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Hudsen\u2019s Hall of Games is The Michigan Daily\u2019s Weekly Column about all things gaming. Whether it\u2019s Dungeons & Dragons or the newest Steam releases, this is where you\u2019ll find it!<\/em><\/p>\n Welcome, everyone, to the wonderful first installment of Hudsen\u2019s Hall of Games. Here, I will regale you with wonderful information about gaming of all kinds. Today, we will be focusing on tabletop roleplaying games, specifically Dungeons & Dragons (because that\u2019s the one everyone plays \u2026<\/a>). In honor of the first installment of this column, I\u2019ll be discussing the beginning of any good D&D player\u2019s journey: character creation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Making a character is a wonderful thing. Every time I start a new campaign or play in a one-shot, coming up with a silly little guy to embody brings me so much joy. However, if you aren\u2019t careful, making your character could result in disaster! Maybe that\u2019s overexaggerating, but realizing a character you were excited to play isn\u2019t as fun as you thought can be disastrous. If a character has a personality you feel uncomfortable playing, or they don\u2019t mesh with the players, it can make the game much less enjoyable. In the effort of dodging such a catastrophe, here\u2019s my advice for how to create characters you\u2019ll love (almost) every time.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re new to D&D or a grizzled veteran, there\u2019s one piece of advice that I always give when making characters: contextualize their abilities. As a writing prompt, it sounds simple, but it can lead down some really intriguing paths. Ask yourself, \u201cWhy did my fighter learn to swing a sword?\u201d or, \u201cWhy would my wizard have learned \u2018burning hands\u2019 instead of \u2018mage armor?\u2019\u201d These questions serve two very important functions: to fully realize your character and to put you in their headspace. If you interrogate why your character can do what they do, they stop being a bundle of rules and stats and become a person with a history that informs their reality. Nobody is an island, after all. The value of understanding your character\u2019s mindset shouldn\u2019t be understated, either. One of the hardest things about roleplaying is being someone who isn\u2019t you and making decisions you wouldn\u2019t make. D&D characters are defined by their \u201cclass\u201d (essentially their role in the party), so interrogating what defines them helps you to understand what makes them different from you!<\/p>\n