Rules Index | GM Screen

Player Interactions

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 70
One of the great things about roleplaying games is that they tend to bring together a wide variety of players, each with his or her own unique passions, play style, and traits. This witch’s brew of personalities can create some truly memorable game experiences, with each player adding her own flavor to the game. Like a world-class chef, it’s the GM’s job to manage these game elements—stirring one pot while another simmers—to create a game experience that leaves all players breathless in anticipation of the next session.

It’s important for GMs to accept that all of these different personalities make a campaign better. While some types of players are more difficult to handle than others, each has his own role to play on the grand stage that is the campaign, and working with each can help you improve as a GM.

This section details 14 different and archetypal player personalities, along with the challenges and preferences they might exhibit. While this list does not cover every type of player, it gives enough of an overview for GMs to recognize these stereotypes as they manifest during the game and have a good idea how to interact with them. Don’t be surprised if the same player exhibits multiple traits; gamer psychology is just as complex as any other, and people are frequently a dash of this and a pinch of that. Though it’s important not to pigeonhole your players, many people will tend to have certain specific habits that cast them more into a particular category than another. This section is intended to help you interact with potentially frustrating player types in a manner that is fun and productive for you and them.

Recognize that labels can be a negative, and that you shouldn’t casually assign one of these personality types to a player, nor even mention your mental designations unless you’re sure the player will take it with grace and not see it as dismissal or name-calling. You may find that some players freely embrace their type (“I strictly adhere to the rules; I guess that makes me a rules lawyer”), while others have a different conception of their behavior, or believe they are much too psychologically complex to ever fall into a particular category (“I am not a diva! I’m just keeping the game interesting!”). Use your best judgment when discussing these archetypes with your group.

The GM’s role is to ensure fun for all, not to force everyone to march in lockstep toward the next page of the adventure. The quote by the Greek playwright Aristophanes that begins this section alludes to the challenges that await you as you lead your group toward its next great adventure. Just as the crab eventually finds its way back to sea, so too will players embark on fun-filled evenings of epic quests and daring-do. The GM should allow them to zigzag their way from one encounter to the next by playing the way they like to play, even if their course seems surprising or inefficient compared to the one you expected.

Player motivations can be a tricky thing to manage. In order to keep things running smoothly, you may need to embrace some of your “problem player’s” desires, which can mean extra work coming up with new rules systems for economics or extra sessions to make the needy player feel like he has a chance to shine. Whenever possible, work with your players and embrace their quirks as what they likely are—enthusiasm for the game you both enjoy. Your experience will be the better for it.

Dangerous Combos: As you assess the composition of your gaming group, take special note of potentially explosive combinations. The GM serves as referee between players, especially when their motivations place them in diametrically opposed roles, so if you see trouble brewing, try discussing with your players how they would like to handle the situation ahead of time, before people have gotten heated. (Some of these potentially problematic combinations are mentioned on the following pages.) Also, if you have particular pet peeves or anticipate issues before a game begins, you may want to talk with your group ahead of time, so they can be mindful of their own tendencies and take care to sidestep potential issues.

Know Your Group: There’s a difference between being a Game Master and mastering the role of the GM. The more experienced you are and the better you know your players, the less apt you are to need the advice on the following pages. Remember that this advice doesn’t take the individual quirks and preferences of actual players or groups into account, so you should always feel free to make any adjustments and changes that are best for the game. It’s your campaign and world, and you’re the one to judge what works and what doesn’t. And of course it’s possible that you might even fall into one of these categories yourself, in which case dealing with a particular archetype might not seem like a problem.

Respect: Although the GM controls many aspects of the game, one thing she can’t control—and shouldn’t attempt to—is the players. Tailoring the game to better suit the players shouldn’t feel subversive or manipulative. Ideally, everyone at the game table is there to have a good time and a GM should make clear her attempts to minimize conflicts and improve the game for everyone. Players should also take responsibility—the more they respect and understand each other, the less the GM needs these suggestions.

