The Best Players

[Maglubiyet]

Praise for the worthy! Here are some of the things I appreciate in the people I play with:


Serious attempt at roleplay. Whether they're playing a dwarven paladin or a feline star warrior, they try to breathe life into the role and make it unique. (It's not as important that they succeed -- it's unlikely you've got Robert DeNiro at your table, but the attempt is appreciated.)
Follow the action. Know what's going on and what everyone's doing.
Help other players! Teamwork OOC as well as IC.
Make an attempt to play smart, solve puzzles, use the information given to synthesize a solution.
Have reference rules handy for little-used spells and abilities.
Challenge me as a DM. Keep me honest and prevent me from getting too lax. Help me see things that I missed or understand a different perspective.
Add to the world I've created. After all the time spent building a stage, it's great to see people take the spotlight. The best players act within the framework you've provided and expand on it in ways that you didn't anticipate.
Bring snacks!
Probably most important -- fun to be around! No matter the setting or genre, they're just good, uplifting people that you want in your life.


Thanks to all the many, many players over the years who have exceeded my expectations, led me in new directions, and made roleplaying a fun and worthy hobby!

[Earthwalker]

I have recently started a new game with some new players. This is thier first time playing Pathfinder and I spend alot of time worrying that I am not teaching them to play pathfinder. I am teaching them how I play pathfinder.

I can say one things tho.

I love how the new players are playing the game. They view things in ways I no longer can (I have gotten two ingrained on how games work) it is so refreshing the crazy and awesome plans they come up with.

It is a wonderful experiance.

[Broken Twin]

To add a couple to the list:


Always shows up on time.
Appreciates the work I put in to delivering an enjoyable experience.


I just got a new player added to the group, and I must say, he's an absolute blast to play with. Stays focused on the game, always brings unique and interesting characters to the table, and frequently helps with setup and cleanup afterwards.

[Strigon]

It never occurred to me just how great my players are before now!
One of them takes good care to plan, strategize, and roleplay, as well as being a pretty fun guy all-around. He nicely incorporated his backstory into the campaign's plot, and gave his character flavour.
Another one is lacking in terms of roleplaying - he's a paladin who seems to turn a blind eye to whatever horrible things the rest of the party is doing - but I overlook it because he's just a great guy to have around. He's quite witty, funny, and is the living embodiment of This Guy (http://1d4chan.org/wiki/This_Guy).
Our third player is something of a murderhobo, but it isn't disruptive as odd as that may sound (He keeps it out of towns and away from important NPC's.) But he brings a lot of the humor the group has because for him, everything seems to fail just epically enough that he survives. Not enough to kill him, but enough to leave everyone around him wondering how he is still alive.
When we all get together, it's pretty much guaranteed to be good times all around!

[Geddy2112]

he's a paladin who seems to turn a blind eye to whatever horrible things the rest of the party is doing
Our third player is something of a murderhobo, but it isn't disruptive as odd as that may sound (He keeps it out of towns and away from important NPC's.)

This is a great example of respecting the metagame. Two opposed character concepts managing to work together. The murderhobo is being very polite-there is nothing wrong with stealing, killing etc but it is polite to make sure you don't do it in front of the paladin.

Good players share the spotlight-even if they are the face they are not always doing the talking.

[Dimers]

Serious attempt at roleplay. Whether they're playing a dwarven paladin or a feline star warrior, they try to breathe life into the role and make it unique. (It's not as important that they succeed -- it's unlikely you've got Robert DeNiro at your table, but the attempt is appreciated.)

You know, every time I hear Robert DeNiro my brain comes up with images of Danny DeVito.

What impresses me most about a player is a rare combination: They come up with in-game notions from a completely different perspective, and they can recognize and admit the times that those notions don't fly.

[Jay R]

Playing PCs in ways that enhance, not diminish, how the other PCs are played. Making room and opportunity for the other PC's greatest abilities. Superman should leave the ocean monster for Aquaman and the gunsels for Batman, while he takes on the giant robot.

[Talyn]

Gunmen (or, I suppose, gun-wielders to be gender neutral), not gunsels.

Gunsels are, well, something else entirely. Look it up. (Not at work.)

[BayardSPSR]

Gunmen (or, I suppose, gun-wielders to be gender neutral), not gunsels.

Gunsels are, well, something else entirely. Look it up. (Not at work.)

