RPG Blog Carnival: We Can Be Heroes

The theme of the December 2011 RPG Blog Carnival, sponsored by Casting Shadows, is “heroes”, with an emphasis on what it takes to be a hero.

When I started playing Dungeons & Dragons back around 1979, the appeal was that I could pretend to be characters that were unlike myself. They could do things that I couldn’t, achieve things that I could only dream of, make a difference on a scale that was beyond any impact I could imagine myself making in real life. I got be the the hero, I got to be the good guy. It was my role to insure that good triumphed over evil, or at least to do everything in my (character’s) power to make it so.

But that’s just escapism, right?

So here I am, decades beyond high school. I prefer playing flawed characters now, anti-heroes, people who have to struggle with morals and ethics and still end up doing the right thing in the end, because it is, in fact, the right thing. I like these characters because not only do they offer me greater challenges for roleplaying, and more opportunities to explore their personalities and motivations, they better define my understanding of what it takes to be a hero.

If you’re assured of the outcome, and there’s no personal risk, are you really a hero? If there’s no element of sacrifice, no potential for loss, are you really a hero? If you don’t have to struggle with your own values and emotions, are you really a hero? Everyone knows that defeating the evil dragon is what has to happen. The question is, can you overcome your own personal baggage and go do it?

There was a point in my life, a few years ago, when I stopped asking those questions of my characters and started asking them of myself. I started wondering what kept me — not the fictional people on my character sheets, me — from being a hero. It was easy to play a hero, to roll some dice, swing a sword, cast a spell, use a superpower. What would it mean to be a hero, not in the context of a fantasy setting, or a realm of horror, or a superhero universe, but in the real world, the place where even the most hardcore gamers spend most of their time. Not dressing up and fighting crime, or anything crazy like that. Engaging with the real world, taking a close look at real-world problems, and figuring out what can be done to make things better.

When I started falling away from being a full-time roleplaying game blogger, it was because I started doing volunteer work and engaging in advocacy for causes I felt were important. I’m not a hero — those are cops and firefighters, soldiers and teachers, people who make it possible for us to safely sit around and play roleplaying games. But I’m an actively involved good guy, trying to make a difference in the world, doing any small thing I can to help people in need, ease suffering, and yes, as hokey as it sounds, help good triumph over evil.

I know many people in the roleplaying community are involved in a number of charities, and many quietly do good works on their own time. To them, I give my thanks. If you’re not involved in something, either through regular charitable donation, or volunteering your time, I’m not judging you or trying to give you grief. However, I would ask you to look inside yourself, and find out what the hero inside you is capable of.