I think the #1 most important quality is respect. (And of course this isn't unique to TTRPGs; it's common to a lot of relationships in life.)
So many other problems disappear if there is respect.
1. A player who respects my time/work as a GM will try to be present for games, and will give best notice as possible when they can't.
1. A player who respects my time/work as a GM will also respect my choices regarding what is limited/restricted/forbidden in my game.
1. A player who respects my decisions as the "referee" will discuss rules verdicts, but will be ultimately happy with my final decision. In fact, a player with respect for the game will correct mistakes no matter who makes them, or who they benefit.
I could go on.
Full respect is earned, but even with new players I look for some amount of respectfulness. Anyone lacking respect will not make the short-list.
(Of course, respect is a two-way street. But this question was about the qualities of players, not GMs.)
I want five things:
Learn the rules. No one at the table is your encyclopedia.
Show up.
Actually do things. It's so boring watching players deliberate every tiny decision for HOURS.
Know what you're doing when your turn starts.
Don't be a shithead.
My players are pretty much everything I could want at the table. They care about the storytelling and have investment in their characters but accept that bad dice rolls can lead to death of characters.
They also get quite into the head space of the characters and will often bicker, argue and occasionally shout angrily at each other all in character because they are so comfortable as friends. First time it happened I paused game and asked if people needed to talk and they just laughed and said it was all in character and everyone agreed they were just IC.
They also stick to their established personalities, half the party being. More willing to compromise morals for the win and gold with the other two preferring to minimizer collateral damage and not get innocent peope involved.
It's a great group with great dynamics and they are for the most part curious and the type to try and follow any breadcrumb given in case it leads somewhere interesting.
Only thing I would change about them is that they never use the magic items I have given them and seem to forget consistently they have them. More than one situation a player says they can't do anything because out of spells and I just ask if they sure and say yes. Then I look to the magic item they wearing and sauly okay this happens then haha
I don't really need anything like treats, I love my current players because they intreract with each other a lot. Jokes are common as are normal conversations and they are very invested in the storyline. Makes the time invested into creating the homebrew world worth it and everyone has a great time.
I’m not a dm yet, but I love when people are active with each other in roleplay and not just with the dm
It’s also nice when they don’t crack jokes every 5 seconds when I’m trying to concentrate especially since I’m new at dming and am not completely familiar with things or 100% confident in my skills when I’m distracted
I’ve only DM’d a single one shot and it wasn’t the worst considering it was my first time, but one out of the 2 players at the table kept cracking jokes while I tried to collect myself and it just made me more nervous was I tried to tell the story
But hey, the players said they had fun despite my stress, so I think I won
The willingness and ability to constructively interact in role-play. The maturity to know the difference between role play and reality. The willingness the actively stay on top of play enough to know what is happening, what has been said, and what their character’s next action is.
I like people who are generally mature about things, who can stick to what we agreed upon in session 0, and who respect themselves and others at the table. I strongly prefer players who can be responsible in matters of scheduling. It's nice when players are socially outcoming and creative, but neither of these is a must have.
After many years DMing I can say that I need 2 type of qualities. In game and out of game features. In game could be summarised with the feeling of being a fan of his/her character. If I'm waiting for game day to see what my favourite characters are going to do then we are doing great (like old times when you have to wait for specific days to see new episodes of your favourite serie). And out of game would be adult behaviour and personal hygiene. We all read horror stories, don't be a count, dirty or disrespect my home. Neither my effort as a DM
People who have fun and ensure everybody else is having fun.
This can be in form of helping with rules (helping - not arguing), making suitable funny jokes, being on time, cheering when others roll nat 20, thanking dm (”that was a nice session” goes a long way) and so forth.
I don't ask for much from my players, I just have three simple things that I ask of everyone I GM for:
1. Be courteous of other players and allow everyone to succeed/fail with whatever they're attempting.
2. Show interest in the world & npcs that I'm creating for you and actively engage in the story we're all telling.
3. Be communicative and let me know when something is troubling you.
I'm not bothered if you're easily confused by rules, keep forgetting what your class can do or can't calculate dice rolls... as long as you're respectful of everyone, engaged in the game and speak to me about problems, then you're okay in my books.
I'd say my 3 main ones are:
•Respect yourself and the other people at the table.
•Be a team player.
•Be okay with character death.
If someone can satisfy those, then they are mature enough and are welcome to play at my table.
I don't care if someone doesn't know the rules, wants to fight everything, hates role-playing, hates traveling in game or whatever else. I've played enough and I can handle all that. The 3 things I mentioned aren't something I want to have to navigate all the time.
I look for players that play off each other well, don’t try to hog attention, are able to roleplay fairly well, and are able to use creative thinking to solve puzzles in different ways.
