Discussing Player Types - The Thinker

Welcome to the Corner! It's here that we will discuss the different player types, in particular, the Thinker! Understanding your players will only make you a better DM, and that's what this is all about!

Now we're getting into a very deep and complicated player type! Thinkers are exactly what the title suggests. They will approach every situations like it's a puzzle and try to solve it with as little resources as possible. Thinkers are fantastic tacticians and will take pride in winning a battle without a single sword swing or spell cast.

Thinkers are the ones that really make DMs stretch their creative muscles. These guys are the ones that come up with the craziest solution to a puzzle ever and sometimes you're so impressed that as the DM make it work!

In order to properly satisfy your Thinker at the table, consider the types of dungeon puzzles you're tossing your players way. Make sure they are complex enough that your Thinker feels properly challenged. Sometimes that's really hard to do as D&D can often be luck of the roll, but that's where you come in! I don't know about too many other DMs, but puzzle rooms are a mixed bag of "That didn't work" and "The door opens!". More often then not I hear tale of DMs just letting the coolest solution that comes from their players be the winner in puzzle solving answers.

That's perfectly fine and I feel how D&D should be played. But I'm getting way off track here!

Your Thinkers at the table are lot more capable then just being dungeon puzzle solvers. They might find a dynamic villain quite the challenge in their own right, a mastermind always seeming one step ahead. Members of high society are dropping like flies and no one finds a single clue before the next one falls... Remember, everything can be a puzzle for a Thinker, and every problem has a solution just waiting to be uncovered. This is what your Thinker does, those gears are always turning, balancing out risk/reward and resources/efficiency.

Or an Ancient Brass Dragon that has devastating intellect craving a worthy challenge. Maybe this dragon has gone years without a battle of wits, and has made a series of extreme challenges for any who dare to accept. The reward, being able to call upon her once, and only once... Sounds like a pretty tempting project for a Thinker to take on. But again, it's not just actual puzzles that your Thinkers want to engage with, it's everything! They require a level of depth in a story that allows them to discover creative solutions to situations that may be overlooked.

This also means you can be pretty darn evil! Add in situations that could offer great insight into certain situations, but only if your Thinker is actively turning those gears! Have someone who seems innocent be an active (but recently Modified Memory erased) spy of a organisation. It's these levels of story telling, narrative, and over all effort that you put into your world that keeps players coming back.

Things to be wary of - Thinkers are always thinking, it's kind of what they do. They also come up with a lot of ideas! They may not always be good though, which can be a little hard to navigate. You don't want to discourage players when they get the wrong idea and run with it, but you also don't want to reward the bad ideas. It's a weird balance that changes depending on Thinker to Thinker. They can also over complicate situations with crazy ideas. It's amazing to watch, but can sometimes be difficult to navigate! Try to move your narrative towards a comical to counteract this.

Closing Thoughts - Every group could benefit from a Thinker at their table, and so could DMs! They are always up to the challenge of creatively solving problems and looking at situations and finding a truly original solution for. Thinkers also make crazy good Dungeon Masters if you're lucky enough to have one. The amount of thought and work they put into their sessions is incredible.