Player Profile: Risk James

D&D really isn't known for its LARPers.

More often than enough its just a bunch of guys around a table, dressed in whatever casual clothes they can find. I haven't had any real problems with my players being unhygienic, though there have been a few who wore things that I really questioned they have the courage of braving daylight in. Risk, my middle child, absolutely loves dressing up. I don't know if its the fairy tale princess part of her girly nature that's causing it, or if its that she absolutely loves playing D&D. My wife was able to rummage through her old belongings and found a sewing kit she no longer has a strong use for. Obviously, she passed it down to Risk, who has been making dolls and outfits for said dolls.

But it seems the more Risk plays in my campaign, the more objects she seems to add to her wardrobe. It first started with a cowl and a few impromptu items to add to her outfit... but now she has a full uniform to wear when we play. She's made a sword sheath for a sword I carved out of cedar for her, a hand-sewn bag full of yellow-colored cardboard, a cape from one of my old shirts, and an impromptu set of caltrops. I've never seen a player so hyped about her own character.

Risk also has a plastic hinged box I was able to get from my work to hold her playable gear in. She's made a spot for her preferred miniature, her dice, her character sheet(s), and a pencil. Even with her atrocious handwriting, she has multiple pages for notes littered inside as well, which keeps track of the party's equipment and shared treasure. I've been working on getting a dry-erase piece to glue to her lid, so she can easily take notes for fun. 

Now, I'm sure you're wondering at this point, "Why does this child have such a strange/cliche name?" Risk's player is obsessed with the Undertale franchise, notably Frisk and Chara. Her player has had a bit of trouble coming up with unique character concepts - she's nine, give her a break - and the first name that came to mind was Risk. Her player also has made an alternate in case she ever takes a dirt nap named Chara... there's no changing the name to make it unique for the alt. As for her last name, don't look at me. Some creative spark linked James as a surname, and she had never heard of the Rick James meme in her life. (Speaking of alts, Risk has a druid in a side campaign I'm running named Chocolate Nutella. Don't ask.)

If there is anything that Risk is known for, its her crowbar (tm). For a thief, she really isn't very subtle (aside from pick pocketing), and usually goes to town with her weapon of choice. Her player usually peppers every attack with a full description - "I swing and try to knock off his skull!" or "I try to break his spine with the crowbar!" Time after time again I try to explain that called shots are much harder to do, but after so many sessions, I just say it happens with no special effect if her attack lands. Theatrical explanations make combat that more exciting for everyone, and as long as the players don't expect more, I'm fine with it. With that said, if they do happen to land killing damage, I'll exaggerate the result they were looking for, and once again everyone is entertained. Breaking a guard's spine has been one of Risk's proudest moments.

If you're been reading my blog this long, you've seen the subheading that refers to "crotch-punches." Risk was the first one to establish this phrase, and its extended to her younger sister Scooby. Here and there it'll switch up to "I kick him in the crotch!" As a girl, I don't know why she assumes every one of my NPCs on the battlefield, monsters included, are male, or even possess genitals. Perhaps its some tie to Internet Rule 30. If she can roll high enough, I'll allow the paralyzing blow on a male NPC, but most of the time we don't see 19s or 20s. Childish excitement aside, Risk is the most engaged player in my campaign. She always is looking for something to do, and is always trying to talk to an NPC. She's also the one who is continually asking me when I'm going to run another game, is the one who has the most memories of our campaign. If it wasn't for her continual prodding of what I was doing, I probably wouldn't be playing this game either, and I can say I appreciate all her enthusiasm and enjoyment of every roll of the dice.

She's really going to be an incredible DM one day.