I’ll be taking the reins again soon as DM. I’ve had a few drinks and my mind turns to what I love about the players in my gaming group.
Tom, my brother: I can pretty reliably outsource all considerations about rules to Tom. He’s an engineer and can figure out how to “make it so.” I am a basically a Luddite; a regressive old schooler who thinks: “system doesn’t matter.” But Tom recognizes that the rules will often determine how the game goes and will do the hard work of figuring out what my latest ridiculous house rule will actually do to the game, and willingly writes up a coherent set of rules for me. Awesome. As a player, he is not afraid to take the ‘leader’ role and keep everyone on task, even if the other players jibe him for it.
Richard: Richard could give a flying fuck about the rules. He likes to play the scoundrel, and constantly tosses hand grenades about, and keeps things interesting. If I have nothing planned, I can pretty much count on Richard to make something happen.
John: John is also intensely interested in rules, but is willing to go with the flow. He is more interested in seeing an interesting story develop than anything else, and always role-plays, regardless of how gonzo things get. His characters are often a ‘moral compass’ for the party, too, which provides a nice counterbalance to Tom and Richard.
Matt: Matt is another story guy. His characters always get involved in the game world, perhaps more than anyone else. His enthusiasm for “the campaign” motivates me to try harder to develop plots.
Ken: Ken is not all that interested in the rules, but wants to break shit. His characters don’t demand the limelight. He seems to enjoy making people laugh, with a world-weary perspective that also helps keep the party on-task, sort of leading by example.
Aaron: Aaron does not give a shit. His characters exist to make fun happen, and he doesn’t mind an inglorious death if that moves the adventure along. He also is willing to play the cleric, if that’s what the party needs. He is selflessly devoted to advancing the fun.
Dan: The “new guy,” Dan really gets into tactics and planning. This is a great counterbalance to Aaron (who is ready to storm the castle without a plan), and to Tom and John (who, as experienced DMs, tend to think they’ve figured out the adventure before anything actually happens). I think Tom & John respect him for that. He hasn’t actually played with me as DM yet, but given how he’s reacted to Tom’s campaign, I am confident he’ll fit right in.
When everyone shows up, the sessions are pretty damn awesome. My only complaint is that not everyone can reliably show up. We’ve had other awesome players (Chad, Marc, Ross and Adam) but work, family, and other considerations have removed them from the group. Might be time to add another player to the rotation.
Tagged: DMing, players
