Player Survey Ages 18+

Are you 18 or older?

Yes

First Name

Last Name

Birthday

Month

Day

Year

Phone

Have you ever played a table top roleplaying game (ttrpg)?

Yes

Have you ever played Dungeons & Dragons (D&D)?

Yes

Are you willing to pay $5 an hour to play D&D?

Yes

Please choose the answer that BEST describes your current attitude toward each situation.

I would like to play with . . .

anyone, including strangers.

only people I know.

I would like to . . .

join any table and/or found my own.

join an established table.

join a new table.

found my own table.

I need/want to purchase . . . (choose all that apply)

dice

dice tray

Player’s Handbook

nothing at this time.

I prefer to play . . .

any session format.

One Shots: Disconnected adventures with different characters.

Episodic Campaigns: The same characters appearing in episodic sessions whose story doesn’t depend on the events of the previous session.

Linear Campaigns: The same characters appearing in a campaign with an overarching story that connects from session to session.

The play style that I like the best is . . .

Story and Roleplay Light: Hack/Slash then Loot

Medium Storytelling, Medium Roleplay: Part Hacking, Part Talking

Immersive Roleplay: Heavy Player Character and Non-Player Character Interaction, Focus on Storytelling, does not preclude combat (that’s a roleplay opportunity as well.)

Choose your top three favorite play styles.

Acting: Players who enjoy acting like getting into character and/or speaking in their characters’ voices. Role-players at heart, they enjoy social interactions with non-player characters, monsters, and their fellow party members.

Exploring: Players who desire exploration want to experience the wonders that a fantasy world has to offer. They want to know what’s around the next corner or hill. They also like to find hidden clues and treasures. To that end, they ask a lot of questions.

Instigating: Players who like to instigate action are eager to make things happen, even if that means taking perilous risks. They would rather rush headlong into danger and face the consequences than face boredom.

Fighting: Players who enjoy fantasy combat like kicking the tar out of villains and monsters. They look for any excuse to start a fight, favoring bold action over careful deliberation.

Optimizing: Players who enjoy optimizing their characters’ capabilities like to fine-tune their characters for peak combat performance by gaining levels, new features, and magic items. They welcome any opportunity to demonstrate their characters’ superiority.

Problem Solving: Player who want to solve problems like to scrutinize non-player character motivations, untangle a villain’s machinations, solve puzzles, and come up with plans.

Storytelling: Players who love storytelling want to contribute to a narrative. They like it when their characters are heavily invested in an unfolding story, and they enjoy encounters that are ties to and expand an overarching plot.

My ideal Dungeon Master is . . .

A Storyteller: Someone who never lets the rules get in the way of a good narrative.

A Rules Lawyer: A stickler for mechanics who makes sure the rules of the game are always followed as closely as possible.

An Acrobat: A DM that balances both mechanics and storytelling and knows when to adhere to the rules and when to let them go for the purposes of the story.

How would you like the campaign’s plot be handled?

I would enjoy anything.

Railroad: CHOO CHOO! The train’s departing daily for plot town. Stops at Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, and Falling Action.

Structure: The campaign will be largely structured, but there will be room written into the plot for the party to deviate from the plot slightly.

Flexibility: The campaign has a central plot, but there will be plentiful opportunities for side quests and freedom to roam off the plot once in a while.

Distraction: There is a plot, but the game will swing wildly in and out of the plot. There will be lots of side-quests presented, and plenty of things to distract from the campaign’s plot.

Episodic: The DM will present a self-contained adventure each session, but the only constants between adventures will be the players and setting. It’s like an episode of a cartoon from the 90’s: everything resets at the end of the episode except the main characters.

Sandbox: The DM won’t even bother writing notes before the session. The campaign is nothing more than an open world for exploring.

My ideal campaign environment is . . .

anywhere my character ends up!

Wilderness (lots of unknown terrain, strange beasts, and tribal baddies)

Rural (lots of farmers, small cities, some roads, and a government that is rarely seen or heard, with frequent orc, goblin, bandit and barbarian raids)

Urban (big cities, active government, political intrigue, and powerful organizational hierarchies)

Planar (frequent inter-dimensional travel, lots of elementals, demons, and plane-touched creatures)

Dungeon/Cavern (lots of dark underground twisting and turning, with magical creatures and strange races)

My ideal setting is . . .

whatever the DM puts in front of me.

High Magic: Magic-users abound; there are lots of scrolls, lots of wands, lots of potions and lots of magical weapons and armor.

Medium Magic: Magic-users are not rare but also not that uncommon, and they make powerful allies or enemies. Scrolls, wands, potions and magical arms and armor are around but not easily found and worth much more than mundane items.

Low Magic: Magic-users are a secretive and hidden group. Finding a scroll, wand, potion or magical weapon or armor is a cause for major celebration and all are worth a fortune.

