Every pen and paper RPG player that I’ve ever spoken to has had about the same experience going into RPGs. It’s a long journey full of wonder and incredibly insane stories and I think a lot, and I do mean a lot of people go through the exact same story not realizing it. Despite what podcasts and online guides might say few players ever really just spontaneously pick up an RPG sourcebook and start playing.
There’s a process in cultivating an RPG player that takes a significant amount of time. It’s a progression of growth so complex and intricate that you might wonder how anyone ever gets into this damn hobby. So in the interest of breaking down those little personal borders that divide us and make us think we’re unique I’m going to label the six phases of a RPG player.
