Chelsea joins a DnD group that's into heavy roleplay.
"It's just DnD, babe, I promise you've got nothing to worry about," Chelsea reassured her boyfriend Tim over FaceTime.
"I dunno babe, I've heard some weird things about the guy who runs it. Nothing I can prove, but... just be careful, okay? And remember you can say no to anything, leave at any time, and speak up if something's making you uncomfortable. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"I know, babe. I know," Chelsea reassured him. "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, and I can take care of myself. Besides, it's all just pretend anyway. It's not like my bard's
literally
going to be having sex," she continued, then with a teasing expression added "Unless, you
want
her to. You sure you're not secretly turned on by the idea of me playing a huge slut?"
"Only when it's just the two of us," Tim chuckled, then sighed and relaxed. "Alright, alright. I trust you, and I'm sure it's all just exaggerated gossip. Have fun, and tell me all about it after. Okay?"
"Okay! I'll talk to you later. Love you, bye!"
"Love you too, Chel. Later!"
I hang up the call, then begin to stand up from my desk - but stop when I see I've got a new DM in Discord. It's from Eloise, aka Faerweather; the friend who recruited me for this evening's game.
Faerweather: Hey girl! Excited for tonight?
I'll admit my own handle, "Chelshocked," isn't my favorite idea. But then I really only joined because apparently the group uses it a lot for stuff between sessions.
Chelshocked: Definitely! It's been, like, forever since I had a gaming group. When do I get to join the server, btw? I wanna see all this crazy lore and in-character shenanigans you keep hinting at.
Faerweather: I know, but it's kind of a house rule. GM only invites people after they've officially joined the party, and that only happens after they've been to at least one session. Sorry!
Chelshocked: No, it's fine, I get it. Should I bring anything? Do I need to make a character or anything?
Faerweather: Nope! Actually, that's why I'm dming you. GM asked me to send you some stuff. First one's a cheesy video he makes everyone watch before their first session, then once you've done that I'll send you the character he made. GM says you can discuss any changes at the beginning of the session once you've had a look.
Chelshocked: I mean that's a little weird, but whatever. Go ahead and send me the link.
Faerweather: It's a file, actually. Sending it now.
Sure enough, a few moments later, there's a file in the chat called "NewPlayerIntro.mp4" I download it, then after making sure my headphones are on, open it up.
Chelshocked: Got it. Watching now.
"Hi there!" an oddly soothing, deep male voice greets. "If you're watching this, then one of my players has recommended you for our group. Before we continue, make sure the lights are off, you're wearing headphones, and this video is set to full screen. If you need to, go ahead and pause until you've done all that." I pause the video and shut the blinds, maximize the file, then resume playing. The screen is, for now, blank, so it's only the voice I have to pay attention to.
"Good. Now, let me tell you a little about me, and the campaign. I apologize in advance if I start to ramble. If you find that it feels like I'm dragging on, you can just tune me out and focus more on the sound of my voice than the actual words I'm saying. Unless you hear me say 'listen carefully,' you can just let my words sort of wash over you and focus on the sound of my voice. To make it easier, let me throw up something you can focus your attention on until you need to listen carefully." On cue, the screen comes to life and displays a spinning, multicolored spiral pattern. I looks almost like water, with pink, blue, and purple coloring. "Just keep your eyes focused on what's on the screen, and your mind focused on the sound of my voice until you need to listen carefully."
There's something else going on in the background, I realize. Some kind of ambient, ethereal noise, with a steady tone underneath what almost sounds like a mystical choir alternating between long Ohs, Ahs, and Oms. The effect, combined with the swirling spiral and the guy's voice, is actually really relaxing. Almost hypnotic.
"Now, again, don't worry if you find yourself tuning out. I've been a GM for a long time, and in my experience my players tend to retain a lot more than they realize. Even if you don't consciously pay attention to my words while I explain the campaign setting and house rules, your mind will absorb the important parts so long as you let yourself be calm and relaxed, focus on the screen and the sound of my voice, and let your mind become open and receptive while you do. So, let's start there. Take a nice, deep breath in..." I inhale while the voice pauses filling my lungs with air, "...and out..." I exhale when he prompts, feeling my chest empty itself out. "Very good. When I tell you, do that again. But this time, imagine that when you breathe in, you're filling yourself with calm, focus, and readiness to receive. Then, when you breathe out, imagine you're emptying your mind of everything that isn't my voice or the screen you're focusing on. Ready? Good. Breathe in..." I do so, and as the air flows through my nose into my lungs I find my limbs starting to feel limp and heavy. A faint tingling sensation pays over my forearms as my eyes seem to lock onto the center of the spiral and my attention becomes almost completely captivated by what I'm seeing and hearing.
"...and out..." the voice prompts. The world around me seems to fade as the air pours out through my lips. I'm still aware of my surroundings - the chair I'm sitting in, the loose t-shirt and comfy sweats I'm wearing, the second monitor showing my chat with Eloise, the headphones over my ears, the bed behind me and to my left, the dresser, bookshelf, and so on - but they seem less important. Even my thoughts seem to grow somehow smaller and dimmer, making room for the pretty, swirling spiral, relaxing background audio, and soothing voice that I'm supposed to focus on instead.
