The concept of “good form” in martial arts terminology seems (in my limited understanding) to refer to the method by which an instructor can transfer their knowledge to the student. Form is structure that teaches. In the context of roleplaying games, this would point towards beginner resources.

An RPG with “good form”, the subject of #RPGaDAY2024 for today, would be a game that does a strong job in teaching new players how to participate in an RPG. Arguably the best such tool would be the classic “Basic Set” (1983) from the BECMI Dungeons & Dragons series.

Last year, I made copies of this set available so that I could hand them to prospective DMs because I still consider the step-by-step introduction to the classical dungeon adventure best explained by Basic Dungeons & Dragons (1983).

While people often champion this or that set of game rules as being “easy” or “accessible” or “simple”, the fact that so few games bother to explain HOW the game is set-up and actually run is concerning.

If “good form” is the method by which an instructor can transfer their knowledge to the student, we are in sore need of it. For my part, this is why showing new players by example and through play is such a strong motivation.

Game on!