What are the qualities or attributes you most want a player in your campaign to have? What's most important to you from them?
Creativity and drive.
To accept victory and defeat, and treat those two imposters the same.
Enthusiasm and imagination.
Interest in the game, a willingness to roll with whatever comes up, and a good sense of humor.
The sense of humor is the most important.
Already be one of my friends.
"Mad charop skillz," said no DM ever.
I think the single most attractive feature a player can have for me, at least at this moment, is being open in regard to the future/arc of their characters.
1. Be someone I'm comfortable inviting into my home. Ideally, a friend.
2. Be interested in the game at hand.
3. Be a minimally decent and sociable human being, i.e. not an asshole.
I'm really interested in the flip side of this question as well.
A... fantastic cook?
Anyway you know the Dan Savage bit about being good, giving, and game? That also applies to tabletop roleplayers. With regards to roleplaying. At the table. With dice. Oh forget it.
I'd also add that being a player who can actively decide what he wants to go and do in the game, as opposed to sitting around waiting for others to decide what to do, or waiting for the GM do things to his character – this is an important quality. No good having a table full of people who can't ever decide where they want to go for lunch.
boobs
Being a decent, functional human being is not something I look for in a player, because it's assumed this will be the case if I associate with you. I don't have any dysfunctional weirdos who don't understand basic social interaction in any of my social circles.
So what I look for is commitment to showing up on time to every session (or the courtesy to let everyone know in advance if they can't make it) and engagement with the premise of the game (meaning you actually give a shit about it and want to get involved in what's happening).
What I don't want are casual tag-alongs who are only there because they lack any alternative means of socialising with other people. If your primary motivation isn't to play the game, spare us all and find some other way to spend time with your friends rather than hijacking the game session.
A compatible sense of what constitutes fun. This is evident by the end of the first session playing together.
If the new person isn't having fun, no problem, thanks for visiting, see you around.
Imagination to have ideas, make decisions and plans on her own. Contributes to discussion when plans and ideas are exchanged. Willing to speak when her character should to something. A good player is thus socially active and contributes to team effort when necessary.
Human female genetic make-up and a nice figure (boobs are not enough) !
More seriously, I expect from the players of the game that I run a willingness to listen to the things I say as a GM and to have fun with the game which we are all playing.
An enthusiasm for playing the games I'm enthusiastic about running. I only run games I'm enthusiastic about running, so if you're putting up with, say, my Fate of the Norns game hoping I'll run Rifts for you afterwards, you'd best move on.
Being imaginative and proactive. I don't mind one or two players at the table who just want to hang out, eat Doritos and roll the dice when they're told to. If the table is full of such players, well then obviously I'm at the wrong table and they need a different GM. Or maybe we can play Descent or something.
The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).
An understanding that, like most if not all human activities, the more you put into the game the more you get out of it.
To build on the above point, the cheerful acceptance of the fact that other players at the table who put more than you into the game are getting more out of it.
Quote from: That Guy;792161The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).
Agreed.
Being able to show up for the games is probably the top of the list of key features for a player.
An open mind.
Sense of humour.
Interest in more than just one genre.
Works with a group.
Quote from: That Guy;792161-snip - The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues). - snip -
You have written the truest thing about RPG here ! I have a nice RPG short campaign that is slowly dying because of faulty attendance by the players. It is starting to get on my nerves ...
Quote from: That Guy;792161The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).
I agree entirely, I can only assume those people who think this is some kind of strange imposition have little contact with most other leisure activities involving regular attendance.
Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs
Literally the only reason I'd ever GM WoD, because it tends to attract such kind of players in my area.
Quote from: Rincewind1;792175Literally the only reason I'd ever GM WoD, because it tends to attract such kind of players in my area.
I have the same experience as you about that ! Hell, I even GMed a Vampire the Masquerade with only female players (four of them ! and rather nice looking !) ! Playing blood-sucking creatures of the night seems to be more appealing for the women I have met than playing D&D type PCs (it is not statment about what women like or not in RPGs, since their opinions are as large and diverse as men, but a bit of my empirical observation of things).
Intelligence and creativity.
Also a willingness to be challenged in the game.
Quote from: Old One Eye;792112Already be one of my friends.
Yeah This.
In my main group, we've mostly known each other and played together for twenty five years. My wife is the "newbie" of the group, having only played with the rest of us for fifteen years!
My secondary group is mostly the kids of the main group, all of which I've known since they were born.
