Herding Cats - Part 4

*Brief note*

Realised that I don't want this to merely be a 'blow-by-blow' of the session/campaign story, so I intend to focus more on the meta-aspects of RPG's - obviously with specific reference to my current campaign when applicable.

If you are interested in specific storyline stuff, feel free to contact me :-)

So last Thursday night saw the last session of Deathwatch...preceded by 'Tron: Legacy' at Karingal! This should never have worked, but turned out just fine; if you have ever had to organise any sized group of players plus one GM for a weekday roleplaying night, you will appreciate the difficulty of doing anything before the actual session. Heck, sometimes the dinner/snacks run beforehand turns into a disaster of epic scale! :-)

This was arguably one of the best sessions I've had the pleasure of being involved in however!

Lots of information was revealed, player handouts on the Blood Angels provided (since the current part of the story focuses on this Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes), and all players now have some non-combat related trails to follow in terms of their own stories and backgrounds.

As a result, we manged to experience and observe some very good character development - that is, players actually speaking and taking the time to learn more about each other's characters rather than just getting ready to roll dice for combat.

Don't get me wrong - this is a game featuring Space Marines and thus, the martial aspect of the game is inescapable, but by no account does this eliminate the possibility or need for 'good roleplay' or good storylines. After all, if the game was nothing but dice rolling in combat even the most hardened number-cruncher/spreadsheet-warrior would get bored eventually!*

What I have finally learned however (in what is now my third game - and perhaps even moreso after playing in recent campaigns run by some of my very good friends) is that not only do different players get different things out of their gaming, but these can vary greatly in their nature.

Some people show up for the social side of it, and not much else. These players could not care less if it was Deathwatch, Dungeons & Dragons or Monopoly on the table in front of them - the point is, they are sitting at the table with their friends and having (hopefully!) a good time with them. This type of player is not too fussed if you kill his character, or if some other horrible fate befalls him during a game. He is there to have a laugh, enjoy whatever part of the story he finds entertaining and perhaps gently rib the parts he finds ludicrous, eat potato chips, scoff lollies and quaff fizzy drink.

I know what you're all thinking - gaming is meant to be a social thing anyway, isn't it? Shouldn't this apply to all players?

The optimistic answer is 'Yes - absolutely'.

The realistic answer is 'Depends.'

Yes, some players are there for the social aspect. If you are one of these, my love to you :-)

There exists another type of player though. If you have any experience with the world of roleplaying games, you've unfortunately but quite probably played with one of them at least once in your gaming life. If you've ever been involved with any manner of MMORPG**, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

This other type of player is not there to be social.

He may pretend to be.

He may even display any or all of the behaviour of the previously mentioned 'social player'.

He might joke around, and try to pretend that the numbers and papers on the table in front of him are just that...

Until you hurt him.

Now remember we're talking about roleplaying here. This stuff is all make-believe, and exists only in your head and as pencil marks on your character sheet/record.

The main problem with this type of player (and I say 'main' because this type of person usually has other issues that contribute to their behaviour at the kitchen table or in other social settings) is that he is unable to divorce himself as a person from his character.

For a GM, this presents immediate problems. You are no longer, for example, simply dealing 10 damage to Artin the Elf. You have just slapped your friend in the face. Literally, as far as this type is concerned and they will never forgive you for it.

Worse still, these players will allow this perceived slight from the imaginary realm of roleplaying to leak into real life. It may bubble over during the game, or perhaps from now on, they will think twice about inviting you out for drinks as a result, or to a movie.

Yes. They exist. In greater numbers than you may believe.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about any players like this in my current campaign. It's a good group :-)

Well, this turned out to be more of an expository on RPG player psychographics - nothing wrong with that I guess.

So to recap, this week covered 'the social player' and 'the Mal' who I choose to name after Marion Cotillard's character from 'Inception' - one who is unable to distinguish fantasy from reality!

*boom-boom*

Tune in next week for 'the cruncher'!

* Unless their name is Silas :-)

** MMORPG or Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games. Think 'Warcraft'.