Topic One: Player Hating
As should always be the case when beginning something new, we should start from the basics. The majority of people playing RPGs are obviously players, and even GMs play the game, so before we get into anything complicated, let’s think about what makes up a player.
About a year or two back,
Dragon magazine ran an article that detailed several different types of players, and since I’ve left that issue in Atlanta and I’m in Texas for Christmas, I’ll use my own terms. Let’s say there are six different main types of roleplaying gamers.
- Steam Venters. These players enjoy the game as a way to relax, and view it as entertaining escapism. A steam venter is usually happiest when he can defeat the challenges easily. Gaming becomes a way to not have to worry about things.
- Power Gamers. These players view the game as a challenge, and though usually we say you can’t ‘win’ an RPG, you can certainly grab it by its tender regions and prove who’s in charge. A power gamer is usually happiest when the game is a challenge, and where the ability to twist the rules pays off. If the other players aren’t power gamers, they might feel the power gamer is ‘overpowered.’
- Storyteller. Storytellers play RPGs because they enjoy the narrative aspect of the games. They want quality fiction, emotion, drama, and occasionally a message. Often for storytellers, the game is just an excuse to get together and enjoy a story. A storyteller is happiest when the game makes sense and has good narrative flow, and when all the players are involved and working to make the story together.
- Fanboys. Fanboys like something, and they try to get as much of the thing they like as possible. If you remove the thing they like, they quickly stop enjoying the game. Some fanboys are just general fantasy fanboys, who will play the game as long as it’s like the type of fantasy they’re fond of. Others might have more specific interests, like dragons, fencing, or foreign languages (I’ve seen all of these in person).
- Social gamers. Social gamers only play because their friends play. This can range from the clichéd “gaming girlfriend” who is guilted into gaming, to just normal friends who have nothing better to do. These gamers usually don’t like to be taxed too much, and they might be uncomfortable if they don’t know everyone in the group.
- Actors. Actors enjoy portraying someone strange and different. They like to get into character very deeply, and will often develop detailed backstories for their characters. They’re happy when they can show off their character, and when the GM uses their backstory in the game.
Do we have any suggestions for changing these categories? Of course, few people are clear cut members of just one group. I myself am mostly storyteller with a bit of power gamer thrown in.
Now, a useful thing to do when you’re trying to have a better game is to figure out what type of gamer is, so you know how to interact, particularly with your game master. If people have different interests in the game, you’ll either have to compromise, or take turns. The key to having a good group is how the ensemble cast works together.
Let’s use two example groups. My group in my home town is a bunch of friends from high school who still game during summers when we’re off from college. I’m a storyteller primarily, and my players consist of two power gamers, an actor, and two fanboys – linguistics (also a bit of an actor) and dragons (also part power gamer). My group at college in Atlanta has a fanboy (brooding antiheroes), two power gamers (one who’s part anime fangirl), a social gamer, and an actor. And then there’s Michael, who I can’t classify.
You’ll notice that in both groups, I’m the only primary storyteller, which means that often what’s cool for me is not as impressive for the rest of the group. My college group is usually a little more willing to put up with my crazy ideas, like when I make them all play gnomes for a side adventure; I did the same thing with my group back home, and they up and got the gnomes killed, which kind of threw off the rest of my plans for the upcoming adventure.
But I don’t want to focus on the GM’s role in pleasing the players. Instead, I want to talk about different ways players can interact with each other to contribute to more fun for the group.
When I’m a player, since I’m a storyteller I appreciate that sometimes the group should lose, and occasionally during combat I’ll give in and tell the group it’s time for us to retreat, and it’s just at this moment that the powergamers in the group really start to enjoy themselves. They see that the odds are overwhelming, and that they’ll have to come up with some crazy means to victory if they want to win, but that guy Ryan is being a pansy and wants to give up. Sometimes they might see it as spoiling their fun. Even if I explain that I just think it’s right for the story and my character that we flee, my power gamer friends can get a little frustrated, since I’m making it harder for them to come up with a useful plan. What
really galls them is when the brooding antihero fanboy won’t use his powerful attacks, because brooding antiheroes only use their super attacks after they’ve had the crap beaten out of them to show how bad ass they are.
So, what are some of your experiences with the different types of gamers, and the interactions in your gaming group? If we agree on the general terminology and settle on how different types of players can interact, we can move on by discussing some of the challenges each type of player can experience when dealing with other players, and possible solutions.
And later, I have an idea I'd like to try. We'll imagine hypothetical groups that consist of four players and one GM all of the same type, and trying to see what type of game they’d have if they were roleplaying through The Lord of the Rings.
