Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 01:52 PM	This could very well be a "What's A Player To Do?" type question, but it's actually other DMs I want advice from. I'm pretty much always the DM. I take it as a compliment that even when I'd rather play I get drafted into that role...but it'd still be nice to play now and then. In the last 18 years, I've played maybe 6 characters, and I can't seem to stay interested after about level 5 or 6 (or the equivalent if using another system that has no levels). It's not really level related I suppose...I just get to a certain point where the character bores me to tears and I don't want to play them anymore. Some of it springs from being more used to playing a whole bunch of characters at once (NPCs), and some of it from me just preferring the role of DM. However, I want to play a character for once! My fiance has decided to run a solo campaign for me (three times) and all three times the same thing happened as used to...I get tired of the character and can't stand playing them anymore. The same thing happened last night with the Druid character I've been playing the last while...thankfully she is going to allow me to make a new character and continue the same campaign (cause for a new DM she's damn good at it, and the story is really quite good and I don't want to just quit!). At first she thought it was because I wasn't enjoying myself and took the blame, then I told her "no no honey...this always happens to me, you just weren't there to see it all those years ago." LOL. Does anyone else have this same problem? And what have you done to fix it and be able to play a character longer without growing tired of them? I'm a damn good DM...I didn't think I'd find out that I was a bad player after almost 20 years of the hobby. HA!
jdarksong 12-14-06, 02:16 PM	I hear you loud and clear. The only thing that my group can do for me (their usual DM) is let me draw up a pc and run a one-shot. Otherwise I'm bored right around the same time you are. Dungeons with a clear goal seem to work best for this. Get in, get loot, get out. I think this stems from not being a full time player since about '94.
High Octane 12-14-06, 02:24 PM	I dont DM enough to really have this issue, but I think one of my DMs does. Honestly, you do have to jump back and forth for the sake of being a DM. If you dont remember how precious characters can be, you can end up throwing things at players without any thought for how hard it could be or characters dying.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 02:25 PM	One of the problems I seem to have is that I haven't found the balance between just enough backstory and personality and waaay too much. With the Druid that I retired after only 5 levels last night, here was the gist of it: "Well, at this point, as much as I hate to say it, Craigh would grow terribly worried about his wife back home and he *would* go home to make sure she was alright and help his brothers protect their family" There is a poison seeping slowly downriver...he left his grove in his brothers hands (they are all druids...long story, not worth getting into) to go and find the cause and put a stop to it. As each new thing led to another (as good campaigns usually do) he got further and further away from his home, and missed his family more and more. At first I thought that would be a cool motivator (get this done, then get back home) but in the end it made me really wish this Craigh fellow could be back in his wife's arms. LOL. If I had just mae him a little more of an "adventurer" type it would have lasted...but I built waaaay too much depth into his family structure. The PC before that was a Paladin. He was a lot of fun to play, made it to level 7 and I thought my curse-of-non-playing had lifted...but then I started to realize that the character I made and the character I was playing were two different things. He had become a charicature of himself, and I was insulting the spirit of the character to keep playing him (what a lame method-actory thing to say, now that I see it typed. But, it is what it is. It's the way we play.) I could go on. Nevertheless, at some point I disconnect from the character somehow. The new PC I rolled up and last night is different though. I hope this time it sticks. He has no weighty issues on his mind, no complicated backstory (in fact, both his parents are retired adventurers taht encourage his lifestyle), and has a wide eyed "bring it on, I can take it" attitude towards the world that he inherited from growing up with the parents he did. The funny thing is, this is the type of character I would recommend someone not familiar with RPGs to make until they "got the hang of it". Who knew that after almost two decades I would have to treat *myself* like a newb! LOL! It's humbling...:surrender I dont DM enough to really have this issue, but I think one of my DMs does. Honestly, you do have to jump back and forth for the sake of being a DM. If you dont remember how precious characters can be, you can end up throwing things at players without any thought for how hard it could be or characters dying. Luckily I haven't developed any of the problems that never playing can lead to ( I have almost tediously exhaustive communication with my payers so as to avoid things that could cause issues for someone unfamiliar with the psyche of being a "player")...but for one. I notice now, after the few failed attempts at playing I have gone through, that I now design things far differently. What you design and what the players picture after your description are two different animals all together. The notion of "consensus reality" is more fleeting than most career DMs think. Often all our precious detail is replaced by something completely different in a players mind...so my descriptive text has gotten more economical, as the players will see it their way anyways...why force certain trivial details on them? They seldom care...LOL. It was a good lesson for me in not describing the texture of bricks...HA!
