Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="DamionW" data-source="post: 2575247" data-attributes="member: 18649">My friend sent me a PDF of Robin Law's &quot;Rules of Good Game Mastering,&quot; and he breaks player types into some basic categories:1.&nbsp; Power Gamer:&nbsp; Needs to min/max to try and make his character the best2.&nbsp; Butt Kicker:&nbsp; Just wants combat to blow stress3.&nbsp; Tactician:&nbsp; Needs complex military-style conflicts to be tackled with ingenuity4.&nbsp; Specialist:&nbsp; Likes one specific character template in every RPG (i.e. the ninja)5.&nbsp; Method Actor:&nbsp; Wants to roleplay every interaction to explore motivations6.&nbsp; Storyteller:&nbsp; Wants to watch a plot develop that's entertaining7.&nbsp; Casual Gamer:&nbsp; Just plays to kill time, not to expend effort on itHairfoot, your concerns do seem mainly with player attitudes more than mechanics, but don't discount your own preferences in that mix.&nbsp; You're probably the most pure example of a tactician gamer I've met, one who wants a complex situation of PCs versus adversaries with a myriad of options and the correct selection options results in the players solving the conflict without loss of life.&nbsp; That is what seems to be apparant from your posts.&nbsp; That is all well and good, but what of the 6 other player styles?&nbsp; Are they necessarily wrong because they don't enjoy taking 5 hours planning a castle raid to the minutest detail?&nbsp; It is a game and the overall objective is having a group of people collaborating to create an enjoyable passtime.&nbsp; If your tactical scenarios end up being interesting only to you or you and another of your group while leaving others out, are you solving the tactical quandry in real life of gathering people to have fun together?&nbsp; Therein lies the real question.Me?&nbsp; I identify more as a storyteller.&nbsp; I like watching a plot develop similar to a good novel or movie unfolding.&nbsp; I don't need lots of buffs for my PC, even at high levels, but I want to be intrigued by the interplay or my characters choices and the plotline.&nbsp; That's my argument against skipping the low levels, because while you can jump to more powerful characters, you dump plot in the process.&nbsp; I don't enjoy that.&nbsp; If the rest of the group does, I'll have to bear it, but I'll try and convince them otherwise.The key to being an effective player and especially a good GM is to understand what an RPG overall is.&nbsp; People collaborating to create an artificial reality that is fun for everyone involved.&nbsp; If you're the DM and none of your players are fellow tacticians, don't be surprised by their aneurisms.&nbsp; Maybe they just want to play to kick butt in a fake world.&nbsp; I don't like that personally, but I can't call it wrong.&nbsp; Just find some more like-minded tacticians, or work with your current players to find the balance between the tactical set-ups you likes, the cool magic items the power gamer wants, the dramatic self-exploration the method actor wants to dabble in, or whatever preferences are present.&nbsp; The key is to remember everyone wants fun, and everyone has to agree to work together to make it happen for all parties.&nbsp; That's the secret.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="DamionW, post: 2575247, member: 18649"] My friend sent me a PDF of Robin Law's "Rules of Good Game Mastering," and he breaks player types into some basic categories: 1. Power Gamer: Needs to min/max to try and make his character the best 2. Butt Kicker: Just wants combat to blow stress 3. Tactician: Needs complex military-style conflicts to be tackled with ingenuity 4. Specialist: Likes one specific character template in every RPG (i.e. the ninja) 5. Method Actor: Wants to roleplay every interaction to explore motivations 6. Storyteller: Wants to watch a plot develop that's entertaining 7. Casual Gamer: Just plays to kill time, not to expend effort on it Hairfoot, your concerns do seem mainly with player attitudes more than mechanics, but don't discount your own preferences in that mix. You're probably the most pure example of a tactician gamer I've met, one who wants a complex situation of PCs versus adversaries with a myriad of options and the correct selection options results in the players solving the conflict without loss of life. That is what seems to be apparant from your posts. That is all well and good, but what of the 6 other player styles? Are they necessarily wrong because they don't enjoy taking 5 hours planning a castle raid to the minutest detail? It is a game and the overall objective is having a group of people collaborating to create an enjoyable passtime. If your tactical scenarios end up being interesting only to you or you and another of your group while leaving others out, are you solving the tactical quandry in real life of gathering people to have fun together? Therein lies the real question. Me? I identify more as a storyteller. I like watching a plot develop similar to a good novel or movie unfolding. I don't need lots of buffs for my PC, even at high levels, but I want to be intrigued by the interplay or my characters choices and the plotline. That's my argument against skipping the low levels, because while you can jump to more powerful characters, you dump plot in the process. I don't enjoy that. If the rest of the group does, I'll have to bear it, but I'll try and convince them otherwise. The key to being an effective player and [U]especially[/U] a good GM is to understand what an RPG overall is. People collaborating to create an artificial reality that is fun for everyone involved. If you're the DM and none of your players are fellow tacticians, don't be surprised by their aneurisms. Maybe they just want to play to kick butt in a fake world. I don't like that personally, but I can't call it wrong. Just find some more like-minded tacticians, or work with your current players to find the balance between the tactical set-ups you likes, the cool magic items the power gamer wants, the dramatic self-exploration the method actor wants to dabble in, or whatever preferences are present. The key is to remember everyone wants fun, and everyone has to agree to work together to make it happen for all parties. That's the secret. [/QUOTE]

Verification