Antagonist

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 71
Inter-party strife presents one of the most dangerous kinds of tension, and the antagonist is often at the heart of it. This player has elected to create a character at odds with one or more members of the party. It might be that the antagonist has decided he’s an atheist in conflict with the party cleric. Perhaps he’s the lone evil character in a group of good-aligned characters. He might be the dwarf who is untrusting of the party’s elf members, or a rogue who enjoys stealing from teammates. Whatever the reason, he’s setting himself up as the lightning rod. While rivalry and good-natured butting of heads can bring an entertaining element to a campaign, outright animosity should be addressed.

Three steps can often help diffuse such situations: 1. Determine the Source: Most inter-character conflicts are intentional and have been specifically defined by the players. Such clashes aren’t always negative elements, especially when they don’t interfere with the game and keep a measure of levity. A source of antagonism can add to a campaign; the challenge lies in managing the intensity of the conflict and the likely outcome. Some potential sources of antagonistic conflict include alignment (good and evil; law and chaos), prejudice (against magic or certain races), moral values (caste system, role of women), political beliefs (national or guild-level strife), religion (opposing religion or non-believer), inter-party lies or theft, and xenophobia.

2. Determine the Level of Antagonism: What does the antagonist do when confronted by the source of the conflict? Can the players (both the antagonist and the other group members) still work together when the source of tension arises? If the answer is no, then the player should reduce the level of antagonism, even if it means modifying his character concept. A group whose members can’t trust each other or are unwilling to come to one another’s aid is an adventuring company that’s headed toward early retirement.

3. Identify Possible Resolutions: One player should never be allowed to create a situation that’s only fun for him. One of the most dangerous sources of antagonism is a character of an opposing alignment or organization whose primary goal is the destruction of another party member. No one really wins in that situation, and it’s likely that the distrust carries over to the next time everyone rolls up characters. In this situation, lay out the problem clearly for the antagonist, and be polite but firm in offering to help the player modify his character or create a new one capable of working within the group.

Continuity Expert

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 71
The continuity expert keeps up-to-date with the latest published novels and game supplements. She can cite historical facts buried in small type hundreds of pages into a supplement, and note each diversion from established canon. The moment the new supplement hits the shelves at the local hobby shop, she has devoured its contents and wants to use it in the upcoming game session.

Unless you are yourself a continuity expert, this can be frustrating. You may want to head off any problems at the pass and simply announce that your version of the setting is your own, and not beholden to any other continuity. If you’re trying to play closer to canon, however, it’s important that your group know what liberties, if any, your campaign plans to take with the source material. Perhaps your game makes significant changes to a setting or moves forward from a snapshot in a setting’s history, meaning that certain existing or future supplements might not seamlessly apply to the campaign’s version of a world. That doesn’t mean you need to ignore all supplements you aren’t already familiar with, merely that players should understand that you’ll need time to review such information—and that whether or not you incorporate it is solely your decision.

During the course of the game, the continuity expert might note deviations from canon or even continuity established during the course of a campaign. Whether this proves helpful, distracting, or completely irrelevant hinges largely on when such comments are presented. Few things can derail a GM’s narrative faster than being constantly contradicted about matters of story. In these cases, it often helps to table the discussion and let the expert know that you’ll discuss it after the game, or over e-mail. Above all, never forget that you control your game world, not the continuity expert or a game publisher, and what you say goes.

Like a rules lawyer, a continuity expert can be a great help to a GM. Most prove eager to research elements of a campaign setting and enthusiastically help prepare for upcoming sessions. Canny GMs might find ways to have such a player research multiple useful topics without giving away the intended course of upcoming adventures. During a session, a continuity expert’s knowledge can prove exceedingly useful if it has an in-character outlet— encouraging such a player to adopt a knowledgeable class, purchase tomes of relevant lore, or be the group researcher gives her opportunities to exploit and display her knowledge in character and without interrupting the game.

