So what makes a good DnD player? What kind of player do you enjoy at the game table? What kind of player do you aspire to be? Do you even aspire to be a better player?
After 30+ years I still aspire to be a better player.
What I think makes a good player?
Good hygiene
Imagination
Enthusiasm for the game
Sharing, as in sharing dice, game time, snacks, but especially game time.
Either a good knowledge of the rules or a desire to learn the rules.
Attentiveness for the Dm and other players.
A sense of humor
Clear speech
Prepared, for the game and their turn.
- I like players who come to the session. Don't message me second before the game is planned to begin and tell me you can't make it. I’ve been preparing for the session and could have been doing assignments! Especially when two key players down means the game can’t run.
- Don't cry when the rules clearly say you can't do it that way. Damn those Wizards who don't prepare their spells each day!
- Roll both your attack die and your damage die at the same time!
A sense of humor
Particularly taking failure with good humor. My one friend (who has a rogue that is pretty optimized for good to hit rolls) started a combat last night by rolling a 3, a 1 and then a 2. You could tell it was frustrating him, but he made a pretty good effort to laugh it off.
Prepared, for the game and their turn.
This is huge, for me. A related point is don't interrupt the next two players' turns with "oh, actually I did 3 more points of damage" and "oh, I forgot I had a +2 bonus to AC, that last attack actually missed me."
There have been many other threads in here about making reasonable, party-helpful characters (or avoiding party-discruptive characters). I'd suggest that a good player should ask three questions in character creation:
1. How can this character help in combat?
2. How can this character help out of combat?
3. What will make this character interesting to role-play with?
If your answer to any of those questions is "nothing" then you will probably be an annoyance to the rest of the party. If the answer to any of those questions is "everything, this character is awesomeness personified" then you will probably be an annoyance to the rest of the party.
List of top qualities in a player in order
- Consistancy. Shows up every session, or most session. Doesn't fizzle out before the campaign ends.
- Not a tool. The rest of the group has to like you.
- Interested enough in the game to get the basic idea of "D20 + Something".
- Doesn't bog the game down with "oh i havent payed attention since my last turn, but I want to play a 3.5 summoner. My turns will take roughly 20 min on a quick one".
- Open minded to the setting and system.
- Hygene. Don't smell, and don't be gross.
Those are the big 6. If you can do that, you are welcome at my games. Note that while consistancy is most important, if you fail on 2 or 3 of the others, it doesn't matter.
- Consistancy. Shows up every session, or most session. Doesn't fizzle out before the campaign ends.
- Doesn't bog the game down with "oh i havent payed attention since my last turn, but I want to play a 3.5 summoner. My turns will take roughly 20 min on a quick one".
- Hygene. Don't smell, and don't be gross.
These three are so imporatnt to me, both as a player and a DM.
When you have a group of 4-7 people that play, having a day that works for everyone is hard to set up. so last minute cancels or just not showing up does not fly well with me. as a player in this situation, i just suck it up. if i'm the DM, i'll play without the person and give him an addiction to something (both to explain his absence and as a bit of a penalty). for example, we had a player who routinely didn't show up or was late, so we gave him an opium addiction.
Honestly, the time between moves is at most measured in single digit minutes. why not pay attention to what your fellow team members are doing and how the action is going, rahter than looking at a phone, doodling, on the computer, etc... Being ready to go on your turn makes the game go faster for everyone.
Smelling bad is bad, enough said.
Another thing i expect from players is the use of team work. No matter the class, everyone needs to work together to accomplish a goal. if people don't know how to get into flanking position, or don't help out a bloodied or unconscious player, then the game gets that much tougher and lasts that much longer. When i play, no matter the class, my goal is for the party to succeed first, my character to do something uber cool second (it's best when you can do both of these
)
That saying head down GameS workshop in my hometown on a busy game day and there are some funky smells-
Perhaps someone should make a cologne just for gamers-
now what to call it??????
I'm loving that personal hygiene is coming up so often LOL!
