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Author Topic: What makes for good players?  (Read 1607 times)

JongWK

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #15 on: March 06, 2008, 12:02:01 AM »
Done. Check the thread.
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Ian Absentia

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #16 on: March 06, 2008, 01:21:52 AM »
At this point, all I can really do is echo points others have made already.
Quote from: Stuart
It's exactly the same as what makes a good or bad GM.
This was exactly what I was going to say.
Quote from: Thanatos02
If you're there, try to have fun. That helps. If you don't think you will, sit it out. There's plenty of stuff on TV.
Just, please, don't start watching TV while the others are trying to play the game.  I only wish I was kidding about this, but I've seen it happen too many times.  Television is the game-killer.
Quote from: walkerp
This is very specific, and probably falls into personal preference, but I don't like players who plan too much.
An elaboration of this is the player who plans out his character's life too much.  Not only the background story, but what he wants to happen to his character during the course of the game.  This is the player-character version of the pet GM NPC -- the player who really ought to be at home writing wish-fulfillment fiction instead of trying to make it happen in someone else's game.  To put a more positive spin on it, make a character you like, but then let go and adapt the concept to the shared experience of the game.  The real fun is not knowing how things are going to turn out.

!i!

Thanatos02

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2008, 03:03:44 AM »
Quote from: Ian Absentia
Just, please, don't start watching TV while the others are trying to play the game.  I only wish I was kidding about this, but I've seen it happen too many times.  Television is the game-killer.
!i!


I know you're not kidding because I've seen it myself. We actually had a player play a portable Playstation between combat rounds, because the only thing he was interested in was seeing how awesome his dual-bastardsword grandmaster was.

I wasn't DMing, but I threatend to walk if it continued. He packed it up, but the game fell apart anyhow. He would have been better off playing it in the other room. In the past, we've set up in a room seperate from TV's and such because we could just send people who didn't want to play or were idle at the moment in there so they could do their thing without disturbing the rest. The best thing that ever happened to the group as a whole was de-stigmatizing leaving or deciding not to play.

We played less overall, but the play wasn't a waste.
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droog

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2008, 03:33:42 AM »
Quote from: Seanchai
  • Don't show up drunk or stoned


Unless you can handle it. Like me, for instance. I show up to every roleplaying session I can stoned, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I won a roleplaying award at a con (the first and only con I've attended) while stoned off my gourd.
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Anthrobot
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What makes for good players?
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2008, 07:25:04 AM »
Quote from: Thanatos02
I know you're not kidding because I've seen it myself. We actually had a player play a portable Playstation between combat rounds, because the only thing he was interested in was seeing how awesome his dual-bastardsword grandmaster was.


I had the experience of being in a game where one of the players was surfing the net on his mobile phone. The GM looked irate but did nothing about it. If it had been in my game I would have given the player a swift kick on the shin. I think that such behaviour is the height of rudeness.
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Ecky-Thump

So atheists have been abused, treated badly by clergy or they're stupid.They're just being trendy because they can't understand The God Delusion because they don't have the education, plus they're just pretending to be atheists anyway. Pundit you're the one with a problem, terminal stupidity.

Anthrobot
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What makes for good players?
« Reply #20 on: March 06, 2008, 07:29:07 AM »
Quote from: Thanatos02
Don't want to play horror? Don't. If you like something, don't be afraid to pitch in!



I'd be inclined to say "How do you know you won't like a genre until you've played a few games?"
I'd try to encourage newbies to be a bit more open minded about what games they play. After all they may end up liking some genre they thought wasn't much fun.
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Ecky-Thump

So atheists have been abused, treated badly by clergy or they're stupid.They're just being trendy because they can't understand The God Delusion because they don't have the education, plus they're just pretending to be atheists anyway. Pundit you're the one with a problem, terminal stupidity.

Anthrobot
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What makes for good players?
« Reply #21 on: March 06, 2008, 07:31:44 AM »
Quote from: droog
Unless you can handle it. Like me, for instance. I show up to every roleplaying session I can stoned, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I won a roleplaying award at a con (the first and only con I've attended) while stoned off my gourd.


There are some games I've played in where I wished that I'd been smashed out of my mind on PCP. It would have made the game much more entertaining!:D
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Ecky-Thump

So atheists have been abused, treated badly by clergy or they're stupid.They're just being trendy because they can't understand The God Delusion because they don't have the education, plus they're just pretending to be atheists anyway. Pundit you're the one with a problem, terminal stupidity.

Kyle Aaron

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #22 on: March 06, 2008, 07:23:02 PM »
Quote from: Anthrobot
I had the experience of being in a game where one of the players was surfing the net on his mobile phone.
I find that when you sit players around a table, rather than slouched on couches, they're less likely to be buggerising about with other stuff.

I used to see this sort of doing-other-stuff all the time, not so much nowadays. I guess it's because I know mostly gamers in their late 20s on up. These are people who have jobs, spouses, sometimes children, other hobbies - so if they're at a game session, it's because they really want to be there to game. They really had to make an effort to set aside time for this regular session. So before they even sit down they're decided on being focused.

Of course, this sort of player is also more demanding of their fellow players and GM. Which I think is a good thing. "I didn't have an argument with my wife over going out tonight just so I could sit here and watch you fuck about with your mobile! Roll the dice!" :cool:
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Pseudoephedrine
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« Reply #23 on: March 06, 2008, 11:22:45 PM »
I had just the opposite experience regarding sitting arrangements, Kyle. Back in university, we played in a room with lots of couches and a nice central table, and everyone was relaxed and ready to play. After graduating, we started playing a buddy's house in an upstairs room, and had to sit on hard wooden chairs. After a few hours, everyone's asses killed them so much that we just wanted to finish the session and get the hell out. Plus, the room was always either too hot / too cold, it had no room to move around in. We've since changed venues, and are back to couches, and the fun and the quality of roleplaying has come back up.

