Archtypical Gamers, Players and GMs Options

[Wraithshadow]

Since someone asked me to do more of these, and it seems like I should add on the other half of the coin, here's an expanded version of what I did in the Shadowrun 4 forum.

There's a broad variety of players and GMs, with their own philosophies and styles. You might fit one of these archetypes, or you might be several- or none. If you think I missed one, add it in.

Game Masters

The Competitor
This sort of GM looks at the game not so much as a cooperative storytelling as a competition between himself and the players. Can he come up with a situation they can't beat? Can he get enough rocks and hard places involved that the players are simply overwhelmed? It's worth noting that this isn't so much an attempt by the GM to win, as it is the belief that a GM's reputation rests upon how much he can challenge his players. A GM who's able to present major challenges is good at what he does- after all, he's outwitted the group allied against him, right? The Competitor avoids simply striking down the PCs; sure he could just declare them dead, but that's not a challenge, that's twinky. He may, however, throw things at them that in his mind could be beaten if they do things just right.

The Counterweight
Every player spends countless hours pouring over the latest supplement, trying to find new tricks that will give them an edge. There's no way the GM can put as much effort into this as the players, so the best way to make sure they don't get out of hand is to balance anything nasty with something equally so. The problem is, if you don't know what's nasty, you have to guess. And the more blatant something is, the more likely the GM is going to come down on it. These GMs are struggling to maintain game balance in the face of overwhelming odds. They expect they're outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered before the dice ever hit the table, so they're working to rein in the players. The problem is that their expectations of doom and gloom might be overestimating things- much like the way the USAF vastly overestimating Soviet nuclear weapon stockpiles.

The Gritty Dark Futurist
The book makes mention of PCs getting screwed over repeatedly- Mr. Johnson probably isn't telling them the whole story. That gun's probably not as good quality as it should be. Your cybersurgeon might take a bribe to do a little extra while you're under the knife. Life never cuts you a break, and neither does the GM. The Gritty Dark Futurist looks at Shadowrun as being Film Noir crossed with a country song crossed with a 'Nam war film: you're going to end up losing everything by the end of it, through no fault of your own. If you manage to make it out as well as you came in, you're doing great. The problem is that most players want rewards- not losing what they've got might not be enough to keep them happy, and they might want to push towards goals as well. This sort of GM probably also makes use of 'realistic' tactics, borrowing methods that the players can't counter but are used in the real world for just that reason.

The Light In Dark Places
Rare, but not unheard of, this sort of GM believes that people- and PCs- are at their best when things are at their worst. The more hopeless the situation, the more the players will shine, and the better the roleplay will be. The Light In Dark Places truly does want the PCs to succeed, and may be rooting for them the whole time, but much like the saying about sparing the rod and spoiling the child, they're making things harsh For Their Own Good. This sort of GM is positive that when it's all done with and the PCs have survived, it'll be one for the ages, and everyone will be happy with what happened. The problem, much like with the Counterweight, is when the GM overestimates the PCs' ability to rise to the occasion. This can be especially difficult when the GM puts severe consequences (such as death) with what should be an easy hurdle. What might seem quite easy to the GM may be anything but for the PCs.

The Greaser
The Light In Dark Places might be pulling for the PCs to succeed, but the Greaser has his thumb on the scale. He wants the players to win, and he's willing to cheat on their behalf to help them do it. He'll probably throw in the usual variety of challenges, but he'll tilt things in the PCs favor. Maybe the enemy isn't looking, or for some reason they're hurt or unarmed. PCs don't need to find the key for the door, they'll have it handed to them. There's probably someone they can go to for information, gear, or a diamond the size of their fist (consider it a gift) if they want. Fudging dice rolls isn't unusual either- even if they're in plain view. The downside is that this isn't much fun for the players. It might be great at first, but it quickly gets boring. There's no challenge to it, and even if the players deliberately try to sabotage themselves, the Greaser's going to pull their fat out of the fire.

The Engineer
It's always a good idea to plan ahead, but the Engineer takes this to the extreme. He tends to have the adventure laid out well in advance, and he wants to make sure it all works exactly right. This tends to lead to railroading, or adventures where you have to do things a particular way. If you don't manage to do things just right, it won't work, regardless of if it should or not. Woe betide the players who forego the way things are and try to come up with an alternate means to succeed. On those occasions where they do, it's usually temporary because they'll lack some specific component or bit of information that they would have had if they'd just done things the way the GM intended, leaving them in a dead end or facing insurmountable odds. The problem, of course, is that the players feel more like they're on an amusement park ride than in the middle of an interactive game. It's likely that players will set out to monkeywrench things, or just give up entirely.

