As fuel for the fire, how important are the following to you as a player:
Leveling
Loot (value)
Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”)
The adventures
The NPCs
The story (including hooks)
The world
Consistency
Cause and effect
Roleplay
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate)
Available classes, races and/or templates
House rules
Personally, I’d play a level 1 character for a year in an engaging world if the story made sense and my character’s actions meant something. Roleplay is very important to me. Loot and gear just have to make sense for the setting (not to RAW). I’ll put up with some wooden NPCs, but not many. I guess the bottom line is that my character doesn’t have to get more powerful for me to enjoy playing. I hate being railroaded, at all.
For me
Leveling – I don’t care. I’ll play level 1 for a year if the rest of the game is fun
Loot (value) – should be consistent & plausible, but not necessarily RAW. Loot does not motivate me.
Specific gear – I’d rather use what I find than have something tailored. To me, using what I’ve found is part of the puzzle. Specific gear does not motivate me.
The adventures –somewhat important. So long as they don’t get boring, I’m in.
The NPCs – I’ll tolerate some wooden NPCs, but not if they are a meaningful part of the adventure or campaign
The story (including hooks) – this is important. I need to care. I need to have some idea why my PC would care and how this fits into the world.
The world – this is important. If the world doesn’t make sense I won’t play in it for long.
Consistency – very important to me. I expect to be able to make up solutions base on what has worked in the past.
cause and effect – this is a game breaker for me. If I can’t map out cause and effect (at least what my PC should know) I’m going to quit.
Roleplay – very important to me. I want to play a character beyond the numbers. All of my characters must have a distinct personality. I have to have RP opportunities in order to show this.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) – I hate to be railroaded. I will try to work with a DM’s adventures, but I must control my character’s every move.
Available classes, races and/or templates – I don’t care. If you tell me everyone starts as a human commoner, I’m good with that.
House rules – If I have them in advance, and they don’t conflict with the stuff above, house rules are fine.
In summary, I want to be part of a story and I want my actions to make a difference. A string of arbitrary, unlinked adventures filled with loot and XP is not fun for me at all.
Loot (value) Some is /needed/ At least the minimal needed to replace lost consumables potions and wands and suchlike. And I also like it if every now and then I can commission a spellcaster for a new piece of gear.
Specific gear In dnd, not at all. In Exalted I've got my eyes set on a very specific artefact however. But magical gear there is something completely diffrent from DnD.
The adventures I like my adventures to have some kind of tie with my character. I don't often like working for the next bag of gold. I want them to be challenging with a real risk of failure of death. What I loathe is when there is a deus ex machina to save the party/plot or my PC.
The NPCs I like it if they are real. That is to say they seem to behave in realistic manners. I was once at the mercy of a succubus (it had charmed a local regent) and instead of asking for my head on a silver platter, which would be the smart thing to do for her she let me be banished from the kingdom. I just couldn't comprehend.
The story (including hooks). I haven't got a lot of good experience in really big stories. Aside from the ones I've written myself. I like a good overlapping plot. But I don't want to be the servant of the plot. AKA being railroaded. And thrice now this has happened to me in 2 separate campaigns.
The world I like a world that is still full of frontiers. Where you can go west as a pioneer, so to speak and really explore a brave new world. On the other hand I'm also a fan of the big magical cities where skyships glide majestically overhead while the lightning rail thunders into the station.
Consistency I like it if there is some consistency. But I don't need more then nessecary. As long as I don't notice inconsitencies I'm not complainging about them.
Cause and effect Needs to exist. Otherwise I'm just walking in a world like WOW where enemies respawn and nothing matters except what you do for the plot. Its very closely related to railroading in my experience.
Roleplay I'm very much for a heavy-rp campaign and I won't hesitate to write 4 or 5 pages of backstory and personality for my character. I like to see my character interact with the people surrounding him. Making him care for things and hate things alike.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) None, well almost none. I'll bite plot hooks when I recognize them and they aren't too contrived. But I don't like being forced into things.
Available classes, races and/or templates I like to have some availability. Though most of the time my characters are human I like to play other races too. The real monstrous races don't hold my interest very much though. I don't need something that has tentacles or mandilbles instead of lips.
House rules A few are nessecary. I maintain several house rules at the moment. But most are there just to tell people what I will and will not allow for sourcebooks. A few small bugs being caught out (IE white raven tactics) are no problem either. But in general I like to keep it down to a minimum.
In summary: I like a world that feels real and in which my character can leave its footprints. I like a story that challenges my character and allows him to grow, not just in terms of levels & wealth. But as a personality. Where he can build a circle of peoplw who he will be willing to defend and a villain he can hate and thwart.
That means levelling, and opportunity to use my class abilities. If I play a spellcaster, then that means opportunity to use cool and interesting spells. And it means the DM permitting me to be creaitive with them, rather than a flat "that doesn't work".
One of the coolest things I remember is one of the other players, playing an elf ranger and sort musing about his character, saying about my drow wizardess: "You know, Beyonce is a useful ***** to have around". This despite the racial antagonism. I had saved the clerics life by disintegrating a Necklace of Strangulation. I argued that I was not trying to make it *release* (which needs a limited wish), I was trying to *destroy* it, and it would have to save like any other magic item. And the DM allowed it (and possibly fudged the roll - we'll never know).
Thing is - I got a bit of a moment.
One of the most disappointing games I remember was at CanCon '08, at a table of powergamers and a powergamer DM. The only thing that mattered was dishing out hitpoint damage. Use a grease, a color spray, an animate rope to attempt to do something cool, and it's a table full of funny looks and "Ok, so you animate the rope. Next."
Story? Meh - I don't know that I've ever been able to keep track. That's one of the reasons I go to so much trouble to write a game log, now that I am DM.
Loot - GP is favored but random loot is fine, overall not a big factor
Specific gear - A BIG DEAL, In the past my toons look for a powerful caster to commission into making my gear piece at a time.
The adventures - What use is rediculously awesome gear if I can't utilize it?
The NPCs - the important ones should be fleshed out but the rest can be flat
The story (including hooks) - I enjoy a good plot with various sub-plots
The world - Something a little more complex than Good Empire vs Bad Empire please, needs to make sense
Consistency - some is nice but not if it gets monotonous
Cause and effect - I like my actions to have influence
Roleplay - I am yet to be a group that roleplays..... I groups idea of roleplaying is to beat up the NPCs... I played one session the other group was rather dissinterested in roleplaying
Control - railroading is necessary at times but if it gets to be the norm then I'm gone
Available classes, races and/or templates - Everything unless there are players who build pun-pun and crap like that. I enjoy changlings
House rules - as long as they apply to NPCs as well and are layed out in advance and in writing then its all good
Leveling: is very important to me. With increased levels come increased capability to take action and affect the world, or just my part of it. A levelup every 3-4 sessions (assuming a session a week, and about 4 EL-appropriate encounters per session), seems like a good rate to me.
