D&D General Wildly Diverse "Circus Troupe" Adventuring Parties

[Hussar]

I honestly don’t know, but part of it might be that my friends are all neuro divergent goofs who flit from one passionate interest to another each week. They may have thought “oh yeah, ancient greek Odyssey character” one day, but by the time we’ve gotten started, they’re really, really obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 and really really want to be a Dragonborn Dark Urge. Or a Jedi.

Attention spans of mildly concussed gerbils?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

There is no massive time commitment for a player beyond turning up for 3 hours once per fortnight. Maybe if you go round suggesting that there is, it is putting potential players off.

That is, I'm sorry to say, not at all true, at least not universally the way you present. Any player I would want in my games is going to commit a fair amount more time than that. Because they're going to think about their character outside of actual session time. They're going to care about the world, and (ideally) creatively invest in that world, providing me rich fodder for new scenes.

I talk with my players regularly outside of session. Seeking feedback, material, just generally enjoying time with my players. Being part of a TTRPG is a social experience, which...I mean that has always meant for me that I dig deeper into it even when I'm not (metaphorically) sitting at the table slinging dice.

Hell no! I've not come across anyone who wants to be a DM! They do it because if they don't no one else will, largely because no one else has the time.

I wanted to be a GM. Still do, hence why I continue doing it. I also want to be a player. Not in the same game, of course, as that probably wouldn't work very well.

 

[Hussar]

I wanted to be a GM. Still do, hence why I continue doing it. I also want to be a player. Not in the same game, of course, as that probably wouldn't work very well.

Actually, I've done the rotating DM thing and it can be a ton of fun. Very episodic, of course, but, still a ton of fun. TBH, that's how I started. The four or five of us that were learning to play all took turns running games. It was years before I'd actually met a group that had a dedicated DM. And then, about the time I went to uni, it seemed that that's when I saw that as the default.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Actually, I've done the rotating DM thing and it can be a ton of fun. Very episodic, of course, but, still a ton of fun. TBH, that's how I started. The four or five of us that were learning to play all took turns running games. It was years before I'd actually met a group that had a dedicated DM. And then, about the time I went to uni, it seemed that that's when I saw that as the default.

I suppose I should have said "not in the same game at the same time"?

 

[Mind of tempest]

The trick is that the player needs to know when to be serious and when to be goofy. I'm not against comedy, but too many players think they're in a bad parody movie of D&D rather than an actual D&D game.

I know that one I end up the straight man in most, as I tend not to play goofy characters.

That is exactly it. I encounter that type of stuff all the time as well. I can’t decide if I’m crazy or the people doing it are!

Like was said earlier, I don’t for a minute think anyone is doing it out of malice, but I have certainly had players outright deny they are doing things like that. It really challenges my desire to want to GM in the first place.

at this point some people sound insane.

I honestly don’t know, but part of it might be that my friends are all neuro divergent goofs who flit from one passionate interest to another each week. They may have thought “oh yeah, ancient greek Odyssey character” one day, but by the time we’ve gotten started, they’re really, really obsessed with Baldur’s Gate 3 and really really want to be a Dragonborn Dark Urge. Or a Jedi.

I get that but I also tend to be fairly fluid to what a group needs.

 

[Scott Christian]

That is, I'm sorry to say, not at all true, at least not universally the way you present. Any player I would want in my games is going to commit a fair amount more time than that. Because they're going to think about their character outside of actual session time. They're going to care about the world, and (ideally) creatively invest in that world, providing me rich fodder for new scenes.

I talk with my players regularly outside of session. Seeking feedback, material, just generally enjoying time with my players. Being part of a TTRPG is a social experience, which...I mean that has always meant for me that I dig deeper into it even when I'm not (metaphorically) sitting at the table slinging dice.

I mean, this is within your social context, right? There are many tables that I have been a part of that do not get to see each other outside of the four hours per week. Sure, you might have a text thread where the DM asks a question, or the DM posts notes and asks if they missed anything, but that is a fluttering compared to having conversations about feedback or learning material outside of their character's purview.
In other words, both sides can be true. You can have a table like yours (and I have, and it was awesome). But you can also have a group that shows up once a week for four hours and plays their characters.

 

[Scott Christian]

Tropes need to be consistent in a DM's fantasy world in order for the unique to stand out.

Tropes are needed. They make the alternative unique. We have a million tropes in our own world, and as hard as what people like to buck them, they remain tried and true.

• Librarians are well read compared to most of the general public.
• Marines are in better shape than most of the general public.
• CEOs are more confident than most of the general public.
• Entertainers like the spotlight more than most of the general public.

So tropes allow us to group things, and therefore, make sense of the world. Are people individuals? Of course! Can they buck the trend? Of course. But that does not stop us from categorizing the trope, even if we know several that do buck the trend.

The same mentality can be carried over to gaming. Can you have a halfling that hates cooking, food, and wants nothing more than to be a monk and eat only fish cakes and rice? Of course. But if every halfling you present is as original as that, and the halfling actually live together in village where they are the majority... Well, not for a good economy does that make? Of course, if you have them all loggers and wood crafters, then it can work. But we are talking about tropes. And tropes need to be consistent in a DM's fantasy world in order for the unique to stand out.

 

[Umbran]

People who actually show up consistently as Players for a long period of time are the true unicorns who make in-person DnD possible.

Correction - people who actually show up consistently AND ARE FREE TO PLAY IN YOUR GAME may be unicorns.

It is like asking, "Where are all the truly awesome people who want to be in long-term relationships? I want one of them!" Well, sorry, but they are mostly in long-term relationships already, and aren't on the market for you.

 

[Umbran]

Like was said earlier, I don’t for a minute think anyone is doing it out of malice, but I have certainly had players outright deny they are doing things like that. It really challenges my desire to want to GM in the first place.

Well, humans literally (and this is literally-literally, not figuratively-literally) process judgements about others with different parts of the brain than they judge themselves. So, folks can very much have a different opinion of their own behavior than they would have of someone else doing the same things.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That is, I'm sorry to say, not at all true, at least not universally the way you present. Any player I would want in my games is going to commit a fair amount more time than that. Because they're going to think about their character outside of actual session time. They're going to care about the world, and (ideally) creatively invest in that world, providing me rich fodder for new scenes

I’ve a news flash for you: most people have to work for a living (and look after children), and are expected to spend most of their time thinking about that. If you expect players to commit significant amounts of time outside of actually playing, you will have a hard time finding people able to do that, and you are actively deterring people from taking up the hobby.