Based on a recent player-to-player confrontation in which I found myself embroiled, I've been thinking about why I play D&D, and the role I assume as a player. You've probably read about some of the RPG-player archetypes, such as Storyteller, Actor, Power-Gamer, Watcher, etc. You might have an idea of where you fit in. As a Storyteller, I found myself in conflict with an Actor. I was trying to move the story along, while the Actor was eagerly plying her trade (and in my mind, slowing the story development.) Some gaming groups have a synergy of play styles, and everyone seems to walk away from the table satisfied. But not all. So, how do I come to grips with that as a player, and as a Dungeon Master, when I'm a Storyteller eager to see an epic unfold?

One strategy is to simply sit down at the table and enjoy the company of my friends (which, for me, is the real bottom-line reason for being there.) It doesn't take long for my inner Storyteller to kick in and start trying to craft a narrative out of what I'm seeing. My characters tend to chronicle the session. I take notes. I play the role of group historian. As a Storyteller DM, I love it when players feed back details I've planted, history they know, or NPCs they've met and become familiar with. When players incorporate the story into their playing, it adds to the game for me. So, it's not just the players' roles, but the DM's preferred role that is worth taking into account. The passive good-company approach forms a good foundation, but it's not enough for me.

Taking into account the roles assumed by the other players and the DM means identifying them properly, and then providing some feedback. Just as I get excited as a player and DM by storytelling, I need to find out what gets other players going, and then see what I can bring to the table to help them "scratch that itch". Acting with the Actor, and hacking with the Slayer. Crunching numbers with the Power-Gamer, or setting fires with the Instigator. By playing along with the others, I'm moving the narrative forward.

There is a section in the 4th Edition Dungeon Masters Guide 2 on saying "yes" to players. The idea is that you allow the players (within reason) to help set the stage. In a recent fight on the decks of a pirate ship, the party was being plagued by a pirate-monk swinging from the rigging and launching aerial attacks. One of the party rogues asked if the monk's rope was attached to a pulley. (The answer, provided in the player's question, was "yes".) The rogue shot the pulley with a crossbow bolt, shattering it, and dumping the monk to the deck. In his "Musings of the Chatty DM" blog, Phil Menard talks about it as the "Rule of Cool": If a player suggests an idea or action that is just plain cool, the answer should be "yes".

DMing is a labor of love. Emphasis on the labor part. As a Storyteller, I'm always looking for ways to dump story details on my groups. I'm sweating details, and grinding on elements that are important to my story, but I may not be working as smartly as I could. With my most recent group, I hand-picked the players and, using some surveys, had them generate their own stories. I then incorporated their work into my own. I ended up with five storylines. They've explored two of the five so far in about four (once-a-month) play sessions. So, in theory, I've got another six months of gaming material generated from their input. In the meantime, they're providing new story details to draw from based on their actions in the game world.

Taking that a step further, and looking at the other groups I play with, I want to look for opportunities to interact with players in ways that energize them. The story will follow from that. Whether it's a bit of Acting with the Actor, or mapping with the Explorer. The key seems to be managing the duration of the interactions, balancing them. But playing off of them dynamically, in the context of the session, rather than in some laborious exercise of contingency-planning carved into a stack of stone tablets before the session. A fellow DM and I, playing together in another DM's game, marveled at the pacing and balance of his encounters and story. It was clear that a lot of work went into the story. It was also clear that he was adept at playing along with the party's varied play styles. That happens actively, in-session. It's not something that you can prepare for. But the value of it in terms of player satisfaction is immense.

The roles we play are the sources of our satisfaction with a gaming session. As a player, knowing your own role and finding ways to express it are a natural part of your play. But I'd challenge you to look around the table and see if you can read the roles of your fellow players. Then ask yourself, "Is there something I can do to help that player in that role?" As a DM you're faced with the same challenges, but you've got a table full of allies in addition to the NPCs whose roles you assume. I think looking at both the roles our characters play, and the roles we play can be useful tools in making the gaming session better for everyone at the table.