jdarksong 12-14-06, 02:29 PM	I think unburdening your pc will definitly help. Don't worry so much about his past - worry about his future, or at least a healthy dose of both.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 02:38 PM	I think unburdening your pc will definitly help. Don't worry so much about his past - worry about his future, or at least a healthy dose of both. Good advice. My players always have some pretty bad ass backgrounds...I encourage it in fact. My NPCs are the same. It's never seemed to cause them any issues...but then again, these are experienced players with an experienced DM. As it turns out, you can spend as much time behind the screen as you want...but as soon as you go to the other side of the table, you're a freakin' rookie again.
RainerNader 12-14-06, 02:43 PM	As a long-time DM, I've had this problem in the past. But I received some great advice that helped me out... "build characters, not character concepts." As a DM I would create NPCs that were very one-dimensional. I'd look at something like the Justiciar prestige class and go, "Oh wow, that would be a tough enemy for the PCs to take on! He'd have them all hog-tied before they blinked!" And sure enough, the Justiciar would give the players fits and I would have a lot of fun with the battle. I'd have so much fun, the next time I got to be a player, I'd create a Justiciar character. But the novelty would wear off soon, because it was exactly that -- novelty. When the most interesting thing about your character is a nice grapple check score, then you'll get bored pretty soon, and you'll be itching to make another character even sooner. So my advice would be to really put a lot of effort into your next character. Before you even think of a single stat distribution or feat selection, try really hard to flesh out a backstory and talk to your DM about how he can really get integrated into the adventure. Once I started doing that, it was much easier to get 'attached' and stop the "5th level itch" from taking over and causing me to roll a new character. -RainerNader
Vyvyan Basterd 12-14-06, 02:47 PM	The problem I had was paying attention. Going from always-involved DM to one of six PCs left me with more downtime than I knew what to do with. When my turn came up I would have to be dragged out of whatever book caught my interest. I have improved upon that problem, but now a new problem has arisen similar to yours. Since I play so infrequently I come up with character ideas I would like to play. I'm currently playing a Monk/Fighter/Dervish (Sister of the Whirling Blade) that I really liked when I came up with the concept, but further books have inspired ideas for a Bard/Crusader/Jade Pheonix Mage/Sublime Chord (Inspiring Lieutenant), a half-orc Barbarian/Beastmaster, a Troglodyte Fighter/Rogue (Thug), an Orc Bard/Barbarian/Warchanter (Wardrummer using two clubs to both play his drum and TWF), and others. I like my current character, but I really want to play some of the other concepts I have.
calvinNhobbes 12-14-06, 02:52 PM	I think unburdening your pc will definitly help. Don't worry so much about his past - worry about his future, or at least a healthy dose of both. I agree, this is great advice. A background is good to set the ground work, but the future is what is exciting. Don't forget that people can change. Are we all the exact same person we were 5, 10, or 20 years ago? If your are bored with the character, perhaps play it that way and have the character themselves take it in another direction to overcome their own boredom. Also, sometimes having too much background can be bad because you can limit your options for how things could happen in the future.
Twili 12-14-06, 02:59 PM	I've been there. And I found out that changing system really helps. Jump off the D&D wagon and play some other system for awhile (I personally know the D&D system too well and nothing suprises me in it, playing other systems for awhile makes it really intresting). Secondly try talking to the other charachters alot, plot and gossip (watch a reality show from TV and see how they plot and gossip), yes you're limited on the ways you can interact with the world, but you can interact with the other players alot. And as a player try to forget about the rules for a change and really imagine what the DM is telling you and then try to figure out how to react in the situation (after you've made the decision, then look at the rules how to accomplish it).
