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View Full Version : Prerequisites to play?



SexyOchreJelly
2008-05-27, 07:09 AM
We've all talked about favourite characters/classes and so on.

So, on a different note, what qualities do you like in players?

Anything you particularly like/dislike? Such as something like "must be a good roleplayer" to "must have a bearable body odour".

Purple Cloak
2008-05-27, 07:20 AM
Well, i'm usualy tolerant of most things, and as for a barable body odour I wouldn't know having broken my nose in a dodgy way rendering me with very little in the sence of smell department.

However the two major things that bug me are as follows:

Metagaming, while i realise its a game players going "I'm going to wait here because X went in their earlyer and died to a Y" even though their don't know about it is going against the purpose of roleplaying.

Other that that its players been jerks basicaly, that would detract from everyones enjoyment and once again, defy the point of the game.

Hope that answers your question.

Last_resort_33
2008-05-27, 07:31 AM
The ability to lose all self consciousness and sit their mind into talking in character without feeling uncomfortable.

An attention span.

xPANCAKEx
2008-05-27, 08:13 AM
im about to run a small group with some friends, however, the pre-requisites were that whittled down the numbers
*a sense of humour - vital. absolutely vital.
*self-deprocation to the point of emotional masochism (i plan to reward roleplaying that normal people would feel ashamed of)
*a social life outside of geeky persuits. A REAL social life - involving girls, voluntary prolonged exposure to sunlight, and a diet that doesn't consist entirely of doritos and mountain dew
*no personal hygene issues.
*a complete lack of shame when it comes to previously mentioned geeky persuits - i like the juxtaposition

Iuliano05
2008-05-27, 08:14 AM
The ability to get along with others. And the body oder thing... that is no fun for anyone

Albonor
2008-05-27, 08:16 AM
A capability to feel the rest of the players and thus be OOC only when everyone is OOC. Also, it helps to play as a group instead of an emo trip from the "roleplayer" or a power trip from the "optimiser".

A sense of colaboration with the GM to help along without being his b****.

A pleasure in roleplaying and in trying new character types and personnalities.

The courage to do constructive criticism without whining that things should be fundamentaly diffrent.

Purple Cloak
2008-05-27, 08:23 AM
oh another thing that I can't stand is rules lawerism.

As a Dm i'm guilty of making my own monsters, ignoring/ tweeking rules I deem harmful to my games enjoyment and letting players get away with things they shouldn't on the grounds it makes sence in the situation.

So people whining about the fact monsters arn't in the MM or that in only useing the rules as a guidline (somthing it actualy says you can in the DMG) would realy annoy me, especaly when rules layers are often munchkins who study the books t oscrew over the DM, or at least in my experiance.

So i'd say so far, no metagamers, rules lawers, jerks, and I agree with pancake that players NEED a sence of humor.

Although in my experiance having players who are couples can cause a rift if they break up, so you might want to think twice about letting them in as a couple.

Xsjado
2008-05-27, 08:35 AM
I enjoy playing with a variety of different groups depending on my mood and, although I dislike being overly negative, its probably easier to point out some traits that I can't stand. Considering what the last group I played with was like some of these sentiments are unfortunately fresh.:smallfrown:

Millimetre gamers: The type of people who are too used to warhammer and spend most time in combat trying to wring every last bonus out of their characters while exploding the moment they actually get hit. This type of gamer questions every move the GM makes and often asks for dice to be re-rolled just because it didn't go in their favour. The name originates because the one I just played with had a particular obsession with movement rules.

Already mentioned but, metagamers: looking at the monster manual every time we get to an encounter is bad sport and rather defeats the object of most knowledge checks.

Inconsistent roleplayers: If you must be a chaotic evil rogue who stabs his party members when they get in his way then you can expect the good members to take exception. So don't complain when your "roleplaying" lands you in deep excrement. TL;DR RPing includes consequences as well as actions.

