Using Your Authority As a Game to Empower Your Players: From The Perspective of a Neuro Diversity Event Specialist By Thomas R Wilson

Using Your Authority As a Game to Empower Your Players: From The Perspective of a Neuro Diversity Event Specialist 

By Thomas R Wilson

Understanding how to lead games effectively and acting as an empathetic authority is an underrated skill. It is a mix of patience, mindfulness, and control. We must ensure these skills will not be utilized to the point of abuse by us as Game Masters. There are many ways this can blend into negative easily. All it can take is one outburst, and we can skid out of control, ruining our sessions. No one wants that to happen, so we must understand how to utilize this Authority in an empathic fashion.

One of the best ways to act as an authority figure is to act empathetically. Empathy is a cornerstone of healthy human interactions. When we can utilize empathy as a facilitator, we can foster a strong sense of respect. A fundamental way to do this is to ensure all players at our table understand how to practice empathy. We can demonstrate it through our actions, tone, and sincerity. Keeping this balance is like playing a fine instrument. It takes work, self-control, and constant practice. Yet, when we master empathy, we can exhibit it for our players. Demonstrating empathy with our players is the best way to exhibit empathic boundaries. I recommend games and scenarios in play that give your players time to practice empathy without real-world repercussions.

Building off of empathy, as Game Masters, we can demonstrate proper boundaries. One of my favorite mentalities is that boundaries are a gift between two people. As Game Masters, we must be comfortable keeping boundaries between ourselves and our players. This does mean knowing what behavior to allow and what behavior to curtail. And yes, this does also mean being the bad guy occasionally. Stopping hurtful behavior before it can play out will help you greatly in the long run. Believe it or not, players at our table may even look to us to test their emotional boundaries. Our players may even go so far as to test us to see if they can respect us as an authority worthy of their admiration. Remember that many youths are used to being shut down, disrespected, and contradicted by adults. That is why we must know how to implement boundaries with empathy. Responding calmly and empathically to conflict can solve more problems than many believe. We must also know when we should be able to play off of group energy and when to laugh, smile, and joke with our players. This cooperation is where active practice and working with our players will come into play.

When we dive into the mentality of using cooperative storytelling, we must focus on the flow of the conversation. Helping our players to bounce off each other while developing the story further is a crucial role of a Game Master. This cooperative trust can be challenging, especially when we have players who may not know each other well. However, one option is to have a player to whom you are comfortable with throwing story elements and allow them to world-build by asking simple, direct questions. After that, as Game Masters, we can watch the reactions of our players by building off of these story points. However, watching for positive and negative responses and body language cues is integral. 

These reactions are always easier to notice when we know our players best. However, we can use our Authority as a game master to set the mood of the table by reacting positively to our players' ideas, showing excitement when something is suggested, and joining in on the laughter at our table. Our players will trust us more if we share the fun and celebrate their happiness. Alternatively, our players will know when we fake our interest and excitement. This faux interest can cause our players' attention to wane, and our players may even leave the game due to feeling disconnected from us game masters. Ultimately, being genuinely emotionally open to our players can allow us to set the emotional and cohesive tone at our tables. So we know what we are comfortable sharing and are confident in it.

The most important way to use your Authority is to build trust with your players. I have touched on this throughout the article, but I must restate it. Our players must trust us for our sessions to be run effectively. This mentality goes beyond trust in the story or the tone of our voice. We must be trustworthy in our actions, trusted to follow through on our responsibilities, and be individuals that those at our tables can rely on. Trust goes beyond emotional components; it is a gift that very few give freely. We must honor that gift as the treasure it is. We must be consistent, honorable, compassionate, and a source of security. We must use all the skills mentioned in this article to foster the safest settings and empower our players. And we must always know that trust is not always a peaceful road. Many of our players have triggers, needs, fears, and worries we can not fully understand. So we must act with that in mind. We are constantly working to know that the boundaries and stories are positive and considerate of our players.

All in all, effectively using our Authority to empower our players is a complex task, yet it is one worth doing. This practice begins a very long discussion on a skill set that can take years of genuine progress to master. However, once you start putting in the work, you can trust that you can be better for your players. Remember to give yourself and your players grace, patience, and kindness as you walk together into this new mindset. And remember that these skills will only grow stronger as you continue to work alongside your players. Ultimately, this will lead to a better path forward for you as an authority who can better lead games with empathy.