Loot (value): I can take or leave this, depending on what my character is after. High net worth is great when you're trying to build a world-spanning spy network from the ground up, out of your own pocket. It's useless if you're trying to win the heart of a childhood friend that's not a gold digger.
Specific gear: I don't like planning all my gear out ahead of time, so this isn't very important to me, overall. One or two pieces may be very important, though. If I'm, say, a heavy-hitting melee attacker that lets incoming strikes land in order to make more of my own, for example (Karmic Striker with intentionally low AC), I'm going to need a good Wrathful Healing two-hander to stay alive, whether or not that comes up in the treasure table roll.
The adventures: must be there and must be difficult, though not so impossible that the only way to succeed is the DM handing me the success (I hate hollow victory by DM fiat or deus ex machina.) Give me some down time to take care of stuff that's not directly related to the adventure but needs to be dealt with anyway, but I gotta have work and it's gotta be interesting.
The NPCs: There is no game without these. Even a barren all-traps dungeon had to be designed and built by someone, their concerns and mindset should show through in their devices.
The story (including hooks): the story is extremely important but must always remember that PCs don't have scripts. Order and neatness don't make a story interesting. Characters make a story interesting, and they must be free to act as themselves. Hooks should be natural rather than contrived, IMO -- I don't want to see a big neon sign saying Go East and all exits out of town in other directions roadblocked. If you want me to head over to the city east of here, you need to have given me reason to choose on my own to go there. If one of my best friends lives in the city to the east, and I get word an epidemic has broken out in the city and has overtaxed the healers' ability to stop, I'll be there.
The world: is as important as it's made out to be. If it's a real dynamic world that interacts back with the players and with interconnected parts of itself, that matters a lot. Political ripple effects, establishing a reputation, hell, founding your own nation... you can have a lot of fun in a world like that. If the world is just basically a mute substrate on which NPCs and monsters are haphazardly laid as they're thought up, though, who cares? Blow the ball of rock up for laughs maybe, it's not worth anything.
Consistency: is extremely important. For paladins, agents and their ilk, world consistency helps them to know how to conduct themselves without getting hung up in moral/ethical problems all the time. For free spirited and prankster types, a consistent world allows them to play out how they live and work outside the system on their own terms, without having to be so berserk (chaotic stupid) that they couldn't fit into any system, because there's no actual system for them to be outside of. For everyone, consistency provides a framework of stability and expectactions to go with or against and have some idea of the outcome. For the story, consistency is vital, a good story may be chaotic but it becomes incoherent if the premise constantly changes and no guidelines are established to follow or break.
Cause and effect: is part of consistency, and it's necessary, but too often DMs seem to think it means punishment. A dynamic world and NPCs should react naturally to inputs and stimuli, in a consistent way, but mitigating circumstances should not be overlooked just because the DM wants to thump someone. (Example: PC has been quietly stewing over NPC he hates but not saying anything, finally up and murders the NPC, and is very careful about not leaving witnesses, disposing of the body, and cleaning the scene. PC getting caught and suffering for it anyway just because DM doesn't like PC murdering NPC apparently at random, is wrong.)
Roleplay: is one aspect of D&D. In general, it's good... sometimes great, sometimes just okay, rarely it's crap. I don't like how a lot of players and DMs seem to single out roleplay as the only part of D&D (or just the most important part), adopt elitist attitudes about it, and use it as an excuse to exclude or mistreat players that like the wargame aspect of D&D and concentrate on it more. as well as avoiding learning the crunchy aspects themselves and then just using Rule 0 to come out ahead of people who put in the mental work to actually know what they're doing. I like to roleplay, and I like to wargame, but I find myself leaning more toward wargaming out of resistance to roleplaying elitists, and because I can engage my imagination at any time but the opportunities to do cooperative or competetive wargaming come up far less often for me.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate): Basically, if you use Rule 0 to force a situation, it had better be a situation I would willingly participate in (even initiate) myself and simply lack a rules-viable way to do it, or I'm gone. My favourite thing about D&D is I can do nearly anything with it and have a ruleset to resolve how it turns out, too -- if I wanted to give up my freedom of choice I'd go play Diablo 2 or something.
Available classes, races and/or templates: I like a pretty free hand here, as long as the rules are observed. Half-dragon with increased abilities and no LA because you're the DM's girlfriend? No, and get the hell away from the table or I will. Goblin or shadow creature or gravetouched ghoul or awakened toad because you like 'em, and you're willing to suck up the ECL hit (if applicable)? Those sorts of things should be allowed. Freedom of choice is good.
House Rules: I want them in writing, in advance, and with specifics rather than generalities that can be interpretted multiple ways. Same for variant rules. If we end a session with the cleric stable at -9 hp in hostile territory, and I spend an hour before next session working out a traveling formation where he's got soft cover from every direction and nothing can get to him in melee without drawing at least 4 AoOs, I don't want to hear afterward "Oh, by the way, we're using the UA facing rules, you've got gaps in your threatened space here and here and here and here, and if an enemy comes in from this direction you won't even get a Spot against it until it's right on top of you." I also find it rather irritating to invest a lot of time in character creation and discover afterward that some aspect of its crunch or fluff doesn't work because of a houserule I wasn't told about ahead of time. I prefer to know the reason behind houserules if possible, as well, and if one comes up that seems unreasonable I can try to challenge it. (Example: one game I was going to play in allowed monstrous characters, but goblins were banned because they're "too weak". This after I'd come up with a goblin assassin with a death attack DC in the 40s, enough sneak attack damage to trigger a massive damage save every time, only a 5% chance of being successfully hit regardless of attack roll, ability to sneak around in spite of tremorsense/blindsense/blindsight/scent, and sufficient UMD to use any magic device he'd want to, among other abilities. How ridiculous.)
With that said... Note that I am entirely a play by post gamer. Some things that wouldn't make sense in a tabletop environment work just fine here.
Leveling: I like progress. I don't make characters to have them go nowhere, I want to see them develop and part of that is new abilities, being able to successfully face tougher opposition, and so forth. But said progress should feel earned, otherwise I will get bored. Fast.
Loot (value): I flat out avoid low magic/treasure, period. I have found these terms are used interchangeably with 'power tripping DM' which results in an unenjoyable experience.
Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”): It depends on class. If it's something already good, there's little need for exacting stuff. And often, they can make said stuff if it really matters. For say... a beatstick type? Very precise, can't deviate too much without failing. For them, it's very important.
The adventures: They need to appeal personally and be interesting, allowing for one or more PCs (not necessarily my own) to develop in some way. For example, a party including a Crusader from Karrnath gets a chance to discredit some Silver Flamers.
