I know your type.

Over the years of GMing various games one of the most important things I have learned is the difficult art of identifying player types.  Types are in essence player stereotypes that actually really help a GM understand what he needs to include in game to ensure he fulfills his number one goal - ensure everyone has fun.  The debate of what kind of gamer types there are has over the years simmered this huge pot into a fairly condensed list, that I first saw several years ago in 2002 in Robin Laws of Good Game Mastering.  It was such a "ding" moment to read his words on the matter that I quickly started trying to master it.  It has become such good advice that the latest 4ed version of D&D has included this advice and information, albeit in a different form, in both the Dungeon Masters Guide and Dungeon Masters Guide 2.  

The hardest part of this is learning how to identify what a persons player type is,  especially for new  members of a group.

Over the years I have used surveys and general observation to determine the player types and what I have discovered is over time, players are not the best judge of what kind of player they are.  I know that sounds hardly correct, but the problem is there are negative connotations associated with certain stereotypes that some players will never admit to being one of such a type of character, or do not even notice they are that kind of character thinking they are something else, so if you have the time to get to know people IN game you will soon discover what kind of player they are before you run for them.  If on the other hand you do not have that luxery, a simple survey can communicate what you need to know in a short time.

So what are the player types:  I am going to rift from both Robin Laws of Good Game Mastering and 4ed DMG 1 and 2 to identify the types.

Robin Laws = DMG

The Power Gamer = Power Gamer

The Butt-Kicker = Slayer

The Tactician = Thinker

The Specialist =

The Actor = Actor

The Storyteller = Storyteller

The Casual Gamer = Watcher

=Explorer

=Instigator

As you can see the list has some in one book and some in the other.  Let us review what they are

Power Gamer - wants his character to be the best in whatever is defined as a success in the system being used.  They tend to see their PC as a collection of super power/items with the goal to acquire more.  Pays very close attention to the rules, with a special eye for finding quirks and breakpoints to exploit (in a good way) to get large benefits at comparatively low costs.  He wants the "game" put back into the term "roleplaying game."

Butt-kicker/slayer - Likes kicking the tar out of opponents - whether it is to let of steam, to feel superior, or meting out justice, combat is king to this type.

Tactician/Thinker - wants the rules to jibe with reality as they know it, or at least to be consistent in the world, such that the quality of his choices is the biggest determining factor in their success or failure.  They like to make careful choices, and solving problems in a creative way is more important to the thinker than character power or role playing issues.

Specialist - Favors playing a character type in every campaign in every setting - it could be a ninja, cat-girl, female with two-swords.  Whatever it is, the specialist wants rules that support their favorite type.  They are happiest in scenes which the archetype can do the cool things they are known to do. [Experience Speaking now: I have found a variation of the Specialist, it's not that they play the same kind of character game after game, but they want whatever they play to 1) be unique to everyone else 2) have moments in each session that their uniqueness shines. ]

Actor - they believe that roleplaying is a medium for personal expression, really liking to pretend to be their character.    The method actor bases their decision on their understanding of their character's psychology, and may become obstructive if other group members expect them to contradict it for rules reasons, or in pursuit of broader goals.    The actor values narrative elements over mechanical ones.  Unlike the storyteller, they value their character's personality and motivations over other story elements.

Storyteller - Prefers the narrative of the game to individual character motivations and personality.  More interested in taking part in a fun narrative that feels like a book or a movie.  They're quick to compromise to get the story moving forward, and prefer adventures that include at least some plot thread development.

Casual Gamer/Watcher - Comes to the game to be part of the social event.  They do not want to be the center of attention, have to master the rules, come up with a plot hook, or engage in detailed planning.  Do not force such a player into more than they want to. The big thing they bring to the table is they are often the mellow, moderating type who can help calm disputes by not being as attached to the game, and fills out the ranks.

Explorer - loves to see new places and meet the people who live there.  All the explorer needs is the promise of an interesting locale or culture and they are off.   They want to experience the wonders of the game world and all it's details (name, descriptions, currency, eating habits, etc.), and is sometimes interested in character and plot (The explorer is close kin to storyteller and actor).  

Instigator - enjoys making things happen.  Has no patience for careful planning or deliberation.  They'll open an obviously trapped chest "just to see what will happen."  Provoke authority figures.  They love the vicarious thrills of taking enormous risks and just making bad choices.  And while disruptive, they can also be a lot of fun for other players.   Just don't let them get the party killed or attack other PC's and their allies.

Each kind of type has an emotional kick that a Game Master needs to satisfy at least once per session to ensure that player felt they had a good time.

Power Gamer - want to to feel a sense of reward

Slayers - seek the flush of martial victory

Thinkers - want to feel clever

Specialists - want to play out their character's defining traits, whatever they may be.

