Finding my niche as a player

[Rel]

In the DMG for 4th Edition, the first chapter goes into a breakdown of different styles of play and what each player enjoys. You might be well served to browse that chapter at an RPG store and see if you find yourself nodding in agreement with any of the play styles presented.

I think this is a really good idea.

Those above who are saying that there is no wrong way to play are correct. You should just enjoy whatever parts of the game you enjoy and don't worry about it too much. But I would encourage you to be somewhat self aware as you do this. When you are having a really good time, first tell the GM what a great time you had after the session. Then maybe talk a bit about what made that session so fun for you.

This is incredibly valuable information to both you and the GM. With that information you can express to the GM what sorts of things you enjoy most about gaming and the GM can in turn try to be sure to include those things.

This concept becomes doubly important when you are GMing because including elements in your games that you know the players will enjoy on a frequent and consistent basis is far superior to accidentally including them once in a while.

 

[innerdude]

I think the biggest key to being comfortable playing RPG's, is to accept that there is no wrong way to play. The only hard and fast rule: Have Fun!

Do what interests you.

If it's the game mechanics aspects that interest you the most, then indulge yourself in that.

If it's creating characters (backstory, personality, etc.), then indulge in that.

Likewise for tactical focus, story focus, and any other facet you can think of...as well as any combination of those facets.

....Just remember to not let your fun overshadow the fun of the people playing with you.

Just Relax and Enjoy.

Great advice for you, Squnk, and the only other thing I'd advise is to discover what "style" the other players in your group are as well. Most of the best groups I've played with had players with several distinct "styles," but each of the players accommodated the others' needs.

I'm actually usually the "odd" one in most groups, in that I'm not a character optimizer, and am much more interested the roleplaying/NPC interactions and plot than I am having an "Uber damage dealer" character. But it works because most of the time I've found I can help other players interact in those ways more than they would otherwise, and I've found that the character optimizers can help me enjoy combat more as well.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Define comfort zone.

It is when you are in combat and don't seem to be as effective as everyone else?

It is in character motivation? you don't have one? It's not been addressed by the GM?

It is in character creation? the rules overwhelm you or you just don't like the system?

Is it in fitting with the party? Someone always grabbing the character concept you wanted to go with and doing a better job of it then you?

It's hard to provide solid advice when comfort zone has a lot of different meanings depending on which part of the game you're talking about.