The Rube Goldberg
The Engineer's big brother, the Rube Goldberg sets everything up so that the players need to do just one simple thing, and then the rest takes care of itself. The idea is to let the PCs be part of something much larger, but it often becomes a case of 'the rest' being the part the players want to be involved with. This can get frustrating because it feels like the only reason the players exist is to propel NPCs to glory. It might be fun to get the plans for the Death Star to Princess Leia, but sooner or later the players are going to want to make a trench run. The Rube Goldberg may also show hints of the Greaser, just because he keeps things simple for the players.

The Veteran
The Veteran has been roleplaying for decades, or maybe has years of real world experience with whatever he's running. This seems like a good thing at the beginning- until the players realize the Veteran expects them to know just as much as he does. The Veteran will keep key knowledge to himself, because he's of the opinion that they players should already know it- or their character should- so why should he coddle them? The Veteran often puts PCs into situations where failure to recognize some clue will result in harsh punishments, such as mentioning the NPC wears a particular flower that, according to page 183 of the Assassin Guild sourcebook, denotes the NPC as a master of the touch of death who must be accorded appropriate respect- he just won't mention anything more than, "he's wearing a star lotus." This may result in a high PC death rate, and angry mutterings about not signing on to play Zork.

Players

The Armory
Most players realize that it's a good idea to have a backup weapon. The Armory takes this to a new level. He likely has a huge variety of weapons, suitable for use in all sorts of situations- you could suspend him by one leg down a narrow well and he'll probably have six different things he could use. Even if the GM was to strip the characters of all gear, the Armory's probably got enough weapons hidden on him to arm the entire party. The problem with this is that the Armory tends to only focus on his vast arsenal, leading to a lack of ability outside combat. The Armory may also try to be equally proficient with all his weapons- meaning that even in combat he's got the tool for the job, but not much skill in using it.

The Munitions Dump
The Munitions Dump is a variant on the Armory- he may even be a former Armory that's decided this is a better way. Where the Armory carries dozens and dozens of weapons, the Munitions Dump only has one or two. However, the Munitions Dump will make up for this by carrying a huge amount of specialty ammunition. This isn't as much of a problem as the Armory, but it can lead to lots of frustration when the Munitions Dump spends half of combat changing out combat loads to get just the right sort for the job. Also can lead to massive player frustration if for one reason or another the Munitions Dump's ammo cache catches on fire, as the resulting detonations can eliminate everything in a five block radius.

The Manipulator
The Manipulator is usually welcome at the game table- at first. He tends to be a good roleplayer and an intelligent gamer, and will often be a valuable asset for completing the group's adventures. However, the Manipulator sees it all as a means to an end- and that end is his supremacy. The Manipulator will often get himself elected to party leader, talk the other players into letting him have the best gear, and might even get NPCs to give him a bigger cut of the reward than the rest of the group. Sooner or later the other players are going to get frustrated with the fact they've been relegated to henchmen while the Manipulator hogs the glory or runs circles around them. He might be good at what he does- but the question is whether you really want him to do it.

The Disk Jockey
The Disk Jockey is a veteran RPG player- he's seen them all, played them all, probably owns most of them as well. The problem with the Disk Jockey is the fact the RPGs he's a veteran of are the computer variety. The Disk Jockey sees the game as something to manipulate and win by playing the system for whatever he can get. Everything has to act specifically according to the rules, with no room for alteration. If he finds an 'exploit' he'll use it and believe he's fully within his rights to do so, regardless of what the GM may think. Morality, character development, and story is all something you hit the B button to skip, because really, it all comes down to the next power up. Tends to frustrate more traditional gamers because the Disk Jockey sees tabletop RPGs and computer RPGs as identical, and will expect everyone else to do the same.


Gotta run- I'll add more once I get back.

[Wraithshadow]

To continue...