Archangel62 12-14-06, 03:05 PM	See this thread. http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=749107
jdarksong 12-14-06, 03:06 PM	And as a player try to forget about the rules for a change and really imagine what the DM is telling you and then try to figure out how to react in the situation (after you've made the decision, then look at the rules how to accomplish it). In my opinion, this is the hardest part, and your former players will HATE you for remining them that 'there's secondary damage on that poison' or 'you need to take a -4 on that grapple check for blah, blah, blah!' Forget about the rules and (as easy as it is for a longtime DM) dont munchkin your pc. you'll just make it harder on whoever is dming. ;)
Archangel62 12-14-06, 03:10 PM	In my opinion, this is the hardest part, and your former players will HATE you for remining them that 'there's secondary damage on that poison' or 'you need to take a -4 on that grapple check for blah, blah, blah!' Forget about the rules and (as easy as it is for a longtime DM) dont munchkin your pc. you'll just make it harder on whoever is dming. ;) Remember, when returning to the player arena do NOT be Brian VanHoose
jdarksong 12-14-06, 03:12 PM	Remember, when returning to the player arena do NOT be Brian VanHoose Before long the table will be flipped over and BA will be ******!!!
Serrin 12-14-06, 03:20 PM	Don't stop at building your character, build the characters around him too. That's what I do when I get to be a player. Get to know the bartender, or start an academy, or a holy order of knights, or build a stronghold. You'll get bored with just your character. That's why there's an entire world out there. Do things with it.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 03:32 PM	All really good advice so far...and I'll check out the thread one poster dropped a link for. My main issues seem to stem from too much background, rather than not enough. I haven't made a one-dimensional NPC for many years, and that has carried over into what I do with my characters when I make them. As calvinNhobbes said, too much background can limit what can happen in the future. Most of my characters aren't open ended enough. The rules issues never seem to get in the way. I'm quite good at letting go of the mantle of DM and rules arbiter. But I feel uncomfortable with the player mantle...for now. The main issue is that I get bored of the same character session after session. Talking to other characters is right out though...we run solo campaigns for each other most of the time. LOL. We have a hard time finding other players that we get along with and match our quite story-centric play-style. I do run for a group as well, but Tara wants to get a bit of experience under her belt with me (who is far from judgmental, especially since we share the same space...and I can help her with which rules apply to what if she's unsure) before she starts running for a group. I may have broken out of my curse (at least I hope so)...this new character I made is all about the future. Making him be the son of retired adventurers helped...he's a character designed completely around going on adventures for fun and profit rather than the backstory-heavy characters I (and my players) make all the time. It's refreshing to drop the hubris and make a character that thinks risking his life for little more than glory is *fun*. Thanks guys and gals!
albinomonkeyking 12-14-06, 03:36 PM	Maybe the problem is the type of characters you make. When it comes to NPCS they are often very flat. This isn't exactly a bad thing, I just mean in comparison to the PC's. So, your druid for example, would make a great npc to interact with have a long for a little while, etc, but his family makes him not permanent. I have made countless NPC's that are fleshed out and realistic but not as in-depth or crazy as the PC's stories because frankly, I don't have the time. There are too many NPC's in my world so they are often defined mostly by a single personality trait,goal,objective, etc. What you should do as a player is get away from this mentality. Come up with all sorts of things your character can do so you never feel bored. In a recent game I had a character who wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world but is also searching for love and he also happens to be kind of a weirdo. In one town (Seperate days) he saved a woman from her boyfriends abuse and stole the bf's motorcycle, had it modified by gnomes and intended to make a biker gang. However, saving the world didn't leave much time for the gang so he abandoned the idea, although