The NPCs: Obviously, not all of them are going to be epics in terms of flavor appeal. They aren't supposed to be. There should however be enough interesting people to interact with so that the roleplaying aspect of the game does not become a drag, as it will without said interesting personalities.
The story (including hooks): Similar to adventures, it needs to appeal personally and be interesting. The lazy paths of getting the PCs involved will not work on me, and even trying will result in a lack of respect. These include trying to play the help innocents card (I never play good, N/A), or railroading of course.
The world: Absolutely must make sense. For this reason, Eberron > Good homebrew > everything else. Interesting is a given at this point, and it also needs to feel alive.
Consistency: Sometimes, details are forgotten. But if x does y, then x should always do y unless z interferes somehow. Simple as that.
Cause and effect: If my actions make no difference, why am I here? Why am I bothering? On the other paw, if I go and do something incredibly stupid like throw rocks at a guard garrison until they attack me, I should be overwhelmed and either forced to flee or killed quickly.
Roleplay: It absolutely must be present, unless an arena game. It can't be all there is to it, as that's freeform and freeform = DBZ. I need a good mix of the two.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate): Very little. I flat out avoid entire systems on the basis they're too railroady. My character is mine. Period. I also avoid those games where the DM helps you make your character once all the non mechanics stuff is settled, as that's pretty much him making it for you.
Available classes, races and/or templates: I like my options. I avoid core only on the grounds I don't like being pigeonholed into casters if I want to be effective and reliably contribute both in and out of combat. Even if it's something I have no desire to play, the fact I could play it is a plus on the grounds it shows the DM isn't afraid to wander outside so to speak. 95% of the time I'm a human whatever with no templates anyways though.
House rules: Depends on what they are. I always play with some, because they're necessary to promote an enjoyable experience. For example, without house ruling you cannot devote your gold to say... building a tavern or whatever without being a total idiot for doing so due to WBL guidelines read literally highly discouraging it. So that brewer guy you wanted to make? Yeah, bad idea... unless I fix it. Anyways. House rules are fine as long as they make sense, are announced from the start (so I can choose to skip out if they're simply unagreeable), and are not just excuses to shaft the players (see: critical fumble, called shots, etc).
- Leveling - 11
- Loot (value) - 13
- Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”) - 12
- The adventures - 4
- The NPCs - 3
- The story (including hooks) - 5
- The world - 7
- Consistency - 2
- Cause and effect - 6
- Roleplay - 1
- Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) - 8
- Available classes, races and/or templates - 9
- House rules - 10
I play D&D to immerse myself in imagination, express my creativity, and explore my psyche. The loot & crap are minor elements of my game world.
An aside: Thank you, Loftower! This thread finally broke my writers' block, so I'll be going from the boards again for another year or so. Heaven willing, I'll won't need to come back. Thanks, again, & happy gaming!
One last thing, here's a cookie for an awesome idea for a thread topic -->
Loot (value) – Not very important, but should correspond to the challenges faced. I do prefer to have interesting items with a story rather than yet another +1 longsword, though.
Specific gear – Some concepts are centered around a certain item, such as a weapon for a weapon master. Others don't really need tailored items.
The adventures – For me, adventures should be part of the story.
The NPCs – Interesting, quirky NPCs are much more enjoyable (and memorable) than stereotypes, IMHO. It's very helpful for roleplaying enjoyment to have some form of emotional relationship (be it love or hate) to important NPCs.
The story (including hooks) – Important. My PC must have a motivation to be in on it.
The world – Also important. Inconsistencies break the suspension of disbelief.
Consistency – See above
Cause and effect – Doesn't have to be obvious right away, but must be consistent.
Roleplay – Very important to me.
Control – Will tolerate very little railroading.
Available classes, races and/or templates – I prefer "everything goes", but can work with all kinds of restrictions. I usually have my eye on some flavorful rule (feat, equipment, class, etc.) that's outside a limited ruleset, but the DMs I've played with have no problem integrating such flavor elements.
House rules – I tend to dislike them, as most house rules I've seen are created due to a DM's misunderstanding of game balance or an excessive desire to exert control. Consequently, most of them are unnecessary at best.
In summary, I'd like my characters to shape part of the story, if not the world. They should have their time to shine occasionally, but not overshadow others. Loot is not important, but interesting encounters (both combat and roleplay) are. I feel that Deus Ex Machina, excessive railroading and improperly played (power-tripping) DMPCs are an insult to the players.
Eldritch Id,
I’m thrilled that this thread helped. (Really, no sarcasm.)
Mid-level importancy, I guess. It's not really that big of a deal. Still... New toys are awfully fun.
But, there's always a but, a caveat.
New toys are awfully fun, because getting new toys is not an everyday occurance. I'd hate a game where you got new toys each session, and there were always new toys. So many new toys you don't really get to play with the old ones.
Loot (value)
Bha! who cares about the wealth per level charts, I much prefer adjustements to the CR of the encounters than loot that makes no sense. Just so we're getting the 'right' value of loot for our level.
I don't want critters to be dropping gems, just because you're supposed to get X gold out of an encounter!
I do however greatly enjoy finding some more exotic pieces of loot. No matter the value. Pieces that makes sense in the world, even if not so useful perhaps for an 'adventurer'. Things like a little magic spoon, that if you stir a cup of cold water with it, turns the water in the cup into steaming hot cocoa.
Because dammit! that's a worthwhile and useful magic item for the 99.999% of the population that are non-adventurers, and a world with magic should have a lot more of those than +3 swords of impslaying laying about.
Specific gear
Meh!
I don't build my characters around the precept of have to have equipement at a certain level.
On the other hand if you are talking pieces of gear that have a specific significance to my character.
Things like the (second hand) MW sword my fighter spotted at a weapon's dealer in a town they passed at level two. One that bore the signia of his old regiment. At the time he could not afford it...
Two 'jobs' and the loot/reward of said 'jobs' later however. He talked the party into making a rather large detour (adding ummm... four weeks or so to a journey) via that town, on the off chance that it hadn't sold yet. Because dammit! he wanted that sword and now he had the money.
If that's more what you mean with specific gear. Then the importance goes up quite a lot.
The adventures
Oh, they're rather important. Like [email]pmurray@bigpond.com[/email] brought up, something that is very important is that my character gets his/her chance to shine, to do his/her thing, play with the toys classlevels bring. The adventures is the vehicle where those opportunities present themselves.
Which kind of means that the adventures, in the best of worlds, actually present one or two situations tailored to each of the individual characters and present the chance for them to do their thing.
The NPCs
I like NPCs, been accused of collecting NPCs more than once. So I guess they rank rather high too.
