Note that this is the player version to identify themselves. The GM gets more tips on how to cater to these core engagements.
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Fellowship
Fellowship players come in two varieties, generally. Both of
them just want to kick back and enjoy hanging out with some buddies. The first
is the “wallflower”; he doesn’t seem to be all that involved in the game but
comes every session and seems to enjoy himself without much effort from the Gm
to cater for him. The second is the “guild-mate”; he wants to enjoy the feeling
of camaraderie and cooperation in achieving a goal together with his friends.
How do I recognise if
I’m a fellowship-seeking player?
It may surprise you to know that not everyone in the hobby
is actively seeking the core engagement of fellowship. Most people who seek out
organised play where they play with different strangers every session instead
of a dedicated and consistent gaming group are NOT looking for fellowship.
Games which fellowship players enjoy tend to feature
multiplayer and be co-operative. MMORPGs are a common, but really any game
where players can co-operate as a team to overcome challenges will attract the
fellowship-seeking player. Fellowship seeking players will often play
characters who support their fellow party members such as clerics and other
healers.
One way to recognise a fellowship-seeking player is through
their list of friends in various games: their friends list is unlikely to be
empty and they would take the effort in inviting friends to join them in games
or waiting for times that their friends are available.
Conflicts: Expression,
Submission/hobby
Expression-seeking players may enjoy playing as characters
which are unique and uncommon or more difficult to role-play well. These
include characters which are loners, selfish, or outright evil. Unfortunately,
these characters are anathema to the player who seeks cooperation and
fellowship because these characters conflict with the spirit of cooperation of
the party.
Submission/hobby seeking players only really pose an issue
if they get bored. If there’s too much narrative, planning and interaction with
NPCs and not enough crushing of monsters and earning loot/experience,
submission/hobby players may sometimes try to disrupt what the other players
are doing and trying to push the game forward towards the content they do want.
Even if they don’t disrupt the game but express boredom all the time, the
fellowship player will be uncomfortable that not everybody at the table is on the
same page.
Specific advice for
fellowship-seeking players: Self-identifying oneself as a fellowship-seeking
player as early as possible can have a big impact in communicating your wants
to other players. It may be difficult for you to enjoy playing at a table with “lone
wolf” or ‘manipulative’ PCs run by other players unless you are quite close to
that player with whom you are able to communicate openly and comfortably.
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