The other thing is periodic short breaks. In the upstairs room, in order to smoke or get a drink you had to go downstairs, so you missed what was going on. Plus, going for a smoke was a bigger deal, so our smoking players (myself included) had to completely stop play and go for a long smoke instead of just being able to dart out. In the current set-up (basically a one-bedroom apartment with a balcony), you can smoke or go for a glass of water, or even take a piss and still hear what's going on at the table and shout out your actions.
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Kyle Aaron

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #24 on: March 06, 2008, 11:39:45 PM »
Well, obviously comfortable seating is better than uncomfortable. No shit.

But if it's too comfortable, people get sleepy or distracted more often.

I've not used breaks for ages, but that's because we've only had evening sessions, when it's just a few hours you don't need it. I might need to put a break in for the Gygax Memorial Game, though, eight hours or something might be a bit hard :)
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What makes for good players?
« Reply #25 on: March 06, 2008, 11:45:26 PM »
If you're playing in the evening, especially during the week, someone is always going to be sleepy. Gaming isn't really relaxing (even though it's fun), so chances are someone is going to be burnt out from work. We avoid that by playing in the afternoon on weekends, running into the evening if we need to.
Running
The Pernicious Light, or The Wreckers of Sword Island;
A Goblin's Progress, or Of Cannons and Canons;
An Oration on the Dignity of Tash, or On the Elves and Their Lies
All for S&W Complete
Playing: Dark Heresy, WFRP 2e

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Kyle Aaron

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #26 on: March 06, 2008, 11:54:10 PM »
We just pour coca-cola down the neck of anyone whose eyelids start closing.

Of course, that means they'll be buzzed and sleepless at 1am at home, but that's not our problem. :cool:
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Anthrobot
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« Reply #27 on: March 07, 2008, 07:08:28 AM »
Quote from: Kyle Aaron
I find that when you sit players around a table, rather than slouched on couches, they're less likely to be buggerising about with other stuff.



In this particular instance we were sat around a table. The offending player was supposedly a friend of the GM!
I didn't say anything to Mr phone surfer as I wanted to see how the GM would handle the situation (plus it wasn't my game). He didn't handle it, apart from glowering menacingly at the player. Who was oblivious to his mate's basilisk stare.
So the moral of this sorry tale is... newbies, don't fuck your GM off by ignoring his game when you are supposed to be playing in the fucker!
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Ecky-Thump

So atheists have been abused, treated badly by clergy or they're stupid.They're just being trendy because they can't understand The God Delusion because they don't have the education, plus they're just pretending to be atheists anyway. Pundit you're the one with a problem, terminal stupidity.

VBWyrde

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #28 on: March 07, 2008, 01:38:32 PM »
Quote from: Anthrobot
In this particular instance we were sat around a table. The offending player was supposedly a friend of the GM!
I didn't say anything to Mr phone surfer as I wanted to see how the GM would handle the situation (plus it wasn't my game). He didn't handle it, apart from glowering menacingly at the player. Who was oblivious to his mate's basilisk stare.
So the moral of this sorry tale is... newbies, don't fuck your GM off by ignoring his game when you are supposed to be playing in the fucker!


This sounds like passive-aggressive behavior.   In fact, a lot of what people seem to be saying amounts to:  Don't be a passive-aggressive bastard at the game.

Anyway, so far, except for a couple of posts, the advice has been too general to be of much use to the newbie I think.   Of course you should go and have fun.  Of course you should not nag/ignore the GM and other Players.  Of course you should show up on time and be ready to play.   All of that stuff is a given.   What the newbe Players want to know is:  How do I, the newbie Player, do this stuff you call Role-Playing?   What should I DO to be a good Player?

Here are some ideas that come to mind:

1.  Try to get into your Character and see things from his/her point of view.
2.  Try to act as your Character would, not as you would.
3.  If you are unclear about something in the scene it's ok to ask for clarification.
4.  Think about what you're going to do in combat and try to make your actions work with the group.  If you are an MU and you have FireBolt and Water Breathing, in a combat situation pick the FireBolt.  
5.  Don't try to over-plan your Character's future.  
6.  Try to work with the group you are adventuring with and fit your Character into a useful nitch according to the Character's skills.
7.  Try to build up your Character in sensible ways by Learning skills that make sense for your Character.
8.  Don't take your Character's demise personally, should it happen.  Characters do die in the game, and yours will probably be one of them at some point.
9.  Accept that the World your Character inhabits may be quite different than our own, and may have rules that seem strange and alien to you.  
10.  Try to learn as much as you can about what your Character knows about the world before you set off on an adventure.   Look before you leap.
11.  Plan adventures ahead as much as you can.   Recon is good.   Ask around for information if you can.   Try to find a map if possible.  Etc.
12.  Prepare your Character's equipment according to the type of adventure you plan to take.   Going for underground dungeoneering?  Don't forget to buy torches, rope, metal spikes (to hold doors open).  Etc.

I'm sure there's more, but that may serve as a Getting Started list.
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pspahn

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What makes for good players?
« Reply #29 on: March 07, 2008, 03:39:23 PM »
Quote from: jrients
If the GM hands you the ball, then run with it.

If the GM doesn't hand you the ball, grab it and run anyway.


That pretty much sums it up.  

I make it a point to toss out at least half a dozen plot hooks each session.  These are things that I have roughly outlined, in case the characters decide to pursue one of them.  I've had groups that purposely pass on anything I throw out there because "it's where the GM wants us to go," which is fine, but then they sat there waiting for me to give them something else.  If you're not going to lead or follow, why are you playing?  

My current group is not like that, BTW, in case any of them are browing the boards.  :)

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