So...I got a resume.

[Tyndmyr]

For D&D playing. Is...is this a thing? Is making a full resume of your gaming history popular now, and I just missed it, or am I surrounded by crazy?

[Maxios]

For D&D playing. Is...is this a thing? Is making a full resume of your gaming history popular now, and I just missed it, or am I surrounded by crazy?

Yeah, you're surrounded by crazy

[Yawgmoth]

"Here are my nerd credentials, I think you'll find that I am obvious and objectively the best roleplayer interested in your game. :smug:"

Sadly, this is not the most embarrassing thing I have seen regarding D&D players.

[Jerthanis]

Wow, I can't think of anything more pointless than a gaming resume. How much time you've spent playing this or that doesn't translate directly to mastery or to how interesting you are to play with or how well you get along with others.

The only purpose I could see to a resume is to give contact information from your last group to make sure you weren't kicked out for being a jerk.

[Wyntonian]

Well, I guess if someone was asking for a PbP DM, I might say something like "I know this system, here's a game I ran, went well." and give a link or something. But a resume, per se? No.

[Tyndmyr]

Wow, I can't think of anything more pointless than a gaming resume. How much time you've spent playing this or that doesn't translate directly to mastery or to how interesting you are to play with or how well you get along with others.

The only purpose I could see to a resume is to give contact information from your last group to make sure you weren't kicked out for being a jerk.

It was for in-person games. Also, it had a rather lengthy list of games played. Almost all of them were d20 variants.

[JoshuaZ]

I'm running a Pathfinder game now and I did try to find out roughly how much experience players had with 3.5 before hand, but that informal and essentially just to get some idea of what sort of things would go well, how much to expect in terms of optimization, etc.

[valadil]

I've seen it for LARPs. Makes more sense in that environment though since you're being cast as a character.

[Strawberries]

I've got a resume for D&D playing... in my signature, actually. But it is for PbP, if that helps to make me appear less of a dork: I just think it makes sense, if I'm expressing interest in a game, to let the DM know what sort of game I like and what my usual playstile is, so they can decide if I'm a good fit for their game or not.

A full resume for in-person games, with a list of all games played... yeah, that's a bit silly, I admit.

[Dire Panda]

If a prospective player handed me a gaming resume, I'd probably spend a good fifteen seconds waiting for the punchline. Asking what type of game someone prefers or whether they've used a system before is one thing, but formal resumes cross the line into 'socially isolated neckbeard' territory.

[Frenth Alunril]

While it's a bit much, I'm not sure there is anything wrong with it. I might ask some in depth questions about preferences for house rules, aid with new players and take the chance to explain what the game will be like.

Having a good player on your side is always a bonus as a dm.

[Vladislav]

For D&D playing. Is...is this a thing? Is making a full resume of your gaming history popular now, and I just missed it, or am I surrounded by crazy?

Neither. A single individual did something that's somewhat outside your usual range of experiences, but overall quite harmless. Happens all the time, really, in that wonderfully woven fabric of what we call Life.

[Jay R]

Neither. A single individual did something that's somewhat outside your usual range of experiences, but overall quite harmless. Happens all the time, really, in that wonderfully woven fabric of what we call Life.

Quoted just so everybody will read it twice.

[Knaight]

For D&D playing. Is...is this a thing? Is making a full resume of your gaming history popular now, and I just missed it, or am I surrounded by crazy?

I think that this is standard on the Mythweavers site, and it almost makes sense for a play by post site, provided that it is basically just a list of games which can be played or books that the group can access collectively or something. In person though, it seems utterly pointless.

[Jay R]

An early issue of The Dragon had an article proposing a way to measure D&D playing experience points, so you could announce, "I'm a sixth level player and a fourth level DM."

It was the funniest thing in the magazine.

[Slipperychicken]

I imagine that a previous group wanted one out of him, so he wrote one up for them. Afterward, in the horrific amount of free time which many have for their hobby, he probably said: "F*** it, I don't want to rewrite this thing from scratch, so I'll just update the one I have in case Tyndmyr wants it".

Personally, I think it shows that this guy cares about the game, and is willing to put serious work into it. Whether he's a good player remains to be seen. If he gave you contact info for previous DMs/groups, you could even call them for advice on the matter

[Tyndmyr]

I've got a resume for D&D playing... in my signature, actually. But it is for PbP, if that helps to make me appear less of a dork: I just think it makes sense, if I'm expressing interest in a game, to let the DM know what sort of game I like and what my usual playstile is, so they can decide if I'm a good fit for their game or not.

A full resume for in-person games, with a list of all games played... yeah, that's a bit silly, I admit.

