Finding Fun in Roleplaying Games (Part I)

This is the first in a series of posts I want to write about finding fun in pen-and-paper roleplaying games. Why do I play roleplaying games? What's fun about them? What's not fun?

A lot has been written about roleplaying game theory. The effort continues to understand the nature of roleplaying games and how to talk about them (e.g., in this recent forum thread). I've read a fair amount of the theory, and some of it has stuck with me and been practically useful including the ideas of Shared Imaginary Space, The Lumpley Principle, deprotagonizing, Czege Principle, types of storytelling authority, and the differences between Intent, Initiation, Execution, and Effect.

I'm not thinking about theory a lot these days. I'm more interested in reflecting upon my actual roleplaying experiences and making sense of them. What do I find fun? What don't I enjoy? What do I do well? Where do I struggle? How can I have more fun? It occurred to me that if I were to attempt to design a roleplaying game, I should start with thinking about what I find fun when playing (and not theory or clever mechanics). Not coincidentally, working in video games I have learned some things about fun and the challenge of finding it.

It is too late to write more tonight. In my next post I want to touch upon my recent experiences playing Leverage, Smallville, Little Fears, Hero System, and Freemarket and mention some things about  what I  try to bring from improv acting to roleplaying games.