Day 6 of the RPGaDAY 2025 Challenge and the graphic posted above shows “Motive” to be our topic of the day. Another vague topic that could cover just about anything. I’ve read a few other blog posts so far about today’s topic and I think I’ve decided where I’m going to take this.
What motivates you to participate in a roleplaying game related activity?
Do you just want to sit at the table to throw dice, eat pizza and spend time with your friends? Do you want to put together challenging puzzles and scenarios for the players to solve? Do you want to write the backstory to flesh out a set of numbers written down on a character sheet? Do you want to spend some time painting a small miniature that just came out of your 3D-printer? Do you want to attend a gaming convention where you play a bunch of one-shots over the weekend with possible new friends? Do you need more shiny math rocks that go klicky klack when they roll across the table? Do you love figuring out how RPG systems work and if they can be applied to the style of game you want to play? Do you love participating in the Character Creation Challenge even though you may never get a chance to play that character? Do you post on blogs or social media websites about our hobby? Do you get frustrated when the scheduling conflict monster and that damn real life gets in the way of your gaming time?
I feel ya. Well except for the painting miniatures part. I never had the patience to do that which only makes me appreciate those who can.
But our motivation to do this comes down to one word. Fun. It is fun to do? To play? To go through the frustration of getting things put together? The players should have fun, as well as the game master. When you commit to a game, be there on time, be prepared to play, pay attention at the table. Your fellow players planned to be there, the GM put a lot of hard work into the game. Don’t play the character in a way that it’s an asshole unless the game was set up to have the PCs be bad guys. Those types of people don’t last in real-world groups, why would a group of adventurers who are risking their lives want to protect someone like that?
A fun game is one where both the players and the GM are thinking about the next session. This type of energy motivates them to get ready for the next session. I have many memories of talking with the other players between sessions about what we were going to do next. I love it when my players have that same motivation.
What motivated you today about our RPG hobby? This article is open for discussion on the TardisCaptain dot Com Discord server. You can also email me at Carl (at) TardisCaptain.com with any comments.