Different Kinds of Players | Running the Game
Why Role-playing Games Stack Exchange recommends it
RPG Stack Exchange answerers link it when asking how to handle mismatched player styles, such as min/maxers, passive players or quiet 'audience member' players, and want an experienced DM's framing that these styles are all valid.
Recommended by 5 people across 4 different months, 2017 to 2024.
What it is
Episode 11 of Matthew Colville's 'Running the Game' D&D 5E series, covering the different kinds of players at a table (power gamers, audience members, actors, explorers and others). It expands on the list in the 5E Dungeon Master's Guide with his own commentary and additions, presented as a talk to camera by the DM.
What people said
Recommends Mattamue · 2018-11 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How to balance combat with a couple of min/maxed characters in the party?”
The question is asking for a way to balance encounters for the min/maxers and the new player, but I think the answer is that you don't. Matthew Colville has some wisdom to share on min/maxers. [this video] He says that (with some trimming and emphasis from me): Fun for [a power gamer] is knowing my character is as badass as he can be. They see your game -- and the rules -- as opportunities to do this. They engage with the rules because they see the rules as a problem to solve... It's easy to engage a player like this... Let them be badass. Let your min/maxers be themselves. Find out what the new player wants to do. Then, make sure there are opportunities for the new player to have fun as well. If
Recommends Joel Harmon · 2019-07 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How can I stop myself from micromanaging other PCs' actions?”
You are not a problem player You said "I'm a problem player", but also have the self-awareness to recognize "I’m ruining everyone’s fun". This means you are not a problem player. You are a player with a problem. You are looking to improve and willing to work for it. You will be fine. You are spending time with some friends. Everyone is trying to have fun, but only some people are. This can happen because not everyone has fun the same way . I recommend the following steps to improve the situation. Learn Fun is a surprisingly well-researched topic. Different people enjoy different things, and it's important to know what you and each of your friends are looking for in an RPG. Here are a few res
Recommends Mark · 2020-01 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How to deal with different levels of initiative and propensity to overtalk in a large group?”
Some people are perfectly fine with being mostly an observer; I'd like to recommend a video on the types of players by Matthew Colville: [this video]
Recommends Aaron Rotenberg · 2020-01 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How to deal with different levels of initiative and propensity to overtalk in a large group?”
@nitsua60 Matt Colville calls these players audience members [this video] : players that don't talk a lot, and are perfectly fine with that and are having fun.
Recommends TreeSpawned · 2024-06 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How should I end a campaign only the passive players are enjoying?”
@AndrasDeak The ultimate goal of any TTRPG is that everyone is having fun. This can be achieved even when passive players are present, as long as not everyone is one. I recently had a session where 2/5 players were taking the lead and the rest were just "there for the ride" and everyone was still having a blast. It's weird at first, but it's just how group dynamics function. Matthew Colville (a DM who has way more experience than me) made an amazing argument about this topic in the first minutes of this video about different kinds of players [this video]
Cites chooban · 2017-04 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How do I encourage a passive player to engage with the story?”
" If they're having fun, it's not a problem [this video] ." I think the next video talks more about engaging the players but honestly, having been there myself, it's best not to worry about it too much. Take notes and see what triggers the detours, or provide callbacks to those detours and see if they react well to those. The other player not enjoying themselves is more of an issue, and it sounds like they're wanting the passive player to engage more. Instead of focusing on that, can you and the active player have a chat and agree that it is going to be more of a solo and sidekick affair in future, reset your own parameters or what works, and go from there?
Cites Glazius · 2019-02 · Role-playing Games Stack Exchange · on “How can I avoid "railroading" my players by giving them a limited set of choices with only basic descriptions?”
The camera shows. The narrator tells. It's an easy enough guideline, I think. When nobody's talking over the movie, all it is is a bunch of sense impressions, from which you form your own understanding. When the narrator starts talking, that projects an understanding, because the purpose of language is to make other people think the things you want them to. Of course, language is all you've got when you're doing place descriptions, but there's still a difference between language that conveys sense impressions and language that projects understanding. Here, let me highlight everything that's not immediately obvious: You have chased the orcs into the pit of the cave. You are at the cave's ente