Today’s #newbieTuesday post is all about “fitting in” as a new player at the table.
Somewhat ironically, with tabletop role playing games now becoming “cool,” joining the table as a new player may seem somewhat akin to the disorienting feeling of sitting at a different lunch table in the school cafeteria. Similarly, you may get the familiar feeling of needing/wanting to “fit in,” to prove yourself, to create a sense of normalcy and bonding with the other players. And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a normal feeling!
But just know, unlike many of those lunch tables, TTRPGers by and large are an inclusive, welcoming community who love to bring in new blood at the table. We love to teach and help you ingratiate yourself into the flow of the story. Sure, there are rules to learn, plot points to understand, and character intricates to work with, but unlike those stereotypical lunch table dramas, tabletop role playing gamers know what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.
And now, if you’ll forgive the pun, that the “tables have turned” and sitting with the TTRPGers is the table to be at, we’re not going to commit an act of historical irony and exclude others from our stories.
Instead, new players: we welcome anyone, anywhere who is willing to learn and invest in the experience at our tables and cherish the fact that we get to share amazing times with each of you.
So just know, if you’re a new player or someone who is interested in playing a tabletop role playing game for the first time the onus is on the experienced players to welcome you, not you to “prove yourself” in order to fit in! Welcome to playing stories!
