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[Let's Discuss] being a good player.
Horseshoe
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My fellow denizens of Critical Failures,
There is considerable discussion in threads like our DnD thread wherein we talk about how to run games well, or run games correctly.
I propose that just as much weight rests on the players (in cases where a game is more on the roleplaying side and a bit less on the wargaming side, perhaps more weight).
Some of us may have experiences of very good players that they would like to recognize.
Some of us may have instances where we were praised for actions that others agreed made the game more fun.
Some of us may have a "wish list" of the player who would be practically perfect in every way, and like so much Jane and Michael Banks, have had this list torn it up and thrown toward the chimney to no avail.
This thread is for the discussion of what we see as good sportsmanship and contribution at the playtable for games of all kinds.
There is considerable discussion in threads like our DnD thread wherein we talk about how to run games well, or run games correctly.
I propose that just as much weight rests on the players (in cases where a game is more on the roleplaying side and a bit less on the wargaming side, perhaps more weight).
Some of us may have experiences of very good players that they would like to recognize.
Some of us may have instances where we were praised for actions that others agreed made the game more fun.
Some of us may have a "wish list" of the player who would be practically perfect in every way, and like so much Jane and Michael Banks, have had this list torn it up and thrown toward the chimney to no avail.
This thread is for the discussion of what we see as good sportsmanship and contribution at the playtable for games of all kinds.
Horseshoe on
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Posts
1) Be creative. When I am running a game, I like it when players throw me little gems that I can introduce later. Maybe they are playing a religious figure who has his own ideas about things. Whether they or true or not, or whether he may have to eat his words later, if anyone heard what he said... well, those are delightfully left up to the person running the game to use, and provide material with which other players may interact.
2) Be collaborative. Characterizations and player-to-player interaction often makes for much more interesting gameplay than simply following a path that has been laid out.
3) "Work it out later". Sometimes it's nice to just be a good sport and let a rules dispute lie until after the game, when it can be discussed in more detail. Being a good sport about this sort of thing can cut down on tensions between the folks at the table.
4) Make room for others. A player may be taking the most active role because you're outgoing by nature (or emulating such behavior at the table) but she clearly isn't the only one there. Everyone can get a chance to play and contribute... heck, the group might be pleasantly suprised what the quiet guy is able to come up with when he gets the chance to talk!
5) Be prepared. I try my best to have an idea of my next move before my turn so nobody has to wait for me to shuffle through papers, find the right dice, or look something up. Just like the arbiter of the game, I also need to be prepared and have done some work ahead of time to keep things running smoothly.
Five is plenty for now, I think.
But here's my list.
1) Take initiative. Don't let your character sit there in the tavern while you wait for a dark stranger to walk up to you. Everyone has some goals, make sure that your character is thinking about theirs when you're outside of the dungeon or whatever. A plot started by a PC doing something noble/stupid/insane/funny is almost always better than a plot started by an NPC crying for help, because it is the player's plot.
2) Don't be afraid to argue with your party members. Just remember to leave yourself a way back in, so the group doesn't totally disintegrate If your character is a Priest of Holy God, then someone demeaning Holy God should get smote a little bit.
Don't take it to the extreme, because you're playing in a group, but your character shouldn't blandly accept everything your assholyparty member says for the sake of the group.
3) Interact with your party members. They are your character's comrades and friends and allies, don't discount them. Get some chemistry going between the group. Maybe your Cleric of Holy God disapproves of the Rogue Thief's stealing habits, but the Rogue Thief also believes in the Holy God, whereas the Fighter Man only believes in his own prowess, and constantly demeans Cleric of Holy God for his beliefs. All it takes is one character striking up some conversations and talking to people to get the whole party interested.
Take offense at some random bit of ooc chatter that could be applied in game.
4) Give the GM a break. If they're doing things blatantly wrong, call them on it. If they're doing something a little off, let it slide unless it drastically affects your character. Sure, they might screw some little things up, but if the session is flowing well, why does it matter at all?
