It's not just for kids!
I promised I would connect it to advertising so here we go…
Long before you get to actually play the game, you might spend weeks meticulously researching and planning your persona in this fictional world You establish their voice, which is usually a dumb accent you almost never remember to use. What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? How do they fit into the competitive landscape, or in other words, is your party accidentally all clerics?
The backstory is perhaps the most important part of character creation. Functionally, this informs the character. It's as much an exercise for you to get to know this lil guy, as homework for your game master. No joke, I have friends who might write as much as 60 pages of backstory. I think that's way too much. But they build a rich and complex history for their persona that then the game master has an opportunity to weave into the game. While exploring the sandbox world your game master is guiding you through, you might run into people from your character's backstory.
Very often it takes some quick thinking and pitch skills to talk your way out of a sticky situation. There's never enough time, and never enough spell slots. But somehow, with the help of your friends, you might manage not to die. Which brings us to...
The greatest challenge in D&D isn't puzzles or monsters. It's getting 8 people to agree on a plan. This game is collaborative, not competitive. All players work towards a common goal You won’t always agree with your friends on the best way forward, but compromise has to be reached.