This?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Rombergpark-100516-12989-G%C3%BCnsel.jpg/800px-Rombergpark-100516-12989-G%C3%BCnsel.jpg

[Mordar]

This is a great example of respecting the metagame. Two opposed character concepts managing to work together. The murderhobo is being very polite-there is nothing wrong with stealing, killing etc but it is polite to make sure you don't do it in front of the paladin.

Absolutely a key! Along those same lines:


Buy in to the shared story - be a little flexible to allow for a good story even if it doesn't sync 100% with you character mores or idiom;
Trust the DM (assuming the DM has earned it) a little bit - sometimes the rails lead to the funnest roller coaster evah...and sometimes they are super short rails
Respect everyone's time - someone mentioned be on time, but also be prepared, be on task and limit unnecessary distractions
Want to have shared fun


Those are my favorite additions.

[Jay R]

Gunmen (or, I suppose, gun-wielders to be gender neutral), not gunsels.

Gunsels are, well, something else entirely. Look it up. (Not at work.)

Oh, yes, that reminds me. The best players don't deliberately misinterpret what you said. The word "gunsel" has an old, improper meaning and a modern, useful one. Trying to pretend I meant the one you know I didn't mean is not in any way helpful.

[Broken Twin]

Oh, yes, that reminds me. The best players don't deliberately misinterpret what you said. The word "gunsel" has an old, improper meaning and a modern, useful one. Trying to pretend I meant the one you know I didn't mean is not in any way helpful.

Considering that, from what the internet tells me, the word is primarily used as USA slang, I wouldn't be surprised if the other posters legitimately didn't know what you were talking about. I sure as heck didn't.

[Red Fel]

I love this list so far - great points, all.

I'd add (modify) one small detail: Great roleplay doesn't end when the session ends.

Let me explain. A good character requires a certain degree of passion and devotion. Just like the GM works hard before, during, and after the session to create an enjoyable and immersive world (and kudos to the GMs who succeed), a great player gives thought to his character before, during, and after each session, and even before the campaign. Putting in the legwork is a lot like doing homework - reading up on the campaign world, going over the GM's e-mails and explanations, certainly, but that's just for starters. It also means things like collaborating with the other players. Having shared PC backgrounds is awesome, and builds party cohesion, player immersion and investment, and the world as a whole. Being able to approach the GM before or after a session with constructive observations and suggestions requires the players to take the time to think about things, and that often requires musing outside of the session. Perhaps most importantly, when the GM sees the players putting work into the game, the experience of GMing feels less like a burden (even great GMs can get exhausted!), and more like a collaborative art; this does wonderful things to keep GM spirits high and prevent burn-out.

Being willing to put in that extra legwork when you're not at the table, in addition to when you are, is one of the hallmarks of a player who isn't just there to enjoy himself or herself, but is there to ensure that everyone has fun.

[Broken Twin]

Oh man, it brings a legitimate tear to my eye when my PCs collaborate on their backstories. With my group, I'm normally lucky if I GET a backstory. When they actually work together with me and with each other to develop their characters, that's when I know I've got something special.

[Red Fel]

Oh man, it brings a legitimate tear to my eye when my PCs collaborate on their backstories. With my group, I'm normally lucky if I GET a backstory. When they actually work together with me and with each other to develop their characters, that's when I know I've got something special.

I still reminisce about a Dragonlance campaign where this happened. Every PC had a legitimate backstory connection to at least one other PC, which went a long way to justifying our very disparate alignments. We had the CG hero-boy, the CG hero-girl, and the NE Black Robe Wizard, all of whom grew up together in the same town and were very dear friends. We had their friend the CG gnome tinker who lived down the road from them. We had the LN (towards LE) divine construct, servant to the CG gnome. And we had the LE minotaur, who had been saved by the CG hero-boy's older sister during a war some years earlier, and owed the family a blood debt as a result. The team had fantastic cohesion.

Contrast that with games I've played in which the characters were individually generated, without input from other players. I've seen overlap and overshadowing, rugged individualists who have no place in the party, concepts that visibly clashed, and times when the players basically had to keep their PCs together by metagame contrivance. And while it's admirable that the players were willing to meta to keep the party together, it would have been better if they hadn't had to do that to begin with.

[hookbill]

One of my top, about a decade back… this guy’s character, completely flushed out backstory and everything. While most try for almost normal to uber and then shoehorn their story to fit the stats, this guy makes an old paladin (adjusted from age table) then based on his back story, since he’s no longer in the church guard/leadership (basically retired but still in service as an advisor) his armor isn’t the best (neg stats) and then he’s blind in one eye from battle (neg sight) plus has a limp (neg movement).

