Which table concerns do you consider the most significant?

[Wolfpack48]

What a strange take. So you think people preferring to play with those with whom they get along and those who share playstyle preferences are signs of whatever "very opinionated player" means?

I think gaming is supposed to be fun, and playing with people you don't like, engaged in aspects of play you find tedious, sounds decidedly un-fun.

I think he was saying the opposite -- that he's glad he doesn't have strong differences with his players at his table.

 

[schneeland]

Surprised this one "Outside/real world/personal issues/conflicts carried into the game" is so high, don't you folks play with friends?

I took this more broadly in the sense that maybe someone has a stressful job, needs to take care of a newborn or their parents, etc. And even though people are not to blame for this, it affects how present they are in game sessions (if they are able to attend at all).

 

[Li Shenron]

So you think people preferring to play with those with whom they get along and those who share playstyle preferences are signs of whatever "very opinionated player" means?

No. And I don't get by what logic you arrived at this conclusion from my comment, or what I am supposed to read from the second part of your post.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I took this more broadly in the sense that maybe someone has a stressful job, needs to take care of a newborn or their parents, etc. And even though people are not to blame for this, it affects how present they are in game sessions (if they are able to attend at all).

That was my take as well. From experience, I'd also include players bringing addiction and/or relationship problems to gaming night. I'm happy to game with most people. I'm not a therapist and don't generally know anyone at the table well enough to even consider attempting an intervention.

 

[Reynard]

No. And I don't get by what logic you arrived at this conclusion from my comment, or what I am supposed to read from the second part of your post.

I obviously misunderstood you, but I want to figure out how. here is what you said:

I am especially amused by seeing that "personality conflict" and "playstyle conflict" are topping the chart. I associate both these problems pretty much with very opinionated players i.e. people who spend too much time talking about the game online, endlessly theorycrafting or imagining playing the game and finding issues before they actually happen, and then eventually bring their strong opinions at table causing detriment to other people's fun. This makes me once again happy that I choose not to play with anyone who is an opinionated gamer.

I'm not sure how to read it otherwise. You say, pretty plainly, that concerns over personality and playsttyle conflicts are the fault of players being very opinionated, which you then go on to define as people who spend too much time theorycrafting and talking about RPGs.

So if you did not mean that, what did you mean? What were you trying to say?

 

[Wolfpack48]

Well I was looking for an option "none of the above" because I normally have zero problems at the table, the only problem I have is the excessive time I still spend (probably without reason) as a DM to prepare before the game.

But since I wanted my vote to affect the statistics, I votes "personal issues" because at least last time one of the players' kid wanted to go home and caused our game to be cut shortly, and that's it.

I am especially amused by seeing that "personality conflict" and "playstyle conflict" are topping the chart. I associate both these problems pretty much with very opinionated players i.e. people who spend too much time talking about the game online, endlessly theorycrafting or imagining playing the game and finding issues before they actually happen, and then eventually bring their strong opinions at table causing detriment to other people's fun. This makes me once again happy that I choose not to play with anyone who is an opinionated gamer.

Personality conflict can mean one person who is introverted and another person who is extroverted.
Playstyle conflict can mean one person who is not vocal and another person who is very vocal.

But those are just examples, they can take many forms. You can choose to interpret these things in a singular way, but that won't encompass all the ways. You can also say that those things aren't really problems for you.

 

[Li Shenron]

I obviously misunderstood you, but I want to figure out how. here is what you said:

I'm not sure how to read it otherwise. You say, pretty plainly, that concerns over personality and playsttyle conflicts are the fault of players being very opinionated, which you then go on to define as people who spend too much time theorycrafting and talking about RPGs.

So if you did not mean that, what did you mean? What were you trying to say?

Mostly yes, I said that I see an association or correlation between having strong opinions on the game and causing playstyle conflicts at the table, and a possible causality from spending too much time thinking or analyzing the game (without/before playing) to coming to the table with already those strong opinions on how the game should be played by everyone (i.e. a certain playstyle) therefore creating conflict.

When you wrote "So you think people preferring to play with those with whom they get along and those who share playstyle preferences are signs of whatever "very opinionated player" means?" it sounded like you were trying to put words into my mouth, perhaps using the gentle word "preferring" to make it appear like "very opinionated players" are kind people with a simple legitimate preference, therefore I must be a bad person for thinking there is a correlation between being opinionated and creating conflict. When I say "very opinionated players" I rather think of "people demanding to play (a certain way)" (for example: criticising other player's choices, arguing with how the DM handles aspects of the game), not "preferring" or having a preference which is probably what almost everyone has. Who wouldn't "prefer to play with those with whom they get along"?

 

[Li Shenron]

Personality conflict can mean one person who is introverted and another person who is extroverted.
Playstyle conflict can mean one person who is not vocal and another person who is very vocal.

But those are just examples, they can take many forms. You can choose to interpret these things in a singular way, but that won't encompass all the ways. You can also say that those things aren't really problems for you.

Well yes, "personality" is a much wider concept, there are certainly other ways to have a personality conflict at the table that have nothing to do with someone having strong opinions on how to play the game.

 

[Lanefan]

Mostly yes, I said that I see an association or correlation between having strong opinions on the game and causing playstyle conflicts at the table, and a possible causality from spending too much time thinking or analyzing the game (without/before playing) to coming to the table with already those strong opinions on how the game should be played by everyone (i.e. a certain playstyle) therefore creating conflict.

I disagree with the causality, if only because there were many people* with strong opinions on the game long before people started overthinking stuff (or doing anythng else) on the internet.

* - you'd probably say the same if you'd sat through all the game-related arguments I did in the 1980s.

 

[Umbran]

I don't think in terms of "which of these are the largest problems, in general". I don't have table concerns "in general". I only have them in specific.

If I am at a table with one of these concerns, then it is a problem. I don't need to compare it to problems I don't have.