Diva

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 72
The diva is the center of attention, the focus of all roleplaying interactions that occur in the campaign world. Every conversation, introduction, and event is another opportunity for her to shine, while the rest of the group struggles to get a word in edgewise. No matter is too small or insignificant for her; she’s ready for the spotlight! Unfortunately, the rest of the players are bored to tears.

While having a player totally immersed in and excited about the game is every GM’s goal, it should never happen at the cost of other players’ enjoyment. The diva can truly shine during her turn and those encounters specifically aimed at engaging her character—but when it’s someone else’s turn, she needs to learn to hang back and give other players chances to take the stage as well.

In combat, initiative does a good job of keeping the focus moving, but if a character monopolizes NPC interactions, a good counter during heavy roleplaying sessions is to break each conversation up into minute-long spots. You as the GM can then move around the table much like you would during a combat encounter to allow everyone a chance to interact. If the diva interrupts, remind her that this is all occurring at the same time, and that she’s busy talking to that other NPC right now. If there’s a single NPC and the diva is doing all the talking for the group, have him fixate on someone else or ask for an introduction to her friends.

In the end, if subtlety doesn’t work, you might need to be blunt with the diva in order to get the message across that everyone needs a chance to play. A diva can be a strong party leader, but shouldn’t be allowed to dominate group decisions. If the other players seem to be merely following along, ask them directly for their characters’ thoughts.

The Diva-Loner: This is a particularly dangerous combination, as the diva wants to take the spotlight while doing something on her own. She might charm a young prince into a moonlit walk along the canals, or decide that she wants to go fight crime after the rest of the party goes to sleep. Whatever the rationale, the solution is the same as for the loner player type: it splits the party and creates a new story that needs to take place off-scene.

Off-scene encounters can be discussed before or after a gaming session, over email during the week, or whenever other players aren’t waiting. As long as the diva isn’t doing something crazy or suicidal, there’s no reason to punish her, but neither should you have these solo escapades reveal key plot points or allow yourself to be distracted from the rest of the party.

Entrepreneur

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 72
The economic heart of most pseudo-medieval campaigns is their businesses, each creating revenue for the local lord and providing specialty shops, guilds, taverns, and other structures needed by adventurers and the common folk. Players generally fall into one of two molds as entrepreneurs, each of which has an impact on local businesses. The first is the player who seeks to sell everything acquired from the bodies of fallen enemies. The second is the businessman who sees an opportunity and wants to stake his claim.

For both types of entrepreneurs, the GM should follow simple rules to ensure that everyone at the gaming table is having fun. Don’t let yourself get locked into rolling on charts for long periods while other players wait, or let the minutiae of the items collected slow down the game. Instead, presume the characters choose the most valuable items— and only the most valuable items—and quickly move the adventure along. While your players might be eager to loot all of the soldiers’ short swords, collecting their old boots for sale later is a waste of adventuring time. If a character is big on appraising things, have him roll at the end of each session to ensure that he takes the most valuable possessions with him. Don’t slow down the game determining the value of the gilt on a doorframe or the darts in a disabled trap.

Next, determine how much the player can reasonably recover from the dungeon. Calculating the weight and mass of items can be tedious, but saying that everything in a dungeon is bolted down is unrealistic. The game already has rules for encumbrance, but an easier house rule might be that the character can carry one vaguely defined item (the pieces of a disabled trap, the limbs of a destroyed golem, the brasswork off a vampire’s coffin) per point of Strength, with accommodations for any magic items like bags of holding. This speeds the game along and helps prevent stopping every time the GM describes a shiny bit of room dressing. And don’t forget that the character’s weapons and armor count toward the total—if the entrepreneur wants that third tapestry, he’s going to have to leave his sword behind.