At this point, I think the only reason a new player would join the group would be if they joined the circle of friends first - for example by becoming the partner of one of the existing players.
A willingness to play the game on offer. In Savage Worlds, swashbuckle instead of swinging your sword every turn, in Traveller, embrace the random char-gen and see where it takes you, in D&D, make a character who's willing to go down in the dungeon without being talked into it in character every damn time.
Not withstanding the above, be proactive. Do stuff. Find a solution I didn't anticipate. Switch sides, burn the village to save it, run off with the mcguffin instead of taking it back to the questgiver, I don't care, as long as you're playing the game and not just waiting to be fed the plot.
Quote from: Kiero;792152Being a decent, functional human being is not something I look for in a player, because it's assumed this will be the case if I associate with you. I don't have any dysfunctional weirdos who don't understand basic social interaction in any of my social circles.
So what I look for is commitment to showing up on time to every session (or the courtesy to let everyone know in advance if they can't make it) and engagement with the premise of the game (meaning you actually give a shit about it and want to get involved in what's happening).
What I don't want are casual tag-alongs who are only there because they lack any alternative means of socialising with other people. If your primary motivation isn't to play the game, spare us all and find some other way to spend time with your friends rather than hijacking the game session.
+1.
Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs
This is why we can't have nice things.
Imagination, enthusiasm, and flexibility. Everything else I can work around, but those are the golden qualities I like to see.
//Panjumanju
Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs
Someone who doesn't 'joke' like this, first.
Also, riffing on what other folks have said, actual interest in the game. My last game group finally dissolved because half the group was fairly disinterested in the game itself, but was interested in a social venue.
Also, communication. Again, in my last group, I'd often only find out if the game was going to run 30 mins before game time. That's fucking obnoxious.
My breaking point was when I drove 40 minutes to the game, only to find the game had been called about 20 minutes before I got there.
It was a group I've been with for over 15 years, and it wasn't callous disregard so much as 'life is getting chaotic for everyone,' but being one of the two players in the game who actually tried to do things... meh
Quote from: Old One Eye;792112Already be one of my friends.
Ideally this goes for me as well... or failing that be someone I want to be friends with.
If the other guys at the table are people I wouldn't want to hang out with... do non-gaming activities with... then I probably won't enjoy playing games with them either.
I suspect my list has little in common with anyone else's...
In order:
1: A pulse. If not found, no use going further.
2: A vigorous disrespect for game designers. Prime!
3: A lack of nostalgia. Easy to find among the young, difficult otherwise.
4: A super-heroic ability to manipulate, bend and break rules, and find/exploit loopholes. I do a lot of playtesting.
5: A willingness to go off track. I don't stick to the blacktop, so this is pretty damn important.
6: Basic Honesty. Again, I do a *lot* of playtesting.
7: An ability to make your own fun. No waiting, serve yourself.
#7 Is an edge case on the need/love-to-have continental divide. After that, it's all Love-to-have!
-clash
Quote from: flyingmice;792223I suspect my list has little in common with anyone else's...
From my experiences in dealing with testers the single most important thing a professional tester has is ability to clearly explain (in writing) why something did not work and how to repeat it. It saves enormous amount of time.
Enthusiasm.
I can work/instill/stoke everything else. As long as you come wanting to play.
But if you have all the other "stuff" - awesome.
Quote from: That Guy;792161so if you're putting up with, say, my Fate of the Norns game hoping I'll run Rifts for you afterwards, you'd best move on.
I got sick and tired of dealing with players like that.
For lack of a better description, they're typically individuals with a "you owe me" type of mentality to everything in life.
Commitment, Engagement and Social Intelligence.
Show up for the game, play the game and get along with everyone else.
Look most for in a player?
*Ability to suspend meta-gaming. We roll everything in the open, so:
GM: "Give me a find-traps roll"
Player: "Crap"
GM "...You fail? OK, there are no traps."
Player: "All right guys, no traps here, let's head in!"
*Ability to suspend player knowledge where it disagrees with character knowledge.
GM: "You see a grey lump of rock on the ground"
Player1: "I pick it up"
GM: "The rock is warm to the touch"
Player1: "Shit, I bet it's radioactive"
Player2: "What is this 'radioactive' you speak of?"
Player1: "Oh, yeah. Ummm, I put the rock in my backpack. Surely the elders will want to see this."
GM: "OK, lemme pull out the random mutation table here...."
*Players that know the rules. Not everyone at the table needs to know the rules, but it sure is nice if they do.
