You're at the table for the GM's story, and you play it straight. Your hero goes when the old wizard says the kingdom needs them, and that alone is reason enough. You use your sheet as your guide and remain in character. If your hero dies, you trust the GM to make it mean something.
Your GM match: The Auteur Director. A hero who wants to chase an epic plot, and a storyteller who holds the secrets that make it land.
In Trad play, the GM is a storyteller with a plot, and the mechanics sit beneath the story. A good player follows up on the GM's hooks and cares about whatever material the GM created.
What you bring
- Because you care about what the GM prepared, their preparation becomes part of the game.
- During big scenes, you remain in character, so those moments feel real to everyone at the table.
- Your big reactions to other players' choices add fuel for drama in each scene.
Where your style trips
The passive audience. You wait for a hook from the GM, follow it, fight and go home, while the GM leads all of the story alone.
The fix: Create one long-term want on your sheet. Each time a new NPC or location enters the scene, use this want to guide you to a question.
Things to try
- Let the GM know prior to the game where you plan on heading, so they can lay down track there.
- Ask the GM what type of character they would enjoy having at their table.
- Narrate one action that has some detail another player could ask about, like a family crest on your sword.
Player types you lean toward
You'll probably recognize yourself in Storyteller, Method Actor, from Robin D. Laws's player types. Most players fall into more than one category.
GMs who'll suit you
- Best match
- The Auteur Director
- Also works
- The Arc Showrunner
- Talk it through first
- The Tactical Arbiter. Decide how much of each session goes to fights by the rulebook, and how much room the story gets.
Bring this to session one
List two beliefs on your sheet that could conflict, like 'never abandon a wounded soldier' and 'save who you can.'
Point your table at these
- On screen
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Star Wars (1977), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Die Hard, The Princess Bride
- Actual play
- Long-running campaign shows where the GM's plot provides direction for the season and each player chases its hooks in character.
- Games
- Call of Cthulhu, Vampire: The Masquerade (World of Darkness), Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Dragonbane, The One Ring, Pendragon
A culture of play describes a group sitting around a table playing together, so one 5th edition group could find itself in two separate cultures on two different Tuesdays. The idea comes from John Bell's "Six Cultures of Play". FKR and world simulation are both missing from Bell's list, and sit here alongside it.
Terms on this page: Trad