Participant Dilemma
One of the games I'm in the planning stages with this year (mostly as a participant, but somewhat meta-GMing as well) (which is like GMing, only on a level that doesn't make the in-game decisions...) is having a bit of a participant problem that I'm really not sure how it is going to work out.
It's come to a choice of two players. One of them should join the game, but it's hard to tell which one. (And yes, the choice of "neither" has come up, but...see below.)
Player One is enthusiastic and comes complete with good player partner. One does not play characters who can get hurt. However, One does play characters who "look for trouble" (in the Munchkin sense of the phrase.) One does have a tendency towards the silly.
Player Two is also enthusiastic but comes with player baggage. Two plays a very basic character, one that may fit the "straight man" niche of the game. Two would make for a more serious game but spends a lot of the time accomplishing the generic.
Player Baggage: refers to out-of-game issues that become in-game issues. Baggage can include emotional or personal... meaning, actual people (nonplayer kids/partners) that need attention during sessions. I have my own, but I continue to try to train them well.
One of the main problems of the game in the past was the "silly" overwhelmed. On the other hand, if "silly" means a level of guaranteed player-driven plot, how does one weigh it?
I keep having the feeling there's got to be better questions to determine this. Any thoughts?