The story
The story is... well it's a real bonus if it's a compelling one. I'll happily admit that. But, if the players are right, I'm happy with just a low-key 'secret life of adventurers' story where the only story provided by the DM is a string of adventures or 'jobs' for a mercinary company that aren't on a big quest to save the world. They're just making a living and a name for themselves in a cut-throath-business.
The world
On a scale of 1 - 10... the world probably ranks at an 8. I like exploring new and unfamiliar worlds.
Consistency
It's a biggie. Unfortunably it's one that I have problems with when I'm the DM. So I'm a bit more forgiving with consistancy errors than I used to be. I can ignore it to some degree, but big inconsistancies are rather jarring.
Cause and effect
I'm a bit ambivalent about cause and effect. While yes... of course cause and effect should go hand in hand.
If you show up drunk at the mayor's office, broke a load of furniture, molested his daugthers, and generally made an arse out of yourself. You shouldn't expect said mayor to give you any kind of respect or be responsive to your suggestions when you come back, just because you're a PC. You shouldn't be surprised that said mayor have you evicted with all due dilligence.
On the other hand.
Well, you didn't insert magic item A into slot B of the big gadget C before you did killed BBEG D. So you didn't save the world, you failed, you're all dead, everyone's dead. The world exploded. Game over! Really, really, really, REALLY sucks.
Roleplay
Well, it's the roleplay that's the reason I play the game. So... yuppers. This is the top one on the list of things I like.
Apart from making the time, and playing a few NPCs. (I did mention being accused of collecting them, right?) The onus on the roleplaying isn't really on the DM.
But on the other players.
It's the intra-character relationships that rocks my boat.
The things like how my little feral druid loves the wizard like her own sister... But can't stand staying in the same room as her for more than a few hours, because she drives her mad with the OCD-like neatness and insistance of burning incense and using stinky jasmine-perfumed soap.
The 'secret life of adventurers' above an be the best game ever if the mix of characters/players are right and the real story is nothing more than the soap-opera of their relationships. Throw in a hint of romance as well, and I'm a happy bunny. :P
Control
I can tolerate a fair amount of railroading it if it's not too intrusive and the rest of the game is good.
Some minor narrative liberties from the DM to move the game along or provide mood settings, don't bother me. I don't insist on rolling init and an attack roll because an NPC gives my character a no-damage 'snap out of it' -kind of slap, for instance.
If init have been rolled or we're out of pure roleplay situations and doing things like moving minis through a 'dungeon' on the other hand... Then it's hands off MY character.
Available classes, races and/or templates
It's somewhat important.
In as much as I'd rather play in a core only - no multiclassing - PCs have to be human game, than one with spechul snowflake half elf / half fairy / half catgirl / half goat / half golem with a vampire, lycantrope and clown template added with fourteen different classes and PRCs characters.
House rules
Not a big deal.
Available classes, races and/or templates
This is the important one.
Seriously that's a great idea for a combat-useless magic item.
I want your little magic spoon, geekling.
So do I.
I love those kind of little combat-useless magic-items and gadgets. There aren't enough of them.
Loot Loot value isn't too important to me, but I guess it depends on the type of campaign. If it's supposed to be a dark, characters are surrounded by enemies and thwarted at every turn kind of thing, I'm fine with being drastically below wealth by level. I'm also fine with being at wealth by level. It's not so much the loot level, I think, so much as whether the DM takes your resources into account when designing encounters.
Specific gear For the first several levels I'm fine with getting only generic stuff. I'm actually okay with getting it for a long time afterward, but it's always nice when the DM gives you an opponent who has (and actually uses) a weapon or item that's perfect for one of the PCs, so the party has the satisfaction of wresting it from them.
The adventures This one's really important to me. I love having engaging adventures, with a good mix of roleplaying and intrigue and simple ass-kicking, that either advance some sort of overarching story, allow a character to flesh out their personality, or just do something they've been wanting to do.
The NPCs As a player I love NPCs, and I have a bit of a love affair with making believable ones as a DM, as well. As a player, I love it when NPCs have their own distinct personalities and backgrounds, and when you can interact with them with the same level of realism with which you interact with your party members.
The story The story is important to me, if there is one. I'm fine with there being very little plot--maybe the adventure is character-driven, or just a kick-in-the-door kind of thing--but when there is one, I like it to be good. It can be saving the world, setting out to do good and just generally help people in a specific area, just trying to survive, or anything in between, as long as it's compelling.
The world, consistency, and cause and effect These three are all important to me for similar reasons. I like it when a world makes sense by its own internal logic, however mundane or outrageously silly that logic is, because it makes it a lot more fun and interesting to role play. Similarly, a lack of consistency kind of pulls you out of the game, in the same way that a lack of consistency in a movie or book pulls you out of the media and reminds you that it's just fiction. Also, I love maps, as both a DM and a player. I love to draw them, and as a player I love to be able to look at the party's progress on a journey or adventure mapped out on paper, to be able to trace back along the places we went and the people we saw and fought. Having a world with varied cultures and climates and interesting people just makes living in it that much more fun.
It's also amazing sometimes to look back on what you've done and see how it caused other things that you didn't really intend at the time. For example, we once upset the power-balance of the royal guard in a totalitarian nation when we killed several members to escape. We were a part of a diplomatic envoy from another country, and were slated for execution for insulting the king. We killed off several key supporters of the captain of the guard on the way out (who we'd actually come to know fairly well during our time there), and accidentally set in motion a new power struggle in the hierarchy. One of the captain's main rivals took the opportunity to depose him and take control of the guard, and then the country, and when we came back later we realized that our actions had inadvertently installed an even harsher ruler on the throne.
Roleplay Roleplay is a lot of fun for me. While I can enjoy a short kick-in-the-door style campaign, after more than a few floors of dungeon I need something more to occupy me. Diplomacy, intrigue, or even just interesting interaction between characters in the party, but I really want something I can sink my mental teeth into.
Control It kind of depends on the DM for this one. I've played in campaigns that were completely and totally open to player choice. There was a world, we wrote our backgrounds, and the DM tailored a couple of short encounters to those stories to start us off. After that, it was anything we wanted to do, anywhere we wanted to go, and the DM just kind of built a story around us. It was a lot of fun. But I've also played in very tightly-spun plots where, while we had a lot of options open to us at any given moment, it was somewhat obvious that most of them would eventually lead us to the same plot point. It turned out really well, though, because we knew that if we really wanted to break out of the story the DM would let us, or entice us back in with something we wanted, as opposed to forcing us back in with level 30 solar babysitters.
Available classes, races and/or templates Not really a big thing, for me. My favorite classes are fairly universally allowed (rogue, scout, beguiler, ranger, occasionally druid), and I'm happy playing a human or an elf or a crazy race from the outer edges of the galaxy if it fits the character concept I want.
