The Party

So, what does "party" mean in a gaming sense? The way RPGing is introduced to many people, you'd be forgiven for thinking that partying RPG style just means turning up and letting the GM do all the preparation, bring the beers and so on. But while it's true the GM does most preparation, everyone has their part to play.

We all have ideas about what sort of characters we'd like to play. However, to get the most out of your RPing experience, don't leave the job of forming the party up to the GM. Communicate with the other players - and GM - and work out what sort of game you all want to play. Choose a character concept that fits with that idea; if the group isn't big on inter-party conflict, don't play the self-centered thieving ronin who relentlessly steals from everyone he meets. Similarly, if the GM is setting the game in the wilds of the Shinnomen Forest, think twice before playing that courtier you had in mind.

There are several considerations to be made when drawing up your character sheet. In the ideal party, everyone has a specialisation, an area where they are simply better than all the other PCs. This is because it's rare to find an adventure where everyone gets fully involved all the time; when your party needs to question the kami, the bushi all get left out. Examples of specialisations are:

• Persuading others
• Spotting liars
• Healing magic
• Combat magic
• Divination magic
• High Earth, doubling as poison and damage resistance. "Last man standing".
• Dueling
• Melee combat
• Archery

I'm sure you can come up with others. Ideally, every one of the above will be covered by at least one member of the party, and ideally there will be an "expert" in each field. Most characters have multiple abilites, especially in the D10 system where your Rings, Skills and Traits are more freely assigned.

On a final note, and one which I hope to cover at greater length in further articles, put thought into your character's backstory. In my groups, we wrote fiction about our characters, often before the first session. Even if you never show it to anyone, fanfic really helps you get inside the character, giving you a much better understanding of them and allowing you to make the most out of the early sessions. It also gives you a chance to decide why your character is involved; while it's ultimately up to the GM to provide a plausible reason for the party to get together, helping out with a well-determined backstory is always welcome.