Normally this idea that playing RPGs could involve some kind of competence tends to be limited to the skills of the GM. The RPG blogosphere has tons of tools, materials and suggestions for ways to be a better GM. Some of this I think is because as a population, GMs trend towards more deeply interested in the hobby, more likely visit blogs and forums dedicated to the hobby, are more likely to be engaged in home-brew and blogging and all the rest. When I think back over RPG articles I've read, "How to be a better GM" feels vastly more covered than, "How to be a better Player." There almost seems to be a kind of... "GM prepares (rules, characters, setting, situations), and Players should only have to show up for the ride" philosophy going on. I don't think this is necessarily bad, but I also think it's worth examining and seeing if there is room here to make your games better (as in, more fun) for everyone involved.
How players play is discussed on forums and blogs and there is some advice written for players. Even when players are discussed though, a lot of that talk is GM facing. "How do I address this problem player?" or "Which of these 6 broad categories do your players fall into (Hack'n'slash guy, deep story guy, normal guy who is just happy to be there, etc. etc.) and how can you accommodate their styles?" This reminds me of my own experiences GMing. I am a player almost always, and when I GM I tend to get very nervous, worried if I'm doing well. I want the players to experience a great session. I also, I guess, don't want to be considered the worst GM in the group or something like that. It makes me think... why is this the orientation? What do I mean?
As a player... do you have the same thoughts? "I want the players to experience a great session." Do you look back and wonder where maybe you slipped up, concerned you may have flubbed a session the way a GM might worry? Do you think about accommodating other players' play styles? Like, there are all of these articles and this advice GMs read in an effort to make the game better, cooler, more fun, however you want to say. A player has a different set of tools compared to a GM, but I think this drive should reside in everyone at the table. There are a lot of motivations that can come into how you play a character. Some people really want to sink into that immersed thing of vicariously living through their character. Some people want to use their character to make interesting story things happen. Whatever it is though, to make it shine... you've got to bring it. Ideally, you've got to bring it in a way that helps everyone else bring it. You've got to look inside your character, look outside your character & into their world, and outside the fiction to the world of your friends sitting around playing this game hopefully trying to make it great for each other.
Yeah, I'm going a little hard on this. To maybe dial it back, we've all been more laid back and casual about RPing than I'm pushing for here. Good, fun sessions come out of these casual sessions. I just think there is potential in the idea of Players taking on a sense responsibility for the success of a game at a level a bit closer to that GMs feel to provide a great session. Orienting beyond your own character to take in how what you're doing is influencing the whole game.
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