Remember the first time at a table? Or yours first character created? Certainly you had a thousand ideas on the way of the pg, on his expressions, on how he would behave in the inn or in front of the city guards. I'm scenery that anyone wanted to live better. But a little 'we know that the first time does not go just as we would have expected because in Role playing game there are many elements that, at least initially, risk blocking the players. Shyness, fear of not being up to oneself, the game or others, insecurity on the rules or the world in which the heroes will move. All "concerns" legitimate. Being a moment that involves other people - often a party is formed between strangers - the game session it is subject to various difficulties dictated by the differences of the participants. Character, sensitivity, experience, passion, deepening of the genre. We also include individual expectations, as not everyone uses RPGs as an escape from reality in the same way as others, who perhaps prefer a more immersive experience.
They are all elements that can create a certain tension and, why not, also a kind of performance anxiety. Everyone would like to impersonate a warrior like Aragorn, but the first few times he was as clumsy as he was Pepin. It can be demeaning, but it is absolutely normal. In addition to those of the game, there was no lack of manuals that would provide players with the opportunity to improve themselves during their adventures. Among them stands out Improv for Gamers, written by Karen Twelves after numerous workshops in which theater and role play met. The success of these moments of sharing led to the development of one guide to be used to give more depth to adventures. Of course, it is not always required or easy to implement. Let's think about this period where you can only play online and sit at a table is one distant perspective.
An improvisation manual
Improv for Gamers is a improvisation manual which is primarily aimed at players. Provides a number of esercizi that will help you feel at ease during the roll. After doing some heating, small "games”- let's define them this way - to be done to train a dimension that is often overlooked. It must be remembered that in role-playing games we often resort toimprovisation, for several reasons. A failed test could trigger events we never imagined, but we must continue. Whether it's a fight or a chat, theaction continues and the game engine are the components of the party.
At first glance, these activities may seem complicated. Not so much in terms of execution or surrender, but in preparation. In the description of the exercises it is noted how these are aimed at several people at the same time. It improvises in pair or groups which end in interact and create unexpected situations. It is precisely this "surprise”Which confirms the success of the improvised scene and opens doors to new scenarios. We are often not used to creating this kind of atmosphere during our game sessions and all this work could be lost. I'm absolutely interesting activities, but they seem to take time that we could use to start a new adventure.
Karen Twelves has a solid foundation of improvisation and acting. His notions are Professional, more than anyone could imagine to sit at a table. The fear is that there is not always so much room to prepare "in the way" as hoped for by the manual. Sometimes role play invests a more individual dimension than we are led to believe. The fear - yes, that's a big word, but it gives a good idea - is that this manual is great for the group that wants to raise the level of play. And not only from the point of view of the regulation, which at this point is taken for granted, but looking at thecollective experience. More than the "classic" RPG, Improv for Gamers is an excellent tool for lovers of larp.
In conclusion
Need Games! by now it has accustomed us - indeed, it has really spoiled us - to very high quality products, both in terms of realization and in terms of catalog. This manual adds to the list of publications that certainly may interest RPG enthusiasts, but with some reservations. If you are a particularly close-knit group and you want to explore the world of improvisation then buy it now. You will have fun, both in the warm-up phase and in the session, like never before. If you just want to learn, buy it anyway, because no page is wasted on learning.
We also believe that a clarification is necessary. There are role-playing games where there is space and time to roll, improvise and let yourself go to the "inn spree“; Usually they are the more structured ones like Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder, including the great Cyberpunk Red. In systems that provide for campaigns of a certain duration, it is possible to create a three-dimensional character, where each detail it is functional to the narration (individual and collective). Thinking of more immediate titles - such as OSR that are going out of style lately - maybe the exercises for Improv for Gamers will seem too structured. We honestly see the proposed activities as personal growth rather than purely aimed at RPGs. Luckily, you never stop learning.
