What does improvisational comedy have to do with role-playing games? Well, I’ll tell you. First, a bit of background. Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is in all probability the most well-known role-playing game. Wikipedia states that “A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game;[1][2] abbreviated RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development.[3] Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.[4]1”
Like role-playing games, improvisational comedy also has rules. One of these rules is the yes, and . . . rule, which Wikipedia defines as ““Yes, and…”, also referred to as “Yes, and…” thinking, is a rule-of-thumb in improvisational comedy that suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated (“yes”) and then expand on that line of thinking (“and”).[1][2]2”
How is the rule of yes, and… applied to D&D or any other RPG? Whether a Game Master (GM) or a player you will improvise dialogue and actions throughout the course of the adventure. If a GM or player says no, that line of discussion, that line of thought, or that conversation is dead due to a lack of anywhere for it to go. (At times, a GM has to say no out of necessity… sorry, players.) If you want to enrich your encounters, in particular your social encounters, with non-player characters (NPCs) or player characters (PCs) — your fellow adventures — empower yourself and employ the power of the yes, and… rule and see where it takes you; it may become an adventure all its own and take you to places that you’ve never thought of or imagined.
And who knows? You may think of an idea on the spot that may have never occurred to you before; the yes, and… rule gets you out of yourself and into a more creative, magical, spur-of-the-moment improvisational space. Unleash the power of your creativity and improvisational skills and give the yes, and… rule a try the next time you sit down with your friends to play an RPG and watch the magic happen as whole new worlds of adventure open up for you, ripe for exploration. When I think of the use of the improvisational comedy rule yes, and… in RPGs, I say, “yes please!”
Sources cited:
“Role-playing game,” Wikipedia, 29 July 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game.
“Yes, and. . .,” Wikipedia, 12 February 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes,_and….