*Ability to show up consistently and on-time
*Understanding that once the game is on, it's on. Save you're socializing for before or after the game. I am weary of "Primarily, I'm here to hang out with my friends." I know not everyone is on board with this, but those of us with families or busy work schedules have a limited amount of time per week for gaming, and gaming is what I'm here to do. We can socialize at the playground when the kids are on the swings.
Quote from: Nikita;792226From my experiences in dealing with testers the single most important thing a professional tester has is ability to clearly explain (in writing) why something did not work and how to repeat it. It saves enormous amount of time.
That's for Beta testers, running/playing the game at a remove. These guys are Alpha testers, playing directly under me as GM. I can see for myself how they do what they do, and the effects of their enterprise. Alpha saves that whole step. I figure if I get a game ruleset past these bastards without unexpected explosions, anyone can. Then it's off to beta test to see if I explained that ruleset properly. Then people who can tell me "(in writing) why something did not work and how to repeat it" are worth their weight in gold. :D
Quote from: That Guy;792161The ability to attend at least 90%, ideally 95% of games. I really don't understand why some in gaming consider this weird. There are all kinds of leisure activities where regular attendance is expected, such as bowling leagues (well, really most amateur sports leagues).
I'm not a GM, but speaking as a player who strives for 100% attendance, the whole casual attendance/engagement thing has always mystified me. If you want a beer-n-pretzels experience, play a beer-n-pretzels game. There's a whole subgenre of titles labeled and advertised as exactly that for your gaming convenience. We play the games we do specifically because we want a more involved and/or immersive gaming experience, and we want it every other weekend (personally, I'd prefer we do it
every weekend, but sadly the GM's schedule doesn't allow for that)
I would agree with most of the responses here.
A. Gaming is a social situation and I only want to socialize with folk I like. So I look for someone who is nice, intelligent and with whom I can be a buddy with. Don't be an A-hole and don't fight and argue with the other players constantly.
B. Enthusiasm. Enjoy gaming and want to take part. Develop an interesting character and join the group. Help to solve the mystery or advance the story. Don't just sit there like a lump.
C. Maturity. I'm in my late 40's now. I don't want to spend the day with teenagers or even early 20-somethings. I want buddies who have been around a bit.
D. Participation. I agree that it can be rough, adulthood has its difficulties and time constraints. But I would like at least 80% attendance. I also like long game sessions, 6 hours minimum. Again, not always doable, but preferred. The best game I was in was on Sunday starting around 1 PM and usually we didn't finish until 9 or later, with one dinner break in there somewhere.
In short: be nice, be smart, be mature, be on time.
I run live and online games.
so one would think these are different lists. But one weird thing is that my online 'acquisitions' would almost all be invited home. I don't know what I am doing right. Both my last Steel ISle game and the current Collegium Arcana game include people from all over the globe, that somehow...are awesome. I don't get how I am so lucky. But Steel Isle ran for 160 sessions, and Collegium has had 32 group and some 22 intermezzo (one on one) sessions. And we are, in my estimation, around chapter 3 of book one of 4.
Live, it has to do with waiting in line and dealing with Nepotism. I have 2 live games, one for super old players, so no new players are invited in, and the newer, Igabrian campaign, which is only 12 years old, and occasionally has a changing of the guard and adds or loses a Player.
1) must be a gourmand. We blow through amazing dinner and 4-8 bottles of wine (and an occasional mead) per session. This has a secondary effect of weeding out the riff-raff. I might be kidding. I'm not sure.
2) be in for the long haul. I can't run anything not built for 5-10 years.
3) my rules. Not like some homebrew changes, literally, my main system was built around this setting and the type of game I play.
Trust. I need to know for certain that my players don't distrust or feel antagonistic towards me. Even in grittier or horror-themed campaigns, I'm not out to kill the characters for fun. While the dice control outcomes, I strive to make things fun or at least interesting for everyone at the table, even bad stuff like failure and defeat.
I practically lose my shit when a player gets upset when things go badly through no action of my own but through bad decisions by the players or just bad luck with the dice. If you don't trust that I'm trying to make sure that everyone's having a good time then get the fuck out.
I amend my answer: power, mystery, and the hammer of the gods.
A sense of humor and at least a little enthusiasm, but most importantly, tolerance and an ability to get along with others - or at least the others in the group.
Quote from: Saladman;792194This is why we can't have nice things.
But think about it...
pictuure the perfect player.
