Discuss DnD

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Improving skills with DnD

Playing DnD has many advantages, such as having a fun time with friends, socializing, and having the possibility to be creative. However, those are not the only upsides of being in a campaign. One of these wonderful positive effects is developing skills that you can use in everyday situations.

One of these skills for example is negotiation. While playing DnD, you are almost constantly getting into situations where you have to negotiate. Whether you are trying to convince your DM to let you have the homebrew character of your dreams, or that your idea is indeed genius and therefore you should be allowed to carry it out, or you have to have your way with the bar owner so that you will not be punished for destroying their favorite piece of decoration, you simply just cannot avoid it. It is a basic part of how the game can proceed forward, and this comes in handy in everyday scenarios as well. Slowly you will require less and less time to come up with reasons to stand by your point, and by developing your negotiating and charisma skills, you will be able to present your reasons all the more efficiently.

The second skill that proves to be useful every time is the problem-solving skill. When playing you are constantly facing puzzles that you have to solve to proceed with the story. This can also teach you how every decision has consequences, that may not always be in your favor, therefore you will have to solve problems once again. Once you get better at it, it will be easier to come up with unique, out-of-the-box solutions, as puzzles in DnD most often require that.

The third skill I would like to talk about in this entry is the skill of working in a team. Given that most often you play these games in groups of three or above, you will find that you need to learn how to cooperate. This skill is very complex, as it requires you to listen to the others in the group as well, reason with them if you find something that they are doing wrong, and learn how to compromise if need be. In everyday situations, you sometimes are also required to work in a team, and the better you can co-operate, the better your results will become.

DnD requires you to develop many skills for easier progress in the story, and these skills are very useful in everyday life as well. I have only discussed the 3 I find most important here, but the list does not stop there. If you are curious about what other skills DnD can help you get better in, then I recommend you check out other sites that discuss this as well.

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Migraines

Some of you may have guessed that today’s topic is not going to be about DnD. This one is going to be a little bit more personal. I have been diagnosed with migraines 3 years ago, but have had them for a while. Not exactly sure how long, but longer than 3 years. In this blog entry, I would like to share my experiences and basic knowledge with you.

Now, I am sure some of you have already heard the term “migraine”. But what is it exactly? Migraine is a genetic condition of recurring moderate to severe headaches, that come with throbbing pain, usually lasting from four hours up to three days. It typically begins on one side of the head, but it may spread to both sides, and is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sounds, and smells. It is also often preceded by an aura. In a shorter description, migraine is a debilitating condition and has no cure as far as I know.

What is an “aura” you might ask? Well, when it comes to migraine terms, having an aura means, that you can experience visual disturbances (such as seeing colored spots or lines, zig-zag patterns), and/or numbness, and/or tingling sensation in different parts of your body, sometimes muscle weakness as well, and/or feeling dizzy and off-balance. However, it doesn’t always come with or before migraines. It is possible to not have them, yet still, have migraines.

Another term you might come across in this topic is “triggers”. These are the things that can and most probably will bring on migraines. Now, this one is just as unique as it can be. Each migraine sufferer has different triggers. These can be foods, drinks, noises, smells, weather, anything you can think of. For example, my main trigger is the changes in weather, especially drastic ones. Other things that bring on my migraines are extreme amounts of stress and alcohol. At least, these are that I know of.

What I think gets the least recognition with this condition is the emotional part. I know that I have been struggling ever since my migraines started becoming more and more aggressive and frequent. Not only does it drain me physically, but emotionally as well. Each time I am crippled with pain, reduced to a trembling, nauseous heap on the couch, I feel like a failure. I often catch myself hating myself for this, and often feel like I am just overreacting. But I am not, and have to remind myself of that quite often. Given that this is an “invisible illness”, there is a great chance that people will not believe you, and that can be quite frustrating on its own. Or when people do not understand the seriousness of this condition and tell you that this is “just a bad headache” and that you should stop being so dramatic. IT. IS NOT. JUST. A. BAD. HEADACHE.

If you happen to make friends with someone who has migraines, the best thing you can do is educate yourself about this (for example read up on the topic, ask your friend that has this condition about it, or talk to a neurologist friend if you have one). You feel bad for them is not going to help, just make the whole situation even worse. How people affected by this condition deal with their migraine attacks varies. What you can do to help is ask them first about such. Maybe help them to a quiet and dark room, and just be considerate. Patience is really important too, as these people have a harder time doing everyday tasks (walking, speaking, focusing, etc.) during a migraine episode.

