PDA

View Full Version : What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player/gm?



Drakeburn
2022-02-04, 02:48 AM
I thought I'd ask after looking back on my experiences in the hobby in the past years.

Here are a few of them that I can think of from the top of my head...

Strengths


When it comes to making characters, filling in the stats and numbers are the easiest part for me.

As a GM, I do come up with some interesting ideas for games (for example, something like the Once Upon a Time series, but with superheroes and supervillains instead of fairy tale characters)

Capable of creating some optimized character builds


Weaknesses

What slows down the character creation process for me is filling in the fluff, whether it be backstories or fleshing out their personalities.

While I can think up of interesting concepts for a campaign, I'm terrible at executing those ideas.

As a GM, I can't help that whenever something unexpected happens that I didn't plan for, my mind is something like "GM.exe has stopped working."

As a GM, I've never actually planned that far ahead. And whenever I don't have anything planned, I slow down or make stuff up on the fly (or both before I quickly crash and burn).

I find roleplaying difficult. Like, I don't know how I should roleplay as this character or that character.

Writer's block.

Tendency to make OP characters.



Conclusion: Yeah, I might be a roll player. And I think that my autism is a factor in that and my strengths and weaknesses.

Edit: Just thought of one more weakness.

Batcathat
2022-02-04, 04:08 AM
I might make a more detailed breakdown later, but funnily enough it would probably be very similar to yours, except with the strengths and weaknesses flipped around (with the possible exception that I like to think that I too come up with some interesting game concepts). I'm definitely more fluff focused as a player and more of an improviser as a GM.

MoiMagnus
2022-02-04, 07:19 AM
Introspection as a GM will be difficult since I've not GMed in a while.

As a player:

Strength:
+ Improvisation. I've done some Improv Theather during 6 years, so it helps.
+ Relative impartiality. I'm quite good at helping the GM even when that means working against my character's interest. I've put "relative" in front as I'll still be influenced by my own playstyle and blind to a few things.
+ Interested in the universe. When playing, I'm usually captivated by the universe and interested by everything the GM has to say about it. (Even in cases where after the session, I realise it didn't make sense)
+ Interested in the rules. If the GM likes homebrewing, I'd happily give feedbacks and help them.
+ Good at optimising. I'm not particularly good compared to my friends, but we're all good at minmaxing numbers due to our backgrounds.

???
+ Railroad follower. If I feel like the GM is trying to push us in one direction, I'll naturally follow it (maybe adding my own twist on it, but still follow it). This natural tendency I have to please peoples has been reinforced by years of improvisation theatre. While that works perfectly well for certain GMs, that can easily lead to TPKs if the GM expects us to try to outsmart the bad guys rather than happily falling in their trap.

Weaknesses:
+ Anticipation. While my subconscious is reasonably good during boardgames to give me an intuition of "how things work" so that I don't need to think about "what will this person do during their turn", that works significantly less in RPGs where the NPCs have a lot of freedom while I lack a lot of common sense. A good example from my early years at playing Pathfinder, we failed an stealth mission because the though of the NPCs using "detect invisibility" never crossed my mind. I was expecting magical traps & co, but not this.
+ Anxiety. The main issue I have with RPGs compared to improvisation theatre is that quite often, I am the one expected to take decisions, instead of my character. Which can lead to social anxiety or analysis paralysis depending on circumstances. I mean, in improv, you still have to overrule your character whenever their action would lead to being a jerk with another player (it's fine to be a jerk with another character, but you have to make it sure every player is fine with what's happening), but outside of that but you don't really have to deal with the consequences of bad decision making of your character.
The funny thing is that "making decision for your character" is for some peoples of this forum the core of RPGs.
+ Boredom. Fortunately, the GMs I've played with tend to have very fast milestone level up, or very varied gimmicks in fights. But I'd quickly become bored of my character if I had to play for too long with it without some significant change in playstyle.

Dienekes
2022-02-04, 07:54 AM
I’ve really only GMed the last three or so years. So I’ll go with that.

Strengths:

- I’ve created a world with various conflicts and mysteries my players seem to actively be engaged in. To the point that they have more than once put some personal goal on hold to go discover something meaningful about the world.

- Realistic politics and competing NPC motivations seem like something I’m pretty good at.

- Visceral horror, I’ve been mostly running 5e. 5e is not a good engine for horror in my opinion, so, having players tell me that I’ve given them nightmares seems a pretty high praise for my horror segments.

- Balancing player focus. It is very important to me to set up game time for each particular player to step into the spotlight. Sometimes it can take a lot of work in set up, but it’s very rewarding in play.

Weaknesses:

- It’s an ongoing joke that I’ve set up situations that have devolved into “slap fights” where duels are decided in the most boring manner. They’re rare, but it’s happened about once or twice a year.