Oh, no, this was rather more complex. List of games played, preferred char classes, length of time played, etc.

I found out that some of the formality was unintentional. It was a passed along thing that was a scribbled note, but the passer typed it up formally out of habit. This is something of a relief. I was very worried about the sort of player that claimed to take D&D "seriously", wrote up an entire resume for it, and misspelled the word "homebrew".

[Gravitron5000]

For D&D playing. Is...is this a thing? Is making a full resume of your gaming history popular now, and I just missed it, or am I surrounded by crazy?

I think you're surrounded by crazy. I'm not saying that this person is crazy. I'm just saying banana hedgehog air-o-plane WEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!

[Tyndmyr]

I think you're surrounded by crazy. I'm not saying that this person is crazy. I'm just saying banana hedgehog air-o-plane WEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!

I am building an airplane and trying to find a pet hedgehog. Additionally, we just solved "the banana situation". This makes far too much sense.

I may just be surrounded by crazy.

[LibraryOgre]

It's a bit odd, but I don't see a particular problem with it. A resume, in theory, is just a capsule of experience. A lot of this comes out in conversation, certainly, but with a lot of face to face groups first meeting on-line, I can see a resume coming in handy to introduce people to your gaming experience, even if they haven't been following the conversation.

[Techsmart]

That's a little.... odd.
Personally, I would look at the resume and say "That's lovely, now let's talk about stuff I really care about." The issue with "RPG resumes" vs. a real resume is that a lot of what you put on a real resume (and on a real portfolio) can be verified. Anything other than a PBP is a little more difficult to verify, unless the player asks all of his DMs "can I use you as a reference?" Even then, it doesn't really tell you much about the character that he is going to play in your campaign. He might have been a wonderful lawful evil fighter, but is awful in a campaign where he can't be a douche.
Also, where is this that people are giving RPG resumes in real life???? I've played with about 30 or so dnd players, and most of them would recoil at the statement "where's your resume?" (probably because then it makes dnd sound like work, rather than fun). If this is at a game store in a major city, where dozens of people are constantly in and out, I can be a bit more sympathetic. In an area where everyone knows each other... no.

[QuidEst]

If they want to show off, they should include a writing sample, a cool character background, or just share one of their favorite moments from another campaign.

[Arbane]

I may just be surrounded by crazy.

Welcome to the Internet world.

[RelentlessImp]

I just love how people get all judgmental over something silly like a gaming resume. It might be a joke, it might be serious, but either way, it sounds like someone who uses gaming as their escape from the day to day and takes it seriously. Absolutely no damn need to be insulting about it. I mean, seriously, what's the point?

[Dimers]

I mean, seriously, what's the point?

Recognition of social standards is important. Those of us who are trying to work with our societies instead of deliberately excluding ourselves from them can benefit from a communal reality check. I'm with the "whatever" crowd, myself, but I certainly see a reason to offer clear opinions on whether some action hurts the person who's doing it. I'd like to not screw up, and I appreciate the feedback I've been able to get (on GitP and elsewhere) about where the boundary is between "enthusiast" and "freakazoid".

[prufock]

It's unusual, but not THAT unusual. I've seen postings on message boards for people "looking for group" that ask you to send an e-mail citing your interest and experience. A resume is really just a more formal way of recording that. It make sense when you have limited space and a surplus of interested parties.

[Acanous]

He heard the DM he would be playing under was Tyndmyr from Giantitp forums, that guy who spends like 14 hours a week debating rules minutae with grognards.

Of course he wrote up a resume, he failed his save VS Frightful Presence.

[Tyndmyr]

He heard the DM he would be playing under was Tyndmyr from Giantitp forums, that guy who spends like 14 hours a week debating rules minutae with grognards.

Of course he wrote up a resume, he failed his save VS Frightful Presence.

Haha, touche, sir!

[Cerlis]

I think considering the amount of horror stories we hear about terrible players on this forum, a resume makes sense. You dont want to get your last player for a game and find out when you sit down at the table that he's an ass.

Obviously it would have to be well done, not showing that you know the game and are good at it, but that you've had experience working well with people, for example.

[Rallicus]

Might be good for online games.

I can't even remember how many DMs have bailed without finishing the campaign when it comes to VTTs.

A resume for online games would show that you take your DMing seriously, that you don't abandon ship at the first sign of choppy waters, and that you can make an enjoyable campaign for all those involved.

However, in real life, handing out a resume to show your qualifications as a DM seems completely unnecessary. If someone were to give me a resume in real life, I'd probably toss it in the trash without reading it. I don't care about your old campaigns or what you've done it the past, just give me a good tabletop experience and I'll stick around.