I used to Survey my players. Now I survey them before I start gaming with them. We use a standard gamer personality questionaire:
This next part helps the DM to get an impression of your gaming style. Add any other info you think is pertinent.
• The best way to do this section is to triple-asterisk (***) the answer you want to choose, or when answering each question. You should add qualifying sentences when you feel they are necessary to clarify your answer.
1. How do you like your campaign?
• A good campaign is about exploring a world.
• A good campaign is about playing out a story.
2. In brief, describe your two best characters (from any game system).
3. Briefly describe your last two gaming groups and the scenarios you remember playing.
4. Please note your five favorite style-mixes of the D&D game (examples: medieval knighthood, high-magic, low-magic, humorous, sci-fi/fantasy mix, dungeon-delving, desperate-stranded, swashbuckling, against-the-odds, wilderness survival, steaming jungle, barbarian, desert nomad, time-machine, gothic-power-personality, ticking-time-bomb, new world order, dragons & faeries & unicorns, across-the-world-exploration, Setting Emphasis (Dark Sun, Spelljammer, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Kalamar, Birthright, Planescape, Middle Earth), etc.).
5. As a player, I typically describe my character's combat actions as:
• Mechanics only: "I rolled a 16 and hit AC 10. I did 36 points of damage if I hit."
• Descriptive: "I move across the room (moving his pawn square by square), charging with a +2 bonus, I jab my spear into him, I rolled a 16. If I hit, I did 8 points of damage."
• Verbose: "I charge, yelling "Die you scum-sucking-orc-pancreas-licker!" I push my spear gushily into his soft belly and twist; then I yank the barbed head out, pulling out his guts. By the way, I hit AC 10 and did 36 points of damage."
6. Which one extreme gaming category could you tolerate the most?
• Super-high overall character ability scores with lots of optional special abilities (everybody has maximized their strongpoints and have no weaknesses whatsoever)
• Character finds at least one personal magic item every session, or may make frequent visits to a magic shop to purchase items (everybody has a gadget for every situation so they never have to use their heads).
• Frequent increases in levels of experience so as to end the campaign at high level (everybody is as tough as a dragon and nothing can beat you up).
7. Intra-party disputes and major decisions would best be handled by:
• Organized groups follow orders of the leader of the group, especially during emergency situations
• I tend to like to lead less experienced players so they don’t get the group killed
• Voting in non-emergency situations and establishing group rules
• Each character should do what he feels is in his best self-interest
8. Adventurous and heroic player characters should die:
• Never or only when the player agrees that it is time for his character to die.
• When they deserve it (such as when they act foolishly, or wander away from the party to steal party magic items for themselves, or when hogging the DM’s time for petty things).
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Happens. The dice fall where they may. Without any fear of death, the game can be lame.
9. What kind of aversions do you have towards descriptions of violence, gore, evil, crude jokes, foul language, historical female and male family roles, or references to adult situations?
10. To what extent do you like traps, tricks/lies/illusions/curses, and puzzles in a generic D&D game?
• There should be a large, complex plot, with sparse and difficult clues, but a great reward at the end for figuring it out. Puzzles should be nearly life-or-death. A witches-curse can be a good role-playing opportunity.
• Enough traps so that the rogue has something to do, and puzzles should be able to be overcome at least 3 different ways. Clues should be obvious, because I forget from game-to game. Tricks and illusions should be limited to only a couple per game. Curses are unfortunate plights and I hate roleplaying Toads.
• Few traps, tricks or puzzles. Puzzles waste time and only cause me to become confused and unable to sleep until I solve them. Tricks and lies should not be included in the game, because the DM should always be honest with the players and tell them everything forthright. I should be able to weasel my way out of an illusion by saying, "I disbelieve." Traps are dangerous, and could hurt someone! Curses cause me to become suicidal, because they're demeaning to my character.
11. How often do you like combat to occur in a fantasy game such as D&D:
• Constantly. I usually bring 2-3 characters to every game because I expect my characters to die.
• At least 2-4 times per session. “Danger’s my middle name.”
• At least once per session to satisfy my need for bloodthirst, plus "The only good demon is a dead demon".
• Not at all. There should be tense moments, but little real danger of your character having to draw a weapon
12. How often do you keep notes on your adventures?
• Religiously. I like to know what’s going on between sessions and because I don’t feel it’s the DM’s job to remind me of all the clues to an adventure. I also draw pictures of the party in action.
• Occasionally. I don't get into games that much. Besides, the DM should often remind me of crucial clues or let me make a die roll to check my memory.
• Never. I ignore plots, story-problems and puzzles. The DM should tell me anything important my character should know at the time I should know it, if I make a successful die roll.
13. If you were the only player and had to run three 1st level characters, what classes would they be?
14. What are at least five traits that exist in a good DM?
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15. What are your top five qualities of a good gaming environment (e.g. lighting, no distractions, drive distance, music, battlemat & miniatures, length of game time, comfortable chairs, space, fridge, fan, held at local game store, etc.)?
16. What are at least five traits of players you’d like to game with?
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Emirikol
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Thanks for the feedback everyone. Good questions Piratecat and ruined one. I will definitely be stealing your hard work!