The Walking Dead
It may be that the Walking Dead just don't empathize with their character, or it may be that they don't understand quite what situation they're in. Regardless, the Walking Dead is oblivious to his character's current state. Missing limbs, starvation, an ongoing firefight- the Walking Dead treats all of these situations as if his character was in the same situation as he currently is- sitting at a table with a group of friends. It seems perfectly natural to stand up and walk calmly away from the guy who just shot him, or sleep peacefully on a gravel road. In extreme cases may need to be reminded that his character is in fact dead.

The Invisible Elephant
The Invisible Elephant looks at roleplaying as an opportunity to be something other than himself, to explore existence as a different person or creature. Unfortunately, this exploration usually takes a form the rest of the group isn't comfortable with. It may be a philosophy, a religion, an allegiance, or even a physical trait- whatever it is, it's something the rest of the group would rather didn't exist. Often the Invisible Elephant sees nothing wrong with this- after all it's just a game, right? In some cases the Invisible Elephant may even take offense if asked not roleplay such traits. This can come down to the player versus the group.

The Investment Planner
Every game has a barkeep who's an ex-adventurer, or someone else who's retired- the Investment Planner intends to be just such an individual. Most of their share of the loot and skill advancement goes towards the day when they'll retire from their current life and start looking to a relaxing old age. While there's nothing wrong with this, and it means the player's very interested in the character, the group may wish the Investment Planner would focus a little more on the game itself. After all, fifty tons of hops may help that newly founded brewery, but it's not going to stop the villain's latest scheme.

The Sword Saint
The Sword Saint's goal in a game is to be the absolute best they can be at one particular task. This may be a particular combat specialty, or it might be a skill. Regardless, the Sword Saint has devoted every moment of his character's life to this one particular thing, and nothing else. Unfortunately, while they may be an asset to the group when that one particular thing is needed, the rest of the time they're not doing much of anything. This will often lead to boredom on the part of the player. This can be more pronounced the better the Sword Saint gets- the more adept they are, the faster they can achieve a resounding success... and get back to doing nothing. One other problem is when the Sword Saint decides to make sure that they're unique by picking a specialty that's extremely esoteric. It becomes far more difficult to work them into a game session even once, let alone repeatedly.

The Monolith
The Monolith is a variant on the Sword Saint, often arising from games run by a Gritty Dark Futurist or Competitor. The Monolith expects everyone in the world to be out to get them, and prepares accordingly. The character likely has no past, no identity, the thickest armor they can buy, stealth out the wazoo, and an armored bunker in an unassailable location. It's nearly impossible to hurt the Monolith by any means, but they tend to put so much emphasis on defense that they have little to no offensive power. The Monolith will often argue that they can simply wait out the enemy, or use their minor offensive might over a long enough period to wear down the foe. The problem comes when the Monolith needs to be hurt or needs to do something faster- at which point things tend to go badly for the rest of the group. Managing to circumvent the Monolith's defenses also tends to make the player upset, as they become convinced their character has been rendered utterly useless.

The Expatriate
Expatriates are players who are inspired by something, and decide to use it in an upcoming game. This, in and of itself, is not bad. However, Expatriates tend to do so without regards to any modifications that might need to be made. If they are inspired by a movie about the Civil War, their character will bring that southern drawl with them into Caesar's Senate. If they feel like playing a swashbuckler, well, they do have swords in Twilight 2000, right? The most frustrating part for the GM is that the Expatriate will assume everything will work exactly like it does in the source of their inspiration, straight down to the story arcs. When this doesn't happen, they'll feel like they're being ignored or mistreated.

Fine Printer
The character seems basic, simple, no strange flaws. The points are all in order. There's nothing wrong, so it's a go. Until the Fine Printer gets in game and decides to share details about the background they forgot to mention. Maybe they're part of a secret cult, or maybe they're long lost brother of the king. Regardless, they'll only reveal this after the game's begun, and usually at a time, place, or plot point where they can derail things. The Fine Printer may also be creating this background on the fly, and not come up with such things until after the GM's given an okay. Regardless, a Fine Printer can be the source of a great many plot rewrites and sales of antacid tablets.

The Editor
The Editor is a player who takes the idea of a cooperative storytelling to a new level. The GM may describe a scene and an individual, but the Editor rewrites it to fit their own ideas or simply adds on to the end. Villains guns conveniently jam, doors are unlocked, the character has been to the New World back in 1477. The GM may find himself wrestling for control, while the Editor complains about railroading if he gets shot down too often. Entire story arcs that the GM knows nothing about may appear out of thin air, hijack the NPCs, and ride off into the sunset. While some game systems may encourage the Editor to work with the GM, the Editor firmly believes that they are in charge, and the GM should just try to keep up.


