See, here’s the thing about Sam Riegel. I respect the hell out of him as a player, as a strategist, and as a creative. But the thing that I appreciate most about him is that basically everything he does is a major “fuck you” to people who play DnD to steal other people’s joy.
Sure, I affectionately call him an asshole, and some of the moves he’s pulled at the table (tonight alone) would make some people genuinely raise their eyebrows. But even when he’s being a bit of a dick, he’s doing it in such a way that it encourages role play and the inclusion of the other people at the table.
Take for example the recent running gag that Veth is setting up a one-on-one girls night with Yasha on the same night that Beau will (eventually) take Yasha on a date. Think about how, on the surface, it would be easy for the average player to take a joke like that and make it into a way to steal some RP opportunities from Marisha, or make Ashley uncomfortable, or in general shit all over the budding relationship happening between two characters. It could potentially seem attention seeking, rude, and at worst, blatantly homophobic.
But Sam isn’t doing that. He isn’t shitting all over everyone’s joy, he isn’t detracting from the RP that Marisha and Ashley got to do. He isn’t actually trying to stop them from advancing their collaborative story. What he is doing is using his jokes as an opportunity to encourage more role play, to encourage more interesting dynamics in the Nein, and to remind his friends that his fake halfling loves their fake characters as much and Sam loves the CR cast. He takes what some players (you can picture them in your head, don’t lie) would use as an opportunity to be a real genuine asshole, and instead turns it into a beautiful, funny scene, with opportunities to deepen his PC’s relationship with Yasha and introduce a new layer to her relationship with Beau. He’s actually a shining example of how to share the table well.
I think there are some people who miss his point, and see only the surface of what he’s doing (deliberately role playing sabotaging his friends’ date) and don’t look further at the context.
Sam’s goal is usually to play like a bit of an asshole, but only to show up all the other DnD assholes who can’t be assholes without preserving that sacred space at the table. He shows them how it’s fucking done. He’s a master class in “Just Because You’re An Asshole Doesn’t Mean You Need To Role Play An Unlovable Fuck” and sooooo many ttrpg players need to learn that lesson.