he still summons a motorcycle to him with the snap of a finger and a lightning strike. In the same town he witnessed all of his teammates finding love while he was left behind (a few finding love with 'ladies of the night') horrified that the other members of the team had succeded where he failed, and the horrors of the ugliest member with two prostitutes, sent him fleeing into the town in his underwear, which resulted in quite a lot of fun. Later that night, still depressed about love he went out drinking and looking for fights. He fought a gang of thugs using his hands (he doesn't have unarmed strike) and contented himself with pounding them. This may not be the type of character you would want to play, but I love him. I am never bored because he is constantly going off after whatever is his newest hearts desire or being ruled by emotion and goals. Think of a character like this in that he will always have something to do. That way you will be eager to get out of a dungeon and into the 'Misadventures of Knight Thomas' or whatnot. Or, try and emphasize his combat prowess, whether through looks or abilites. Personally, as a DM I visualize everything, so when I make characters they have to be as cool as my imagination. If you don't like Out of Combat then focus on him learning many new things which will make people "ooo" and 'ahh' when they see you perform.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 03:48 PM	Also good advice. Our campaigns are generally about 80% out of combat though. And my NPCs are rarely flat and one dimensional, so neither are my characters. The issue is too much background rather than not enough. I paint my characters into a corner by defining everything about them prior to playing them...and then they get boring mighty fast. There is no discovery of anything new, as I already know too much about them. Good advice about them having all sorts of things to do though. That was pretty much the idea behind the Fighter I made as a replacement for my homesick druid. Anything that he sees in front of him is a potential adventure waiting to happen...just like his parents taught him. Other than that...he's a blank slate. I'm looking forward to taking another crack at the less cluttered side of the screen again tonight.
Red12 12-14-06, 03:54 PM	I find it very hard to go from DM to Player. I've mostly been a DM throughout my career as a DnD'r, if only because I like tinkering. I think the main "bordem" you describe, for me at least, comes from this dilema: I would like to play in a game I DM. I know that sounds incredibly egotistical, but lemme explain. As a DM, you have your Houserules, your Style, your Campaign World. It is incredibly difficult to go from all that to a Game that doesnt have all that. All of a sudden, those houserules you deem both important and functional for your game go out the window, replaced by ones that are often confusing and seemingly irrelevent (to your DM eyes, anyways). You may be a more free-form DM, who has a more open world- Now you must try and play in this new game where the DM holds your hand, and deviations from the plot are looked down upon. You've worked hard on your campaign world- to you it is a living and breathing place. Now, your playing in an adapted premade module. And I think that THIS is where my bordem comes from, and maybe yours too. If your not "into" the setting/style/rules the New DM provides for you, its most likely not going to maintain your attention for very long. I think it can be avoided if the New DM is experianced, and has a number of original ideas and concepts. However, more than likely, the New DM is a player in the old group, and has maybe DM'd twice in his life.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 04:00 PM	I would like to play in a game I DM. Hoo-yah!!!! That is sooo true! I hadn't thought of it until I read it, but that's also bang on. I'm lucky enough that the DM (my fiance) uses the rules exactly the same way as I do and looks at the more stylisitic issues from the same point of view...but I want to play in my setting! That's a big part of it! LOL. I never knew I had such a chip on my shoulder, but it's a fact now that I think about it! After working on it, refining it, and adding to it for the last 16 years, I love my setting and it's pretty hard to get my head into another one. I guess that'll come with patience. This must be how my players felt the first time I "debuted" my world to them. They love it now...but I bet they went thorugh the same thing till they got a head for the setting. Sheesh...we DMs are a picky bunch, aren't we? HA!