And finally, one more.

The Armchair Psychologist
The Armchair Psychologist is a player or GM who thinks they've been at it long enough that they know everything. No game system is really new, no setting unusual. They're convinced they've been around the block so long that they not only know roleplaying games like the back of their hand, but they're convinced they know every sort of person who plays as well. The Armchair Psychologist will often demonstrate their expertise by labeling peoples' playing style, coming up with cryptic nicknames for each one, and then making them available to the public. The Armchair Psychologist is often given to relating anything to something they've seen before, and will often boast of their knowledge by sharing it at length on forums they've only been on for a day or two. In the worst cases, the Armchair Psychologist may even think of themselves as entertaining or funny, when in reality they're just terribly boring and abrasive.

:D

[Wounded Ronin]

So, who am I?

As a player, I don't really do deep character development. My characters are mostly one-off jokes I get bored of after two months. At the same time, in order to enhance the tactical challenge which I face as a player I tend to make the characters only mediocre in terms of power level and focus on trying to play what I have well in the combats. This works especially well in SR3 where a mediocre character CAN be effective if played well.

As a GM I spend most of my time setting up tactical combat scenarios for the players to puzzle over and try to conquer.


EDIT: Here's a sample character which I used in many games as a player: http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...7&hl=sho+kosugi

[Wraithshadow]

Hmm. I'd say you're probably not any of the above. You're something I haven't described.

The Card Shark
The Card Shark is out to see just how many different ways he can win. He's not in it for a long haul, he's more interested in testing an idea and then setting it aside to try something else. He may pick the game and the rules, but he's more interested in seeing whether he can get away with things than putting all the odds in his favor. Success is in doing what he can with the cards he's been dealt, not wishing he had something better. The downside of this sort of player is the fact that it's difficult to connect to the rest of the group, because by the time the name of his latest creation has finally sunk in, it's time for something new.

[Wounded Ronin]

Awesome. When I want to join a game with new people I can point them to this thread and they will realize how awe-inspiringly awesome I am.

[Tanka]

[KoneV]

[Kyoto Kid]

The Wrecker
This player is Antithesis of The Engineer GM Archetype. The Wrecker is a player who routinely does what ever it takes to thwart the GM's design. He delights in purposely taking the run off track from the plotline just to play with the GM's mind. If the his character runs into a dead end, he resorts to committing random acts of mayhem to try and force the GM to react to his character's actions. Whether or not these acts are to the detriment of the rest of the team doesn't matter. In a way this archetype often has traits of both The Manipulator and The Editor

[ElFenrir]

Hmm...im trying to figure out what kind of GM and player I am.


I think when it comes to GMing, my most negative traits are touches of the Engineer mixed with the Veteran. I don't have either to the extreme; but if i had two GMing flaws bits of each would definately be it.

As for a player...hmm. Not sure here. I typically play characters of the opposite sex(im female that usually plays males...i chalk it up to always being 'one of the guys', being friends with and relating more to the guys than the girls), I don't have any particular preference to character type(i get into moods to play combat, non combat, spellcaster, non spellcaster, etc.)

Ive been known to show spots of the Armory and Munitions Dump in my combative characters, i admit. Sometimes the attitude of ''be prepared'' gets to me, and i like to have lots of options open. No sammy in his right mind would go into a destruction/demolitions/loud style job with one pistol and one clip...but ive been known to take it to a bit of an extreme. Not in the power of the weapons or ammo...just in number. :grinbig:

I also have a habit of giving alot of my characters some kind of musical knowledge in a random genre of heavy metal. Ive worked around the music for years, so it sort of rubs off. :D And yeah, im also guilty of usually coughing up several page backgrounds. How this started though? Shadowrun always insists that people explain where they got their ware, training, gear, and the like, and most GMs ive talked to ask ''why'', etc..so i just write several pages...and then they don't want to read it all. I can't win. :P

[Athanatos]

Lol, my first post... I'm thinking maybe you could combine Armory and Munitions Dump into one and call it "Neo from the Matrix!!!" 8-)


"I really do have dual Rocket launchers beneath my trench... honest!"

Is there a category for the, almost always elven mage warrior type?