This is the stock phrase I get from most of my family after a night playing D&D with my mates. I've spent years trying to explain what roleplaying is and yet they still ask this question when I get home. I used to get irritated by their stubborn inability to understand that RPG's are different from other games. However I have come to understand they are trying to take an interest in their own way and based on their own experience of what a game is or should be.

Many roleplayer's would consider the accumulation of a new skill or ability increasing magical item a 'win'. Similarly the general accumulation of gold and other items is treated as a marker of success. Mere survival or thwarting of a trap can be seen as a victory marker and of course completing a quest is a clear moment of significance. However the ultimate sign of success for any D&D player will be the accumulation of XP leading to that sublime moment when you 'level up'.
So now, when one of my family ask me "Did you win tonight?" I now answer "hell yes!"
Especially dislike this question when I've been GMing! But then "Hell Yes!" is an even funnier response...
ReplyDeleteI generally equate a smile on my face at the end of a session as a win.
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