What are you best at in an RPG?

[jinx crossbow]

As a player, I found out, it depend strong on the system I play.
I am better in Roleplaying in Rulesystems with flaws because i like to
play the weak side of my heros. I am not the best strategist because
for me its not impotent if my attack bonus is +12 or +13, its more
important the way I hit my foe.

As a DM I am especially good in nothing (compares with the other DMs I know)
Of all the DMs I know I am the one with the shortest RPG experience, but I allways
try to compensate this by preparing the session a bit better with some more
handouts and miniatures. I should ask my players if this is my talent.

 

[Jeff Wilder]

As both player and DM, my best quality is that I keep the pace moving. If I'm a player, every so often I make sure that we can boil down the action into one or two discernible goals. Nothing kills the excitement and pace of a game more surely than having no idea what you're trying to accomplish.

Similarly, as a DM I go out of my way to make sure that the PCs have access to the information they need, and aren't just floundering. (That's not to say that they're always on the right path, but I try to make sure they have a chance to see at least one path.) You're doing this right when, despite the fact that you just handed out your fifth "extra" clue, the players still consider themselves brilliant for having figured things out. Also, when the pace otherwise slows, unless that's deliberate and necessary, I throw action at them to pick it up.

 

[francisca]

Much like Umbran's description actually....

Player: Pretty much a jack of all trades. I'm a good at tactical things, when given a situation, I can McGyver something together to win through or at least beat a hasty retrograde advance with minimal loss. I'm also adept at reading the DM and figuring out subtle plot points. (Which is ironic, as I am unsubtle in almost all aspects of my life.)

DM: I am best at driving the players before me and hearing the lamentations.....oh, alright, but someone had to say it. As a DM, I am best at winging it. Like TB, I don't plan adventures very often. I have an understanding of how things work in my game world and how groups and individuals react to the world around them. I have a general idea of where things are going, and have what I call macro events planned (like a plague causing a migration of humanoids, or natural disasters), but the rest of the plot is derived from the players interacting with the world.

 

[derelictjay]

As a player: When things bog down in planning, I usually do something, DMs tend to love it, while players tend to cringe. (Hey I am an impulsive person in real life, and I rarly play a patient character). I'm also good at tactics and staying on task.

As a DM: I do a good job of making the players wonder whats going on, giving an air of mystery to the game. As of late, I tend to be very good at killing players, much to my on chagrin.

 

[iceifur]

Player: character tweaking, rules pilfering, tactical monster slaying.

DM: NPC tweaking, rules pilfering, tactical character slaying.

Mmmm...parallels...

-B-

 

[Wombat]

I've had to think about this a couple days before answering...

As a player (a rare experience): Deep character development and really getting into the role

As a GM (after asking several players): a combination of in-depth world creation with rich histories and background and putting together adventures on the fly after the players Zig when I assumed they would Zag...

 

[Gargoyle]

DM - I think I'm best at keeping the game moving quickly, and making combat exciting. I also believe I'm pretty good at letting the players choose their own fate, and avoid railroading them.

Player - Since I'm used to DMing, I'm the guy that tries to make it easier on the DM by taking notes and helping keep the party united and organized, and by being knowledgeable about the rules without being a rules lawyer. I used to be the stereotypical rules lawyer, but I've repented and hopefully I'm not nearly as annoying.

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

I'm good at comic relief ("Wow, Brad did *that*?"), but I'm also reasonably good at figuring things out, and I'm VERY good at guessing. When the party follows my directions, we often get to the last encounter of the dungeon much faster.

Brad

 

[Kalendraf]

As a DM, one of my strengths is planning adventures which include insteresting scenarios and balanced encounters. I strive to give every NPC and monster a reason for being where it is and a motive for what it is doing. Armed with that level of knowledge and detail, I find it much easier when I need to DM ad-hoc if things start to go off the expected course. I also am quite knowledgeable with the rules, so I don't need to waste much gametime to arrive at a correct ruling.

As a player, I'd say one of my strengths is roleplaying. Another one is coming up with interesting and detailed histories for my characters. I've written several page stories for many of my characters to explain their past, or their activities between gaming sessions. I usually come up with good strategies, but I generally don't play a leader type character, so sometimes I need to find other ways to inject those ideas to the party.

Finally, as a player, I'm not sure if knowing the rules well is a boon or bane. It certainly helps in many situations, but it can also lead to "rules-lawyering" which isn't always in the best interest of the game.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As a player, I design great characters and play them well. However, if the party needs someone to fill a role, I'll do it, and work within the confines of the party's needs to create something all mine. Even when I was handed a pregen for a particular campaign based on Morley Dotes of Glen Cook's books, I managed to play him both true to the books while expanding the role a bit.

As a DM, I write some pretty damn good adventures/campaigns...although I use them mostly as flow charts. If the players go off script, I let them. As such, I've become a pretty good improviser- but the closer I am to the script, the better my players enjoy it.