5) The most important. Respect the game's flow. Sometimes a session will start off really awkwardly and everyone will be swapping ooc jokes around the table and the like. Those are fun too. But sometimes everyone really gets into it, and even if you have a great one-liner, please, PLEASE don't use it. Don't ask if everyone wants pizza in the middle of the confrontation with the Big Bad. Stuff like that.
And that's my list of stuff I wish people would do more often.
God, I get annoyed when other players aren't prepared. One guy in my current D&D campaign refuses to put his powers on cards, preferring to leaf through the book each time, and is constantly looking shit up that he doesn't even need to know at that point.
That would be my contribution: pay attention. It's your character, you should know what he can do, so when the combat map is drawn out, start to think about strategies involving the terrain. When another character marks or debuffs an enemy, think about how that affects your strategy; other people's turns are not the time to leaf through Adventurer's Vault looking for stuff to buy in the next town. Be at least a little aware of what the other party members can do, so you don't hamper them beyond what is necessary.
This may be more my own frustrations coming out than a useful point, though.
Oh, and bring snacks from time to time (I'm guilty of this).
Always remember what your DM's favorite drink is
2. Work with the story, not against it. Causing random destruction or intentionally breaking a game isn't "character freedom," its "being a jerk."
3. Design characters that have enough hooks to fit into a story and enough style to remain entertaining.
4. Give up the "dark loner who always works alone." Its a corny concept that loses its appeal when you're about halfway through puberty.
5. Interact with things, have a living character. Talk to your allies, argue with them (in character, not out of character), form friendships or rivalries with NPCs.
6. Have some motivation. Even if its greedy, it makes your character more believable, makes plots better, and tends to lead to better roleplaying and group interaction in general. Does your cleric try to actively spread their faith? Is your fighter saving up gold to "pimp out" their armor?
I could add many many more, but I think there's something to be said about brevity. A good player understands that the game is a friendly competition. Cool villains fight cool player characters who have cool allies.
for a moment i tried to imagine a game where every player was trying to do this
like a nightmare, it was
Oh, and while it can be fun to have a character "betray" his friends to gain a tactical advantage against a difficult opponent, it's probably best if you let the group know what you're up to before you do it.
Conversely, some players make asshole characters so that they can be assholes and say, "But that's what my character would do." The divide between IC and OOC conflict sometimes isn't as wide as you might think.
I don't tolerate PvP in my games, ever. It's a very selfish indulgence, anyways, as it essentially equates to two players taking away game time from everyone else, GM included.
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
To that extent, a good player is someone who puts work into making their character special - creating and perpetuating the personality that makes the character not just the sum of the stats on their character sheets, but an individual that the GM wants to follow week after week, to root for (or maybe against), but never just ignore or throw encounters at.
Sometimes it's the small things that do it - personality quirks and little snippets of the individual's past. And it's not like you need to do this all at the beginning. Flesh out your characters as you go along, and create new plot hooks for the GM to sink their teeth into. Provide the nonspecific story elements yourself. Be creative and not just a static unchanging protagonist in a world where everything is given to you by the GM.
If your wizard roll a 1 on a barter check with the halfling grifter behind the shady magic shop, don't just go on your way, but treat it as an opportunity. Maybe he was selling a wand of magic missile that looked exactly like your own, and you started an altercation before realizing that your wand was really in your pocket the whole time. Maybe in the future you'll try and be less accusatory. Maybe you thought he stole it from you because in the past you got conned by a halfling thief, and the detail only came up in the story because it was pertinent, even though ooc you actually just made it up on the spot.
Small, irrelevant details create character in your PC's, and often they can turn into more story hooks for the GM to latch on to in order to explore more about your character. It's not a video game where everything is fixed in place and programmed and you can win. It's a voyage, and the exciting part is how you get there and what you do along the way.
If the players start a campaign and they haven't already worked out how their characters know each other, or roughly worked out what is an acceptable trespass and what isn't, then thats a failure on their part. There are almost always four times as many players as GMs, and the entire point of party vs DM gaming is that you need an actual party, not just five guys doing their own thing.
I've had great games where the GM has been inexperienced but the players got their shit together and co-ordinated well before starting, and I've had terrible games with good GMs that have fallen apart because of personality conflicts between players, or `I steal <party member's> coin pouch'. Get your shit together! Players don't let other players be bitches.