My ideal party makeup is . . .

Part of an organization. Examples: Druid's Circle, Magic School, Thieves' Guild, Religious Sect, Mercenary Company, etc.

Working for a powerful patron. Examples: King, Noble, Rich Merchant, etc.

Relatives: Siblings, Cousins, etc.

Thrown Together: Group is tied together by coincidence and circumstance, nothing else.

Destined: Mystical forces bring us together from diverse backgrounds for a common goal.

All of the Above!

What should be the tone of the game?

I love it all!

Dark: Humor will be largely absent. Themes will be dark, dramatic, and possibly depressing.

Serious: The overarching themes of the game will be serious, but occasional humorous moments will exist, and attempts at humor by the party will not be immediately crushed.

Average: The story will be serious, but the way it is presented may not be overly serious.

Humorous: The story itself will be slightly funny, and many characters will be humorous.

Silly: Nothing will be serious. Characters will all make some attempt at being funny, situations will involve frequent humor elements.

Ridiculous: Everything will be over-the-top ridiculous. Nothing will be taken seriously. Anything even remotely serious will be met with cartoonish resistance.

How violent should the game be?

Not Violent: Enemies take damage and fall down with Xs over their eyes. Swords are made of foam rubber. Bullets are nerf darts.

G: You hit people, and they shoot sparks. Swords are metal, weapons shoot magical lasers for no apparent reason.

PG: Cutting people with swords may cause bodily harm or death. Think real-world violence, but cut down enough that you could show it on prime-time television.

PG-13: Death will be violent and bloody, but not horribly excessive. Gore is uncomfortably realistic.

R: Death will be horribly excessive for shock value. Gore will be akin to a TV crime drama: every show is competing to be the goriest.

NC-17: Tear out your enemies spinal columns and hold them above your head in triumph. Enemies are basically bloody water balloons.

Various: write in the ratings you'd play or write "any."

How much adult content should be in the game?

No Adult Content: There are no romantic relationships and sexuality is never discussed.

G: Characters may be in love and show family-friendly affection.

PG: Characters may talk about their sexual attraction and make out with each other or NPCs.

PG-13: Characters may talk about and seek out consensual sexual encounters, but the players never role-play the encounter.

R: Characters may talk about and seek out consensual sexual encounters, and the players may role-play the encounter.

NC-17: Characters may talk about and seek out any sexual encounters, and the players may role-play the encounter.

Various: write in the ratings you'd play or write "any."

How potentially lethal do you want the game to be for your character?

It doesn't matter as long as I'm playing.

No Death: Characters may be rendered unconscious or disabled but won’t ever actually die or suffer permanent injury. I love my characters and never want anything bad to happen to them. A TPK (Total Party Kill) will result in the characters being rescued in some fashion.

Incapacitated: Characters who “die” can come back with a permanent penalty of some kind, but won’t actually die. This does not include obviously suicidal actions (swimming in lava, etc.). I like my character, and want to play them for a long time, but I’m okay with them taking a few hits along the way. A TPK will result in something bad happening to the characters such as being captured or robbed.

Potential Death: Enemies will not actively attempt to kill disabled characters, but may kill the character while attempting to disable them. Enemies will not coup de grâce anyone already unconscious. I like my character, and I’d rather not die. TPKs may result in players bleeding out or naturally recovering; it will fall entirely to the rolls of the dice.

Probable Death: Enemies will attempt to kill disabled characters when the opportunity arises, but will typically focus on important threats first. I like my character, but death is a part of the game. TPKs will have varying results depending on the nature of the enemies; players may be killed or captured.

Likely Death: Enemies will target easy targets and will make a concerted effort to kill as many players as possible. Death will be a serious concern. Character death is a thing; I won’t let it ruin the game for me. TPKs will have varying results depending on the nature of the enemies; players may be killed or captured, but are more likely to be killed.

Definite Death: Someone will probably die every session. Encounters will be above average difficulty for our level. Combat will be fast and brutal. Forget my character, I’ll roll a new one. TPKs will have varying results depending on the nature of the enemies; players may be killed or captured, but are vastly more likely to be killed.

Certain Death: Bring a stack of new characters to every session so that you can warm yourself around the pyre upon which the DM will throw them.

Generally speaking, how should rules be interpreted?

I don't mind either way.

RAW (Rules As Written): The rules are the field on which to do battle.

Mostly RAW: Rules will be interpreted as written, unless they're situationally ambiguous or incomplete.

Generally RAW: Rules will generally be interpreted as written, but may be modified or overridden if they present issues.

RAI (Rules as Intended): Rules will be interpreted as written, but even slightly ambiguous or confusing cases will be handled “as intended” according to DM interpretation.