A geek, through and through. No life, so they are always ready for a game, any time. No other responsibilities to distract them from gaming (ie no signifigant other vying for their attention). They always show up to the game on time, bearing Sun Chips and a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper. They spend their off time reading fantasy novels and books on ways to be a better roleplayer, or painting miniatures. They have the loveable disposition of Santa Clause, the tactical acumen of an Arneson or Gygax, the storytelling ability of a Kevin Smith, and the cheery enthusiasm of a big child.
Add all that together and what do you get?
boobs.
Brings snacks, and shares them.
If they do that they're less likely to be annoying in other ways, like arguing over rules, or being evil for the sake of it, or frequently late or absent to sessions, etc. Do they think, "this is a social occasion, how can I make it nicer for others?" If they do think they like, the other shit will fall into place.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;792352Brings snacks, and shares them.
If they do that they're less likely to be annoying in other ways, like arguing over rules, or being evil for the sake of it, or frequently late or absent to sessions, etc. Do they think, "this is a social occasion, how can I make it nicer for others?" If they do think they like, the other shit will fall into place.
Right on the money.
Okay, I want to amend my list with:
4. Not a freeloader.
Freeloaders suck. Peple who bring stuff just rock my world, not so much for the stuff they bring but for the attitude.
Quote from: TristramEvans;792334But think about it...
pictuure the perfect player.
A geek, through and through. No life, so they are always ready for a game, any time. No other responsibilities to distract them from gaming (ie no signifigant other vying for their attention). They always show up to the game on time, bearing Sun Chips and a 6 pack of Dr. Pepper. They spend their off time reading fantasy novels and books on ways to be a better roleplayer, or painting miniatures. They have the loveable disposition of Santa Clause, the tactical acumen of an Arneson or Gygax, the storytelling ability of a Kevin Smith, and the cheery enthusiasm of a big child.
Add all that together and what do you get?
boobs.
Well played, sir. Well played indeed.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;792352Brings snacks, and shares them.
If they do that they're less likely to be annoying in other ways, like arguing over rules, or being evil for the sake of it, or frequently late or absent to sessions, etc. Do they think, "this is a social occasion, how can I make it nicer for others?" If they do think they like, the other shit will fall into place.
+1, and it also reminds me of something else: gainfully employed. These past years I have enjoyed the heck out of gaming with people with steady jobs and families. Occasionally it means family or work comes first, but on balance they're more reliable in attendance, and more fun to game with, than the semi-employed losers I got in the random mix I started gaming with.
Unlike someone else upthread, I'm not even asking for my own age. I've seen twenty year olds with a job and a significant other fall into the good to game with category when older guys without their lives together don't.
Pleasant company. I'm not interested in spending hours at a time with irritating people in order to play a board game, much less a role-playing game.
Relevant qualities include basic deportment, good sportsmanship, flexibility, and engagement with the other participants and the affair at hand.
Beyond that, diverse people bring diverse assets. Having a spectrum of talents and (in keeping with the above) temperaments and interests is a bonus. I like a mix of ages and genders and backgrounds when feasible.
Quote from: Necrozius;792311Trust. I need to know for certain that my players don't distrust or feel antagonistic towards me.
Who the hell are you playing with that this is even an issue?
Quote from: Old Geezer;792428Who the hell are you playing with that this is even an issue?
Babies, apparently. People who get super frustrated and upset when they fail at skill checks or miss attacks in combat. They also assume the very worst will happen to them all the time, like I'm deliberately trying to defeat them.
I like to think that I'm self-aware enough to know that I'm not an asshole GM (I promote the whole Fail Forward ideal, as well as only ask for dice rolls if the outcome is interesting either way), but it still happens. Makes me wonder why some people even play (especially if they can't seem to get over a bad GM in their past).
Don't play with random strangers, I guess. Because I can't imagine calling somebody who acts like that a 'friend.'
Quote from: Old Geezer;792451Don't play with random strangers, I guess. Because I can't imagine calling somebody who acts like that a 'friend.'
I've been truly surprised by friends and family once they play these games. RPGs can reveal things about people...
1) People who are fun to play RPGs with.
2) People who regularly show up at the right time so that they can be fun to play RPGs with.
Everything else is a nice to have.
Quote from: TristramEvans;792131boobs
Beat me to it!
Luckily had that aplenty when Jan was playing... :jaw-dropping:
Quote from: Omega;792490Beat me to it!
Luckily had that aplenty when Jan was playing... :jaw-dropping:
"The ladies in this gaming group have the biggest boobs in the world.
Their husbands."