- Differentiating NPCs needs some work. I have a handful Ive a pretty good handle on. But others kind of blend together during the game session. Having a large cast may have something to do with it.

- Option overload. I have a tendency to simply present my players with a dozen things to do and let them decide what to take. Which always results in them trying to do all of them at once which can make a very muddled experience. I need to get better at perhaps starting new areas with only one or two options and expanding outward over time.

Mastikator
2022-02-04, 08:34 AM
As a GM

Strengths

I am good at "open world" planning so the players have many paths forward and if they invent a new one I can explore that easily
I'm pretty good at giving descriptions of the environment (just remember, looks, sounds, smells, feels, taste)
I stand my ground against players who like to argue
I have a strong grasp of the rules and in world details of whatever game I'm running, when world building I have a strong vision full of details



Weakness

I get over excited about my plans and tend to overshare
I'm not good enough at discouraging murderhoboing and encouraging roleplaying
I am not comfortable being a leader
I hate scheduling and when players don't cooperate I'll give up, this has lead to games ending.



As a player

Strengths

I am comfortable in every role except party leader, but I most prefer to be a "go getter" (someone who takes initiative to get the ball going)
I easily get into character and stay in character, only if everyone else is "rollplaying" do I step out (why bother at that point? Just murderhobo at that point)
I know how my character works and what their stats are, that should be taken for granted but since half the players I play with can't do this I'm putting it as a strength
I build and run characters with organic and achievable goals that work with the GM's plans, I think this is my biggest strength and I've rarely seen another player do it



Weaknesses

I am a stickler for the rules and if the GM doesn't have my level of rules recall and has to adjucate or improvise I tend to take the game less seriously (which means I put in less effort)
If I don't like my current character and the GM won't let me just reroll I'll play them as suicidally as I can get away with
I don't enjoy playing weak characters, I've tried it and hated it every time. Being powerless is just a different flavor of being a spectator. In fact I prefer to play totally egregiously overpowered characters and will minmax to achieve that, much to my GM's dismay (because now they have balancing issues and I can and sometimes will steal the show)
I keep tabs on player's transgressions for years (mostly cheating and pvp), if I can force them to stop I will, I don't think it's fun and I don't much care that it might be fun for everyone else.
I have cheated once after I found out the GM was OK with other players constantly cheating, I still feel dirty for doing it. I lost respect for everyone at that table

KorvinStarmast
2022-02-04, 09:10 AM
As a player:
Strengths
a. Comfortable in every party role, including party leader.
b. I get into the character, and into the setting.
c. I assist DM when asked, in terms of helping new players or administrative details.
d. I engage with the world.
e. I know my character inside and out.
f. I ask questions and communicate with the DM and players outside of the session to play for the next session. This is an old habit that has been with me since we started back in the 70's.
g. I actively engage other players in character, and look for ways to make other players 'be the star' ... this became a habit of mine as a DM when I was DMing for teens and pre teens, and I've noticed that it helps for adults also if I am subtle about it.
h. Jokes, puns, etc. Some days better than others, but usually well received.

Weaknesses:
1. Occasional impatience with players who are not as dedicated as I am during play. (I am working on this, it's a life long labor because ...)
2. Type A personality that occasionally has the reins taken off. I am self aware, and put effort into not dominating a small group, but sometimes I forget or have a lapse (yes, I like to have a cocktail when we play) and it's also something I still work on.
3. More often than I should I'll ask a player who obviously has not invested in their character "why don't you do X" when I ought to just remain silent. (Still working on this, as I know I should not)
4. Crack jokes, which in some sessions isn't quite the right mood or tone. Need to work on that in our Curse of Strahd campaign, since the DM desires that the tone be a bit darker for that campaign.

DM
Strengths
a. Confidence.
b. Listen to feedback.
c. Experience in improvising when unexpected stuff happens
d. Communicate during and between sessions.
e. Solicit, actively, input from players.

Weaknesses
a. Impatience with players who can't make a decision. Trouble hiding it.
b. Prep time rhythm. Sometimes I do the prep at the last minute, which can lead to some awkward pauses.
c. Jokes sometimes badly timed/framed. When one is a lifelong smart-alec, this is a never ending hazard.

Easy e
2022-02-04, 12:13 PM
This is an interesting topic for a thread. Thanks OP!