That saying head down GameS workshop in my hometown on a busy game day and there are some funky smells-
Perhaps someone should make a cologne just for gamers-
now what to call it?????
Tell them it's a magic potion. That it'll disguise their scent.
What I realize now is that they have to be someone I would want as a friend.
Yes, definitely. After that comes all the other things to varying degrees.
But if the friendship isn't there? Then none of the rest even matters (and I won't be playing with you*)
*The exception being at gaming cons.
Most people were 2 or more hours late. We didn't end up finishing the encounter as people had to leave, it was a huge mess.
I can forgive a lot, as long as the player is willing to meet everyone else halfway and cooperate. I've found that stubborn, inconsiderate, lone-wolf players and DMs rarely have very much to contribute to the adventuring party, the story, or the game. That can probably be ignored with some effort, but on top of that they also tend to bring out the worst in everyone else at the table.
Perhaps someone should make a cologne just for gamers-
now what to call it??????
"Soap".
Once were done talking about movies and video games and actually begin playing, try to refrain from distracting others with out if game activity and chatter.
Don't use role playing as your excuse to verbally abuse the other players at the table. Playing a character with a bad attitude is different from a being a player with a bad attitude.
Don't forget that its a game.
Oh, and hands off my dice. Unless you ask first.
Oh, and hands off my dice. Unless you ask first.
THIS. I cannot stand it when people grab for my dice. I do feel like dice work differently for people and certain dice are "lucky" I have had times when i've been rolling well, and someone else uses my dice, rolls well, and then for the rest of the evening the dice are **** for me.
...or something like that.
- dont use your powers on other players to make them look stupid, screw up their roleplaying or make them look like a joke. example: someone just insulted my characters mother, i want to kill them, but the kenku in the party keeps using his voice mimic to stop my voice, i cant finish a sentance and other people are throwing meaningless diplomacy rolls by saying "DIPLOMCAY!!!" and saying "20 something, your calmed down now" this happened in a public game recently, i find it is incredably rude to try to belittle other people when they want their character to make a stand.
- dont kick people while they are down. somtimes, you make bad tactical choices, somtimes you roll poorly sometimes, things just go poorly. dont inform the player that its because he shouldent of chosen vampire or because their dice are cursed, this has never been a problem directed at me but somthing i have observed a few times.
- godmoding. do not godmode, even if you are DM. you shouldent cutscene players into your traps and as a player you shouldent metagame your will onto others, like taking things out of their hands and burning them because they are texts to another deity (at least roll for it) or when a character charges at someone because they pissed off the character "i hold him back" is not a sufficent way to stop the angry minotaur (once again, roll for it at least)
- dont be selfish
- be accomadating
- be nice in and out of character (as applicable as possible)
- Consistancy. Shows up every session, or most session. Doesn't fizzle out before the campaign ends.
- Doesn't bog the game down with "oh i havent payed attention since my last turn, but I want to play a 3.5 summoner. My turns will take roughly 20 min on a quick one".
- Hygene. Don't smell, and don't be gross.
These three are so imporatnt to me, both as a player and a DM.
They should be important to everyone simply as a member of society. That it comes up so often is a pretty damning commentary on the state of "gamers" as a whole - us included, because most of the world paints groups with a single brush. Though I suspect it's a bit of social retardation that creeps in because gamers get obsessive about games to the point where they neglect other aspects of their lives, this is something that should be a line in the sand.
A shower and a brushing of the teeth are pretty f'ing basic routines that most of society see as a bare minimum. While it might seem cruel, if you know gamers who skip these, it will be doing them - and all the rest of us - a favor if we remind them of that fact regularly.