The value of mundane loot is closely tied to the magic level of your campaign, the size of the city the players deliver the goods to, the need for those goods, and the quality and quantity of the goods. Delivering 20 suits of chainmail to a sleepy village likely floods the market and earns a pittance, while that same armor in a town scrambling to arm itself would earn significantly more. As a general rule, try assuming a 10–20% payout where there is a moderate need for the items and then adjust from there.

Flake

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 73
The flake player is one that proves his type over a period of time. He might initially show up on time, fired up and ready to take on the world, but by the fourth game session he’s apologizing for not showing up the week before. Suddenly he’s showing up every third session, probably late, and looking to pick up where he left off.

Now the GM has a potential conflict. While the flake has been gone, the other players have advanced their characters a few levels and he’s behind them with an unresolved subplot. What should you do?

First off, talk privately to the player to determine the reasons he hasn’t been showing up. Sometimes life demands that we shift our attention elsewhere, and other players are generally understanding of those situations. Maybe there are interparty conflicts or a particular storyline that’s been making the game less appealing. It’s all about communication; no player should make other players wait 30 minutes to see if he’s going to show up this week. Respecting other people’s time goes a long way toward cultivating goodwill.

Since any player can potentially turn into a flake, it’s useful to avoid creating adventures that revolve around every player being present. It’s fine to assume that a particular character participates in the adventure (run by you, if need be), but hinging everyone’s fun on any one character makes it easy to be disappointed.

It’s good to have explicit rules for how you want to handle missing players. You might assign a penalty on earned experience if a player misses a game session, while letting him stay fairly close to the rest of the group in terms of advancement even when circumstances conspire to keep him away. This generally balances itself out over time, and everyone ends up fairly close in experience (making it much easier for you to plan encounters).

To be respectful of others, try using e-mail or other electronic means to have players RSVP to the gaming session. This lets everyone know who is showing up. And if something happens at the last minute, players can contact everyone to let the group know.

If a player missing out on sessions truly cripples a group, consider using NPCs to fill the same role. The rest of the party can temporarily adopt or hire these NPCs to make up for missing skills, and the NPC’s wages are a small price to pay for a well-timed fireball or backstab— especially if they come out of the missing character’s share of treasure.

Glass Jaw

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 73
Some characters have a weakness that constantly reveals itself or is easily exploited in virtually every encounter. Examples include characters with ultra-low ability scores, those unable to defend themselves in combat, characters cursed with the lowest possible number of hit points, and the like.

Many sorts of glass jaws appear during character creation, giving the GM the opportunity to drill down into the player’s real motivations before play begins. While it can be fun to occasionally include glass jaw characters as an opportunity to add additional roleplaying elements to the campaign, serious design flaws can handicap the rest of the party’s enjoyment, and are best caught early. This is not to say that every character must be optimized to the fullest extent of the rules, but characters with crippling deficiencies—like a wizard unable to cast 2nd-level spells, or a bard with no Perform skill—should be addressed. Find out why that particular player has created the character with such a glaring weakness. For example, if the wizard player wants to play a sickly character for added drama, you could always adjust his Constitution score back into the normal range and instead let him roleplay through a less crippling affliction like a disease or curse.

It’s possible that the player isn’t looking for a roleplaying opportunity. Depending on the creation method and the player’s level of experience, he might just have rolled poorly or not know the rules well enough to make his character viable. If that’s the case, working with the player to build the character and re-rolling or using a point-buy system for ability score generation is likely to resolve the situation.

If none of the above suggestions fix the problem, it’s best to talk to the player privately and determine what he intends to do with this character. Explain your concerns about what you perceive as the character’s glass jaw and the impact it might have on the rest of the group. Together, you and the player should explore creative solutions to help improve everyone’s time around the gaming table, modifying the character concept as necessary.

Power Gamers and Glass Jaws: As players finish character generation, level up, or make other choices related to their character’s statistics, encourage your players who are skilled at using the rules to offer suggestions to those less adept. While the final choices in such collaborations lie with the player running the character, having someone else point out potential problems or advantages can make the game’s sometimes daunting rules and options more manageable.