House rules House rules don't usually affect my happiness with a game all that much, unless they're really drastic. I'm fine with no DMM, if you want to combine hide and move silently or take away natural spell or give monks full BAB or let me use averages on rolls or use a weird character generation mechanic, fine. I think they'd have to get fairly intense and complicated before I really started to care all that much.
Leveling: 7, I enjoy math, and I enjoy a developing character. I can wait for a while to level, but making choices and watching my character grow is fun for me.
Loot (value): 5, I've played for stingy DM's, and I've mastered the art of making a little go a long way. Still, being poor isn't fun for long.
Specific gear: 6, If I'm playing an Archer, having a cool bow is a natural desire. Same for other concepts. I do want gear to support my role. However, I'm not too overzealous.
The adventures: 8, Reason for the game, pure and simple.
The NPCs: 5, I like a few detailed NPC's, but I don't get overly attached to generic Joe Farmer.
The story (including hooks): 9, Yes, please.
The world: 4, Overall, setting isn't that big a deal, though I'll admit that some worlds are just plain fun. (Someday, I dream of playing in a Kingdoms of Kalamar game, but since I'm the only one in Owensboro with that setting...)
Consistency: 6, I don't care if the BBEG manages to escape the first few times we meet him. Go ahead and fudge the rules. I do want the rules enforced fairly across the party, however.
Cause and effect: 6, I hit it with the sword (cause), and it dies (effect). I'm assuming that this means Player impact on the campaign world. It's nice to be loved.
Roleplay: 5, Fun sometimes, but usually degenerates into needless arguing.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate): 8, I'm a DM. I know how much work it takes to create a story. I can toe the line for the DM's sake.
Available classes, races and/or templates: 9, I like creating cool stuff, though notably I don't care about available classes as much. I stick almost exclusively to the PHB base classes. It's the races, PrC's, Templates, etc... that I want a wide variety of in my games.
House rules: 7, The cause of many, many enjoyable games. Just let me know up front what they are, and I'll gladly adapt.
1-5 rating, 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest.
Leveling; [1] I'm one that loves to read through all the cool stuff I get later on or think about were my few skill point are going.
Loot; [2] Its not as important as leveling but I like hunting for gear or scoring a dragons huge hoard.
Specific gear; [1] YES!!! I been trying to get my hands on the Staff of the Magi since I began playing. I want to go on a quest for it but campaigns full short before my DM can work it in =/
The Adventures; [3] Mehh I enjoy it either way, Mostly I like working on my PC and leave the direction we take to the others
The NPCs; [2] My DM rarely adds them if any...but the ones he usually adds we watch carefully. He loves gnomes and every gnome he sent always annoyed me.
The Story; [1] I like a good story
The World; [5] Dragonlance, Eberron, New made up world it doesn't matter
Consistency; [3] Hmm never really have to worry my DM usually gives us standard " Orc & evil Dragon " encounters.
Cause and Effect [3] Also not very important to me, I like to RP characters with interesting moral conflicts.
Roleplay; [1] Pretty important I love to RP interesting characters
Control; [5] Personally not to complain I usually never have control, I was the only normal race & class ( my PC had a plot involved around her ) from the core books while other players were Centuar ( Fighter ) and Werewolf ( Monk ) in one campaign =/
Available Casses, Races and/or Templates; [1] VERY important to me and the whole group, we like to play as pretty anything in the books we have. It maybe taboo but are DM doesn't really care about the ECL for characters.
House rules; [5] Read above...long story we have none except a few things that were broken beyond belief
If she is one of the players, or the DM, I will not miss a session, regardless of other plans, work, or emergency medical treatments.
Things like a little magic spoon, that if you stir a cup of cold water with it, turns the water in the cup into steaming hot cocoa.
I once gave out to my group a platinum spoon that was a 1-shot 5d6 wand of fireball. It was great that over the course of almost a year we couldn't go a session or two without someone saying something along the lines of, "Should we fire the spoon at them/it?" And, once, the female elven mage said, to a couple of NPC's, "I've got a spoon and I know how to use it!"
What do I like? Alyssa Milano. :P
If she is one of the players, or the DM, I will not miss a session, regardless of other plans, work, or emergency medical treatments.
Even though she's 35?
Leveling: Very Important as this is the standard measure of progress for a character. Included in leveling is the ability to make use of my class skills and abilities and contributions to the team. What I really HATE are DMs who use other methods (better stats and/or equipment) to increase a PCs power so they can handle more difficult challenges but don't want to give them the levels to do so at standard character power.
Loot/Specific Items: Raw GP value is nice but all that really means is being able to covert it into specific items I'd like to have. Give me the +1 sword I want and I'll be much happier that giving me items I don't want that cost more but which I need to sell to get the gold for the item I do want.
Adventure/NPC/Story/World: The adventure is of course important and the other three contribute to that in varying degrees.
Control: If a DM gives me a metagame idea of what he wants I'm much more likely to be happy with it. I really think every DM should have a PC "plant" that helps direct the party into the adventure. Note that this assume the game is played in the spirit of DM/Player cooperation instead of a DM vs. PC type game.
Availability: I like freedom and if there are restrictions I'd like to know. I'd also like to point out any character "build" I may be planning and would also point out the possible DM hang-up with it to allow the DM a chance to veto it before the game begins. Nothing sucks so much as building and playing a character towards a specific PrC only to have a DM suddenly decide you can't take that class.
House rules: I want to see them up front. I hope most DMs follow the Rules As Intended with most houserule being clarifications instead of full changes. What I'd want to see are rules that improve seldom used areas in minor ways to make them useful. I'd also recommend a DM bring houserules here for community evaluation because what may seem fine in isolation can be revealed as broken when looked at by a bigger group. A house-rule that any critical threat is automatically a critical suddenly makes keen and Improved Critical MUCH more powerful.
I also like it when the DM follows the same rules the PCs do. DMs who build NPCs using PrCs without prereqs and things like that really irritate me.
Even though she's 35?
I know this may be unthinkable, but I'm even older than that. I can even still get around without the use of a cane. On a good day, I can even make my way down the steps to chase those darn kids off my lawn.
I know this may be unthinkable, but I'm even older than that. I can even still get around without the use of a cane. On a good day, I can even make my way down the steps to chase those darn kids off my lawn.
I know this may be unthinkable, but I'm even older than that. I can even still get around without the use of a cane. On a good day, I can even make my way down the steps to chase those darn kids off my lawn.
Personally, I will always find younger chicks attractive, regardless of how old I get. The last thing I want to develop is a cellulite, wrinkle, or denture fetish.
Leveling~ secondary priority. I like to reach level 4 and then have the game slow down - elongating the time it takes to level. About a level every 6-8 sessions (at 8 hours a session) feels right to me.
Loot (value)~ a concern more than a priority. I hated being poor, but I hated "free monnies" as well. Wealth by level is perfect for me (maybe just a smidgin more once in a while).
Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”)~ low priority. Sometimes it's great to get exactly what you want, but at the end of the day I much prefer to work with what I've got rather than resent not getting something I feel entitled to.
The adventures~ Clearly this is of highest priority. Why are you playing the game if not to delve dungeons and battle dragons?
The NPCs~ I care about this only when the story, the world, the consistency, and the cause/effect run well.
The story (including hooks)~ This is highly important (sometimes even more of a priority than the adventure). I don't care if the adventure involves rounding up farmer Jed's lost pigs, if it has a wicked story accompanying it (re: the reason we're swine catching) that is all that matters.
The world~ high priority. I don't want to be playing a well thought out, deep and detailed character in Funzo's adventure-land.
Consistency~ The single most important thing to myself. If I adventure in a place that has constantly changing towns, NPC's, and general theme - I get disenchanted rather quickly.
Cause and effect~ obviously this is important. My ego says it must be - players need to feel that what they do has an effect on the world around them. That if they slay the evil king of adventure-moor, another equally similar dictator shouldn't just pop up in his place, offering that the country forever remain repressed and gloomy.
Roleplay~ high importance. This is a role-playing game after all. I want my character's name, persona, and thoughts to matter. Not just how effective is magic/sword/kung/inspire/heal -fu is.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate)~ this is very important to me. If I feel like I'm just hitting up event sequences with some combat as filler in-between, I'll go play a videogame or read a book. I should have the option of abandoning the current adventure and going off to join an army in another country. Basically I need to feel in control of my character's destiny.
Available classes, races and/or templates~ low priority. Some choice is desired (after all, what's a medival fantasy without elves and dwarves?), but I prefer to do without the exotic races - like half-X planar-ish were-animals.
House rules~ bottom. If the game is standard and by-the-book, then I will be very content. Infact my favorite house-rule of all time is that if you don't know the rules, prepare to be limited in options and hosed for your mistakes (newbies exception ofcourse). To me, not knowing the basic rules is like buying a car and driving without a licence. Just. Don't. Do it.
Loot (value): I don't like to get too much gear, but I do like to start of with a reasonable amount of stuff.
Specific gear: I'd like a decent say in what I start of with, and plenty of non-magic stuff available.
The adventures: Some ongoing storyline is nice. No dungeons full of all the challenges the DM can think of just because.
The NPCs: Believable. Don't overdo the cliqueches (I know I've spelt that wrong).
The story (including hooks): Preferably ones that fit in with character backstories.
The world: Preferably low magic. Try to make sure players have a decent grasp of what's what.
Consistency: Make sure everyone knows what's what.
Cause and effect: Realism is important.
Roleplay: Everyone in character rather than powergaming, but no "but my character would do that bloody stupid thing".
Control: Freedom to do things in the order we want to, but not full Morowind freedom.
Available classes, races and/or templates: Lizardfolk please! Not too many races/classes from outside core.
House rules: Anything that promotes storyline and/or interactivity over blind obedience to the rules is cool.
Even though she's 35?
I've seen a fair few women who still look good past that age, and countless masses who are hideous and younger.
In order from 1-13, with 1 being the highest/most important:
- Leveling - 11
- Loot (value) - 13
- Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”) - 12
- The adventures - 4
- The NPCs - 3
- The story (including hooks) - 5
- The world - 7
- Consistency - 2
- Cause and effect - 6
- Roleplay - 1
- Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) - 8
- Available classes, races and/or templates - 9
- House rules - 10
Aren't we missing "Engaging in Combat"? After all, D&D has always been at heart a tactical combat game. The game is a series of encounters, and some of these encounters are going to involve killing things and taking their stuff.
Loot (value) - Only if it's important for character's survival. I may play both in high-loot and in low-loot environment, as long as it is consistent (that is, the heroes don't own much more or much less wealth than NPC's, they don't encounter creatures that cannot be defeated without items the party cannot afford etc.)
Specific gear (e.g.: “I want my character to have this exact weapon at this level”) - No. I never plan my equipment ahead of time. I like to get personalized items as a result of the story, but that's another thing.
The adventures - Important. I like my characters being challenged in interesting way and I like it even more when the challenges have mechanical, rolleplaying and tactical (=player thinking) aspects mixed together.
The NPCs - Important. I don't feel a need for numerous NPCs; a few is enough if they are interesting, with their own goals and personalities. It's also important that the NPCs are skillfully presented by the DM. Too detailed descriptions and rolleplayed dialogues about nothing important may be boring, but, on the other hand, some of them are necessary to reflect all the dimensions of the NPC.
The story (including hooks) - Important, but not extremely so. A campaign with good challenges and good roleplaying opportunities may be interesting even without an encompassing plot (though it is better when it has it). A DM that values his story too high may be a problem if he fails in predicting party's actions, because it often leads to railroading.
The world - Quite important. I don't require a big world with all details described, but I like it to have some interesting parts. It is also important to me to know in advance what my character knows about the world - one of the things I hate most is making mistakes my character would never make, because some facts are obvious to him, but unknown to me (as a player).
Consistency - Extremely important. I am unable to play if I percieve the game world as inconsistent. While I don't need "realistic" game world (one that is similar to the real world in some aspects), i definitely need one that holds to its own laws. That's why I cannot tolerate settings, races, classes or whatever where the fluff is inconsistent with the crunch or stories where the different parts don't fit together. Of course, I understand that my (and my character's) knowledge is sometimes incomplete or even incorrect, but, generally, everything needs to have a solid explanation, even if I don't know it now.
Cause and effect - Extremely important. My actions need to have consequences, good or bad. If I'm assumed to succeed or fail no matter how I approach the problem, I could as well not make any decisions at all. RPG is not writing a novel, players' choices must matter.
Roleplay - Important to very important, depending on the system and campaign style. Without roleplaying, there are no emotions and without emotions more than a half of the pleasure of gaming is gone.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) - Quite important. I have nothing against restrictions on my choices that are explicitely stated by the DM before the game starts. Many times I played as a "half NPC" - while I had my own character, roleplayed him and decided on most of his actions, some parts were decided by DM in advance and I played them an an actor, knowing the script. And it was fun.
I also have nothing against linear scenarios, as long as they are based on DM predicting party actions and maintaining the illusion of free will - as long as the illusion id good enough.
I may also accept sometimes (but not too often) DM just asking me OOC to act differently than I would myself if it is crucial for the story. But he has to keep his intentions clear. Like "I see why your character feels it's dangerous in this town after the ghoul incident and would like to leave. On the other hand, you don't want him forever being a cowardly bookworm, right? So, let us say that's the first time he grows some backbone. If he leaves now, I will just have no way to include him in the story - I think you understand my problem..."