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Game specific:
Being on time and being there
Bringing any necessary equipment (character sheets, dice, pencils etc)
Knowing the rules
Being a team-player
Not playing a jerk character
Letting others have the spotlight
Not wasting time, not causing inappopriate distractions
Making combat decisions within reasnoble time
Being able to make a decent PC and not making dumb tactical choices
Confidence in role-playing, putting on character voices etc
Taking the initiative/opportunity to co-operatively build a world or tell a story
Things I like in players:
- Be generally likable as a person
- Show up most of the time and on time
- Don’t play a jerkish character who will just cause problems for the group. D&D isn’t about acting out sociopathic fantasies and stabbing your friends in the back
- Share snacks, share dice with folks
- Work with me – give me a background, and don’t force me to come up with a reason why all your “lone wolf” type characters are all adventuring together besides “so, you are in a tavern...”
- Don’t look over my screen. I bought it for a reason. Besides, it will only hurt you, since I only fudge down, never up
- Learn the game mechanic. To do something, roll a d20 and add something. Pretty straightforward.
- Know your character and your powers
- Keep track of your status effects, both the ones you receive and dish out
- Know how to do math. Preferably in your head. I don’t want to hear “12... plus three is... uh, fifteen... plus two is 17. Oh, and my quarry damage is (rolls) four”
- When rolling AoE powers, roll damage first.
- Skill checks: explain what you’re doing. Your character isn’t “rolling arcana,” he’s using his arcane knowledge to figure out what the deal is with the weird amulet. Also, don’t roll a skill check unless I ask you to, or you ask permission. Don’t just out of nowhere say “I have an 18 in intimidate.” I might just say “good for you.” Finally, unless you’re assisting, one skill check at a time, please.
- Use intimidate sparingly. In real life, you don’t go into a job interview and tell the interviewer that if he doesn’t pay you twice what the job description says you will bash his head in with a big hammer. So don’t do it to the guy offering you 25 gold to escort a wagon. Especially not if he’s a king surrounded by heavily armed guards
- Don’t be petty. Stealing **** isn’t cool, especially from the group.
- Other players can build their characters however the hell they want – not everyone has to be optimal, and don’t get upset at other players for not going for an optimized build. My last two characters were based on the principles of “katars are cool” and “I don’t roll my d12s often enough” respectively
- Don’t make a ridiculous build just to hog all the spotlight.
- Don’t get pissed at other characters for doing their job, or complain that your character has to do their job. If you’re a striker, don’t complain that the pacifist cleric is useless because he hasn’t dropped as many enemies as you. If you’re a defender, don’t complain that you’re taking all the hits.
They should be important to everyone simply as a member of society. That it comes up so often is a pretty damning commentary on the state of "gamers" as a whole
Or it shows that anyone from any place in society can be a gamer, and the rules are no different for gamers than non-gamers. As long as you can function as a member of society, you can be a gamer. If you can't; gamers, like the rest of society, will shun you.
They should be important to everyone simply as a member of society. That it comes up so often is a pretty damning commentary on the state of "gamers" as a whole
Or it shows that anyone from any place in society can be a gamer, and the rules are no different for gamers than non-gamers. As long as you can function as a member of society, you can be a gamer. If you can't; gamers, like the rest of society, will shun you.
It's not a comentary on gamers its a comentary on people, and people stink. I find stinky people in all kinds of social situations, gaming, shopping, bar hopping, church, work, all over.
When I played a season of Encounters there were a few experienced adding up the die rolls of the new players while the new player was trying to find the modifier on his sheet. Even if your intention is to help, don't do this. Point out the where or how to find the modifier instead.
I've had players who help a newbie with character generation only to make a confusing optimising character with all kinds of doo dads the newbie does not understand-
Had a group of experienced players say we have a newbie starting who has never played d&d before
gee guys you are all at 6th lvl why don't we do a one shot 1st level adventure to get him into the game
no its ok we'll make a 6th level for him
well the newbie had a fighter with loads of confusing abilities and magic items, just give him +2 axe and +1 armour , not cloaks of the walking wounded I said etc etc.
after 2 sessions he never came again......
Or if your partner or wife is gaming don't make a character up for them they don't understand it, If you are new to the game then a wizard with loads of spells is probably not the best character for you....
Being nice, polite, friendly, fun, respectful and all the other generic stuff that makes a good friend/human being.