Loner

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 74
The loner can be one of the most disruptive forces around the gaming table. She has little regard for group cohesion, and seizes every opportunity to go off alone, heedless of the effect on other players. This might be when the rest of the characters are expecting to rest and recover their spells, during combat in order to explore some dark side tunnel, or any time her interests diverge from the party’s.

There are really two issues here. First, what goals does the player have for her character that she doesn’t feel can be met as part of the group experience? It may be that she feels bound by the character concept she’s created, and needs help figuring out how to make it work within the party structure. Second, is the character’s role in the group dynamic essential for the heroes to overcome their obstacles? If she’s leaving when other players need her, this presents a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

As the GM, you may want to work with the loner between sessions to help achieve her character’s goals. Avoid the temptation to split your attention during the game—giving one player fully half of your game time simply because she wandered off is no fair to the rest of the players. Handle any side adventures that happen away from the group off camera, not when it wastes the whole group’s time. And if the loner gets tired of sitting out simply because her character wandered away from the group, perhaps she won’t be as likely to wander off again.

You might also use the loner’s meanderings to introduce new plot elements. In taking her leave, does the loner stumble into a group of wandering monsters that attack the party? Set off a trap? These effects don’t have to be immediate—if your player wants to sneak out of the tavern in the middle of the night, you might quickly gloss over her escapade, but use the opportunity to explain how the orcs were able to locate the group’s campsite. The idea isn’t to punish a player for her loner tendencies, but rather to create the greatest amount of fun for the greatest number of players.

Of course, you’re not the only one likely to be irritated by a loner’s gallivanting, and regular abandonment of the group eventually causes intra-party strife. Other characters—and players—might become upset and seek to confront the loner’s character. This can be a great opportunity for roleplaying, but it risks alienating the loner. Make sure that the loner knows that while running her character in such a manner isn’t “wrong,” going off alone can have a negative impact of the other players’ enjoyment, and that you want to make sure everyone—including her—is getting their needs met.

Lump

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 74
The lump just takes up space at the gaming table, rolling dice when instructed or performing actions when other players ask him to do something. There’s no passion here; the lump is more of an automaton awaiting its next orders. Many times, the lump is a player new to the game or an experienced player outside of his comfort zone.

One of the GM’s primary goals is to ensure that everyone is having fun during the game. For most people, lumpish behavior is the definition of boredom, and it’s your job to reach out and bring the lump into the campaign for real.

For new players, lack of familiarity with the rules is a frequent source of confusion. Not knowing exactly what to do, they shut down and wait for more experienced players to instruct them. They might be confused about their class role or the ebb and flow of the encounters, worried about wasting their abilities at the wrong time, or simply intimidated by louder and more experienced players. Aside from considering the advice found on page 65 and reminding new players that they can do anything, let your experienced players know that they need to encourage the new player to spread his wings. If he doesn’t know the rules or the campaign setting, let him borrow a book to read up between sessions. Remember that people tend to best learn the rules by playing, though—focus on letting neophytes do things on their own, and at their own speed.

In-Game Advice: If you want to take a more direct approach, the easiest way to get a lump roleplaying is to engage him directly via NPCs or situations that don’t allow him to defer to other players. Mouthy NPC assistants and sentient items (especially those that can speak) can also work wonders at getting a lump out of his shell, as giving a PC an in-game source of advice (even faulty advice) can prompt roleplaying opportunities and manipulate the player into thinking about his acts and making his own decisions. Humor also helps many awkward players feel more at ease. Setting a lump up with an even less experienced NPC sidekick can help him feel more confident and capable.

Lump vs. Diva: In many ways, the diva loves the lump player—he allows the diva to take all the limelight for herself while the lump does what he always does. But as the lump slowly emerges from his shell, suddenly there’s less time in the sun for the diva. Jumping back and forth between these two player types can be a challenge; focus on fanning the flames of the lump until he becomes comfortable enough with the game that the diva won’t be able to shove him back into his shell.

