Creating a list of questions for players...

[Ormagoden]

HALP BOARDS!

I'm looking to create a list of questions to ask the players about what they want out of a game/campaign. This can be combined with character based questions but not character specific stuff.

I'm looking for things like:
What type of characters do you like playing?
Do you prefer combat over mystery? Mystery over puzzles? Ect

I'm not looking for things like:
Does your character have any siblings?
What are your character's goals?

So since the boards are filled with tons of players and DMs alike.
What kind of questions can you come up with?

The List
(I'll update this area with the awesome questions :D )

[valadil]

I can think of two biggies.

Romance.

Defeat. This one requires more clarification. I've done a bit of LARPing. Not the foam swords kind, more of the improv theater kind. This usually involves going up against other players to resolve your plots. Unless a compromise is reached, someone will lose. Some characters are all but doomed to lose at the plots they participate in (usually this is the case for villains). Some players are okay with this and some aren't, so casting questionairres have to ask how players feel about defeat.

I think this applies to tabletop too. Some players expect to win any challenge you throw at them. I had a group riot and threaten to leave because they participated in an adventurer's tournament and a competing group cheated in the final round to steal the win. The defeat was appropriate for the story (and the cheaters went on to become villains), but the group didn't think it was appropriate in a tabletop setting. This is why I suggest asking how they feel about defeat.

[Doc Roc]

Never forget to ask them...
What is best in life?!

Good thing to ask is preferences regarding setting, tech level, and how urban the environment is.

[valadil]

Ooh, remembered another one. You need to clarify how the game handles PvP. It really sucks to think you're in a friendly game and then get backstabbed.

[Last Laugh]

I would ask them something about the life expectancy of their characters.

Different people react differently to character death. Some people just roll up a new sheet and others can be a little spiteful.

I have one DM who never kills of players. It's getting a little annoying.

[Fallbot]

Things they would be uncomfortable with encountering - torture, sex, moral dilemmas with no easy solution etc

How invested they'll be, and how much effort they're prepared to put into their characters. In a game I'm playing at the moment one of the players didn't bother to write a backstory, and has now stopped advancing his character, and is relying on the DM to do it for him. Would have been nice to know he wasn't much interested in...anything before hand.

[Greenish]

What is best in life?!

Soft toilet paper.

[Ormagoden]

I can think of two biggies.

Romance.

Defeat. This one requires more clarification. I've done a bit of LARPing. Not the foam swords kind, more of the improv theater kind. This usually involves going up against other players to resolve your plots. Unless a compromise is reached, someone will lose. Some characters are all but doomed to lose at the plots they participate in (usually this is the case for villains). Some players are okay with this and some aren't, so casting questionnaires have to ask how players feel about defeat.

I think this applies to tabletop too. Some players expect to win any challenge you throw at them. I had a group riot and threaten to leave because they participated in an adventurer's tournament and a competing group cheated in the final round to steal the win. The defeat was appropriate for the story (and the cheaters went on to become villains), but the group didn't think it was appropriate in a tabletop setting. This is why I suggest asking how they feel about defeat.

Super insightful! Thanks!


Also @DocRoc Thread derailment in two posts flat...THANKS! /sarcasm

[JasonP]

Maybe ask how they prefer to overcome obstacles (destroy enemies, take prisoners, diplomacy, deception, etc.).

[Comet]

Rule of Cool vs. Realism?

[valadil]

Along the lines of the PvP question, willingness to split the party. Even if they aren't at odds with each other, ambitious PCs often have goals that are at best tangential to party goals. Should these be avoided or encouraged? Much as I enjoy running in the direction the PCs want to go, I hate to bore the rest of the table while catering to just one PC. Do PCs mind sitting out more if it means their personal time is focused on what they'd rather do? Or would they rather treat the party as a single cohesive unit?

Does combat have to happen every session? Does roleplaying?

Should the group be the most powerful people on the world or is there always another epic wizard to dole out quests?

(I should point out that some of the questions I'm suggesting may be chosen by the DM instead of voted on by the players. But they should be considered and the players should be aware of their answer. I know there are enough gamers out there that treat roleplaying as a tactical wargame that I feel obliged to tell potential players my games don't always have combat. This keeps the pure tacticians out of the game and sets up accurate expectations for those who do join.)

[Mauther]

Plot preference: linnear vs player driven (railroad vs sandbox)

If you design an open world setting expecting your players to drive the plotline and they are expecting to be led by the hand the game comes to a screeching halt. But if you design a carefully balanced and timed series of dramatic encounters and you have sandboxers, they're never going to get to the second encounter because of the mystery of the shop keepers missing cat.

[Yorrin]

If you design an open world setting expecting your players to drive the plotline and they are expecting to be led by the hand the game comes to a screeching halt.

This. I've made this mistake a few too many times.

[randomhero00]

If you like to be able to go back from what you said. Like how (mechanically) combat should progress. For instance if you forgot to add in X damage. Not sure how to phrase that into a good question but you get the idea.

Do you like a heroic group? For instance, are evil characters ok and do you mind if the rogue steals a bit from the party?

[Venerable]

What tone do you prefer for a campaign? (grim "light a candle against the darkness", swashbuckling pulp adventure, light-hearted silliness, epic travels in time/space/dimension, etc.)

Do you prefer to play strictly in character (i.e., everything you say is interpreted as your character's speech), or do you allow OOC talking? [For example, my group prefers a mix of IC RP with some OOC joking on the side.]

Do you care whether your character has a story that unfolds throughout the campaign?

[valadil]

What tone do you prefer for a campaign? (grim "light a candle against the darkness", swashbuckling pulp adventure, light-hearted silliness, epic travels in time/space/dimension, etc.)

Tone can also be simplified to movie ratings. I found this was the easiest way to explain to one of my players why her fairy tale backstory didn't fit my grimdark world.

[Amphetryon]

Wall o' text spoilered below.

Spoiler

Show

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN

1. What's your character's name, race, and class(es)?
2. What 'role' do you see your character playing in the party? Select as many as apply. Examples: melee combat, ranged combat, sneak, hit-and-run skirmisher, battlefield controller, healer, party 'face' (social interactions), wilderness expert, party 'brains', support, summoner, party buffer, enemy debuffer, area-effect spellcaster.
3. Do you have a prestige class in mind? More than one? If so, which one(s)? If not, would you be interested in suggestions for prestige classes to fit your stated concept?
4. Why does your character adventure?
5. What's your character's main goal in life?
6. If your character got to pick any three magic items or other treasures, what would they be? You need not name a specific item, just a general description of its function.
7. List - by name, race, and class, at least - three people your character trusts.
8. List - by name, race, and class, at least - three people your character distrusts.
9. Is there a specific type of campaign you'd be especially interested in playing? Select as many as apply, indicate any campaign type you want that's not included, or state 'no preference.' Examples: a wilderness campaign, an urban campaign, a pirates storyline, dragon hunting, fighting the undead, a military campaign, a lengthy dungeon-crawl, adventures in the Underdark, foray into Hell or another plane of existence, Vikings, Oriental adventures.
10. Would you like the game focused more on: A) Combat B) Storyline C) Character development D) Traps/puzzles. Please list in order of preference.
11. BONUS QUESTION FOR THOSE WITH PREVIOUS D&D EXPERIENCE: What one thing have you always wanted to do in D&D that hasn't happened yet? This can be a monster you want to fight or an in-game event like becoming a king or a werewolf, or something else. Please list something other than 'survive to 20th', as that's the hardest goal for a DM to plan for without cheating.