You are an Explorer. You engage with the game world and story in an effort to learn and do more. You’re looking to not only see what unfolds with your investigation, but to make your mark on the world. New revelations, characters, and locales are all awaiting you around the next corner.

Thorough investigation, setting knowledge, and storytelling are your hallmarks.

Treasures

With an explorer in your party, you'll be blessed with depth of play. The explorer delves into whatever the game has to offer. Plot lines will be fleshed out, the history of the world revealed, and NPC motivations uncovered as the explorer questions what has brought their character to the game.

An organized explorer can even act as the party's de facto chronicler, recording names and places, and helping to keep the story straight for everyone involved in a longer campaign.

Traps

An overzealous explorer can bring a unique set of challenges to the group. Getting stuck on tangents that the other players are not invested in, demanding trivial details that tax the GM, and stifling creativity in favor of "canon" are all things to be aware of.

Gauging the interest of the other players can be a simple question. Not everyone wants to see every corner of the world, or even hear about it!

Game Master Advice

GMing for an explorer is really an exploration of world building. Characterful details, subplots that expand the depth of the world, and creating NPCs that give the world a "lived in" feel are all great ways to engage the explorer.

If you can have a couple solid subplots in the works which expand on the game world, that can really appeal to the explorer. The explorer will ask the questions that make what they're interested in obvious, your job is just to fill in the details. Details being those of a more esoteric nature that really lend depth to your setting, while not necessarily furthering the main story.

You are a Slayer. You push the action forward whenever the opportunity arises, whether with outright aggression, or with attempts to “up the ante”. You'll always take a risk because your reward is the fun of dealing with the consequences!

Decisive decision making, recklessness, and bravery are your hallmarks.

Treasures

The slayer will keep your party moving! Seeking challenge can take many forms. Whether they're starting a fight, opening that door without listening to it first, insulting the noble, or just stealing stuff to see what happens, the slayer keeps the action going.

The slayer is great when indecision strikes and the party bogs down in planning or details. The slayer acts as a catalyst for action!

Traps

Be mindful of the slayer that steals autonomy from the other players. Kicking open a door that another character wants to listen to, or insulting the noble that another character wants to charm, can be frustrating for those who are interested in other tacts of play. This is a one-way power dynamic, where the slayer forces everyone in the party to deal with the consequences of their actions.

Being mindful of the other player's interests, and asking before acting, can alleviate this entirely.

Game Master Advice

The slayer will always let you know how your pacing is going! Keeping a steady flow of action happening is key to maintaining the interest of the slayer.

Try to have a steady drip of encounters that are of interest to the slayer (not all are just combat junkies). Focus on having tests that always move the action forward, even when failure hurts the party. Always up the ante and keep challenging the slayer. 

You are a Tinker. You enjoy the puzzle. Whether it’s in game, or in the rules, you will find the solution. You enjoy solving for the most efficient options when character building as well as when resolving crises in game.

Rules-knowledge, efficient decision making, and well-designed characters are your hallmarks.

Treasures

Having a tinker in the party can be a terrific asset. They can take pressure off the GM when it comes to explaining rules to the other players or when trying to remember them during a scene. 

A tinker will make the party stronger when they share their knowledge of character building. They'll make the game move faster when they alleviate the need to look up rules. A tinker will also help with a more tactical approach to combat and other obstacles facing the party.

Traps

Beware overstepping as a tinker. Helpful advice is terrific, so long as it is first welcomed. Not every player wishes to fully optimize their character or actions. Not every GM wants to be reminded of an esoteric rule.

Offering to help before a situation arises, or asking the GM if they'd like help during game before the game, will help establish those boundaries so everyone knows where they lie.

Game Master Advice

The tinker wishes to be challenged. Their focus on character design is their theory, and your challenges are their proof test. Combat and character design are only part of the equation however. Challenges that allow for out of the box thinking or which can be bypassed with clever tactics are also welcome.

Attempt to engage the tinker as an ally in running the game. Giving them tasks like keeping track of initiative, or looking up rules on the fly, can go a long way towards having a productive relationship.

Clarity is also very important for the tinker. If you're using house rules, front load that information before the game starts. If you're breaking rules for the story, let them know that you know what you're doing and that it is for the overall health of the game.

Avoid 'nerfing' the tinker's designs. Up the challenge where possible. 

You are a Troubadour. You embrace the poetry of the game, reveling in the social interaction and characters. Rules are fine so long as they don't get in the way of a good story! More than anyone, you're here for the LOLs!

Characterization, creativity, and social connection are your hallmarks.

Treasures

Unconstrained by rules as written, the troubadour breathes life into the game. Rather than diving into a book, they're more likely to engage in the moment with creativity and wonder. You can expect unique opportunities and insights to be brought to the table by the troubadour.

The troubadour will take the action in expected directions, bring levity to the game, and keep things friendly and light. 

Traps

Fun can quickly become chaos! Which is even greater fun if everyone is on board! If the GM has crafted a story they never get to tell, or if another player has a deep character background that is undermined with anachronistic allies, things can become frustrating, however.

Agreeing to the themes of the game is all that is required to avoid this. There is endless enjoyment and creativity that can be found within the confines of any game world. 

Game Master Advice

The troubadour wants to tap all of your improv skills. Whether they're tackling a problem in a way you hadn't considered or trying to engage an NPC that you've only just now named in a deep conversation, they are challenging you to keep up! Fortunately, improv is something you can get better at with practice, and they're going to make sure you get it.

Be decisive in your decisions. You're going to be coming up with plot points, NPCs, and whatever else tickles your troubadour's fancy in any given session. Keep them in the game. See where it all takes you. Role-playing is a collaborative experience and you might just enjoy whatever the group came up with even better than what you were originally thinking. 

More than anything, keep the game fluid. Don't be sad if your master plan doesn't come together, the point is the laughs you have along the way more so than the destination after all!