Quote from: Old Geezer;792518"The ladies in this gaming group have the biggest boobs in the world.
Their husbands."
I wish!
Jan was married at the time. To some guy who didnt like RPGs. (So you may have a point there...) She divorced him later. (Not over the RPG part.)
Her and her friend Kefra were quite a handfull to GM for and group with when not GMing. Jan in particular is a very reckless daredevil type player. Neither have ever DMed to my knowledge. Neither have my sisters. Susan on the other hand I've never seen not GMing at a session.
One thing I do find a very small annoyance in players is the occasional super over cautious type. Caution is fine in most RPGs. But last group before current had a player who had-to-check-every-single-ten-foot-space-for-traps. oooooooog! Good player otherwise.
1) Verve.
2) More verve.
3) Respect for others.
1. Must play the game at hand. No crying "it's not
2. Must respect the G.M by accepting his/her decisions and no rules lawyering.
3. Must respect other players by not sabotaging their plans
4. Must understand you are not "the special snowflake" you think you are. the game will go on with or without you.
5. Must not cry when you miss a game or games and everyone levels up but you.
6. Must understand this is a game and not the "all important end all and be all of life"
These are just a few of the things I look for in players.
Quote from: Omega;792538One thing I do find a very small annoyance in players is the occasional super over cautious type. Caution is fine in most RPGs. But last group before current had a player who had-to-check-every-single-ten-foot-space-for-traps. oooooooog! Good player otherwise.
I find very large annoyance in an even more extreme form of that: players who love contingency planning more than they do actually playing.
Cyberpunk/Shadowrun-type games seem to be the worst culprits for this. It's not enough to have a plan, but you have to have a contingency for every possible problem that might come up. And each one of those must be unpacked in exquisite detail, possible repeated so everyone is clear what everyone should do if that eventuality arises. Ugh.
Quote from: RPGPundit;792095What are the qualities or attributes you most want a player in your campaign to have? What's most important to you from them?
Someone I trust enough to invite into my home, and that I like enough to not only do so every weekend, but to spend hours with.
For me, I think the first and foremost quality I want is commitment to the campaign, just in the sense that I know they will regularly attend.
Almost anything else can be cultivated.
Quote from: RPGPundit;793891For me, I think the first and foremost quality I want is commitment to the campaign, just in the sense that I know they will regularly attend.
Exactly. Drive.
Quote from: RPGPundit;792095What are the qualities or attributes you most want a player in your campaign to have? What's most important to you from them?
Ability to consistently show up for game sessions. Everything else is gravy.
Other than attendance, my new rule will be 'not a GamerGater.'
Quote from: Old Geezer;792518"The ladies in this gaming group have the biggest boobs in the world.
Their husbands."
Sometimes the husbands have the biggest boobs -YIKES!
Quote from: Will;793907Other than attendance, my new rule will be 'not a GamerGater.'
You realize that most of this website's ideas and tendencies would fall under the GamerGate banner, right.
I don't think anyone here lives near me, so it doesn't matter. Heh
Quote from: Will;793907Other than attendance, my new rule will be 'not a GamerGater.'
Tell me - when you perform such a self - fellatio, does the experience beat the taste of your own dick?
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;794698You realize that most of this website's ideas and tendencies would fall under the GamerGate banner, right.
I'd say it very much depends what people mean when they use that word. But this isn't the place to have that discussion, so let's skip it.
Really, enthusiasm is the most important thing. They have to want to be there and play the game. If you have that everything else follows and if you don't everything else fails.
Here's what I look for in a player:
1) The player needs to be able to show up to game at the scheduled time.
2) The player needs to be willing to play the game I'm offering to run.
3) The player needs to have enough conscientiousness not to be That Guy.
Of course I've been a bad player by my own standards here in the past, but I've gotten a lot better.
I think most players have been That Guy at some point in their lives. Gods know I have. The important thing is being self-aware enough to recognize it (and/or have friends who are willing to smack you upside the head with that information) and change your behavior.
Regular attendance
Must be a self-motivated player - i.e., willing to create goals of their own for themselves and navigate the campaign world to advance those goals.
I'm only really interested in DMing if I'm going to be surprised by the players in turn. I'm not really interested in "what module are we playing next?" players.
Quote from: EOTB;795090I'm only really interested in DMing if I'm going to be surprised by the players in turn. I'm not really interested in "what module are we playing next?" players.
Yeah, that's a bingo for myself. My joy in GMing comes primarily from being surprised by the creativity of my players.