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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Barastrondo" data-source="post: 5734299" data-attributes="member: 3820">This is probably a very controversial viewpoint to take, but I would lump both under "player skill" as it's often so nebulously defined and contrasted to character ability. Games that stress character ability over "player skill" are usually set up to minimize the issue of the charismatic player or the person who is making the GM really happy away from the table getting all the benefits. Now, getting in-game advantages for making the GM happy away from the table isn't a particularly ethical application of player skill, and it's pretty much an unfair advantage, but it's still a human interaction skill -- if you were doing it poorly, then the GM would be resentful and prickly. Similarly, an SO often can have an advantage in reading the GM -- if he spends a lot of time with her away from the game, learning her tastes and preferences and personality quirks, he can develop the ability to read her plot twists and anticipate which NPCs are likely to be trustworthy, just because he knows her really well as a person. Heck, a skill like that would often be lauded if it were developed by someone who wasn't in a relationship with the GM. It's distinct from in-game effort, yes, but the same is true for the person who reads up on the genre in his spare time and therefore knows when the best time to try swinging from the chandelier might be. It's also true for the person who always brings snacks and drinks and gets on everyone's good side by being generous. These are good skills to have as players, even if they're often discounted as "player skill" because they don't directly relate to knowledge of the game itself.</blockquote>

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