Game specific:
Being on time and being there
Bringing any necessary equipment (character sheets, dice, pencils etc)
Knowing the rules
Being a team-player
Not playing a jerk character
Letting others have the spotlight
Not wasting time, not causing inappopriate distractions
Making combat decisions within reasnoble time
Being able to make a decent PC and not making dumb tactical choices
Confidence in role-playing, putting on character voices etc
Taking the initiative/opportunity to co-operatively build a world or tell a story
yep all agree with this one and i'd like to add, don't read the adventures i am going to run, to give yourself an unfair advantage
Had a player whose house i left my revenge of giants adventure I was running, The third encounter or so is with a basilisk,
between sessions just before the party would encounter the basilisk he announced his character is buying a stone to flesh potion
why i ask?
well you never know when you may need it.
Well i changed that encounter to a different monster straight away and strangely for all the years we gamed after no in the party has ever bought a stone to flesh potion again?
strange that....
I'm surprised your PC actually thought he could get away with it unnoticed.
Good hygiene
Good Hygiene is the top of my list, there have been people I swear don't know what a shower is.
So what makes a good DnD player? What kind of player do you enjoy at the game table? What kind of player do you aspire to be? Do you even aspire to be a better player?
After 30+ years I still aspire to be a better player.
What I think makes a good player?
I enjoy players who are able to think on their feet, able to handle when things go against their plans. Players who don't try to game the system and ruin it for the other players. Be mindful of the other players and your good in my book.
Everything else is secondary.
-- hygiene, that is, basic cleanliness and such;
-- punctuality; if you can't make it on time, either let people know, or at least don't be offended or disappointed if the game goes on without you...or gets canceled if you're the GM;
-- pay attention; you don't have to hang on the edge of your seat every minute, but have some clue when your turn is coming around and be ready to act
-- be patient; don't insist that everybody else, or even yourself, take lots of extra time to carefully maxmize every single action and every single point of movement every turn. Or if you do, take the planning time *before* your turn comes rather than slowing things down even more.
...and then there's my personal agenda:
Learn to Shut Up.
It's a pet peeve of mine in my regular group. We're a large group (9-10 people at the table is typical) and it can be a very long time between turns, so I have no problem with a certain amount of side talk and distractions. But when I'm visibly trying to listen to the GM dispensing information, or following someone else's turn, or running my own turn, that is Not The Time to start talking to me about your kid's day at school, or the weather, or the other campaign, or world affairs, or really about Anything At All.
Under 'Learn to Shut Up' I also classify the tendency among too many people to tell other players what they should do, even when that help is unasked or openly unwanted. This was one of my faults when I started playing 4e, but I've realized my error and repented.
And then there's Don't Teach Your Grandmother How to Suck Eggs. The gold standard for this was the time one of the other players began patiently explaining to me - this person has never GMed anything in her life, and I run one of our 4e campaigns - just what a 'mark' was. All I could do was stare, wondering when she would realize who she was talking to.
...
No large uncomfortable PDA (public display of affection) at the table with your girl/boy friend. That includes hand holding for longer than 2 hours or hugging from behind like one is riding a motorbike while their arms are crossed in front of the others stomach while they make everyone uneasy as they stare at you with a lustful/romantic glazed-over look in their eyes. Its just weird for an adult couple to do. This isnt freshman year of highschool.
No bringing your uninterested eye rolling signifigant other to a game. If they cant roll dice, they need to stay home.
No kids.
No constantly answering the phone and replying to their texts/WHY ARENT YOU COMING HOME interogations. Noone needs to "check in" once every 15 minutes.
No smelling like the aftershave factory exploded in your face.
No treating the females at the table different than the males.
Jokes
No unfunny banter and no fake laughing at said banter just to appear "polite". If its not funny, "UM..THAT HAD TO HURT LOLOLOLOL" Then dont laugh at it. Lauging at it just makes it worse and encourages the crap to continue.
