10 Business Lessons I Learned From Playing D&D

Esther Schindler writes "Those hours you spent rolling dice in your youth weren't wasted according to my 10 Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons. Playing fantasy role playing games did more than teach the rules of combat or proper behavior in a dragon's lair. D&D can instruct you in several skills that can help your career. Such as: 'One spell, used well, can be more powerful than an entire book full of spells' and 'It's better to out-smart an orc than to fight one.'" What other wisdom have you gained from your time sequestered with various RPGs?

Comments

Real Life

[sopssa]

To be honest, this seems a lot like just made to work out from D&D. These are pretty much general principles in life that apply everywhere, and hence its not a surprise that they apply in *roleplaying* games aswell.

If you take it further, the same general principles that also works in business also works with women, or for that matter, any stuff. This can be something along the lines "dont be afraid to be yourself and be convinent when saying your say, because it works a lot better". It works the same way in RPG's, real life, women, business and for that matter in everything. Its just general human philosophy.

Like said, RPG games tend to reflect real life a lot. You just take different character. That's why the stuff is pretty much the same.

Re:Real Life

[prefec2]

I would say people act braver in RPG than in real life, because most of the stuff you can do in a game is beyond your normal capabilities. And even more important: If you die you can start all over. Beside a depression that your character died, nothing of consequence happens. IRL you have to face the real consequences. If you trick your chef or a customer, this will come back to you. And all behavior patterns (protocols in certain situations) can be learned IRL even better than in RPGs. This is because RPGs are only a model of a world, which is beside some fancy features as dull as the real one, but only a model. The real thing is much more complex, and challenging, and rewarding. Think of it: You collect 1000000 of currency X in game. However, IRL using the same time to collect 100000 $/EUR/Pound would be more rewarding. And think of real relationships vs. RPG-relationships.

Pick up groups suck

[rgviza]

Always try to work with people you already know.
Playing as a team works better than being out for yourself.

Nothing new

[OrangeMonkey11]

These are all things that can be trace back to books written hundreds of years before our time. for example The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War, these two books have pretty much the blue print on problem solving. You can pretty much apply them to business, school, games, women, etc..

Re:Nothing new

[Ironica]

These are all things that can be trace back to books written hundreds of years before our time. for example The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War, these two books have pretty much the blue print on problem solving. You can pretty much apply them to business, school, games, women, etc..

So what *you* learned from D&D is, pay attention to the lore... the answer is already there.

Re:Rolling the dice

[SloppySevenths]

Much like WOW and Everquest are inefficient database clients.

Real lessons from gaming.

[Animats]

1. The little people are expendable. If you have to kill or lose a few thousand orcs or zombies, no prob. It's the major characters that matter.
2. When in doubt, kill it. There are no noncombatants.
3. The purpose of life is to acquire power. Self-explanatory.
4. Having a thief around to steal from the little people is a useful asset. Grinding is for losers.
5. The most aggressive player runs things. Just like high school.

This is a losing strategy in real life, or even real war. (Roman saying: "The legion is not composed of heroes. Heroes are what the legion kills.")

Re:What I learned

[Evil Shabazz]

...which is actually precisely how capitalism, the US, etc, predominantly works. All of the rules apply, unless you have enough money that you can give to the guy who makes the rules - then the rules bend as much as the money allows.

Re:Rolling the dice

[Chabo]

I forget where I heard it, but someone recently said something to the effect of "Many math nerds have lost plenty of money because they saw the stock market as a simple system of cause and effect."

Re:Rolling the dice

[fishbowl]

"Other than the content background which I can get from reading novels, playing RPG's is about as exciting as moving numbers around a spreadsheet."

Because you said "reading novels" and not "writing novels", it's pretty clear why you don't get it.

However, Real Life as Real Consequence

[Anonymous Coward]

So isn't it good to ***play*** and work out what Real Life holds for you ***in the future*** rather than wait until you get there and work out the rules?

What is play for but to try out the rules of Real Life?

And as for nizo's comment later, I gained a hot (if slightly older) girlfriend at D&D. Didn't stay, but that wasn't D&D's fault.

Re:Rolling the dice

[Jesus_666]

The numbers don't simulate, they arbitrate. Essentially everyone does just sit around and tell a story; the numbers only come in once you need to know whether someone is really strong/smart/adept at pottery enough to do the task they intend to. You can, of course, decide to use every rule in the book at every opportunity... but if you don't your game is going to run much smoother.

Besides, you don't even need dice. Some systems (like World of Darkness) avoid random elements wherever possible; there a skill check just means comparing your skill value to the target number.

Or you go with completely freeform gaming... Forum RPGs tend to do this. Unfortunately they also tend to show why most gamers prefer having rules and stats around - they keep people from declaring every ridiculous action their character takes to be successful (and all attacks on them to be ineffective).