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Reference |
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Useful non-gaming reference- Willing to be a poker guru? Learn with the winners at live poker!
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Putting the team back in team work |
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I had the opportunity to visit the United Kingdom more specific London. During my stay and sight seeing tours I had the opportunity to watch the classic television show Dungeons & Dragons. I was amazed at the way the characters interact and decided to write my observation.
For those of you who do not know in the earlier 80�s there was a Saturday
morning cartoon show based off of the hit game Dungeons and Dragons. A group of
teenagers take a ride at the amusement park called the �Dungeons & Dragons�
rollercoaster. Something goes wrong with the ride and they are whisked into the
world of Dungeons and Dragons and greeted by the Dungeon Master. The dungeon
Master gives them unique weapons to help them survive the new world. He also
guides them on the pathway to home with enigmatic riddles that later would be
revealed for their true meaning.
The kids were as follows:
Hank the Ranger � has a special bow that shot energy bolts was the leader.
Eric the Cavalier � has a special shield that could protect against anything.
Sheila the Thief � has a special cloak that turns her invisible.
Presto the Magician - has a magic hat that he used to cast his magical spells.
Diana the Acrobat � has a special magic staff that aids her in movement.
Bobby the Barbarian � has a club that can be used to cause great damage.
It should be noted that Bobby was actually only 10 and that his sister was
Sheila. The group also rescued a baby unicorn called Uni and she followed them
everywhere they went. The also had a major villain that would try to get their
weapons and he was called Venger.
After watching the first six episodes I noticed something remarkable about the
group. They were acting like a team by working together and protecting each
other. I did not see any instance of a character being selfish or hording the
spoils for themselves. Each person was genuinely concerned about the others in
their party. Then I had an epiphany, this group behaved how the creator of the
game and writers considered a party to function.
So then what I did is analyzed past a present groups and look at how we behaved
in similar situations. One of the problems in groups that I have been in is the
lack of team work within the party. I am guilty of this as well. I usually try
to work within the party but I always have self-preservation for my character.
In the TV series the characters are willing to sacrifice themselves for their
friends well being. In an episode where Venger had took away all their special
weapons the hero�s managed to recover their weapons from Venger. Hank grabs a
few of the weapons and tossed it to his friends. Venger attacked Hank and hand
ducked out of the way. When Hank�s friends caught their weapons, they in turn
distracted Venger while the others could get their weapons. In my eyes it would
have acceptable if Hank would have retrieved his weapon first and distracted
Venger. The thing to remember is that without their weapons the party is no
match for Venger. So Hank in essence was putting his life in jeopardy to see to
it that his friends had a fighting chance.
I have observer that when weapons are take most party members only focus is to
see that they get their weapons/powers back. There is no concern for teammates
only for �Me, Myself, and I�. As I have stated earlier I am guilty of this as
well.
What plagues my group the most is the inner party fighting. While watching the
series I notice that one instant they group had inner party fighting. Several of
the heroes were ready to attack one another. It should be noted that they were
under a spell in a labyrinth. Even then they were able to come to their sense
before someone got hurt. In just about every game, every party I have been in
there seems to be inner-party fighting. It was so bad one time that I thought it
was me, that I was causing it. I now reject that notion, I do believe a little
inner-party fighting is healthy but too much of anything can be bad for you.
There are several ways to spot the ones who like to start inner-party fighting:
1. Check their alignment (usually players who choose evil alignments or Chaotic
neutral alignments want the freedom to do whatever their whims desires).
2. Check their class (A necromancer or a thief in a party of good is usually
asking for trouble).
3. Finally check the player (How does the player interact with the other
players? Do they suffer from lone wolf syndrome? Do they horde every single item
the get from adventuring without sharing? Do they brag excessively as to how
cool/powerful their character is?)
What is a team? A team can be defined as:
- A group on the same side, as in a game.
- A group organized to work together.
- A cooperative unit.
While in college I was placed on many team projects where our grades were on the
line. In AD&D the characters very lives are on the line yet I have seen team
members sabotage other team members. What kills my group for one is that we are
not organized I have been really sloppy on this front. I should be taking better
notes and I should voice my concerns over the constant bickering. But I am just
one person of a clog of people.
To sum up, when gaming we have to sometimes ask ourselves what would other
heroes do if they were in our position. Would Legolas attack Aragorn if he
disagreed with him? Would Aragorn forsake pippin and merrier, because they were
hobbits? Would Han Solo abandon Luke Skywalker because he got his reward?
Sometimes other players do things to irk you, and that is ok. It is a juggling
act to being irritated and acting like a homicidal maniac. A team needs to be
focused and work together to get the job done. True heroes know this fact and
embrace it, because they can not do it alone. Aragorn could not defeat the
orcish army on his own, nor could Gandolf, Legolas, Gimli (you get the idea).
All together they were able to rally others and defeat Sauron. Each had their
part play, and each had to depend on the other. That is what being team is all
about!
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Nexus |
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