How hard do you make the game for your DM? (for players)

[ForceUser]

I am a fickle prima donna of a roleplayer as well as a bastard of a rules lawyering powergamer.

There. I've said it.

My characters tend to develop antagonistic relationships with the other PCs, usually fueled by my metagame frustration with players who don't "get it." "It" being whatever is the most advantageous action our group could take in a given situation (as determined by....me).

I'm a great DM but a terrible player if I've got a bug up my butt about someone else's roleplaying, or the direction the campaign is going, or the situation our group's been forced into, or the idiotic combat maneuver pulled by another player, or...etc.

Luckily, I realize this about myself and thus take strides to not metagame, since most of my annoyance stems from metagame knowledge. Focus on roleplaying the character and not what the others are doing.

Focus, Pinky, focus.

 

[kengar]

I voted whiny assassin, though I'm not. I am, however, difficult because I am also a DM and have to choke back on my urge to "backseat" DM. I usually fail, though I usually apologize.

 

[Helspar]

You whine like a mule 'thotep! You are still alive!

Some people just don't take critisism well that's all.

 

[Celebrim]

The biggest problem I have is a tendency to take over other peoples campaigns.

Comes from too little experience as a PC. Seriously, I would LOVE to be a PC in your campaign. Just a PC. Don't ask me to start running every other session. Remind me that I'm not the assitant DM. I need the experience.

 

[bwgwl]

i'm a rules lawyer, but i use my powers for Good!

i tend to know the rules a little better than the DMs i play under, so i (helpfully) point out when a mistake is made (whether it's to my character's advantage or not). if the DM over-rules me (with house rules or just DM fiat), i'm OK with that and i don't ever disrupt the game over a rules interpretation.

one DM i game with is in the process of making a new world, designing a bunch of new races and such. he wants my well-trained min-maxing/rules-lawyering eye to look them over to make sure they're all balanced and work within the rules.

 

[reapersaurus]

Focus on roleplaying the character and not what the others are doing.

Kinda like denying a character who wants to use 2 shields in combat?
Poke, Pinky, poke.

I didn't vote, because none of the options were close to what I do as a player.

I didn't see "resident rules guy" up there.
Not a rules lawyer.
The rules resource, so the other guys can be freed up from messy things like having to know them.

But as far as making the DM work - ya, I'm the guy that will make him think about things like religion, and politics, and rules/situations that are outside of the book, etc.

So for a DM that "mails it in", I'm a pain in the ass.

But if they do a good job, I'm always the first (and usually only) that goes out of their way to compliment them.

 

[ForceUser]

Kinda like denying a character who wants to use 2 shields in combat?

As a DM, no way. A player would have to beg and plead and extoll the brilliance of his character concept to have a snowball's chance in Avernus of playing the dual-shield guy in my campaign. You'd have to convert me, show me a historical precedent, some sort of believable and germane rationale.

As a player, if my DM allowed it, I'd roll with it. Or try to anyway. I'd probably get in a snarky comment or two before I let it rest.

But we've had this discussion already

 

[tburdett]

Square peg meet round hole.

None of the options fit, so I didn't vote.

I'm the player who always projects a lot of their own personality into their character. If I'm going to play a role, why not play one that I know well?

I'm also the player who keeps the game on track when people start with the OOC stuff. "Hey, let's get back to the game!"

I don't rules lawyer, but I do point out mistakes in a polite and non-confrontational manner. ("Are you sure? If I remember correctly those two don't stack." or "You might take a look in the PHB after this encounter, I think that you're confusing that spell with another one.")

This approach has always seemed to go over pretty well with the DM's that I've gamed with.

 

[Dave Blewer]

2 Shields

What if one of the shields is animated?

Personally as long as one of the shields was used offensive weapon and one defensive I wouldn't have any problems... They could forgo their attack for a purely defensive action...

Would make such things as drinking potions problematic though, couldn't it?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I had to choose:
"I just sit there and roll dice when I'm told."

The rest didn't fit well enough to me. I do also tend to
"I roleplay a lot, but never in a way that will make other players mad", but the lot would be misplaced.
"I have a degree in rules lawyering." does only fit partial - I still have some misunderstandings, though I do know the most rules quite good.

Mustrum Ridcully