One-Trick Pony

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 75
A player who falls into the one-trick pony type has a preference for playing a particular character or filling a specific role. She might always be the paladin, standing on the front lines and charging evil every time she sees it. Or maybe she’s the wizard specialized in evocation who blasts enemies to bits. She has a play style she likes, and she tends to stick with it.

The one-trick pony tends to keep a certain role locked down, preventing other players from experiencing the game from that perspective. Her insistence also has the effect of forcing other players to approach the campaign in a certain way. For example, players can never sneak in to attack the boss by surprise if the paladin always charges forward into every combat.

Of course, there’s nothing inherently wrong with indulging a one-trick pony as long as everyone is having fun and you’re able to take your campaign to its final destination. But at the same time, you aren’t required to maintain the status quo just because that’s the way it’s always been. When the time comes to shake things up, embrace the change and communicate it to everyone. One way to address this situation is by announcing the main campaign story before players roll up characters, and requiring everyone to come up with characters that fit into it. If you’re running a thieves’ guild campaign that requires stealth and trickery, it’s fine to disallow certain classes or require select skills.

A second type of one-trick pony is the player who uses a specific tactic against enemies again and again during the campaign. This player has found an effective combo or strategy and uses it whenever possible, to the exclusion of all others. Again, while not technically wrong, this play style can quickly get old, and there are a few ways to address it. Before you do so, however, stop and make sure there’s actually a problem. Is the player’s strategy boring the other party members? Or are you merely frustrated by its effectiveness? Don’t punish players for being good at what they do—instead, try exploring counter strategies, and enlist other players and GMs outside of the game if you need tactical help. If you have recurring villains, it only makes sense that they’d quickly learn to defend against their enemies’ greatest weapons, or turn the party’s pet tactic around and begin using it against them. There’s no strategy for which a defense cannot be devised, and if the one-trick pony complains that the enemy seems unduly prepared, let him know that’s the danger of predictability.

Multitask Master

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 75
Distractions come into the game room from a variety of sources: phone calls, family, the pizza guy—you name it. Once they start being generated by the gamers themselves, however, you may need to act quickly to keep your game under control and focused. The multitask master is the source of many such distractions around the table, as he e-mails friends from his laptop, sends text messages on his cell phones, and tells this week’s joke to those next to him between initiative rounds.

The first thing to do when confronted with multitaskers is to ask yourself why they’re doing it. Are your players falling asleep because you’re plotting out every possible location that a caltrop could land? Speed things up. Are you spending all your time on a diva’s personal subplot, or waiting for a slow player to find the correct damage dice? Move on to the next player. Evenly distributing your attention and keeping the game moving is crucial.

If you don’t think you’re fostering the distractions, then it’s time to talk to the player (or the group at large) and explain your concerns. If you’re having to reread encounters or explain to each player what the guy before him did, there’s clearly a problem. Part of the problem might stem from unavoidable slowdowns, such as in a group where several players don’t know the rules well yet, but there may be something else you can do to keep players’ attention during the game. Ask them for ideas.

Unless players are using laptops or cell phones to keep track of their characters, it’s fine to ban them from the gaming table. If a player gets a call he must respond to, he should leave the table and take care of it. If he wants to text friends, he should do it away from the table during breaks. Such rules shouldn’t feel draconian, but rather emphasize organization and respect for everyone around the table. Some groups even go so far as to specify what is allowed on the table (dice, character sheets, and pencils) instead of targeting what they don’t like.

Like most situations, this one is best handled in private at first. If you need to discuss the issue with the group, make sure not to single out a particular player. Instead, focus on the distractions that prevent the game from being fun and come up with a solution the entire group can accept. When possible, it’s generally best to start a gaming group with such rules in place than to try and add them later after a problem arises. But distraction is contagious, and the slower the game gets, the more temptation there is for players to multitask.

