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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6237885" data-attributes="member: 6681948">This point seems to come up a lot lately.  [MENTION=22779]Hussar[/MENTION] accuses us of wasting time at the gaming table, for example, asking "What's the point?".  To me, the point of the entire game is to partake in an enjoyable activity.  Ask non-gamers and they will tell you it's ALL a waste of time (if they are  not too busy watching a sporting event, rushing off to a golf game or an evening at the opera, or doing something else which is clearly not a waste of time like spending an evening gaming).If the game is simply a rushed exercise at narrating the PC's success (whether because they rolled successfully or failed forward), that's no fun - THAT is a waste of time.  If the players spent the entire evening role playing discussions at the tavern, and the adventure the GM thought would start today instead starts next week, and everyone had a great time, that was not a waste of game time.  It was the purpose of the game time - to have fun.Where the problem creeps in is where one (or more) at the table had different expectations, and did not enjoy the aspects of the game played out.  At an extreme (that one player is a poor fit, and removing those aspects of the game he finds "no fun" would reduce or remove the fun for everyone else), maybe a player needs to find a new game.  Much less extreme, and much more common IME, is that the players have different levels of enjoyment for various aspects of the game, and we try to balance that out over time.  So if we spent the whole evening role playing interactions with NPC's, and showing off their own characters' personalities, perhaps the GM needs to have a more combat-heavy session next week so the combat wombat who was not as enthralled by the NPC's gets to see his aspect of the game in focus.  But, if Combat Wombat wants a game that is 100% hack & slash, maybe he is a poor fit for this game and needs to find a group more to his liking.  Just like a player who wants to do nothing but social/political maneuvering and NPC interaction will be a poor fit in a game that also features dungeon delving and tactical combat.  I suggest that, the more extreme the player's preferences (ie the more elements of the game he/she wants to eliminate) the more difficult it will be to find a satisfactory group.That has nothing to do with who is deciding the history of the game world, or whether the players can force the Wizard to return to his Tower right now, whether the GM wants him to or not.  The division of control is simply one more aspect of the game which the players and GM need to find some common ground for, or they will find their desires for the game are not compatible.If most players show up with detailed character backgrounds and personality sketches, but one player's character can be described with Generic Character Background (GCB) *, then perhaps that one player is a poor fit.  If all but one is happy with GCB, then the guy with a ten page character description may be the one who needs to seek another group.* GCB, created by a gamer frustrated with cardboard cutouts created by another player"[Insert character name here] is a typical [state race of character] [state class of character] whose sole goal in life is to become the best [select: fighter; spellcaster; healer; thief] he can possibly be.  An introverted soul, his only real friends or acquaintances are [state names of other PC's], and he demonstrates little, if any, of his personality in any public setting.  Description:  [Character's name] is a typical looking [character race] equipped, dressed and outfitted as would be expect of a [state class].  He wears [robes/or state armor] and carries [add weapon list], being otherwise equipped for travel and dungeon delving.</blockquote>

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