What types of players do you have in your group?

[Olaf the Stout]

What types of players do you have in your group? How would you describe them in one line?

For example, in my group I have the following players:

The "I suck at rolling dice" player - Despite the law of normal distribution telling us that you'll average about 10.5 per roll on a d20, this guy seems to somehow be doing his best to bring that average down.

The "optimizer" player - This player doesn't necessarily try and break the system or be the biggest damage dealer dealer in the party. What he is good at though is picking a niche or role that he wants his character to fill and then using the feats, classes and magic items available to make his character the best at that role. He's even happy to help other players with their builds.

The "my character sheet is not up to date" player - I'm not sure how or why, but this guy's character sheet is never up to date. Earlier this campaign when someone else played his character for a session we discovered his PC had one less feat than he should have had, simply because he'd forgotten to pick one. If I had to guess, I'd say his PC normally plays one level less than what it should be, simply because his character sheet hadn't been updated fully for a level up.

The "becomes his character at the table" player - This guy seems to get into his character so much at the table that it's hard sometimes to figure out if what he says is in character or out of character. There have been several times where I've thought the player was annoyed or angry at me during the game, only to find out after the session was over that it was just him roleplaying his character.

The "won't this be awesome" player - This player seems to constantly be excited by what his character will be able to do 3 or 4 levels from now. i.e. When I get to level 12 I'll be able to shoot lightning out of my eyes and gain the ability to fly in storms. He always seems to be fixated on what his character will be like 6 months from now. To be fair to the player, he is only 16, so it's understandable to a certain extent.

 

[Imaculata]

I have one rampager. The kind of player who goes all in, consequences be damned. He plays the game high risk, and is an enthusiastic role player as well. He has a lot of experience, and knows the rules by heart.

I have a min/maxer. The sort of player who tweaks his build to be near invincible. High damage and high armor class, and a devious combination of feats and class abilities. This is the sort of player I have to keep an eye on, and make sure that things don't get out of hand.

I have an life long role player too. The sort of player who doesn't only role play very well, but also goes into quite a lot of detail about his character background, and his actions during the game. He is also used to playing 2nd edition, so this is his first venture into 3rd edition.

I have a newb too. Someone who has never played D&D before, and mine is his first D&D campaign. He's a fine role player, but a bit more laid back and quiet. The sort of player a DM should pay attention to, so the other loud players don't hog too much of the spotlight.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

For my part, I've got two power gamers, two heavy role-players, and one guy that is somewhere between the two (he knows the rules and how to use them very well, but always comes up with interesting characters that have distinct personalities).

My brother was actually a "I suck at rolling dice" type for many sessions. So for the holidays that year I bought him a set of precision dice and that broke the curse.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

My usual players are as follow :

- One player that hates the tediousness of character creation and character sheet maintenance. I have to do it for him or it takes forever. Good RPer, though.
- One pessimistic bad-roller that usually plays characters that do a lot of damage and have very low charisma (unless the class requires a high score). Ok RPer but definitively a power-gamer that doesn't know the rules well enough and doesn't roll good enough to actually pull it off.
- One that would always play halfling rogues if he could. He taunts the bad-roller mercilessly (they are best firends IRL). Good RPer, great DM, comes up with incredible games.
- One (multiple post-doctorates) math genius that can barely do the basic arithmetic of die rolls and bonuses. Good RPer that always comes up with interesting characters.

As for me, as a player, I'd say I'm a rules-lawery average RPer with powergaming tendencies and a generally pessimistic outlook on the party's chances of survival.

AR

 

[was]

Currently we have:

One: I have to be the bestest, strongest and most awesome character EVER !!!

One: I am going to grumble constantly until I do massive damage.

One: I play one class, I play it well and that's all I am going to play.

Two: I'll play whatever the group needs and do it reasonably well.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

We played last night, having levelled up at the end of last session. Unsurprisingly, Mr "My Character Sheet Is Not Up To Date" was the only person to have not levelled up his PC and instead did it during the session!

Highlight of the night was, during combat, "Does anyone know a good feat to take off the top of their head?"

 

[Imaculata]

I also have a "Mr I forgot to bring my character sheet", AKA "Mr My character sheet is obscured by coffee stains".

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I always wonder about people that lose their character sheets. Stuff happens, I know, but heck, I've still got some character sheets that are older than grown adults!

I also have a "Mr I forgot to bring my character sheet", AKA "Mr My character sheet is obscured by coffee stains".

 

[Ovinomancer]

I have:

1) Optimizer -- excellent at wringing the last bit out of the rules to achieve the desired effect, which isn't always (but is often) to be the best at something. Prefers to make generalist characters with one or two focuses which they do very well. Has issues with any kind of intimidation (physical or social) and will almost always react to spite the intimidater, even if it causes more harm.

2) Roleplayer -- likes to find a role and bury themselves in it. Knows the rules, but uses them to facilitate character, not to define it.

3) Roleplayer -- the type that's there for the game, not the rules. Actually seems to actively avoid gaining rules knowledge. Fun player, though, even though they often have to ask how to do something mechanically, it's usually always something that fits clearly in the character concept and so they're usually good at it. Often turns to player 1 for advice on how to make the character.

4) Min-maxer -- total powergamer, only cares about roleplay if it doesn't detract from being the best. Newest addition to the group and source of friction on occasion. Slowly starting to acclimate to our more roleplay oriented game (although there's plenty of action, so they're not often bored). Always does characterizations last after mechanics, and has often brought characters with almost no idea of character but a clear mechanical build.

5) Min-maxer -- but totally incompetent at it. Player 5 is the biggest contradiction in people I've ever met. He's abrasive and bombastic, highly pessimistic, and claims to only care about rolling dice. However, he's made massive efforts to change/improve his worst attributes, is the single most generous person I've ever met, and quite often manages to (seemingly accidentally) provide a strong benefit to being in the game.

6) Me. When I play, I'm very much a roleplayer, but I do optimize to a degree. Not nearly as much as player 1, but I like to be competent in my chosen areas of expertise. However, I almost always prioritize character over mechanics.

 

[Sato]

My current, more active players -

- The Cool Badass - He knows how to handle just about any situation that comes his way with a smooth roll, epic gait, and quick thinking, though when diplomacy rolls don't work, he's able to exploit every single other method of extortion and violence until something amazing happens in his favor. And he does it all without getting macho or big-headed.

- The Benefactor - He's not the kind to hoard anything he doesn't want, and if he has gold or points left over, he would prefer to spend it on the rest of the players' characters. He usually says things like "just strengthening the weakest link", or "make friends with honey, not vinegar".

- "My Dice Hate Me!" - She is actually a little annoying due to this negativity, because no matter what she rolls, she never feels like it's enough, and has the need to blame it all on her dice rolls.

- The Young, Impressionable Lovey - She's adorable, but is WAY too naive and trusting. She'll listen to anyone with experience and goes with the flow, without any real thought to the consequences.

- The Sensitive One - He takes everything that happens in-game personally, and though it's nice that he takes his character seriously, it does get old when things that are meant to be kept in-character are enough to upset him out-of-character.