5 reasons for crafters to take up TTRPGs, and 5 reasons for gamers to take up crafting
And I mix hobbies often, beyond just using more than one fibercraft in a project or playing RPGs based on books I read. I make RPG-related crafts, include textiles in my world building, doodle crochet charts next to math stuff and maps of important areas, and create patterns and projects and stories around specific RPG characters I love.
A note: Many players of tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs, RPGs, or TRPGs) are male, and many crafters are female, although obviously not everyone who participates in either hobby is going to be that way (we are very diverse, and that is good). Some people will tease others who take up hobbies that are traditionally associated with the other gender; I say ignore those people. My crafting life feeds my gaming life, and my gaming life feeds my crafting life. You might be surprised at some of the things that you see and feel if you try RPGs or crafting, especially if you go in with an open mind!
These lists aren't the only reasons I'd suggest these hobbies together, but I've made them specific to each starting hobby. This means that I'm not saying to play roleplaying games because of the structured, collaborative stories, or to try crafting because of the fun of making things yourself. You can find general reasons to try anything on the internet, so I've tried to use my own experience to guide this. Anyways, without further ado (feel free to skip to the appropriate list, or not, as you wish):
5 Reasons for Crafters to Play Tabletop Roleplaying Games
1. The supplies. Not all do, but many RPGs require dice, cards, tokens, or other little things that are part of the game. Not only does the sheer variety of, for example, dice available appeal to crafters who like to hoard things, but we can make little containers to hold them! I'm a hoarder by nature, and although my yarn stash and dice collection are both limited for many reasons, I have a lot of both.
2.Interesting people. In general, TTRPG communities, in my experience, tend to be helpful to newbies and to generally be open and welcoming. Yes, RPGs have a lot of rules and things, but you don't need to memorize them (what are the rulebooks for, if not to remind you of rules?) and most groups have someone who knows a lot of rules and reminds others of the rules. If you're confused on something, there are plenty of internet communities that can answer your questions as well.
3. New knowledge of textiles. The RPG community is closely tied to cosplay and LARP (live action role play) communities, which are full of crafters and people who make their own costumes. Additionally, game settings such as the Forgotten Realms for Dungeons and Dragons are based on stories from the real world, which, at least for me, inspire me to learn about historical textiles and apply it in my games.
4. Social time! Like knit nights, fiber guilds, and other crafter meetups, TTRPG sessions (a session is exactly what it sounds like, one time you sit down with your group to play) are times where you can meet likeminded people and hang out while doing a mostly structured activity. It's also a pretty good time to craft, once you get the hang of the game. I focus better when I'm doing something with my hands, and I tend to bring a simple project (anything that I can pick up and put down easily, aka not lacework or fancy stitch patterns) with me to every session. I crochet between turns in combat (although I wouldn't recommend that until you know you can keep track of what's going on) and during other parts of the session, and I can get quite a bit done on my projects in that time.
5. It's inspirational. Beyond the collaborative storytelling and the resulting story, which is fun on its own, gaming is very inspirational. The characters and settings are so varied, and I love to make patterns based on certain elements, like the crochet lace chart (which I wrote out, but haven't actually used yet) that's based on one of my favorite D&D characters, the elf bard Ara Amastacia. I've made dragon amigurumi based on Fluffy the Terrible, the pink dragon one of my groups tamed. Rulebooks also contain really good illustrations, and I have totally picked up games just for the awesome art (I'm looking at you, Fate Core).
5 Reasons for Gamers to Try Fibercrafts of Some Sort
1. The supplies and final products. Dice are fun, but where do you store them? I have a really nice dice bag that I didn't make myself, but it kind of needs some repair sometime soon, and I want to stitch up a crocheted dice bag that I can use in the meantime. You too could avoid having to pay money for the best dice bags by making them yourself! Plus, yarn is soft and warm and looks pretty (and takes over your entire house, but that isn't a bad thing).
2. Interesting people. Crafters are social, possibly more so than gamers. We gather at knit night, fiber guilds, fiber festivals, quilting bees... there's endless meetups (at least before COVID-19, there were) and everyone there will most likely be Very Excited about new crafters and want to show you All The Cool Things You Can Do. The internet is also a haven for craft stuff; there's a million blogs and videos out there made by awesome helpful people who want to get people crafting, and most of them will respond if you write them about a pattern or something they did. I definitely will, should you write me!
3. Adding depth to the game world. I love my worldbuilding and all the settings I've created, and as a GM, I love to add depth and realism to the game world. Textiles are really great for this, because you can go several ways with them. You can use historically accurate descriptions (there are plenty of crafters interested in vintage patterns from many areas), you can use textiles you create as handouts (when my groups met in person, I passed around a sample swatch I made to show what the local clothing was like), and you can even base plots around them (I have a never-played adventure I wrote where the evil cult used a certain lace pattern to distinguish members from non-members, for instance).
4. Passing the time. I have always had an incessant need to fiddle, because I can't focus very long without doing something with my hands. I almost always have some project to work on or at least a loop of yarn around during my usual RPG sessions. It's quiet, less annoying to my tablemates than playing on my phone, and easily fills time when I'm not rolling dice. A word of advice though: don't do this until you're getting good at the basics of your chosen craft, since you will have to focus for a long time just to make the simplest of stitches. Even I don’t bring complicated crocheted lace patterns to a session anymore, and I’d call myself an advanced crocheter!
5. It's inspirational! Game art is really awesome, from the drawings people do of their favorite characters to the beautiful art in rulebooks and such. Crafting gives you a better appreciation of this art, and it teaches you techniques that you can use to draw your own game art better -- I learned to draw the folds of a cloak from making one and wearing it while drawing, and a number of my maps come from random piles of yarn and color combinations that I see maps in. At any rate, there's plenty of things that crafting can inspire in your games!
Suggestions
I hope my experience and opinions convince you to try RPGs or some kind of fiber crafts! If you're looking for a first RPG, the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is hugely popular, but pretty hard to learn on your own (a group with semi-experienced players really helps); I suggest something more free form such as Fate (any version), Honey Heist, Lasers and Feelings, Lady Blackbird, or other games that don't require quite as much system mastery. For a first fiber craft, I suggest trying knitting, crochet, or sewing; start with an easy pattern and a good tutorial for the basic techniques. Have patience, no matter what you're trying, and remember that trying new things is always hard before it's easy.
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