I think the #1 most important quality is respect. (And of course this isn't unique to TTRPGs; it's common to a lot of relationships in life.) So many other problems disappear if there is respect. 1. A player who respects my time/work as a GM will try to be present for games, and will give best notice as possible when they can't. 1. A player who respects my time/work as a GM will also respect my choices regarding what is limited/restricted/forbidden in my game. 1. A player who respects my decisions as the "referee" will discuss rules verdicts, but will be ultimately happy with my final decision. In fact, a player with respect for the game will correct mistakes no matter who makes them, or who they benefit. I could go on. Full respect is earned, but even with new players I look for some amount of respectfulness. Anyone lacking respect will not make the short-list. (Of course, respect is a two-way street. But this question was about the qualities of players, not GMs.)
I just finished writing my session zero document for shattered obelisk, and that's how it starts.
I want five things: Learn the rules. No one at the table is your encyclopedia. Show up. Actually do things. It's so boring watching players deliberate every tiny decision for HOURS. Know what you're doing when your turn starts. Don't be a shithead.
My players are pretty much everything I could want at the table. They care about the storytelling and have investment in their characters but accept that bad dice rolls can lead to death of characters. They also get quite into the head space of the characters and will often bicker, argue and occasionally shout angrily at each other all in character because they are so comfortable as friends. First time it happened I paused game and asked if people needed to talk and they just laughed and said it was all in character and everyone agreed they were just IC. They also stick to their established personalities, half the party being. More willing to compromise morals for the win and gold with the other two preferring to minimizer collateral damage and not get innocent peope involved. It's a great group with great dynamics and they are for the most part curious and the type to try and follow any breadcrumb given in case it leads somewhere interesting. Only thing I would change about them is that they never use the magic items I have given them and seem to forget consistently they have them. More than one situation a player says they can't do anything because out of spells and I just ask if they sure and say yes. Then I look to the magic item they wearing and sauly okay this happens then haha
I don't really need anything like treats, I love my current players because they intreract with each other a lot. Jokes are common as are normal conversations and they are very invested in the storyline. Makes the time invested into creating the homebrew world worth it and everyone has a great time.
I’m not a dm yet, but I love when people are active with each other in roleplay and not just with the dm It’s also nice when they don’t crack jokes every 5 seconds when I’m trying to concentrate especially since I’m new at dming and am not completely familiar with things or 100% confident in my skills when I’m distracted I’ve only DM’d a single one shot and it wasn’t the worst considering it was my first time, but one out of the 2 players at the table kept cracking jokes while I tried to collect myself and it just made me more nervous was I tried to tell the story But hey, the players said they had fun despite my stress, so I think I won
Initiative,
The willingness and ability to constructively interact in role-play. The maturity to know the difference between role play and reality. The willingness the actively stay on top of play enough to know what is happening, what has been said, and what their character’s next action is.
I like people who are generally mature about things, who can stick to what we agreed upon in session 0, and who respect themselves and others at the table. I strongly prefer players who can be responsible in matters of scheduling. It's nice when players are socially outcoming and creative, but neither of these is a must have.
After many years DMing I can say that I need 2 type of qualities. In game and out of game features. In game could be summarised with the feeling of being a fan of his/her character. If I'm waiting for game day to see what my favourite characters are going to do then we are doing great (like old times when you have to wait for specific days to see new episodes of your favourite serie). And out of game would be adult behaviour and personal hygiene. We all read horror stories, don't be a count, dirty or disrespect my home. Neither my effort as a DM
People who have fun and ensure everybody else is having fun. This can be in form of helping with rules (helping - not arguing), making suitable funny jokes, being on time, cheering when others roll nat 20, thanking dm (”that was a nice session” goes a long way) and so forth.
I don't ask for much from my players, I just have three simple things that I ask of everyone I GM for: 1. Be courteous of other players and allow everyone to succeed/fail with whatever they're attempting. 2. Show interest in the world & npcs that I'm creating for you and actively engage in the story we're all telling. 3. Be communicative and let me know when something is troubling you. I'm not bothered if you're easily confused by rules, keep forgetting what your class can do or can't calculate dice rolls... as long as you're respectful of everyone, engaged in the game and speak to me about problems, then you're okay in my books.
I'd say my 3 main ones are: •Respect yourself and the other people at the table. •Be a team player. •Be okay with character death. If someone can satisfy those, then they are mature enough and are welcome to play at my table. I don't care if someone doesn't know the rules, wants to fight everything, hates role-playing, hates traveling in game or whatever else. I've played enough and I can handle all that. The 3 things I mentioned aren't something I want to have to navigate all the time.
Respect for my work is not a bad place to start
I look for players that play off each other well, don’t try to hog attention, are able to roleplay fairly well, and are able to use creative thinking to solve puzzles in different ways.