You know one of those grizzled old vets that has seen too much but still manages to hang on to their humanity. So this pally is mentoring and trying to teach the youngins about surviving and living.. and he has this old dog (never once tried to compensate it by pulling the “dog is my eyes, or it’s a trained half dog/dragon/griffin/demon bs” just an old companion that he saved from an arrow on one battle a while ago that followed him around. (there is more , just can’t remember it)

My thought initially, I’m waiting for the punchline about how he’s going to warp this into something powerful or over the top, nope… then I’m thinking he’s going to hold up the party with all this, slow movement, reduced damage, etc… or going to get killed straight out. This pally was probably the best played character LG wise I’ve seen to date. The character contributed more combat wise, roleplaying wise, etc, that you would’ve never known about the downsides to him (rest of the group get much props too as they were gellin great in this adventure) but that pally stands out …. Encore.. Encore…

[Strigon]

This pally was probably the best played character LG wise I’ve seen to date. The character contributed more combat wise...

This has piqued my curiosity; aside from tactics and leadership, how did he contribute so much in a combat scenario?
Paladin abilities and support?

[Marlowe]

Considering that, from what the internet tells me, the word is primarily used as USA slang, I wouldn't be surprised if the other posters legitimately didn't know what you were talking about. I sure as heck didn't.

Are you familiar with the word "catamite?"

Anyway, let us not speak of gunsels and Batman in the same sentence, for that is the easy road that leads nowhere good.

[Keltest]

The players that thank me for putting in the effort it takes to DM a game (and make a game world) while still being honest about how I can improve as a DM.

[Marlowe]

OK; serious contribution.

Last session our characters were part of a caravan. DM rolls a random bandit attack by random bandits of randomness. Us and some NPC redshirts vs some NPC mooks. Should be fun.

Well, my Warblade starts the combat by rolling a 5 for her save to avoid being webbed by the bandit sorceress. I break out and confront the bandit leader, use Emerald Razor and a few points of power attack on him, and promptly roll a 4 on the hit roll.

The next few combat rounds my attack rolls are a 2, a 3, and then another 2. And then it's all over (we got a few wounded redshirts but no dead. The bandits were wiped) and I, as the best combat character present, haven't managed to hit anything.

I'm obviously embarrassed and frustrated by this, and say a bit shamefaced "Sorry guys, I guess it's just that day for me when nothing goes right."

To which the Warlock, who'd one-shotted the bandit sorceress with his Eldritch Blast and taken out a few mooks, said "Just the fact that you're in the middle of it with an AC they can't touch helps us a lot."

Well, I felt better.

[Vizzerdrix]

To add a couple to the list:


Always shows up on time. Show up early and help with any set up and stay to help clean up.
Appreciates the work I put in to delivering an enjoyable experience.



Fixed that for ya bud :)

[Broken Twin]

Fixed that for ya bud :)

Haha, touche. I guess this is best players, not "can you please maintain this minimum" players. :smallbiggrin:

[Submortimer]

My current group (DM included) may be one of the best/my favorite group that I've played in to date.

- The DM puts MAD amounts of work into his setting and sessions, and yet comes up with 90% of it off the top of his head. it NEVER FEELS LIKE IT'S OFF THE TOP OF HIS HEAD.
- Our Cleric (The other group DM) is devoutly good, but isnt Devoutly Stupid.
- Our Rogue...is a rogue. Surface Drow with Riddick goggles. Good player, but not much backstory.
- As the "Knight in shining armor", I'm the party face...ish, because we also have a Bard
- The bard decided to intertwine his backstory with mine, so he's the one chronicling my "Heroic Deeds"
- The two Barbarians are kinda the weak links, both being played by the youngest in the group. They contribute well enough, though.

We all work really well together, And have real vested interests in our story. It makes the cohesion that much stronger.

[GrayGriffin]

Well...the DM has been pretty willing to roll with the punches when certain events in our last two sessions resulted in one of the PCs dying, and the overarching plot being revealed much earlier than intended. The player of the dead PC was also totally cool with his PC dying, even though it was kind of my fault.

Furthermore, everyone is great at RP. We get a lot of mileage out of the plain RP sessions, which I think have been at least a fourth of all our sessions so far. It's super-nice to just have the characters sit back and relax a bit, and talk things out.