No jokes while the DM is trying to talk. Let him get his 5 sentences over with and crack your zinger on your own time to talk. Have you ever tried to listen to a DND podcast where theres 7-10 people talking and laughing all at once while the dm is trying to explain something? Yeah..A bunch of chuckles and giggles sounds like that.A kaleidoscope of knee slapping crap.
Drinks
No drinks near my expensive books,electronics, or anything else that I may not want covered in CODE RED MTN DEW.
Stop asking me for drinks. Get one. Thats what they are there for. Free. Done.
Smokers
If its wintertime, open my door and leave shutting it as fast as possible. My heat is on and Im not going to pay extra while Im freezing to death so you can talk to me and others while you blow smoke outside with the door propped wide open and snow falling. Also, when you come back in, I dont want snow all over my carpet.
Dice
If I dont offer, dont touch mine.
When I do (and I probably will) offer you some dice because obviously its impossible to pay 4 dollars to get your own.. Dont keep slinging my dice off the table. Be careful. I dont want to spend half the session digging d4's out from under my stove/fridge.
No soup for you!
My trick, I've got a lot of dice sets. Some are just for me and when someone forgets his dice ( Shame on him! ) I let him use my other dice. ( These are "complete sets", but from various incompete sets! If you forget your dice, you don't deserve a perfect set! )
So, no players touch MY dice!
And hygien is not only for D&D, it's for life in general! ( I don't know Orcs in real life...Only 2011 humans, so, they shoyuld smell nice! )
I know, it doesn't sound like it would be that hard, but we just started a campaign with a new group, and we all agreed a month in advance when the first playing session would be. We had a character creation session 2 weeks before the first game, where we intentionally created a balanced group of characters, and everyone once again affirmed their committment to the first playing date. So I show up the first day, and only 5 out of 7 people are there. So we've got the DM, two spell casters, two archers, and nobody to fight on the front lines, because the two missing people were the heavily armored melee fighters. We started playing anyway, and I'm impressed with the DM so far, but we reached a point where we just couldn't get past a particular group of goblin archers, because they had good cover to hide from our ranged attacks, and we had nobody to go run up and maneuver around their cover to go bash them over the heads. I know goblins don't sound that tough, but it was a level 1 Pathfinder game, where survivability can be an issue at first level.
Personal deals...
Know how your character works. I hate, as a player or a DM, twiddling my thumbs waiting for someone to add up the bonuses for their standard attack EVERY round. A dove-tail to this is Pay attention to the game. I also don't like to have to repeat every previous action or outline where everybody moved their minis in the last round because you were too busy Facebooking, Tweeting, or playing an iPhone game to pay attention. This inevitably leads to the 10 minute round while you look through your power cards, count squares, pick which dice to roll, debate whether to use your Action Point...
Roll your attack and damage dice together. This is just faster. As a dove tail to this one, if you roll a die off the table, just re-roll it. Don't try to crawl up under the table and call out whatever the die face is on... mysterious how those "floor" dice are so high ALL the time!
And finally, try to Let the new guy/girl make thier own moves, actions and decisions. If the new guy's archer ranger just moved into melee combat holding his bow because he has visions of Legolas and blocked your Charge-cheese-Gouge-wielding Barbarian's charge lane.. just let him play his round out, do whatever you need to (like Move and then Charge anyway), and then let it go.
if you roll a die off the table, just re-roll it. Don't try to crawl up under the table and call out whatever the die face is on... mysterious how those "floor" dice are so high ALL the time!
My group has a rule: If the die falls off the table, don't bother reading it because it might make you happy and it might depress you, but EITHER WAY YOU ARE REROLLING IT.
And finally, try to Let the new guy/girl make thier own moves, actions and decisions.
Yes, this. Statements like "Hey, if you move *here* you get +2 to hit for Flanking an it costs you nothing" are fair. Anything more than that, ESPECIALLY anything involving another character's actions? A hint too far.
All in all the object of the game is for all,both dm and players to have fun.That is paramount in any game.
But the single most important thing is to make sure each person washes their hands when they come back from the bathroom before handling the bowls of snax on the table.