What I hate is DM telling me that I have a freedom of choice and then forcing me (in game) to follow a single path he prepared. I'll warn him, and if he keeps railroading, I'll leave.
Available classes, races and/or templates - Not important. While I have my preferences (80% of my characters in fantasy worlds are spellcasters of some sort), I am flexible enough to work with what DM allows.
House rules - No problem. I use house rules when I DM and I am OK with them when I play. What I feel is important is listing all the house rules before the game starts and changing anything during the campaign only if it becomes really necessary (like, preventing some loophole that the DM didn't know before).
Loot (value): stick with the loot by level chart, plzkthx.
Specific gear: I usually have an item or two that I want to get for my character at some point. Making it available is a good thing.
The adventures: I assume this to be the encounters? In that case, make them interesting and level appropriate.
The NPCs: play them like a PC, not a WoW NPC. thanks.
[/b]The story (including hooks):[/b] As long as it holds my interest, it's all good. That usually means having a plot and a direction, yet still works with my character's goals.
The world: Eberron. If you have a homebrew setting, cool; just so long as there aren't any massive huge changes to core things, like an entirely new magic system or the like.
Consistency: If you haven't got it, you haven't got me as a player.
Cause and effect: See above.
Roleplay: See above.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate): A little is necessary, especially in the beginning. I don't mind unless it's really obvious, like "you have great wyrm dragons everywhere but here, along this path" type stuff.
Available classes, races and/or templates Diversity is a good thing. You had better have a damn good reason for telling me I can't play something.
House rules: A few are okay. being flexible with the rules is always good. But don't go making up crazy changes to the rules, like "all spells now take 1 round to cast". Be especially careful with nerfs to anything (as they cause players to be extremely wary of you or just outright leave) and just as careful with buffs (as they can have massive repercussions).
I've seen a fair few women who still look good past that age, and countless masses who are hideous and younger.
Sure. But to have your favorite be 35? I think we can do better than that.
Sure. But to have your favorite be 35? I think we can do better than that.
The heart wants what the heart wants. Besides, look at someone like Eva Longoria(33), Shannon Elizibeth(35), or Tyra Banks(35) - They're of a comparable age, and I'd take them over half the hussies in Hollywood who are under 30.
Hell, I still got a thing for Michelle Pfiffer (ever since Batman Returns. Meow!), and she'll be 50 this year! - Heh, and I'm less than half her age
Leveling - the act of leveling, in and of itself, I enjoy because I'm a numbers kind of guy. Though it tends to eat up half or more of a gaming day each time, and I have yet to meet a DM who didn't want us to level up after every combat or two. However, I thourally enjoy the act of not just gaining strength, but growing as a character. It's possible to write it into the back story, but something just feel better when you think along the likes of "you know... last month, I would light a guy on fire with my mind and he'd die. Now, I've learned better; I can light five guys on fire. I suppose that kind of falls into roleplay however, but without a numeric system to give us a base it's quite a bit harder to understand when a character has truely "grown"
Loot - Simply a means to an end, and unless a character is designed to give money or monetary value a greater desire than to pay for the next meal, is a needless addition. (not to say I don't like having lots of gold, but I don't like having it for no reason.)
Specific gear - It's rare enough that a player really connects to his character, much less connects through his character to his weapon, and even less to that generic ring of fire resistance that has saved your like on occasion. I do however enjoy when items have a real... "weight" to them. The kind of weight that makes you not forget they're there, just because you're not looking at your equipment page.
The adventures - of course, since we're playing an adventureing game, this is probably the most important factor. Not of having fun, but enjoying the game. It's easy to have fun rolling dice, that's why gambling exists, but enjoying the game as opposed to the time spent at the gaming table is what it's all about to me.
The NPCs - a game without these nessicary evils is a rare one, since even in a dungeon crawling with monsters has someone who can judge you inside. But, it only takes a few memorable NPC's to make the character seem so more real. We are who we precive ourselves to be through the eyes of others, we're characters to each other in the game, with players attached who care to play a game, but to those NPCs, we are the shining knight, and how we act, not why, is what they see.
The story - There are many, many MANY stories taking place in even the simplist game. I have no criteria for a story beyond this: It cannot shut out other stories to reach it's goal. It can make you choose to neglect one, in favor of an other, but that in itself is a story. But it cannot deny a story from being told. (i.e. "I wanna fight that jerk bartender." "Sorry the bartender isn't gonna fight you, you got to rest for the adventure tomorrow." = bad)
The world - The world is part of the story to me, and since everyone reads it from their angle, it's different in every book. Think of your character, and your teammates, all standing in a "superhero" type pose like the Justice league likes to. None of your teammates will have the exact same mental picture. Close, but not the same.
Consistency - retcon punches (changing what happened in the past) are fine from time to time to deal with player misunderstandings, but on a whole consistancy only worries me is if a DM can't act consistanly between players in the same enviroment. (i.e. talking calmly to the cleric because he's in the back of the party while speaking is a scary tone of voice fo rthe rouge who's only 20 feet ahead in the front of the group)
Cause and effect - If a player does anything, a DM must make a note of it. From writing it down, to roleplaying the whole event out, to simply stating "ok, write off 2 gold and you now have a shiny new dagger" for all but the most trivial (since a few things would delay the game too long, liek taking 5 minutes to explain what praying for spells is in character a second time ).
Roleplay - Roleplay naturally occurs, in every game. Even tic-tac-toes you're likely at least once thought of your X's as an army fighting off those evil O's in an epic battle for territory (ok, that might be a bit much). but even if you were just running a math only tactical battle simulation someone would eventually say "my sword cleaves you in half and blood splurts everywhere" as opposed to "I deal 5 damage" We like to roleplay, it's human nature in some account. All that said, few people can roleplay well, even fewer can do so consistantly rather than just in the moment. Do not have "roleplay heavy" games in my book for there is no such thing, simply a normal game will less rules.
Control - At the start of any game of DnD, it's obvious of one thing. The DM has something he wants us to do, and most assuradly the thing we want our characters to do isn't going to be possible or avaliable to do before we do what the DM wants. This is fine. Just as long as there is an opportunity to share IN CHARACTER what my character would like to do soon enough that I although I may not do it now there's ample time to explain it. I'm fine. (after say the first or second adventure/combat ends.)
Available classes, races and/or templates - I wish I could say Always All of them, but since in some perspectives of the worlds, certain creatures do not exist it's hard to say what we think of the world. It's not like each player is going to read down the MM front to back and figure out a place in his mind where somethign could exist just for the sake of knowing it does. That said, I do not mind saying what's allowed. (such as core + X number of complete series books) but I do not like when you expressly state what isn't. Because then the only this on our minds is, "why can't I?"