Backseat gamers: Suggestions are good, telling everyone else what they should do and then bitching when they decide to think for themselves is not acceptable practise. Hire some henchmen if you want to give orders.

sonofzeal
2008-05-27, 08:48 AM
1) All PCs should have personality/concepts that could not adequately be summed up in six or less words.

2) No interparty backstabbings. Seriously, it kills the fun for everyone but the backstabber. This is a cooperative game, and it's hard enough for everyone to work together without the fear that they're going to gank you.

3) BYOD.

elliott20
2008-05-27, 09:05 AM
- must be friendly enough to get along with others
- must be able to seperate his/her game character with himself/herself in real life
- must be willing to work with others to better improve the game
- must be open to trying new things

basically, just someone who is emotionally healthy.

Elixia
2008-05-27, 09:14 AM
no tag-a-long gf's who throw fits when she doesnt get her own way, and puts our team in danger. >.<

Well i love my current dnd campaign, I think i have a good well rounded bunch or players/characters .. except one. She seems to want to destory all our carefully laid plans (which most of the time of flying off the seat of our pants!) and tries to manipulate the dm aswell as her bf much to the annoyment of the the other players

bosssmiley
2008-05-27, 09:17 AM
* Housetrained (careful with snacks, keeps dice on the table, etc.)
* Emotionally stable enough to separate self from character
* The ability to understand that the rules serve the game
* Willingness to learn the rules (I hate 'passengers')
* A basic minimum of genre knowledge ("So, you've seen Star Wars/Raiders/The Mummy/LOTR, right?")

I don't ask much. And, boy, do I get it. :smallwink:

valadil
2008-05-27, 09:22 AM
Honestly, it depends on the group I'm in. For instance, one of my groups prefers to be railroaded. It's considered bad form to not go with the group. I mean, we come up with in character reasons to go along. But the group meets for 3-4 hour sessions and we just don't have time to spend cajoling that one stubborn member or going to a split party. On the other hand, my home group would rather split the party and run two separate games till we meet again.

I suppose what I look for in a player is the self awareness to realize what sort of game one wants and to join an appropriate game. I don't appreciate power gamers coming to my story game to test out their latest uber build. I don't think there's anything wrong with power gamers, but it's not the right game for them and I wish they'd realize it. Some do, some are more stubborn.

Other than that basic responsibility is nice. I like players who check their email more than once a week and who show up to game. I resent GMs who sleep through their own game.

I'm also partial to players who aren't attention whores. You can afford to have one player hog the spotlight or one really dominant player per group, but if more than that sit at the same table they make everyone else miserable.

As a GM I'm partial to players who game run with a plot. I come up with interesting stories but I'm not a good storyteller. I can give the players the ball and show them the end zone, but they need to run there on their own. This isn't a prereq for all of DnD, but it is a prereq for any of my games.

Sorry for the rambling, I'm going on 3 hours of sleep.

-- edit --

I read all the posts made while I typed. Wholeheartedly agree on players who are mature enough to distinguish game from real life. Especially when romance plots get involved. I've seen some nasty fights between couples because of how they were cast in a LARP with romance plots.

Lady Tialait
2008-05-27, 09:33 AM
I perfer players who enjoy telling a story. I could care less about power gamers. Infact, one player in each of my parties usally 'carry' the rest of the party with power gaming. I don't mind one rules lawyer, as long as they take 'Shush' and do so as an answer. I don't mind a really in-depth RPer, it story to go forward.

The last game I ran to the end ran from level 1 to 35. At level 35 they fought and beat Vecna. The party consisted of two new players, a rules lawyer, and a power gamer. about level 13 we lost one of the players (He moved it was one of the new players) and I started dating my current Husband (That was about 4 years ago) he joined the game. Everyone went through at least 5 charitors (except one of the new players at level one...he was a friggin paladin..and made it all the way). But, I'm ranting. As for players. I only ask for players who are willing to let me change the rules, and trust me not to screw it all up. Oh, and who don't mind adventuring in a very odd place....