Power Game

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 76
The power gamer focuses on maximizing her character’s strengths while minimizing her weaknesses. She focuses all her character choices to enable her to be highly effective in certain areas, without being correspondingly weak in others. She knows exactly which combinations work best for her character type, thrives under home rules that haven’t been thoroughly balanced, and can easily wreak havoc on a GM who is less experienced with rules, seeks to appease all players, or emphasizes roleplaying over statistics.

The power gamer tends to focus on combat, expertly manipulating the rules to create engines of destruction that few of her companions (or enemies) can match. The standard monsters from various rules supplements stand no chance against her unless they’re many levels higher than the rest of the group. While the power gamer likely sees her actions as merely playing the game to the best of her ability, her proficiency makes creating challenging encounters for the entire party very difficult; monsters introduced to challenge the power gamer might well kill the other characters.

In such situations, the first thing to do is to take a look at the rules in question. As a GM, you should reserve the right to vet new rules content from any source before it’s allowed into your game, and if some of the power gamer’s abilities are based on rules you don’t approve of or house rules you hadn’t thought through entirely, you can change them at the end of an adventure—provided players impacted by the change are allowed to go back and rebuild their characters.

The most important thing when dealing with a power gamer is avoiding an adversarial relationship. Instead, try to learn from her, filing away her tactics for use by future villains. If a player is so effective in combat that it’s ruining your game, take her aside and ask for her assistance. Congratulate her honestly on her prowess—she spent a lot of time devising those strategies—then explain the situation. Maybe she can help your other players maximize their characters—a group of all power gamers is easier to deal with than a mixed batch. If that doesn’t work, perhaps she or another player can help you devise effective counter strategies, or maybe she’d enjoy the challenge of playing a character a few levels lower than everyone else. In the end, it’s possible she may need to retire or redesign the character, but the more transparency you can have about this process, and the less it feels like punishment, the better. And if the character is only slightly too powerful, or the other players prefer to focus on roleplaying, there are always noncombat encounters to help give other players the chance to shine.

Rules Lawyer

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 76
All players like to know that there are universal rules to level the playing field, but the rules lawyer takes it a step farther. He knows every obscure rule, and insists that each one work exactly as written—especially if it’s in his favor.

While of course the rules should work the same for villains as they do the heroes, the GM’s challenge is ensuring that the game runs smoothly and everyone has fun. Sometimes it’s acceptable for the letter of the law to fade a bit, especially if such sacrifices keep an adventure moving smoothly or to make the game more enjoyable. The following techniques can keep the game on track when confronted with a rules lawyer. If you’re constantly being contradicted about rules, consider the following steps.

Establish House Rules: If your house rules differ from the main rules, make sure everyone knows about it. Also, be sure to let your players know that this isn’t a sport, and that you reserve the right to bend or break the rules for the sake of the game from time to time, with the understanding that your intention isn’t to be unfair, but rather to make things more fun for the group as a whole.

When to Question: As in the case of the continuity expert, let the rules lawyer know when and how it’s appropriate to cite the rules. Openly contradicting is counterproductive unless it’s a matter of life and death for a character, in which case you should spend a moment to quickly verify key points, but that’s it. After the game or between sessions, you can discuss the rules in depth. Alternatively, if you’re shaky on a particular rule and it’s important to get it right, don’t be afraid to ask the rules lawyer for help to keep the game moving. Making an ally of the rules lawyer validates him and likely makes it easier for him to accept when you’re forced to overrule him.

Use Maps and Minis: Groups that generalize the locations of their individual characters tend to have more problems with rules lawyers. It’s difficult for players to understand the tactical layout of an area without actually seeing the area, and can lead to comments like, “I didn’t walk up to that chest; I skirted the edge of the wall.” An established grid and physical markers prevent a lot of arguments.