As a player, here are my thoughts. I am sure other players and GMs I have played with will feel differently:

Pros:
1. Role-play with full characters
2. Improvise
3. Move the spotlight around
4. Get into the Goals and Objectives of the game

Cons:
1. Get rules confused since I play a lot of different games from different eras
2. Over-think the plot and plot hooks
3. Can not do voices- so In Character/Out of Character talk is not clear
4. Table talk and constantly make terrible jokes OOC, a distraction

As a GM:

Pros:
1. Improvisational and lean into Player's leading the game
2. Good flow control and pacing, always adding complications, and threats
3. Big reveals or moments in the game
4. Time- management
5. Lots of plot hooks that connect to characters

Cons:
1. No pre-planning
2. No distinct NPC voices, only tone, pacing, and mannerisms
3. I am loath to kill characters, so threat can be too low
4. I roll dice as little as possible, and ask for dice rolls as little as possible
5. Style over substance

In retrospect, I can see why folks want me to GM more than I get to play.

Telok
2022-02-04, 12:49 PM
Sandboxes, off the wall ideas, tactics.

Its good & bad. As a DM I can run decent sandboxes, handle weird ideas & requests, and the tactically smart npcs use actual tactics. As a player I normally create self motivating characters who will pursue goals using all options at thier disposal, I use tactics & teamwork (when available), and I often leverage the environment or gear or friendly npcs to achieve goals.

With other players & DMs who can handle this stuff its great. We have a great time and nearly any game system & type works beautifully. It doesn't even take everyone being able to handle it, just the DM and one out of every three players. If I'm DMing a whole group of "tactics = hit with stick" players who can barely follow a railroad and just wait for the next assignment from a npc "quest giver" it doesn't work as well.

If I'm playing with a DM who has difficulty making up new rules on the fly every time I try to crash a wagon into an ogre or drop an anvil on them, or they get frustrated having to rewrite stats and/or fiat deny every time I turn a npc to our side... its not so great. Gets worse if the DM is trying to follow a printed adventure and I point out a logical, reasonable, normal, perfectly in character thing to do that accidentally breaks the whole module. I try to cut down on it, but I'm just not a peson who makes passive meatbag beatstick characters who fit into a closed loop of "quest giver -> fight dungeon -> shop -> repeat".

Xervous
2022-02-04, 02:37 PM
As a GM

+ Numbers. I know exactly what I’m putting on the for players to encounter. Without going into details on the how, most hazards are close to the actual difficulty I was aiming for.

+ Arming the players with the information they need, and more importantly deserve. Lack of player memory skills should not lead to verisimilitude shattering scenes, nor should ignorance of setting norms. I strive to enable my players to make informed choices and take informed risks. When more of the world is consistent and open to them, it allows for the rarer mysterious elements to actually feel that way - and has generally done well for building/preserving player trust.

+ living worlds that are larger than the PCs, but not more important than them. Part improv, part planning, and partly having time based progression for high level setting events, my players have commented on how there’s too much going on for them to complete everything. A good thing I don’t have any hardcore completionists! It’s a delight to hear the loudest complaints at the table be over their inability to chase down two/three/four unrelated hooks at once. I’m churning out details and doodads, some come off the scheduled events, others are bits of whimsy that end up getting more attention if the players fixate on them.

- occasional to frequent information overload/deficit in descriptions. Sometimes it’s too colorful and a detail which I thought was big goes overlooked until later when the player brings up a notion that conflicts. At least I know to take the blame unless other players start teasing the oblivious one.

- ambience, props, and other supplemental items for immersion. This is something of a recently realized issue with online play. All these options for sound clips, images and icons and handouts, background music... and I neglect it all too often. As a guy who can go a year without actively queueing up a song I need to be reminded frequently about these tasty features that my players enjoy. I have been doing better on battlemaps though.

- Given that I strive to be transparent with the workings of the world, I tend to strangle Rule of Cool and stuff it in a shallow grave a little more often than I think some of my players would like. But seriously stop trying to make everything a pet

As a player

Oopsall! Forever GM

KorvinStarmast
2022-02-04, 02:48 PM
But seriously stop trying to make everything a pet
We have a player like that. :smallcool:

As a player

Oopsall! Forever GM That's one part of many of why I stopped playing in the early/mid 00's.

Xervous
2022-02-04, 02:56 PM
We have a player like that. :smallcool:
That's one part of many of why I stopped playing in the early/mid 00's.

On the pets: I have learned they are acceptable targets for motivating the players or otherwise rewarding Inspired Decisions. (Crew members count as pets, they’ve lost over 40 crew at this point)

A friend did start up a campaign and I was playing my usual “responsible veteran character who tries to be the voice of common sense but gets outvoted” and then he had to move + help his GF with her residency.

Zekestone
2022-02-06, 08:27 PM
Strengths and weaknesses?

I'm an terrible at planing. Its not that I can't do it, just generally I don't have much time for it. You'd think that would be a problem, but bot really. And its not like players stick to the plot anyway.

