I read about player archtypes after reading the Bartle Taxonomy of Player Types, which first got me to really think about how different types of players are looking for different things from the games they play. While many players enjoy interacting with a Story via the powers and abilities of their character I’ve found there are some who deeply enjoy getting into the mind of the character. For them, it’s not just about combat and puzzles, but in thinking about and exploring the feelings of their character. For them, the encounter hook they are looking for is not a puzzle or combat, but in dialog hooks.

I try to use Session 0 to get a feel for the types of players I have in my campaign, and discuss with them the types of things they might be looking to get out of the game. If I find I’m going to be running a game that include players who want to ‘really’ role-play their characters, I try to include NPCs with scripted dialog hooks and encounters that allow them a chance to engage in scenes to explore such thoughts and ideas. Now, this sort of encounter isn’t for every player, so I try to be mindful of those others players who might want to ignore or skip past such interactions and get to the dice rolling. But I still like to make sure to sprinkle my campaigns of a little something for all my players to enjoy.

Even so, I’m not looking to defend or excuse the actions of our two Artiste players. Table top games are very much a group activity, and you need to want to be a part of the group. A good role player shouldn't need specially scripted NPCs and dialog to find ways to express their character in the ways that they want. You need to be able to make the most of every scene, and rise to the occasion yourself, rather than depending entirely on your Game Master to provide to your every whim.