itwasntme 12-14-06, 04:06 PM	I useoly have the same Deal I Fixed it by makeing my players learn how to DM and We play THERE Game evey other Session Hell it seems to help me the only reason why we stop is becouse of some char becomeing Massively Overpowerd to a point and the only thing to do is ruin his hard work ... So i limit People more on spells/Things like that
snakefing 12-14-06, 05:44 PM	Good advice about them having all sorts of things to do though. That was pretty much the idea behind the Fighter I made as a replacement for my homesick druid. Anything that he sees in front of him is a potential adventure waiting to happen...just like his parents taught him. Other than that...he's a blank slate. I'm looking forward to taking another crack at the less cluttered side of the screen again tonight. Seems to me, that sometimes a character really does come to the end of his or her storyline. Then the best thing to do really is to send them back home again. That doesn't mean they can't come out of retirement later, if a new storyline pops up. Maybe you, as a DM, usually recognize this when your players hit that point, and just instinctively throw up a new storyline when needed. Your other DMs may not have fully acquired this talent yet. Since you seem to be playing in one-on-one games, it would be comparatively easy for you to keep a collection of characters. So your druid goes home to his wife, let him have a couple years of peace and quiet while you play your fighter. Maybe he accomplishes something, becomes the lord of a castle, and has to tend to affairs of state. So now a new threat brings your druid out of retirement for a few adventures, then switch to a first level wizard still learning the ropes. It is a different way to play - not so much the inexorable march toward level 20 but creating characters and adventures as the whim strikes you (and your DM). Old characters can come back for new adventures, or simply make cameo appearances. That is fairly easy to accomplish in a one-on-one game, where it doesn't matter that one of your characters is 10th level, one 7th, and one 1st. It's a little harder with multiple players, due to possible level disparities. -snake
UAMDB 12-14-06, 05:51 PM	I actually have the oppisite problem. i can take a character from level one to beyond epic. But you get me behind the screen and after about 6-8 sessions i start to get bored with the campaign. I run out of ideas, and just have to stop the game. i am hoping that my current game runs longer. We are only playing every other week, and in the aftertoon I play in a game, we take a break change characters and I run the evening game.
ScottTheGM 12-14-06, 05:53 PM	snakefing, that may be the best answer yet (not to slight the great advice I got from everyone else ;)). Every now and then I feel like playing Shale of God, Shasta the Trickster, and any of the other characters I've lost interest in. I'm gonna run it past the DMfiance and see what she thinks.
Azuridin_the_aged 12-14-06, 10:08 PM	I feel your pain, believe me I do. I've ran quite a few rpg over the years, between both sw and dnd. For awhile I wanted to join in on the fun so i thought to design a character to play while running the game. The problem is the character falls into just a hack and slash when my turn comes around character. He can't offer ideas, cause i know the mission/dungeoun, and can't offer aide to his friends cause i know whats coming up. Then I tried playing under someone else, which just didn't work at all. Luckily this time around me and my friend came up with a nice little solution. We each have a character and dm but essentially the character's are 1 single entity. His (drow ranger), and mine (elf wizard) have been partying together for several months now ever since Asdriel (wizard) ran in to Victorayn (ranger). Now i know your gonna argue their mortal enemies, but heres the hillarious part that brings in the fun rp. The wizard just happens to be blind, and can only know where hes casting by making listen checks to target out his enemies. Also, being blind, he doesn't know his travelling companion is a drow. Which is hillarious cause hes extremely prejudice to them, and the drow can't bring himself to tell the wizard. So quite simply when i DM he runs both characters and ill rp in town, and when hes dming we switch out. It keeps it interesting and fun cause i may only play my character for 2-4 levels before switching back to dming.
memberZ 12-14-06, 10:37 PM	I became a DM. I was a player for well, decades. I GM'ed Car Wars as I knew the rules far better than anyone else. I GM'ed Gurps as no one wanted to and everyone wanted to play, luckily a real Gurps GM came along and I could return to and flourish as a player. Time passed and I moved to 'nowhere'. Again the want for the game arised but the want to GM was a vague thought at best. I held the reigns and impaled my brain with rules and stories. My players love me as a DM, I can blarney a story out me arse, I can bewilder them with multiple voices and characters, and astound them and make them want to listen more than roll dice. I have learned the art of crushing out 10's to 100's of character ideas at once (insomnia helps a lot). I am and always want to be a player though, the catch 22(pilot to bombardier, but I'm the bombardier). I actually found another group, and tried to join as a player. I found myself becoming a rules lawyer. I found myself thinking of great character builds to kill ______ and not how to kill it with the poor b****rd that lived on my paper. In the end it didn't work out. It's a tough road to find ones way back onto. Back to the DM. Currently I am training a pure DM(one that doesn't want to be a player {borderline sadistic megalomaniac}). She shows great ability and desire. I just have to reformat my brain into a player again. I run 2 PCs at once to cope with the randomness of the DM brain set. Kill one rewrite and it seems to quell the sporadic thought enough. Meantime I still have a 1 on 1 campaign to fall back on as a DM.
