Grey outside, adventure inside
The days are getting shorter, it is wet and cold outside and by five it is already dark. This is exactly when the best season for tabletop RPGs begins: invite your friends, put the kettle on, get snacks on the table and dive into another world together.
Tabletop roleplaying games need no screen and no controller. All they need is a few dice, some imagination and people to tell stories with. Dragon hunts, a cyberpunk megacity or cosmic horror: at the table, you decide what happens next.
How do other people get started and what do you really need? We asked Johanna and Sonny, who both play with their own groups.
Interview: Johanna and Sonny at the table
1. How did you get into tabletop RPGs and who brought you to the table back then?
Johanna: My interest in D&D really took off thanks to Stranger Things. I really wanted to try tabletop roleplaying and bought myself a starter set. My partner and I then rounded up some friends and that turned into a regular group. We have been playing together for a few years now and have tried several systems, including D&D, Cyberpunk RED and Call of Cthulhu.
Sonny: A good friend talked me into watching the show "Morriton Manor" by the Rocket Beans (a German online entertainment channel) with him. I was pretty hooked and it did not take long before we played our first session of our own.
2. Which session or moment do you still love looking back on?
Johanna: At the start of our second campaign, we rescued a tressym, a flying cat that some of you might know from Baldur's Gate. Our half-orc barbarian looked after Skillex so lovingly that it got really emotional when he took a critical hit and was dying. Spoiler: he survived and we owe him quite a lot!
Sonny: We once had a classic: our game master had put a lot of effort into a boss who could deal massive damage but could only move short distances. Apparently she had forgotten that a few sessions earlier she had given me a magic item that let me push enemies several metres away. In the end, I just kept pushing the boss away from us and our ranged fighters only had to keep hitting. I did feel a bit sorry for her.
3. What do you really need for your first session and what can wait?
Johanna: Pen and paper! Maybe a rulebook. There are countless cool little adventures and pre-made characters online that are perfect for getting started.
Sonny: A great group, a notebook and dice. Everything beyond that is just decoration.
4. Which gear is always on your table and why?
Johanna: Definitely pretty dice and my tablet. We share material like maps, artefacts and so on digitally and use shared pinboards. I also take my own notes on the side. For me, the tablet has simply turned out to be the fastest method and you do not have to print so much.
Since I mostly play spellcasters, I also bring a physical spellbook with my spells and a spell slot tracker from The Speechless Bard. Snacks are a must, of course. We keep them in our d20 cookie jar. Best gift ever, by the way.
Sonny: I always have far too many dice, the rulebook we play by (yes, I am that player), and plenty of snacks and drinks.
5. Which three things would you give a beginner to get started?
Johanna: A set of epic dice, a notebook and a pen that lasts.
Sonny: A starter kit for a game system, a great notebook and dice!
6. If you could give readers just one sentence to start playing today, what would it be?
Johanna: Grab a few nice people, let the rules take a back seat for now and just create a damn good story together!
Sonny: Maths, shiny rocks and improv theatre with friends! What could be better!
Your adventure awaits
Johanna and Sonny agree on one thing: you do not need much to get started. Dice, a notebook and a group of nice people are all it takes. Everything else comes with time and the rules can happily take a back seat at first.
The long autumn and winter evenings are the perfect chance to just give it a try. Invite your friends, pick a short beginner adventure and let the dice roll. Who knows: maybe in a few years you will still be telling each other stories about your very first session.
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