An enthusiasm for playing the games I'm enthusiastic about running. I only run games I'm enthusiastic about running, so if you're putting up with, say, my Fate of the Norns game hoping I'll run Rifts for you afterwards, you'd best move on.

Being imaginative and proactive. I don't mind one or two players at the table who just want to hang out, eat Doritos and roll the dice when they're told to. If the table is full of such players, well then obviously I'm at the wrong table and they need a different GM. Or maybe we can play Descent or something.

The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).

An understanding that, like most if not all human activities, the more you put into the game the more you get out of it.

To build on the above point, the cheerful acceptance of the fact that other players at the table who put more than you into the game are getting more out of it.

Quote from: That Guy;792161The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).

Agreed.

Being able to show up for the games is probably the top of the list of key features for a player.

An open mind.
Sense of humour.
Interest in more than just one genre.
Works with a group.

Quote from: That Guy;792161-snip - The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues). - snip -

You have written the truest thing about RPG here ! I have a nice RPG short campaign that is slowly dying because of faulty attendance by the players. It is starting to get on my nerves ...

Quote from: That Guy;792161The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).

I agree entirely, I can only assume those people who think this is some kind of strange imposition have little contact with most other leisure activities involving regular attendance.

Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs

Literally the only reason I'd ever GM WoD, because it tends to attract such kind of players in my area.

Quote from: Rincewind1;792175Literally the only reason I'd ever GM WoD, because it tends to attract such kind of players in my area.

I have the same experience as you about that ! Hell, I even GMed a Vampire the Masquerade with only female players (four of them ! and rather nice looking !) ! Playing blood-sucking creatures of the night seems to be more appealing for the women I have met than playing D&D type PCs (it is not statment about what women like or not in RPGs, since their opinions are as large and diverse as men, but a bit of my empirical observation of things).

Intelligence and creativity.

Also a willingness to be challenged in the game.

Quote from: Old One Eye;792112Already be one of my friends.

Yeah This.

In my main group, we've mostly known each other and played together for twenty five years. My wife is the "newbie" of the group, having only played with the rest of us for fifteen years!

My secondary group is mostly the kids of the main group, all of which I've known since they were born.

At this point, I think the only reason a new player would join the group would be if they joined the circle of friends first - for example by becoming the partner of one of the existing players.

A willingness to play the game on offer.  In Savage Worlds, swashbuckle instead of swinging your sword every turn, in Traveller, embrace the random char-gen and see where it takes you, in D&D, make a character who's willing to go down in the dungeon without being talked into it in character every damn time.

Not withstanding the above, be proactive.  Do stuff.  Find a solution I didn't anticipate.  Switch sides, burn the village to save it, run off with the mcguffin instead of taking it back to the questgiver, I don't care, as long as you're playing the game and not just waiting to be fed the plot.

Quote from: Kiero;792152Being a decent, functional human being is not something I look for in a player, because it's assumed this will be the case if I associate with you. I don't have any dysfunctional weirdos who don't understand basic social interaction in any of my social circles.

So what I look for is commitment to showing up on time to every session (or the courtesy to let everyone know in advance if they can't make it) and engagement with the premise of the game (meaning you actually give a shit about it and want to get involved in what's happening).

What I don't want are casual tag-alongs who are only there because they lack any alternative means of socialising with other people. If your primary motivation isn't to play the game, spare us all and find some other way to spend time with your friends rather than hijacking the game session.

+1.

Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs

This is why we can't have nice things.

Imagination, enthusiasm, and flexibility. Everything else I can work around, but those are the golden qualities I like to see.

//Panjumanju

Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs

Someone who doesn't 'joke' like this, first.


Also, riffing on what other folks have said, actual interest in the game. My last game group finally dissolved because half the group was fairly disinterested in the game itself, but was interested in a social venue.
Also, communication. Again, in my last group, I'd often only find out if the game was going to run 30 mins before game time. That's fucking obnoxious.

My breaking point was when I drove 40 minutes to the game, only to find the game had been called about 20 minutes before I got there.

It was a group I've been with for over 15 years, and it wasn't callous disregard so much as 'life is getting chaotic for everyone,' but being one of the two players in the game who actually tried to do things... meh

Quote from: Old One Eye;792112Already be one of my friends.

Ideally this goes for me as well... or failing that be someone I want to be friends with.
If the other guys at the table are people I wouldn't want to hang out with... do non-gaming activities with... then I probably won't enjoy playing games with them either.

I suspect my list has little in common with anyone else's...

In order:

1: A pulse. If not found, no use going further.
2: A vigorous disrespect for game designers. Prime!
3: A lack of nostalgia. Easy to find among the young, difficult otherwise.
4: A super-heroic ability to manipulate, bend and break rules, and find/exploit loopholes. I do a lot of playtesting.
5: A willingness to go off track. I don't stick to the blacktop, so this is pretty damn important.
6: Basic Honesty. Again, I do a *lot* of playtesting.
7: An ability to make your own fun. No waiting, serve yourself.

#7 Is an edge case on the need/love-to-have continental divide. After that, it's all Love-to-have!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmice;792223I suspect my list has little in common with anyone else's...

From my experiences in dealing with testers the single most important thing a professional tester has is ability to clearly explain (in writing) why something did not work and how to repeat it. It saves enormous amount of time.