taski 12-15-06, 12:55 AM	The best thing about a well-developed background is that it doesn't have to stay static. Use that extensive knowledge of the past to change the present situation. I'm not sure I'm conveying this well, so I'll provide some examples. There's the ever-classic "Some Evil Thing comes knocking on your grove while you're gone, and kills your family." Your character returns to a blackened, smoldering clearing, and he has to solve this devastating mystery. Or, maybe false news travels back to the druid's wife, and she learns of his "death." His brothers console her in her grief, and she eventually grows very fond of one of them. They get married... And then your character returns home. They're just examples, but the idea is that the "background" can change; the NPCs in a character's life don't go into stasis when he's gone. Of course, it's is a lot easier for a player to do in a solo game, where you can hash out that kind of thing with the DM (and you might find out that the DM has other plans for the poor saps).
shadowfox628 12-15-06, 08:55 PM	I understand how it is. I've gone through a bunch of campains like that. Though, in one of them, I made a new character every week for two months (Notes: one session a week, and new characters included those for other PCs). Really, we had a bad streak of lucky when it came to surviving... But, recently, I've kinda lost the ability to... well, DM. Today I was DMing, and I was completely unprepared. I don't like reading off of a script, so I come up with a mental blueprint of what I want to try to get done. But, when I started DMing today, I couldn't do what I normally would do. That, and I think I've absorbed some bad DM traits from someone... That's kinda how things go for me, I adapt the way my friends act (you'd really be amazed... well, maybe not, but still, this is a serious problem when it comes to controling a PCs character in a very minor way...).
Whizzo_Chocolates 12-15-06, 09:22 PM	I can definitely sympathize with you, Scott. I think I have the same problem as some of the other posters here ... having spent most of my gaming career behind the screen, when I finally get the chance to just play, I get all caught up in these "cool concepts" that turn out to not be so cool for long-term play. I also bore easily which doesn't help at all ... Then there's the matter of me being a control freak. Even though part of me would like to just have one character on which I can focus my attention, the rest of me really wants to be in control. I have trouble accepting the authority of other DMs, especially when they're resistant to my fiddling and bending of the rules and such (I'm at a point in my gaming life where I want to try out other things besides what's written down as the "default"). I recently started playing with a newbie DM, and I've already come into conflict with her on a number of occasions (for instance, I wanted to try out point-buy, but she insisted on the default 4d6 rolling method - and made me roll in front of her as though she didn't trust me). I'm definitely happier as the DM. Fortunately we've worked it out so we take turns running our own campaigns. After trying out a heavily-tweaked dwarf cleric (I'd swapped out a number of the default dwarven racial abilities for some more cosmopolitan features in order to make a "city dwarf") and deciding I didn't like it after only one session, I instead made a halfling rogue that I based on Lidda ... I discovered that sometimes just going with something "generic" can be a breath of fresh air. Now, though, I'm starting to get bored with this character, but I daren't say anything to my DM because she'll be very unhappy and won't want me to make a new one just yet. (Between you and me, though, my character has been heading towards CE the past few sessions, so I don't think it will be long before she gets kicked out of the group or whatever and I'll have to roll up a new character). So yeah ... most of the advice I would give has already been said. Good luck with your latest character. Cheers, Jonathan
vezina 12-16-06, 01:12 AM	The best thing about a well-developed background is that it doesn't have to stay static. Use that extensive knowledge of the past to change the present situation. I'm not sure I'm conveying this well, so I'll provide some examples. There's the ever-classic "Some Evil Thing comes knocking on your grove while you're gone, and kills your family." Your character returns to a blackened, smoldering clearing, and he has to solve this devastating mystery. Or, maybe false news travels back to the druid's wife, and she learns of his "death." His brothers console her in her grief, and she eventually grows very fond of one of them. They get married... And then your character returns home. They're just examples, but the idea is that the "background" can change; the NPCs in a character's life don't go into stasis when he's gone. Of course, it's is a lot easier for a player to do in a solo game, where you can hash out that kind of thing with the DM (and you might find out that the DM has other plans for the poor saps). This is the piece of advice I'd go with. In fact, if you think about it, all of us have been building our backgrounds IRL every day since we gained the ability to store memories. Does that make it boring for us as we continue to go through life? No, because every day brings something new even if we want it or not. If you're not leaving yourself open to new things as a player or as a person, then you're simply not looking hard enough. I especially agree with the NPC's not going into stasis while you're away. Your background may be worked out to the point of perfection, but it should change every day. A close friend may have a child. Your druidic brothers may move away in search of places of nature in need. Your wife may decide she's bored with you being away and leave for a life she would prefer. Be open to those changes (as in, don't discourage the DM from altering the groundwork you laid down), and your character should never get boring. However, if you're the type that has too many character ideas and not enough campaigns to put them in, go with snakefing's advice. That kind of campaign is awesome if the DM can keep up with it.