So these are my golden questions for players to make sure they don't suck
1) Who's your link in the party?
Is your character here because he lost a bet and swore to act as the cleric's butler for one year? Maybe one of the other party members is a brother/sister/cousin? Maybe you joined because <X> did, and you're trying to fund your alchemy projects. If you don't have a genuine, virtually unbreakable link to at least one other party member, roll again.
In `you meet in a tavern' games, even then you can put some work into it. Perhaps you have an intense respect for holy men, or you character has a thing for protecting that darling wizard. How do you know who the other party members will are, or how you'll interact? Cheat! This is the one time its a good thing. Try to OOC know something about the others so you can make IC links.
2) Who's your link outside the party
I'm an orphan raised by wolves who ate each other. Fine, everyone gets one go at this, usually when you're a new guy. Anyone else, lift your game! Maybe by origin you're from a farming family on poor land, and you do what you do so you can send money home - you could even have an IC wife and kids! It is entirely feasible that they never come up, or it could be that your family live in the city that you're adventuring in and your midget grandmother keeps tracking you down around the place to bring you food and tell you off for not dating a nice local girl. You can miss all sorts of fun stuff if you're an orphan raised by wolves.
3) What do you bring to the party?
I have a Longbow +3 and can shoot two targets a round.
I used to be a town guard, and am good at getting the party out of inevitable legal trouble in towns.
I can heal 3d12 hp per round WITHOUT TAKING AN ACTION!
My status within the church garners a considerable amount of respect for my associates. I'm a nice guy with a lot of friends among the common people, for my good works and pleasant demeanour.
How does your character improve the party beyond what an NPC hireling would do? Is he good at riddles? Maybe he speaks Abyssal and has a kosher reason to. Maybe he's a retired knight, and has pull with the lesser nobility because of it. Maybe he just has no shame, and will do anything, no matter how degrading or embarrassing, to help his friends.
If you're playing a fighter, it is not compulsory to be a meatshield that beyond fighting has no interest in people. It is easier for the party, and for the GM, if you're not - they love character hooks and "I want a Longbow +4" isn't a very strong one. Give this one some thought.
4) You're a contractor. Where is your next job coming from?
Sometimes people ask me for assistance when a relative is accused of a crime that they didn't commit.
It is only natural that I hear what ails the congregation, and try to do what I can to help.
Stats are good (some would say essential), but when you're off the field, are you just going to read Adventurer's Vault until the next fight? Maybe wait in the tavern until someone posts a job on the board?
Thats my lot. If you've done all of that, then you've given the GM so much to work with - your character's exploitable weaknesses, short-term and long-term character motivations to `railroad' with, ways to move the plot along through NPC relationships, and best of all, a party that can work together cohesively instead of just sitting around waiting for someone to do something or steal their coin purse.
Never work with the party unless it's in your own interest. In the end, these aren't your partners - they're your enemy. And if you don't stop them, then they'll stop you - and they'll win.
2) The GM is your worst enemy. (The Horseshoe Rule)
Never work with the GM. He isn't there to give you a good time - he's there for himself! Thwart him at every turn, because this is a game - and if you don't stop the GM, then the GM will win.
3) Roleplay like a novelist. (The INeedNoSalt Rule)
Although RPGs are games, they are role-playing games - and that means you have to do what your character would do whenever they would do it, and fuck the consequences. Otherwise, you might as well be playing Stratego.
It's godawful to be the only one encouraging teamwork in a group of loners. Just...ergh.
To add one...hm...
1) If the GM's dangling a plot hook in front of you, it doesn't hurt to take it once in a while. :P
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
Especially when there are noobs at the table.
"Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
I'll have the other one, too, if you don't watch it!
As a relatively new player, I'd say the best thing I've learned is, as others said, to try to do the best thing for the story and the other players. I probably spend too much time debating what a character's course of action would be--and sometimes I forget what I should actually be doing
Also, an excellent thing to do in a lot of circumstances is just ask somebody if you're not sure, and I don't mean mechanics-wise. It's easy to get stuck in a rut in your thinking, and bringing a new perspective into that can loosen things up a lot.