"You're doing great. One more time, now. In..." I follow along, and somehow grow even
more
focused on the spiral, audio, and voice, "...and out..." everything else fades. Only the screen, the soundscape, and the sound of his voice remain. I let myself focus completely on those, and imagine that my mind is somehow opening up - like a flower spreading its petals and leaves, or my lips parting so I can stick out my tongue and catch snowflakes.
"I should probably introduce myself," the voice decides. "My name is Greg McHale, but my players just call me GM. Which is handy, since I'm also the game master, so if you just call me GM it fits for both in-game and out-of-game stuff. I've been GMing for about fifteen years, and have learned a lot about how to make sure that the games I run offer captivating stories, compelling quests, and enthralling scenes for both me and my players. And, if you choose to become one of my players, you may find that I provide you with the most captivating, compelling, and enthralling roleplay experience you'll ever have. Part of that comes down to the house rules I have all my players follow to ensure everyone gets the most out of the game, but we'll come back to those. First, let me tell you about the world I've created for the campaign, and which your character is a part of."
He kinda likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?
I think to myself, but then find myself breathing the criticism out of my mind so I can focus on being calm, focused, open, and receptive. I find myself quickly tuning out this "Greg" guy's words, letting them just sort of wash over me and trusting that they'll sink in. I catch snippets here and there: Mentria, the homebrew world he's created, is a high-fantasy setting where magic isn't just real, it's a part of daily life. Most people have at least some magical ability - even barbarians get a number of cantrips equal to their proficiency bonus, and any classes or subclasses that don't use spells have been modified so that they're at least somewhat magical. Magic comes from emotions, especially passion and desire, and since everyone has desires, everyone has at least some ability to use magic.
Greg - or rather, GM - goes on for a while about what that means on a day-to-day basis. I'll admit I tune him out, and instead let myself feel like I'm being pulled into the spiral on the screen, almost like it's pulling me into the world of Mentria so I can start to imagine what it would feel like to live there. I my defense, GM literally suggested I do exactly that. I feel like he talks a lot about sex. I'm pretty sure he says something about how it's normal for people to get turned on when they use their magic, and how the more powerful the spell or ability they use, the more sexually aroused they become by using it. "But, listen carefully," GM says, and I remember to pay close attention to what he says next. "Just because your character feels a certain way, it doesn't mean that you as a player are expected to. And, if things get too horny for you as a player, you can always ask that we fade to black for anything that feels too graphic. You never have to do anything that you, as a player, don't want to while we're playing. Period."
I find myself relaxing, reassured by the clarification. After all, I have a boyfriend, and neither one of us are poly. It feels good to know that I can just skip past anything that would make me uncomfortable - especially in a game where it sounds like my
character
is probably going to be constantly horny and probably a bit of a slut to boot.
"Alright, you go back to tuning out my words while I talk about what's going on in the world your character is a part of," GM tells me, and I do just that. Again, he goes on for a while, but I only catch bits and pieces. Apparently the continent I live on - or rather, my character lives on - has been under the rule of a narrow-minded, conservative empire called The Patriarchate for centuries. They believe in a rigid political, economic, and social hierarchy, with clearly-defined roles and unquestioning adherence to tradition. But, at long last, the Patriarchate's grip on the realm is beginning to loosen. More and more, people are beginning to reject the Patriarchate's inflexible, repressive norms in favor of embracing freedom, equality, passion, and creativity. Then, there's more about sex, specifically about how rejecting traditional attitudes towards romantic and sexual relationships is not only becoming more and more common - it's considered by some to be central to the revolution that's finally starting to gather steam.
"Now, listen carefully," GM tells me again, and without really thinking about it I do. Truth be told, by now I've been staring at that spiral long enough it feels like my mind has been pretty much sucked out of my skull and into the swirling liquid on the screen, opened up so wide that every last detail GM lays out just pours in and sinks all the way down into the deepest parts of myself. "Your character is part of this revolution. A Liberator, working with others to actively attempt to overthrow the Patriarchate - by resisting their authority, weakening their influence, and showing the people they help that there's a better way. Nothing is more important to them than rejecting everything the Patriarchate stands for, both in the world and in themselves. How you do that depends on your character, which you'll get a chance to look over once we're done here. But first, let's talk about the house rules I've come up with to make sure everyone has the best time possible whenever we play. Don't feel bad it you end up tuning me out again - I'll give you the short version at the end. Just relax and focus on the screen, and the sound of my voice, until I tell you to listen carefully again. Sink as deep as you like into the spiral. You may find that the deeper you go, the better it feels. And, the better it feels, the deeper you find yourself sinking."
In no time at all I realize that GM is exactly right. The more I tune out the words and just focus on sinking deeper and deeper into that fluid, flowing spiral, the more it feels strangely but undeniably