Sphyre 12-16-06, 01:51 AM	I read through the whole thread and I agree with a lot of stuff here. This is a great thread for serious advice that you could use. I, also, DM quite a deal more than I play a PC. Although many of the issues have been advised quite well, I've noticed another possibility. This may hold true for only me and not apply to you, but in interest that you might be able to get something from it, I'll post it. You stated that your game is 80% combat too. As a DM, I have access to everything. If I feel like the next session I want to have casters, or something big, something that attacks from the shadows, I can plan encounters any way I wish. It's not the same thing over and over again. As a player you have a lot less resources at your hand. You have to recycle strategies and tactics in dealing with encounters. I much prefer to play spell casters because they have more choices and can vary more from combat to combat. Even then you're still a bit more limited than DMing. So what's the fun of having combat always be the same? There isn't much. That's why I enjoy playing in a bit faster of a leveling up environment, so my character gains new abilities and it stays friesh. Since it seems you're talking about a solo campaign, perhaps you can ask your wife to pick up the leveling pace for you. You don't need to kill more, just increase the XP that you get. I also have noticed, sometimes when I make a character it doesn't turn out how I envision it and end up losing interest due to that. I played a dwarf ranger for a good amount of time and was happy when he died. Partially because by the time I was level 10, I had 2 magic items, a +1 weapon, and some magic armor, so melee was totally gimped, but the other fact was that the two-weapon fighter didn't come out anything like I had intended in terms of combat prowess. I would like to re-emphasize the point that make sure your character knows what he wants for the future. Develop the personality, a personality that you find intriguing. Get married to your character, and care about it. Don't cry when you die, but the best way to stay with a character is to like the character like it were really a person. Hope this helps.
Gilean 12-16-06, 09:21 AM	My main issues seem to stem from too much background, rather than not enough. I haven't made a one-dimensional NPC for many years, and that has carried over into what I do with my characters when I make them. As calvinNhobbes said, too much background can limit what can happen in the future. Most of my characters aren't open ended enough.MAybe it's a problem of resolved past (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?t=8937)? That is, has everything interesting already happened to your character? One solution is to use so-called kickers: You write some trouble where your character is in, and where he could take multiple different ways. Say, you make a paladin. He just discovered that his mentor, the extremely respected leader of his church, has been corrupted. And the king thinks the church is being inefficient and is threatening to cut the money he gives to them. What will you do? Maybe you decide to do "the right thing" and reveal your dear-loved mentor's corruption. Or maybe you decide that the church is more important than any one member of it and silently take leadership there. Or maybe you decide that your mentor's way is the right one and embrace the evil. In any case, do not make this decision before game, make it in play. And make sure your GM can roll with whatever way you choose.
ScottTheGM 12-16-06, 01:52 PM	You stated that your game is 80% combat too. Actually, 80% out of combat. ;) The new character is working really well after the one session. It's a lot more fun to play a character without the resolved past issue. Who knew that this new guy would fall for the first elf he saw? He's smitten with the princess. LOL...how typical. It's good fun so far though. He's decided to learn how to play the guitar. Heh.
Sphyre 12-16-06, 04:22 PM	Actually, 80% out of combat. ;) Ah, my bad. Probably doesn't apply as much if combat is only 20% of your game.