Kurald Galain
2008-05-27, 10:34 AM
I prefer playing with friends. I've had some experience playing with people who are decent roleplayers, but avoid associating with us outside the gaming table. That, frankly, sucks.

Also, no rules lawyers - although in my experience such people can either be cured by a game of Paranoia, or tend to not want to play with me either, so that's ok.

Last_resort_33
2008-05-27, 10:48 AM
*a social life outside of geeky persuits. A REAL social life - involving girls -or boys respectively-, voluntary prolonged exposure to sunlight, and a diet that doesn't consist entirely of doritos and mountain dew

*a complete lack of shame when it comes to previously mentioned geeky persuits - i like the juxtaposition

I think that these two points sum up pretty much everything that needs to be said.

Darkantra
2008-05-27, 11:44 AM
As it has always been said, a sense of humor is a must, but so is the ability to stop joking around at a reasonable point. Nothing ruins a game more thoroughly than an endless descent into Pythonery.

I like it when everyone in the game is creative with the rules, and find new ways to enhance gameplay, but not to the point of breaking the game. Like using weight as part of a strength check to bust a table down from falling on it (crushing several hapless enemies beneath it :smallbiggrin:), or having a clever artificer use a Wand of Frost to cool a hardened pane of glass then shatter it with his torch.

elliott20
2008-05-27, 12:08 PM
chances are, most of us are going to want a person who is just a normal, chill human being to game with. that much I think we can all agree on.

I want to amend mine with an additional detail:

must be at least 13 years of age or has demonstrated ability to handle rated R material and must have parental consent to game with us if a minor. Cuz frankly, now a days everybody who is a parent are so paranoid about a kids safety, I wouldn't want a parent to feel the need to raise any questions with my group.

PlatinumJester
2008-05-27, 12:20 PM
I dislike people who read other people's book during sessions and then when it comes to do anything just ignore what's going on around them until it's their turn.


I also dislike people who kill my Dread Necromancer when I'm not around to defend myself.

skywalker
2008-05-27, 12:38 PM
Basic personal hygiene, while I never thought about it, is a pretty big thing for me. I've noticed that people who don't follow those rules tend to slowly slip out of my gaming groups, altho I'm sure it's not just my preference, but that of others, as well.

I prefer gamers who pay attention when it's not their turn, I went thru one session where one player was playing WoW on his computer even when it was his turn. That sucked.

I don't like asshats. Not just people who backstab the party, but people who actively encourage intra-party conflict. Like the players who practically force me to backstab them by being asshats. I don't like that.

Finally, I'm apparently very picky about DMs, I don't enjoy people who get the rules wrong, and I'm even more annoyed by DMs who force their wrong interpretation over my right one. The DM's chair isn't a place for power tripping... I'm also more likely to stick with a DM who can tell a story(I've yet to find a really good one :smallconfused:) and keep me entertained.

Roderick_BR
2008-05-27, 02:07 PM
1. Can't be a prick. Can have fun like everyone else, and get along with the guys.
2. Know at least how to read a book, without going "where it says so and so" every 5 minutes, while having the book already open in the right page.
3. Style adaptable enough for when the group want to switch between powergaming and roleplay, back and/or forth.
4. Can be available for sessions, and warn in advance when can't be present, at least a couple hours (save emergencies).
5. Can remember that a typical D&D session is NOT a contest among players and/or DM.

Pretty much someone that can enjoy a game and go along with the group.

Telonius
2008-05-27, 02:26 PM
1. Don't be a jerk. Respect yourself, respect the DM, respect the other players.
2. Must be willing to learn.
3. Must have a good sense of humor.
4. Must have enough maturity to know that the player and the character are not the same thing.

Most of the bad gaming behavior I've seen can be exorcised from the game if you follow those four rules.