House rules - Rule X appears to work better than rule Y for making our game enjoyable instead of just fun. If core only makes the game simpler because all those choices wastes game time and detracts from a sense of realism for your players, go for it. If making the characters worry about item weight when they travel gives your players a better sense of the true weight of the situation (ha, ha. bad pun.) Then go for it. House rules are for the DM as much as they are for each player equally.
Example: "P1's druid can do this" = "all players druids can do this, granted none of you are druids so it really doesn't matter." is ok.
"P1's druid can do this" = "becaue he has a reason and you don't" is not ok.
Well... I certainly chatted for longer than I expected.
Leveling - When I was first playing and new, I felt the first few levels zoomed by too quickly, and I didn't have a chance to adequately explore and use all my class features before I got more. Now when I'm starting a new campaign, they don't go by fast enough. Third or fourth level, I'm happy to see things slow down a bit, as I've got plenty of options to try out. As I get more experienced, and 'use up' more of the feats, skills, and spells, I'm sure eventually any non-epic play will get boring. So, pretty important to me, but variable.
Loot (value) - Not all that important, as long as it's generally within a reasonable amount of the wealth-by-level guidelines. Too little, and it's a grittier campaign, with the players getting beat up more. That's not bad per se, but it means more real-time is spent trying to rest and recover, instead of playing. Too much loot, and it just loses its value, and increases the complexity by introducing more action choices too quickly.
Specific gear - Never been too important to me, my wants have been pretty simple so far. Introducing a specific item that would be important to my character is pretty nifty, and I like treasuring them more than other, more generic, equipment, even if it's not "worth" as much. When my cleric received a holy symbol worked in gold and silver, hung from a silk ribbon finely embroidered with a verse from the religion's main holy text, given by his church, he favored it much more than the plain old +1 weapon he picked up somewhere and discarded later when something else came up.
The adventures - I like interesting, challenging encounters. Sorry I can't be more specific than that.
The NPCs - These can really make the game for me. A particularly memorable NPC played with his own backstory, personality, and motivations can be quite good, especially when I *know* those motivations are slightly in-line, slightly out-of-line, with the party. Cardboard NPCs with no personality might as well be signposts and vending machines.
The story (including hooks) - Not terribly important. I need enough to get me started somewhere, and a little more spread out here and there to keep me going, but not a lot. Stories with incredible detail and many plot elements, some of which are sure to pop up over my character's adventuring career, make me fall asleep. I feel bad for the DM when this happens, as I can tell they spent a lot of time on it and I don't properly appreciate it.
The world - Not important. I'll play in a generic D&D world, or any specific setting and be happy as long as it doesn't have huge mechanical changes (as in some core races/classes aren't allowed, or are twisted beyond recognition). If a world is terribly complicated, and it matters that I have to know this stuff, it's a big commitment and I may not go for it.
Consistency - Very important. I don't like retconning, even if it works in my character's favor. If something worked one way in the past, it needs to work the same way in the future. (I'm not saying enemies can't learn from their mistakes, though.)
Cause and effect - Slightly important. If there's hordes of undead attacking the town, I don't expect to find Mr. Bob Smith the Armorer still attending his shop. Similarly, if there's been a hundred years of peace and prosperity, the kingdom should have a lower chance of having a large standing army. Beyond that, a little goes a long way, and can enhance the game, like seeing little Bobby Jr. grow up and take his father's place after he was killed by an invading zombie.
Roleplay - Not important. Truth be told, I haven't done much real roleplaying, as I get a kind of 'stage fright', worrying if I'll do things 'right' or not. I'm slowly playing with it more and more, though. A good environment conducive to RP would be a plus.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) - I'm a born follower, not a leader, so as long as they lead somewhere interesting, I'm happy on the rails.
Available classes, races and/or templates - Some of my most memorable gaming moments have been with core only, so I can work with that. I'm not too happy with human-only games, or if other core races are restricted. On the other hand, if everything from any official WotC book is allowed (as long as the player owns it), it adds a bit to my resentment of collectible card games - a player can increase his availalbe options, customizability, and in many cases average power level by spending more real-world money.
House rules - As long as they're presented in advance, I've no problem with the concept of them. If I dislike them enough, I won't play, but at least I didn't have anything invested in that campaign prior to that. A small amount of simple house rules are preferred, as it keeps my games from being exactly alike all the time. I also like having access to all the house rules clearly typed up. One game I played had a ton of house rules, which the DM just rattled off from memory at the beginning, and we constantly had to keep asking him how stuff worked as we couldn't remember.
Being allowed to use a variety of races and classes is preferred, as I find the base races overdone and boring.
I also like role playing and general.
As for control, I don't mind it, but I do like having options.
Loot (value) I'm not too concerned with this on a session-by-session basis, but unless the DM adjusts encounters for varying levels of wealth then it's nice to be at the expected wealth level. It's a balance thing, you see. But if the DM keeps things balanced in the face of unbalanced treasure, then I'm cool with that.
Specific gear Just the standards, really. Cloak of resistance, stat item, armor. Beyond that, I'm all for esoteric and random gear. If I really want my character to have something, I'll probably have them make it themselves.
The adventures Most important (aside from the social aspect, of course). If there's a stated big mission, then side quests where we do random things and nothing really seems to get accomplished aren't too motivating. I like the quests and individual adventures to be interesting on their own, and hopefully when held against each other too.
The NPCs The flavorful little chunks of potato or carrot in the stew that is your campaign. In my experience persistent, consistent, and well-played NPCs make a game that much better.
The story (including hooks) Kinda lumped my thoughts on that into the adventure's section I guess.
The world Depends on the story. If your story never takes you beyond your little corner of the world, then does the rest of the world really matter? It's all about scope and scale.
Consistency Yay for consistency, though it so rarely happens. Good when it does.
Cause and effect Kinda falls under the same heading as Consistency I think.
Roleplay Very fun when it happens, but it's difficult as a DM to create RP opportunities that the players take. I've tried, and the player's just gloss over 'em, when sometimes they'll just run with something that was just a bit of color and completly sideline my planned adventures. And I've done that to a DM too, so it goes both ways. So... fun when it happens, hard to plan it though.
Control (how much railroading will you tolerate) Varying amounts. I resent it a little, but I'll tolerate it in the hopes that it gets more interesting. In the time I've been playing the DMs I'm with have gotten better about this, so that's good.
Available classes, races and/or templates My group tends to run with "whatever sounds balanced", but I'm not too hung up on that. Yeah, you give me every book under the sun and I can make a damn awesome character, but I can still nail your demon to the wall with a PHB PC if that's what the DM wants.
House rules Stated upfront and declared openly, they're fine. Used as retribution, they're very uncool.
Sure. But to have your favorite be 35? I think we can do better than that.
Just wait until you grow up. You'll find that it is very easy to find someone who is 35 to be your favorite.