As for strengths, I'm good at worldbuilding. Prior to a new campaign, what planning I do is generally on the world-building side, but a lot also develops organically during play. But what I have found, surprisingly, that I am good at is just ad-libbing and free-forming sessions on the fly. Little to no notes? Doesn't matter. I just make it up as it goes a long. (I'm also a pantser when it comes to writing - plots? Who needs those.)

Mordante
2022-02-07, 10:17 AM
As a GM

Strengths

I am good at "open world" planning so the players have many paths forward and if they invent a new one I can explore that easily
I'm pretty good at giving descriptions of the environment (just remember, looks, sounds, smells, feels, taste)
I stand my ground against players who like to argue
I have a strong grasp of the rules and in world details of whatever game I'm running, when world building I have a strong vision full of details



Weakness

I get over excited about my plans and tend to overshare
I'm not good enough at discouraging murderhoboing and encouraging roleplaying
I am not comfortable being a leader
I hate scheduling and when players don't cooperate I'll give up, this has lead to games ending.



As a player

Strengths

I am comfortable in every role except party leader, but I most prefer to be a "go getter" (someone who takes initiative to get the ball going)
I easily get into character and stay in character, only if everyone else is "rollplaying" do I step out (why bother at that point? Just murderhobo at that point)
I know how my character works and what their stats are, that should be taken for granted but since half the players I play with can't do this I'm putting it as a strength
I build and run characters with organic and achievable goals that work with the GM's plans, I think this is my biggest strength and I've rarely seen another player do it



Weaknesses

I am a stickler for the rules and if the GM doesn't have my level of rules recall and has to adjucate or improvise I tend to take the game less seriously (which means I put in less effort)
If I don't like my current character and the GM won't let me just reroll I'll play them as suicidally as I can get away with
I don't enjoy playing weak characters, I've tried it and hated it every time. Being powerless is just a different flavor of being a spectator. In fact I prefer to play totally egregiously overpowered characters and will minmax to achieve that, much to my GM's dismay (because now they have balancing issues and I can and sometimes will steal the show)
I keep tabs on player's transgressions for years (mostly cheating and pvp), if I can force them to stop I will, I don't think it's fun and I don't much care that it might be fun for everyone else.
I have cheated once after I found out the GM was OK with other players constantly cheating, I still feel dirty for doing it. I lost respect for everyone at that table


I think I would not enjoy playing at your table. For me the rules are more like strong suggestions. As a DM or player we often do things that are not exactly according the rules but at the time it makes for fun roleplaying. Also looking up all the rules constantly takes way too much time.
I have been in a group where some players don't even have a proper character sheet and the free form had the time. We play 3.5.

Ameraaaaaa
2022-02-09, 04:13 AM
Pros.

1 I'm quick at making character sheets.
2 I don't like to cause trouble and I'm not one to cause drama.

???

1 I'm great at making crazy but smart plans which does add spice to the games I'm in. Might be hard for a gm who has a hard time at improvisation.

Cons

1 no guarantee my character will fit the game tho i am willing to change them if needed.
2 Not very good at roleplaying to the point i gave up on trying to do "what's in character" and instead i just make my character do what i want them to do. Different then doing i want to do. They aren't self inserts rather i see characters as tools for fun actions.

LecternOfJasper
2022-03-06, 12:08 AM
Pros:
I generally build a world out enough to plan a session's worth of decent content in half an hour.
I usually have a core world fleshed out well enough for me to understand how different factions operate and relate to each other.
I tend to be the voice of reason in parties and try to direct the groups energies towards making a decision as necessary.

Cons:
I can't command a room. Half of any session we have is spent on side conversations. Not *strictly* a problem, but it sure would be nice if people got through more than one useful conversation per session.
I'm not great at moving my train of thought around quickly, and dislike making snap judgements about how different characters would react to something unexpected (if such a thing happens).
My hands/dice are beyond cursed and I am incapable of effectively contributing to a party outside of support roles in long term campaigns because of this. Works out much batter as a DM as I can overcharge encounters without people getting too trashed.

Notafish
2022-03-08, 08:00 PM
As a player, I think I am good at delivering memorable characters who show their personalities and history through their actions in the game.

While I am not the rules lawyer I was in the past, I do still sometimes have a hard time keeping myself from thinking out loud as a player about the mechanics, which can be distracting when the rest of the table wants to focus on the story. I've never played at a table with strict rules about staying in character, but I might benefit from it as a player.

As a GM, I think I am very good at delivering world building and memorable NPCs, and decent at running encounters. Just like when I am a player though, I have a tendency to focus too much on game design, and not enough on the players at the table. I've also discovered that my ability to take notes on events degrades after four or five sessions into a campaign, which isn't a big problem until you forget that the party already neutralized a major antagonist through diplomacy two weeks ago...