Originally this was a StackExchange answer presenting the classification I use when inviting players to my games. But it’s a work in progress so it didn’t really fit there.<\/p>\n
Most schemes I’ve seen classify players by what they get out of playing – the buttkicker wants to fight, the method actor wants to pretend, the optimizer wants to crunch numbers, etc. They all address the things you need to put into your games. What I’d like to classify instead is what the addition of a player will bring to your table.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n And I don’t mean the 4e class role.\u00c2\u00a0 Some players have a dominant personality.\u00c2\u00a0 Regardless of the character, these players tend to take over and lead the party.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes they don’t even do it consciously.<\/p>\n On the surface this seems awesome.\u00c2\u00a0 And it is, until you get several of them in the same group.<\/p>\n The problem with leaders is that they all want to lead.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re used to people doing what they say.\u00c2\u00a0 When they meet another leader, they can’t help but butt heads.<\/p>\n I’m strongly of the opinion that these players should be kept apart.\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve met quite a few of them who I am more than happy to play with, but can’t stand as soon as they play with each other.\u00c2\u00a0 The exception to this is when one of them is the GM.\u00c2\u00a0 That role takes enough leadership of its own that there’s still plenty of room for a party leader.<\/p>\n I’m also of the opinion that a leader is usually good for the table.\u00c2\u00a0 Usually.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s really nice to have someone who will herd the PCs for you.\u00c2\u00a0 But leaders are also prone to talking over quiet players.\u00c2\u00a0 If you have a player who is struggling to escape his own shell, put him at a table with no natural leader.\u00c2\u00a0 These players rarely sink when allowed to swim, but they’d sooner cling to the leader’s coattails than do anything for themselves.<\/p>\n Warm Body<\/strong><\/p>\n The warm body might as well be an NPC.\u00c2\u00a0 They don’t have opinions and won’t contribute to the plot.\u00c2\u00a0 As far as I can tell they show up because they want to hang out, not to game.<\/p>\n Believe it or not, I’m not opposed to including a warm body or two at your table.\u00c2\u00a0 Stories have main characters and side characters.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s okay if your table does too.\u00c2\u00a0 Write plot for the three active participants who will take the plot and run with it.\u00c2\u00a0 Let the players who are just along for the ride go along with the ride.<\/p>\n The most important thing with warm body players is to be aware of them.\u00c2\u00a0 You don’t want a table full of these players.<\/p>\n Teacher’s Pet<\/strong><\/p>\n I have mixed feelings about teacher’s pets.\u00c2\u00a0 These players try to help you out.\u00c2\u00a0 What I mean by that is that they’ll do what you tell them, or what they think you tell them.\u00c2\u00a0 They grab plot hooks as soon as they see them and pull as hard as they can.\u00c2\u00a0 It may not be universal, but in my experience most of these players also GM from time to time.<\/p>\n The problem is that teacher’s pets are predictable and boring.\u00c2\u00a0 If I wanted the characters to do everything I expected, I’d write fiction.\u00c2\u00a0 I prefer gaming because the players will do things I don’t expect and force me to improvise.\u00c2\u00a0 I like being kept on my toes and teacher’s pet players are incapable of that.<\/p>\n But they’re not without their uses.\u00c2\u00a0 I never mean to railroad the players, but sometimes I really want them to follow a certain plot line.\u00c2\u00a0 When that happens, I show the plot line to the teacher’s pet.\u00c2\u00a0 He bites it hook, line, and sinker, and the rest of the party has to follow.\u00c2\u00a0 For this reason I like having one teacher’s pet in the group.\u00c2\u00a0 It gives me a freebie when I need to manipulate the PCs, but leaves enough players who can catch me off guard.<\/p>\n Button Pusher<\/strong><\/p>\n This isn’t the most common player type.\u00c2\u00a0 But I know one who is such a serious button pusher that I can’t not acknowledge them.<\/p>\n The button pusher is the chaotic version of the teacher’s pet.\u00c2\u00a0 He doesn’t care if he helps you or not, but if you put any actionable item in the game, he’s the one that’s going to try using it (or goad the other PCs into it.)<\/p>\n I’m not going to lie, I don’t have as many ideas for how to work with this kind of player.\u00c2\u00a0 The obvious usage is to make him do bad things to the party.\u00c2\u00a0 He’s going to eat forbidden fruit, drop rocks down the bottomless well, sleep with the farmer’s daughter, and steal the golden idol from its pedestal.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s like the teacher’s pet, but for making mischief.<\/p>\n Nemesis<\/strong><\/p>\n Some players are out to beat the GM.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t know how to deal with them because I don’t invite them to my tables.\u00c2\u00a0 Adversarial GMs might find them more interesting, but I’m not an adversarial GM and I have no use with a player who is trying to compete with me.<\/p>\n What else?<\/strong><\/p>\n Who did I miss?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Originally this was a StackExchange answer presenting the classification I use when inviting players to my games. But it’s a work in progress so it didn’t really fit there. 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