Don’t block.
That’s a skill most improv comedians have drilled into their heads. Don’t block someone’s prompt because that’s the fastest way to destroy a fun scene, and this rule absolutely applies to every part of your roleplaying experience.
Let’s say you’re playing Dungeons and Dragons, and your friend is roleplaying a halfling pastry chef. They say, “I’m extremely proud of this shortcrust pastry I’ve made,” and offers you a bite.
If you reply with, “That looks horrible!” then what’s next? Your friend was having fun but now you’ve cut the scene in two. Now, a skilled player might continue on and say, “Just take a bite. You might change your mind!” but I’ve frequently seen the blocker refuse with, “Hell no! I’m not eating that!” or “I bet you it’s poisoned!”
Good players and good DMs always try and work around being blocked, but it’s mentally taxing to have to deal with people who are always trying to stop you from playing the game.
There’s also the issue of people unintentionally blocking by trying to make a joke. An example:
“Would you like a sip of this cappuccino?”
“Steamed milk? I don’t drink anything that’s not black like my soul.”
Congrats, you made a generic joke. It didn’t advance the scene and you’ve blocked the other person because you denied the coffee. Now we have to work around that again.
Again, the story of the scene matters more. If you’ve ever watched a D&D podcast and wondered what they’re doing differently, it’s almost always because the players are doing their best to contribute to the ongoing story. Some audience members will groan and complain, "That's so obviously a trap!" But that's not the point. Of course the players know it's a trap, but do their characters know? Will their character's natural curiousity push them towards it? And also--what about the fun and joy? What about the drama of the scene? You don't have to min-max every second of your life--this ain't a hustle--you can actually just have fun and play.
Very rarely will these players try and cut in with a joke, and if they do, it’s often something that doesn’t slam on the brakes.
Example:
“Shortbread is my favourite cookie of all time and--”
“Is it because you’re a halfling? Ha!”
Sure. That’s…fine. You’re not denying the halfling player’s discussion on shortbread. They can still keep going, just try not to interrupt their prompts too much. Because that's what it is. A prompt. They're showing you how they want to play out the scene, and you're interrupting them when they're about to serve the ball to your court.
The first Doctor Strange movie is one of my most hated movies. It has no confidence in itself. It’s terrified of the moment to moment action. It doesn’t even LET Benedict Cumberbatch be cool; he’ll look in a mirror in a triumphant moment and his stupid cloak will wipe his face and then he’ll slap it and go, “Stop. Stop that!”
It’s bathos. It’s terrible.
(BASICALLY I’M SAYING DON’T DO A JOSS WHEDON/MARVEL MOVIE BY RUINING AN EMOTIONAL SCENE WITH JOKES)
It’s okay to be cringe. It’s okay to care about things! You don’t always have to make a joke. Let it play out and try and find the drama and really work it. This is a skill to be learned. Feel the gut reaction to make a joke and suppress it. Listen when other people are talking. Pick up what they're putting down.
I promise your games will turn out so much better.
This post is part of the Microblogvember prompt list! For the other posts of this month, click here.
one time i was playing 3.5e with some friends and we had all been affected by a deadly poison by some bad guy who wanted to blackmail us into doing his bidding. he sent us a magic letter with a bottle attached and told us that it contained one (1) dose of the antidote, and since my character was the one who opened the letter i swallowed it like right away without even letting the villain finish, to which everyone (including the bad guy) immediately burst out laughing because of how much of an obvious blunder into a trap it was (the poison started affecting me twice as hard after that)
imagine how much more boring and less memorable it would have been if we had carefully let the message play out, spent time discussing who would get the antidote, trying to determine if it was real, etc. this is why i play impulsive player characters - it's way more fun to just go with the scene and make something happen than to play it "safe"/"optimal" (aka boring)