House Rules: Rules will be interpreted as intended (in the DM’s opinion), even if that interpretation conflicts with the Rules As Written. House rules may be frequent.

Ruleless: The DM might not even read the rules.

Are there specific themes, topics, or activities which you are uncomfortable including in the game? (Lines & Veils)

The fact that you shared this information will be kept confidential, but every player will be told what sort of material is not appropriate for the game you’ll all be playing.
Common answers to this question include sexuality, racism, violence against children or animals, torture, phobias, religion, swearing/cursing, murder, stealing, etc.

Continue only if you have played D&D before. Otherwise, scroll to the end to submit.

Which published material have you played?

If you want to play an extended campaign, which are you interested in playing?

I'll play anything!

The Brevardian Rift: an original homebrew Linear Campaign.

The Fate of Faerun: a West Marches campaign that utilizes a multitude of published resources and incorporates homebrew elements.

The Misphits: a Quick Leveling Episodic Campaign that utilizes a multitude of published resources and homebrew elements.

The Storm & the Skull: a linear campaign that incorporates The Lost Mines of Phandelver, Dragons of Icespire Peak, Beyond the Dragon Trilogy, and homebrew elements.

Published Campaigns

My view of supplemental content is . . .

Everything goes. If I find it and I like it, I get to use it.

Somewhere in the middle. If I find it, and my DM and I agree on it, I can use it.

Supplements are off limits. Only core rules are allowed at the table.

What subsystems, variant rules, and other non-core mechanics would you like to explore in this game?

It doesn't matter to me.

Nothing: Keep the main things the main things.

Nonessentials: Things like crafting, corruption, downtime, survival, and other mechanics are often included in games but rarely explored because they’re not considered the conceptual core of that RPG. If you’d like to play with some non-essential parts of your RPG, the GM should know that ahead of time to that they can try to fit that into the game.

Homebrews: If you like to use variant, optional, or homebrew rules, propose those before the game starts. Popular options include the optional rules in DnD 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide.

My view of alignment as a game mechanic is . . .

Whatever the table decides.

Vital: Totally necessary tool that drives character choices and world interaction on every level.

Influential: A constant influence that helps to make character decisions easier to understand, but does not drive everything they do.

Hidden: Alignment is nothing more than a line on my character sheet and doesn't affect the way I play at all.

At what power level should the players be built?

I'm good with any of it.

Worthless: Characters will be intentionally worthless.

Weak: Characters will be built using options which are generally considered weak, difficult to play, or otherwise bad. The players will likely struggle with mechanical challenges.

Below-Average: Characters will be built with below-average options, options which are only situationally useful, and options which only work in specific campaigns. This will likely require the DM to tailor the game to these characters’ strengths.

Just Right: The “sweet spot” in most games. Characters will use options which are effective but not always exceptionally powerful.

but not always exceptionally powerful. Powerful: Characters will be built using the best and most mechanically optimal character options. Characters will be powerful, and published content may require adjustment to keep the game challenging.

Superpowered: Players will build the most incredibly powerful characters they can conceive. The DM will need to adjust the game to avoid making mechanical challenges insultingly easy. This will effectively turn the game into an arms race.

Do you prefer . . .

XP Leveling

Milestone Leveling

How should new characters be built?

I'll play anything.

Same Level: New characters start at the same XP as the highest level character in the party. Generally best if all characters have the same amount of XP. New characters are new, shiny, and ready to rock and roll.

Average: New characters start at the average XP of the current party members. New characters will fit right into the party.

Almost There: New characters start at the minimum XP for the average level of the party. New characters will be essentially in line with the party.

Minimum-1: New characters start at the minimum XP for the party’s average level-1 (minimum level 1). New characters will need to do some of catching up.

Minimum-2: New characters start at the minimum XP for the party’s average level-2 (minimum level 1). New characters will need to do a lot of catching up.

Not Even Close: New characters start at level 1.

How should new characters be introduced? (Choose all you would play.)

These all sound good.

“Hey, New Guy:” New characters appear fully formed with no further explanation and no questions asked.

“Sure, Why Not:” New characters appear somewhere convenient, and join the party with no further explanation and no questions asked.

“You’ll Work:” New characters are recruited from the local populace, and join the party with no further explanation and no questions asked.

“You’re On Probation:” New characters are recruited form the local populace, and the party must make an effort to integrate the new party member.

“NPC Upgrade:” New characters must be selected from established NPC’s who are fit to join the party, and the party may need to make an effort to integrate the new party members.

“Goodbye:” If someone dies, the party continues short a member and Blackleaf the Bold gets kicked from the table.

My view of dice rolling is . . .

Love it! Let me roll them as often as possible.

Meh. I like it in moderation, so I don't mind the DM making 50% or more of the rolls.

Hate it! GM can roll as often as is necessary even in combat.

Additional Thoughts?