10 Things to Focus on in Your RPGs - That Will Help You Have More Fun This Year

It’s the start of a New Year, so it seems fitting to think back about memorable gaming moments over the past year. There were some big personal milestones and unexpected forays into new games and systems, but the moments that really stood out had some themes in common.
The moments that jumped to mind first weren’t always big dice rolls and boss-killing combos; they were often times small, unexpected moments happening in between the action. Something unplanned and unexpected. It was an impromptu meeting with an old character. It was the group problem solving collaboratively. It was a table dynamic that fostered fun.

So in the spirit of having more fun this coming year (in everything we do, but especially playing games), here’s a quick list of things that can easily be incorporated into your gaming groups that will help to bring about more memorable moments.

Before we jump into the list, as a quick aside, here are my top 3 gaming milestones from the past year. Be sure to share your top memories or milestones in the comments below.

1. Hit Level 20 and completed a 5-year-long Pathfinder campaign - The payoff was incredible. Final boss battle and story resolution was top tier. 
2. Played Mothership for the first time - Probably the most fun I’ve had roleplaying in a while. Played a campy, zany, Halloween horror one-shot featuring a guy named Scruffy who was a janitor.
3. Got back into Magic the Gathering and built my first Commander deck - Well, my brother did most of the work, but I added a couple of cards and learned how to pilot it well enough.

So, all in all, it was a great gaming year with more good stuff on the horizon. And with that, let’s get into 10 things to focus on in your tabletop and roleplaying games that will help you have more fun this year!

1. Table Energy Over Encounter Balance

Perfectly balanced encounters are overrated. And sometimes even the most perfectly balanced encounters are a blowout due to uncooperative dice.

One of my top moments came about only because the group did something the GM didn’t anticipate and was forced to think on the fly. This resulted in a Mad Max style road battle that didn’t exactly follow any predefined ruleset, but was thematic and fun as hell.

2. Player Intent Over Character Optimization

When a player tells you what they want to do or what they are trying to accomplish. Focus on that intent first, not whether they picked the optimal ability or feat.

If someone is trying to be clever, dramatic, or heroic, reward that instinct. You can always work backwards to mechanics. This keeps creativity flowing and avoids turning the table into a spreadsheet exercise. The rule of cool reigns supreme.

3. Consequences That Enable Play, Not Shut It Down

Consequences are important, but they should open doors, not slam them shut.

Instead of using consequences to teach lessons or punish mistakes, think about how the world responds. Actions create ripples. NPCs remember. Factions shift. Rumors spread. The story moves forward, even when things go wrong. 

Additional Reading: Fail Forward with Style: How to reframe failed rolls

4. NPC Motivations Over NPC Accents

Voices are fun, but motivation is what makes NPCs, or any character, feel real.

Before worrying about how an NPC sounds or coming up with that clever little tick, figure out what they want and what they’re afraid of. Even a simple motivation, positive or negative, can carry a character through multiple sessions and make interactions feel meaningful even without a theatrical performance.

5. Physical Props or Visuals, Even Small Ones

You don’t need expensive terrain, costumes, or elaborate props to help draw players deeper into the narrative. Even small, inexpensive tokens or props can be meaningful.

One GM, when running a game of Geist: The Sin-Eaters, gave each of the players an old key attached to a small item that related to the player’s death. It was easy and inexpensive, but very thoughtful and is something that I’m still holding onto years later.

6. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

Don’t stress it. Sometimes it can feel stressful going into a session underprepared. Or maybe you are worried you misplayed an interaction. Or you missed an obvious plot hook and ended up spending half the session going through every book in the library.

The point of the game isn’t to play it perfectly; it is to have fun. So as long as you are being respectful of everyone else’s time commitment, don’t sweat the small stuff. Chances are the rest of the group didn’t even notice and even if they did they weren’t annoyed by it. After all this is just fun and games.

7. Downtime Scenes Matter

Not every moment needs danger and dice rolls. Sometimes the biggest character growth happens off of the battlefield or doesn’t fit into a box on your character sheet.

Downtime scenes let characters breathe. They give space for relationships, reflection, and worldbuilding to surface naturally. These quieter moments often become the glue that holds long campaigns together. Small, normal moments also help to benchmark the big, epic ones. They offer a space to level-set and might even allow for some unexpected growth.

8. Letting Moments Breathe

This one ties in nicely with the previous point as well, but silence at the table is not a failure state. It’s ok for things to not be so tightly plotted with beat after beat after beat.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop talking and let a moment land. Give players time to react, process, or speak up. Emotional beats need space, and rushing past them weakens their impact.

9. Ending Sessions Early is Ok Sometimes

Sometimes the session wraps up quicker than the GM anticipated. Maybe the dice rolls were lopsided or the group didn’t bother opening that one door with the elaborate puzzle the GM had concocted.

If the table feels good, consider stopping early. Cliffhangers, unresolved tension, and excited speculation between sessions are powerful tools. Ending a session early also opens the door to more reflection and conversation amongst the group. Oftentimes the GM tries to make the most of the scheduled session and packs in action to the last minute, only to have the group quickly gather up their things and go their separate ways. Ending 5 or 10 minutes early occasionally gives people permission to ask questions, set priorities, and tie up any loose ends before heading back into the real world.

10. Post-Session Reflection

Similar to the above point, but more structured and intentional. Take five minutes after each session for a quick check-in. Ask one question: what was one thing you enjoyed?
 Optionally, ask a second: what’s one thing you’d like more of?

This builds trust, surfaces quiet feedback, and helps the game improve naturally over time without formal surveys or awkward conversations. Don’t force everyone to respond, but allow the space for those who have something to offer.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes the most memorable gaming moments happen spontaneously and are hard to replicate. But there are some ideas and suggestions that might help cultivate more memorable moments. The real magic lives in shared expectations, emotional pacing, and the surprising connections formed in world and around the table. Focus on those, and the rest tends to fall into place.

By: K
Posted on: 1.13.26