09/12/2017
Time for another installment of Tabletop Tuesday! This week, let's focus on character roles in a group dynamic. Regardless of the system you might be playing, there's general roles that a group generally will need to be properly fleshed out and self-sustaining. Let's review some of the general concepts.
A tank is generally a front line character that is designed to disrupt the line and draw all of the ire of the enemy toward them, and through a combination of skill and resilience, keeps the rest of the party protected from harm so that they can do their jobs properly. Outside of combat, they tend to take up a more physically oriented role of moving heavy objects or simply carrying gear out of a dungeon.
You then have your support, which can be anything from a classical D&D cleric, to a field medic, or anything in-between, but they're generally there to make everyone else better at what they do through the assistance of party buffs and keeping everyone alive through healing, whether in or outside of combat. Outside they are a huge boon through long term care of injuries and recovering from any sort of status effects that might have afflicted the party. They often also serve as party faces when they have to interact with other groups, but more on that in a bit.
You then have your blaster/sniper/striker/etc roles, which are as varied as the snowflakes in the sky with their approach, but their goal is the same - to dish out as much damage as possible to the enemy. Snipers and strikers tend to focus on dealing with a single threat, while blasters are adept at taking out larger groups of weaker enemies in one go. Outside of combat, they generally don't get a lot of usage, but many of these roles also serve as skill monkeys.
A face is pretty much what you think it is, it's someone that serves as the party's representative when you are speaking with the city's mayor, the lord of the land, the corporate contact for setting up your job's contract and pay and all sorts of other situations where a social faux pas can easily turn into a bad time for the party. Usually this role will overlap with your support or even your tank depending on the system and setting your in, as well as the sorts of people you're dealing with.
Skill monkeys are your guys that will disarm the traps, pick the locks, scout ahead and gather information about an area before you go stumbling in, whether through a physical presence or through the use of magic and technology, but without their services, it can make situations virtually impossible to overcome.
Most people in the dynamic are going to be at least two of these general things.
So then I question to all of you is, what type of roles do you find yourself in, and what draws you to them?
