What's Your Motivation in RPGs?

"Let's ambush whatever's coming; it'll obviously be a fight. We could waste a lot of time in these passages without meeting anything else."

"According to my map, the tunnel the noise comes from leads straight to the city. Let's face what's there and move on, and we might make it there before our quarry does."

"The noise approaching is likely a predator seeking his next meal. If we stay quiet and keep moving, we can avoid them, and perhaps catch up to our quarry."

"My desire for vengeance burns with me! Each moment that the villain remains free, I suffer! If these are his footprints, we must follow!"

With a surprise round, a good initiative check, and an action point, your rogue gets three attacks and extra damage, all before the enemies even get to move.

It gives you a chance to describe how your character used to set traps growing up back home in the forest.

The friend that proposed the ambush hasn't gotten the party to follow her suggestions lately.

Surrounding the enemies will prevent them from escaping and alerting others to your presense, saving you trouble later.

During the conversation, you discovered that the prince opposes a faction that can help you in your quest. Making an enemy of him will help you befriend his rivals.

The party had all the information it needed from the prince, so you lit your pipe on his crown of flame.

Who cares? There's a fight to worry about now!

Nobody in the party is trained in Insight, even though you told the paladin to swap her Heal training for Insight last time you all leveled up.

A list of suspects responsible for the mysterious crime wave hitting the characters' home city.

Funny things people said during the session to add to the campaign's journal.

A note to the DM describing how you want to plant a forged love letter from the goblin queen in the orc paladin's backpack.

An annotated map of the dungeon you're exploring.

Forgetting the name of the prince's secretary during a tense negotiation.

Talking out of character during intense role-playing moments.

Moving to a square that prevents your character from charging into a flanking position.

Putting you on the spot to make an important decision for the group.

... you discover a hidden area that the other players didn't notice.

... the other players talk about a situation you got them into a few weeks ago.

... you manage to manipulate two enemies into fighting each other instead of you.

... you roll back to back critical hits and drop an enemy before he has a chance to swing at you.

Think about what power might be the result of what your character has learned.

Look at character optimization forums to find the best option.

Get advice from the GM or another player.

Figure out the maximum damage that each one could do and pick the biggest number.

The potential for conflict between its goals and yours would make for good roleplaying.

Finding it requires an exciting process of uncovering buried secrets and interpreting clues.

It's the last link to a forgotten civilization, and holds its secrets.

Following it's impulses will definitely keep things interesting and unpredictable.

The disagreement is holding up combat.

People are starting to take it personally

Your character has been through a lot with this party, and the disagreement is threatening to break it up.

Success in the game requires teamwork. This disagreement makes cooperation more unlikely.

... a complex layout with branching paths, hidden areas, and multiple routes.

... rooms full of chests to search and doors to open - preferably during combat!

... an abundance of clever traps, puzzles, and opportunities to gain strategic advantages through careful planning.

... a rich history and intricate relationships among the dungeon's denizens.