Now, I know this seems a lot at first glance, but in reality, it is not much you need to remember if you are not affected by this condition. All you need to know is to be considerate and patient, as these people cannot help being in pain, it is not under their control. NEVER say to these people, that this is just a bad headache because it is not.

This blog entry is based on my experience.

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So let us say you have finally given in to your desires and decided to join a DnD campaign, and even managed to find a group to your liking. This is all lovely, but then, what comes next? Well, we will discuss that now, as this blog entry is going to be about character creation.

“So what do you have in mind for a character?” This is one of the very first questions that your DM is going to ask you. Maybe you already have something in mind, or your creative juices just ran out, regardless, the next thing after finding a suitable campaign is getting to know your character. What will their alignment be? Lawful good? Maybe chaotic evil? Completely up to you. What race should they belong to? Which gender? What role will they play in the team, what will their class be? Where did they come from, where are they headed? What drives their heart, what makes them want to keep on fighting?

But oh boy, this is just the beginning. After answering countless basic questions, with or without the help of your dungeon master, you will face the part, that as a beginner I deemed the hardest. Figuring out their stats is one of the most grueling tasks a newbie can imagine, in my honest opinion at least. There are many aspects you must pay close attention to, so asking for your DM’s or a veteran player’s help is strongly advised. But once you have that figured out, with all the other aspects mentioned in the earlier paragraph, you are mostly set to go.

Of course, it is not a requirement to have your entire character figured out by the time you start. Sometimes amazing ideas come to you during the game, and also, it can be hard to tailor your character right away in a way to make them fit in the setting without having prior knowledge of the campaign or such, which also greatly depends on your game master’s way of leading and the other players as well. Here is an example. In a current game, that I play with my dearest of friends, I play a mentally unstable war veteran centaur. As we were getting further in the game, there was a point where I was so lost at looking for clues for solving a well-made puzzle, that I decided to roll my dice to check if the fire on the torches were real and burnt. (They were real.) As I was doing this for fun, I came to think of actually adding another perk to her personality. So what I did was deciding mid-game, that she has had self-harming tendencies by burning herself with fire ever since she had lost her companion in war. I discussed this with my group, and we kept on playing like this, and it was perfectly fine.

All that is always a requirement though, is for your played character to be COMPATIBLE with the game and the other group members. Be kind and respectful, and please do not get upset if you get told no by the game master, as they most probably are not intending to hurt you, but are trying to keep some consistency with the world they have built for everyone, and maybe your character does not fit the preliminaries.

In conclusion, whatever you make of your character, be it big or small, after discussing it with the others in your campaign, you should be all set to go, and have fun to your heart’s desire.

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Dungeons and Dragons 101

Have you ever wondered about what Dungeons and Dragons really is? Perhaps it is merely some nerdy people sitting around a table playing make-believe, or maybe something else? Let me tell you about it, I will try to keep it short.

Not so long ago I was lucky enough to happen upon a wonderful tabletop roleplaying game named “Dungeons and Dragons.” But what is it exactly? For many this hobby means the escape from their reality, others even make a whole career out of it. But let us stick to the basics for now. Here goes the DnD 101.

As I have mentioned, this activity is some sort of a tabletop game, but nowadays it is not uncommon to play this on the internet. As long as you have a Dungeon Master, most commonly known and referred to as a DM, and some players, you can set up a game anywhere, from a local café to the most random place you can think of.

Now, the Dungeon Master is the MOST IMPORTANT when it comes to the game itself, because this person controls EVERYTHING, they are those who make the rules and make their players follow them, or find ways to go around those just to make their DM’s life so much harder. They plan the whole story ahead, be it a premade one or a complete homebrew game.

The players are often a chaotic bunch, almost constantly ruining their DM’s plans with their unpredictable actions, but are the core of the game. They control the Player characters, the main characters of the story. The game is for them, and they shape it the way they want, with the DM’s subtle guidance.

We must not forget about the dice, of course. Using dice spices up the game, as you can never tell what the outcome will be, unless you have a rigged set of die, but that is not allowed, as it is considered cheating.

To wrap this rather short summary up, you do not need much to go on wonderful adventures with your friends, when it comes to DnD. Have a willing Dungeon Master, some fellows and a set of naughty dice, that have sworn to throw you over.

Based on a conversation with my beloved friend.