Even if you follow these rules, you may still have trouble with rules lawyers. Not everyone views rules the same way. The important thing is to stand behind your rulings, and when certain things break the rules—for good reason— don’t feel like you have to reveal world secrets just because the rules lawyer demands answers. GMs work in mysterious ways, and with any luck history will vindicate your choice.

Tagalong

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 77
The tagalong isn’t so much a player type as he is a distraction. He might be the significant other of one of the players that shows up each week to spend quality time with his gaming better half. Perhaps he’s a player’s best friend from high school who is stopping over. Maybe he’s even one of the players’ children. No matter the relationship, the tagalong is by definition bored by the game and serves as a distraction to the rest of the players. Here’s how to prepare for that eventuality.

If the tagalong proves interested in gaming but has never played before, have him observe a game session or take on a minor role, such as the squire, familiar, or assistant of another player, or one of your minor NPCs. If gradually teaching him the game and encouraging this interest works, he may eventually want to create his own character and join the campaign, and chances are good that at least the player who brought him is excited to have him at the table.

If the tagalong has no interest in gaming, even after watching the proceedings for a bit, it’s probably best to find some other activity to keep him entertained over the course of the game. If there is a separate room where he can watch TV or read a book, the chances of keeping everyone’s attention on the game are much higher. Find out what the tagalong likes to do, and if possible provide him with the resources and equipment he needs to stay entertained. Ultimately, the responsibility for keeping the tagalong happy and distractions to a minimum lies with the player who brought him. Don’t be afraid to privately enforce this responsibility.

Children too young to join the game are the most challenging form of tagalongs, as they require both supervision and attention, not to mention a good degree of childproofing for the gaming area. Polite parents should ask the group whether their children are too distracting for gaming, and if it’s clear that young children aren’t welcome, quietly excuse themselves during the weeks when they can’t find a babysitter. But if a group is willing to try—particularly if multiple players have tagalong children—you may be able to play through the distraction caused by children. The important thing is to make sure everyone’s on board, as the presence of children can drive some gamers away from the game permanently. Approach this topic respectfully, but be sure to hear from all players before determining the best course of action.

Thespian

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 77
It’s hardly surprising that actors would be drawn to roleplaying games. After all, while some roleplayers are interested solely in leveling up and getting cool new abilities, many take it to the next level, establishing dialects, mannerisms, catch phrases, and so on to bring their characters to life. They speak in character all the time, and relish the opportunity to add their drama skills to a social setting.

Make no mistake about it—this is a good thing. As a GM, you’re probably already doing many of these things to help set the stage, and having a few thespian player types to play off of can help you make the world that much more vivid.

Yet like the diva, the thespian can easily come to dominate your sessions, especially if your other players are quieter or less interested in the roleplaying side of things. In such cases, the same techniques used to combat the diva apply here, namely switching back and forth between different NPCs and players to ensure that everyone gets equal time. Keep in mind that members of your gaming group likely embrace different depths of roleplaying, and even if they’re not hamming it up themselves, some players might take great enjoyment out of watching the thespian roleplay her heart out. As long as everyone’s having fun, go with it. (For advice on acting tricks to up your own performance as a GM, see pages 28–33.)

If tangentially related roleplaying encounters begin to dominate a game, however, or certain players seem bored by the clever dialogue, it might be time to rein back on the roleplaying and throw in a few more combat encounters to accommodate everyone’s play styles. Because they tend to involve less dice rolling than other types of encounters, social interactions between characters and NPCs can easily happen between games (though it should be noted that email tends to lose a lot of the flair and fun for thespians). Conversely, if some of your players are bored whenever they’re not rolling dice, try incorporating more dice rolls into your social interactions. After all, your players put ranks into Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive, and other social skills for a reason, and you shouldn’t give away your biggest secrets to the thespian instead of the Diplomacyheavy bard just because the thespian player likes to do all the talking. As with other metagame questions of personal knowledge versus character knowledge, it’s important to remember that a great performance by a player doesn’t necessarily indicate the same from his character.

Archives of Nethys

Rules Index | GM Screen