Thanks to the likes of Matt Mercer's Critical Role, Stranger Things and celebrities the likes of Joe Manganiello and Vin Diesel, the fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) Dungeons & Dragons has soared in popularity - and not just with your average uber-nerds. Now anyone and everyone wants to lose themselves in a world of adventure, and everyone who plays has a stereotype of their own...
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1. The Murderhobo
By far one of the most annoying RPG players you'll ever come across. It's essentially the player that decides to go around killing and looting everyone in sight, nonchalent about whether they may be women, children or important NPCs (non-player characters), and refuse to allow themselves to join any community within the game. They prefer to stay homeless and independent, but when the default solution to everything is killing, the game gets real boring real quick.
2. The n00b
The humble n00b (a diminutive of "newbie") has been around since internet gaming began, often as a term of derision but it's usually used affectionately in RPGs. As you can probably work out, it's the new player and the one "type" that every one of us can relate to. The "n00b" term is usually dropped when the new player shows gullibility, struggles to adapt to the rules of the game and generally find themselves making rookie mistakes.
3. The Skill Monkey
These player types usually refer to classes that aren't necessarily adept in battle, but whose skills in other areas prove extremely useful. Examples might be rogues with lock-picking skills, bards who can seduce deadly enemies or clerics with their healing abilities. Not all problems in a campaign are going to be solved with a sword or bow after all.
4. The Heal Slut
In an ideal party you want at least one of this player type. The fact is, you are going to take a lot of damage as you embark on these adventures, and you're not always going to have a healing potion on your person. Resting isn't always an option either, so your best bet is your healer pal. They can refuse to heal anyone they like, but they are generally expected to heal people as often as possible. They are totally used, their abilities abused, but that's what comes with being a healer class.
5. The Tank
The higher your armour class, the more you are expected to protect your teammates, which means you're the one who's going to receive the most damage most of the time, and you'll probably be sticking the closest to the heal slut. There's no room for selfishness in DnD, so if you're wearing heavy armour and clutching massive shields, you'll sure as hell be using them.
6. The Rule Lawyer
Arguably even more annoying than the Murderhobo, The Rule Lawyer is that one guy who perpetually argues with the DM regarding the official rules of the Player's Handbook until the Dungeon Master (DM) gives in and let's them have their way just so they can salvage the rest of the game. The worst thing about Rule Lawyers is that they rarely even bother to roleplay. There's just no fun in Rule Lawyer-ing.
7. The Metagamer
Metagaming is generally defined as using external information (that is, out-of-character information) while in character. That is, just because you have an extensive knowledge of weaponry, if you're playing a monk or a cleric they are unlikely to have that sort of information in their arsenal, therefore you can't use it. It's easy to be a metagamer by accident. If you're solving a logic puzzle, you can lose sight of the fact that your character has an Intelligence score of 5.
8. The Powergamer
Can refer to players with suspiciously high stats that they rolled at home, players whose only goal is to gain XP and level-up and players who love multi-classing. Many DMs put down strict rules to curb powergaming techniques despite what may be in the Player's Handbook, but there'll always be someone who'll exploit the rules to be the bestest baddest gamer.