Celebrating the Diversity of Players

By Stacey J Thompson

"How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle

Nowadays, to be classified as a gamer is about as specific as identifying them by their nationality. There are so many ways a person can be a gamer, and a good deal of us engage in more than one kind of game. There used to be a stigma associated with someone who games, but thanks to the march of modernity, most of the strange looks and condescending statements have died down significantly. Electronic gamers, in particular, have come to earn the kind of prestige previously reserved for the athletes and celebrities.

Let's narrow it down and focus on our beloved gaming category of choice, the tabletop roleplaying game. No two of us enjoy the hobby in the exact same way, and the extent of passion and dedication to this craft can vary. There are different types of GMs, and certainly different kinds of players.

I'm not here to enumerate the varieties as I'm sure you already have your own categorizations (and Google is your friend). What this little piece of mine is out to say is that having a mixed bag of players and game masters is perfectly alright! Let me make my case by using a previous gaming group I was in as an example.

Two GMs, One Game

Before anyone gets any barf-worthy imagery, let me explain. Marc and Marc (yes, they had the same first name) were two GMs running an "original" game world inspired by BattleTech, ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, and a touch of low-fantasy anime mecha-ness.

Marc 1 was the main GM of the campaign, and he was in charge of the narrative and the major NPCs. Mostly unburdened by the combat aspects of the game, he was able to focus on his assigned tasks, and thus was able to do his job, and experience his idea of fun as well.

Marc 2 had the tactical mind, so he reigned when it came to violence and conflict resolution (the bloody kind). Given that this campaign did take place during a full-on intersystem war, there was plenty of combat to be had. He also handled the loot management, as loot in this kind of setting often meant valuable resources and game-changing technology.

In this case, it was a great advantage that these two GMs had different styles, resulting in a great synergy that meant a better, more enjoyable game for the players. A lot of good fun can be experienced when people with different temperaments and specialities work together for a common goal.

The Mixed Bag of Players

Of course, there would be no game without the players. This particular group of players was comprised mainly of greenhorns, so they played their characters close to their actual real world personalities. Let me give a short description of each of their characters:

Frederick is the veteran of the lot, a quiet and composed man with a palpable aura of leadership. He keeps his ragtag squad of rejects in line, but he is not as stoic and as fearless as he makes himself out to be. He does, however, care deeply for the survival of his team members.

Cole believes he is destined for greatness, despite his ridiculously horrible luck with the dice. He portrays his character as a gallant and noble mecha pilot, but like in real life, his demeanor often annoys fellow men and creeps out the women.

Blue is as cool as the color he got his name from, but in a subdued, bohemian sort of way. He's pleasant with everybody and everybody gets along with him (much to Cole's annoyance), and problems seem to slide off him like water off a duck's back.

Kit is a nervous ball of energy. She has the potential to be a competent pilot, but she has a ways to go in building her confidence, and she could use a little more patience. She gets along with her team (despite Cole's contrived attempts at hitting on her), and believes that they can make a great contribution to the war effort.

Jed is a jaded individual. He has forgone forming social bonds with his teammates, and has devoted all of his waking hours on honing his combat skills. He's one of those deadpan, living-weapon wannabee types.

The Mixed Bag In Action

It is a given that the personalities of the characters (and the players behind them) are vastly different. Now, you'd probably think that it would be so much simpler and more efficient if everybody agreed on everything. It probably would, but also, the campaign would become an exercise in monotony. Trust me, when the most exciting thing happening in the room is the robot vacuum cleaner rolling under the couch to suck up dust bunnies, your tabletop game is in trouble.

One can't rely on the GMs and their NPCs solely for interaction (though I have seen a lot of spoiled players expect the GMs to generate all of the drama). This is where the mixed bag excels; the interaction is organic, it happens naturally.

Here's an example from my own adventures:

The players' squadron gets assigned to scout a nearby asteroid cluster for any potential threats. They are deployed near the outer rim of the belt, and after a wide array of scanning instruments yield nothing out of the ordinary, they are ordered to fly through the area to try to spot any enemy units that the scanners did not detect.

Frederick, not wanting the group become vulnerable while patrolling, pairs everyone up, with him taking one of the NPC pilots (a "redshirt") as a buddy. Cole is assigned with Jed, and Kit is to patrol with Blue. Cole makes some lame excuse that it would be better if Kit and him would be buddied up, Blue nonchalantly calls Cole out on his "tactical assessment," Jed, like deep space, is cold and silent. Frederick just facepalms.

Fifteen minutes into the patrol, the redshirt's cockpit is suddenly penetrated by a large-caliber projectile, resulting in explosive decompression and all hell breaking loose.

As expected, Kit simply freaks out and starts shooting at every suspicious-looking rock in sight. Blue calmly but quickly finds cover, Kit's trigger-happy mecha in tow. Cole stands his ground and barks out a challenge for the assailant to come out through all known communication bands. Jed instinctively determines the origin of the attack and begins hunting for the sniper. Frederick also finds a more defensible position, and calls the encounter in, as there could be more enemy units in the area.

Variety is the Spice

My experiences with a diverse bunch of gamers has firmly cemented the idea in my head that if the group isn't comprised of a hearty mix of varied personalities and playstyles, it will get dull rather fast. Granted, there are minor setbacks to having different tastes (thank the pizza gods for samplers), but most of these are trivial compared to the richness and fun-filled gaming to be had. For more mature gaming groups (no minors), adding some good, strong drinks into the mix also tends to make things a little more loose and festive. Moderation, though. Different people have different moods when inebriated.

So, that's it. Yay diversity. Now, go find different kinds of people to game with! May your dungeons be full of loot, your pizza without anchovies, and your beer frosty cold!

Stacey Thompson is a professional writer, marketer, entrepreneur, eclectic digital and tabletop gamer, and a lover of weird little animals. She has been out of the loop in regards to tabletop gaming since her old college group graduated, but she's working on getting back into the hobby. She is currently working on a blog with her friends, Word Baristas.