Actors - want to feel an intense emotion connections to their characters, as brought about by the dilemmas they face in the course of the game.  They're concerned not so much with what their PC's do, as with why they do it.

Storytellers - want the overall game to move quickly and resemble a fictional narrative.  Somehow advancing one or more plots, is all the better.

Watcher - don't worry about them, if they start showing interest then figure out what they want and give them more of it.

Explorer - wants to see, be, try, or meet something new in the game.  By providing rich details they are engaged and when curiosity and willingness to explorer are rewarded.

Instigator - when their actions "spice up" the situation by taking crazy risks and deliberately make bad choices.

Now of course no person is truly any one type of gamer, but there has been in my experience at least one dominate trait that rules over the others.

So let us examine the two groups that I have.

For the Trail Group

I have: 

BW - Slayer (MA)/Instigator (mi) - with ther desire to beat things up and willingness to take risks, they fit the slayer, but will often times take on more risks than others in the group.

ACE - Slayer (Mi)/Specialist (MA) - the joy that comes to their eyes when they kill something, blow something up, or just in general cause mayhem, marks them as a Slayer, but after now many sessions later, I think they are more the Specialist - they want  that moment that their traits shine.  Its not that they always play the same character type game to game, they just want that moment their unique abilities stand out.

Wayne - Storyteller(MA)/Actor(mi) - oddly enough their background with Whitewolf systems really shows as they take the story and ensure it keeps moving and enjoys playing their character.

Grim - Specialist (sorta)/Watcher - I recently had a good discussion with Grim, in which I was worried that I was not engaging them at the table and I felt like I was ignoring them, but it in reality they were enjoying the game and felt included in the group, and that I should stop worrying.  This made me think about one of the key advices for dealing with Watchers - Accept that the player is fine with their watcher status.    Still we wrapped up the discussion that I will work to create situations that would highlight their characters sneakiness.

Doc - Thinker(MA)/Storyteller(mi) - after watching them manipulate terrain on the battlefield and approaching the game as a mix of RP and Wargame, this player definitely fits the Thinker type, but also really enjoys the complexity of the plot and the world they are exploring.

For the Radio Group

I have:

Brecht - Actor/Storyteller - Rare is someone who is constantly in character and this group is blessed with two of them.  The first is the mad scientist, all through the sessions the focus of this player is the character and playing in that character, sticking to catch phrases and acting as if he was that person on paper.  Comes up with deep backstories and often locates an image of his character.  

Tristan - Actor - another person who really gets into his character and their flaws, willing to go somewhere completely off map to prove their cluelessness and overconfidence.  Reacted right in character with each mention of a bug.    

Doc - Thinker - approaches each situation with a plan, really tries to keep out any meta-thinking going on in the game (an unusual trait), and seems to really enjoy it when a plan comes together.

Ben -  Power Gamer - he masters the rules, finds ways to maximize his gains while minimizing any loss of ability or resources, and comes up with a character that will kick butt.  The hard part is finding something that will challenge him, at the same time not wipe out the rest of the party. 

"Brick" - Storyteller - as a long time GM, it is clear in my interactions with this player that story going forward is key.

So what does that all mean?  It means that when I consider what will be happening in coming session, I need think about how I can create something that feeds each player and their type.

So for the Trail Group that means combat that has some tactical elements that serves the move one or more plot lines along, and should involve one scene for sneakiness.

For the Radio Group that means a plot moving forward that has situations that allows characters to express their flaws, a combat that has at least one "above average" foe for Guns to take down and allows Doc to plan their attack.

But what if a new player suddenly joins a group and you need to quickly determine what type they are and see if you can fit in an emotional kick for them, then give them a simple survey that will quickly give you information about the player and their character concept.

Player Questions:

Rate your enjoyment of the following environments from 1-10, 10 being best: a) Wilderness encounters b) Urban Encounters c) Dungeon/Sewers/encloses spaces and d) unusual locations such as underwater or flying castles.

Rate your enjoyment of the following types of adventures from 1-10, 10 being best: a) long adventures, b) short adventures, c) linear adventures, and d) open play with no prepared plot

Rate your enjoyment of the following types of play from 1-10, 10 being best: a) combat b) interaction with NPCs, c) puzzles, d) investigation, e)mystery

What three monsters from the setting do you like best?

How do you prefer we handle characters of absent players?

Character questions:

Describe yourself in 10 words or less?

What do you think is your greatest strength?

What do you think is your greatest weakness?

What is your most distinguishing feature?

Consider your skills, how did you acquire them?

Of course there is more, way more questions you can ask.

So the final thing is having a player's goal chart, this simple chart helps you refine and perhaps define what is going to happen in the evening to ensure everyone gets their emotional kick.