Richard Bartle wrote an article titled, "Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs", which placed MUD players into one of four archetypes -- the Achiever, the Explorer, the Killer, and the Socializer. *

The types of MUD environments that Bartle was writing about have some significant differences from Puzzle Pirates. However, the basic types still remain applicable. In Puzzle Pirates terms, they are defined as follows:

The Achiever seeks out measurable success. He strives to accumulate PoE and other measures of wealth. He tries to improve his puzzle standings. He tries to fulfill the quantifiable "win conditions".

The Explorer derives his pleasure from accumulating knowledge about the game world. He's the sort of player who will methodically dissect the mechanics of a puzzle, or try to explore every last square inch of the game, or try wacky things just to see if they'll work.

The Killer prefers to get his challenge from other players, not from the game-supplied difficulties. Because PvP does not usually have a griefing implication in Puzzle Pirates, this type doesn't carry Bartle's negative connotation of someone who gets their kicks from seeing someone else suffer.

The Socializer derives his greatest enjoyment from interacting with other players. He enjoys talking to people and getting to know them. He might also be a very effective force in the "social puzzle".

All players are a mix of these types and preferences, of course, but most players lean to particular aspects of the game experience.

You can take the test yourself, or check out the results.

Or, take a look at Maroon's Island, my Puzzle Pirates fan page.

* - Richard Bartle's article appeared in the fledgling Journal of Mud Research, now the Journal of Virtual Environments, of which I was a founding editor, back in 1996. Its founding editor-in-chief also plays Y!PP, these days.