocopied printed and digitized by
generations of RPG players to help them
keep track of all the important
information about their characters some
are carefully preserved in notebooks
file folders or plastic sheets for
decades while others are ripped in half
after a beloved character dies in fact
next a weird-looking dice there's
nothing that says I'm playing a tabletop
role-playing game more than a character
sheet because they're the player's
window into the game a character sheet
is the one thing players look at and
reference more than anything else
throughout a tabletop session and many
games require you to consistently engage
with your sheet as you change numbers
update information and keep notes plus
we all know players like to doodle on
them when it's not their turn a
well-designed character sheet not only
presents important information in a
timely way but also gives you an insight
on how the designers think the game
should be played
kind of like a UI but for a tabletop
game and having certain numbers or
mechanics standout draws your eye and
makes you want to do something with that
information for instance if a game has
your attack role as a large number in
the middle of the sheet well that tells
you that combat is going to be a big
part of the mechanics or the setting on
the other hand if it's a small note at
the bottom that tells you that combat
isn't a common occurrence this seemingly
basic visual style decision can tell you
a lot about the game you're playing but
if the character sheet is a window into
the game well windows work both ways
just as the design of the sheet can
highlight certain aspects of the system
or the setting what the player chooses
to fill out on that sheet offers insight
into what they want out of the game
let's look at a classic example Dungeons
& Dragons every version of D&D has six
ability scores that standardly range
from 3 to 18 strength dexterity
to tution intelligence wisdom and
charisma most versions either allow you
to spend points on those scores or
allocate six different numbers into them
so if a player wants to create a clever
and wise spellcaster they're going to
put higher scores and abilities like
intelligence or wisdom you know to
reflect how smart that character is
however if someone wants to play a
fierce and Hardy warrior they're gonna
prioritize more physical abilities like
strength and constitution but here's
where that window comes in in a tabletop
game when a situation gets risky that's
when the players roll dice and a
character's abilities often manipulate
those dice to change the chance of
success up or down and areas in which a
character is stronger means it's more
likely the player will roll better and
players like to succeed in risky
situations so they'll tend to do what
they're best at or to put it plainly
players like to win it rolling dice
therefore what stats the players put
points into serves as a clear message to
the game master I want to see more of
this in the game the clever spellcaster
probably wants to see more intellectual
puzzles while the fierce warrior most
likely wants more dangerous fights if
you as game master put more of those
things into the game the players will be
getting more content they want to see
and this works on a higher level as well
if many of the players are geared up for
a fight then they'll be happiest when
the game allows them to use their combat
skills on a regular basis
however if most everyone prioritizes
sneaking or thinking or my personal
favorite diplomacy then a game with a
lot of brawls will end up boring and
frustrating for them and even though
many groups of players may try to
prioritize quote-unquote balance just to
be prepared for anything the GM throws
at them
a clever GM can suss out which way the
party leans by the small variations in
their choices did the player who wanted
a mighty warrior roll a pallet into tank
putting a spare point or two into
charisma then they probably want more
conversations and difficult moral
moments oh and did your spellcaster
decide to be a wizard with all combat
spells I think you know what they want
to do of course this works the other way
as well just because a player votes for
something doesn't mean they should get
it all of the time because that sounds
like a snooze fest so if you're a game
master planning your groups next session
and you aren't sure what exactly you
should do
quick glance at each player's character
sheet can help because what each player
puts there gives you a pretty good
glimpse at what they want to see so now
I just need to figure out what's going
on with Zoe's character sheet here oh oh
you a sort of extra vittles I see it now
oh no very palico of you
[Music]