Blasted ROLE-PLAYERS!!!

[Crothian]

PKing is a no win situation. If our going to leave the group, you can first give them an ultimatium and have them choose between you and this other guy after you've explained things to them.

Hong's idea of a comic character is good. I'd go a little less then Bugs Bunny, but making a fun character and one you are not too attached to can be fun. Or come up with an odd concept character. If you get to make a higher level character see how much fun you can have something like the Oozemaster or an Alienist.

Remember the purpose is to have fun. You might have to change your playing style to do this.

Worsat case scenerio you'll be left without a group. But then you can use your extra time to come to these boards and spend more time thinking up ideas for characters and campaigns. There are many people here that don't currently game due to situations.

 

[Rune]

It sounds like you don't have a problem with a role-player, here.

You have a problem with a glory-hog.

I circumvent this type of thing in my campaign by disallowing inter-party conflict and, while I don't tell my players what I mean by that, it is pretty clear that "doing things that will piss off the other players, such as getting them all killed" is on the list.

Suggest this to your DM.

Also, talk with the other players and force this individual (persuade, I mean...) to play a sane character next time. Or else he just won't be coming along.

Good luck.

 

[Voneth]

May I suggest Toon? The characters are designed to go "BOOM" and then be back up. I think these people who get their "heuck, heucks" off this style of play would love it.

I feel for your brother. I just went through something just as moronic, and the DM's fix had a little more backbone to it. Let me explain -- no that would take to long, let me sum up.

Scifi game, entire party was smuggling supplies to astroid miners behind a political barricade. We were busted by the Imperial Navy. As we were escorted to command carrier without a statement of charges (I had already asked). One player wanted to ask again, another player told him to leave the radio alone. A hand slapping match over the comm button went to knife, then sword, then a GRENADE in a game world where guns and ordience are illegal for citizens.

I jumped out of the cockpit, and hit the "Eject" button on the cockpit module. After we were captured, the Grand Admiral invited us to dinner (GM's last chance to let us smooze our way out of our last supper) I smoozed the best and ended up with a One On ONe withe the Navy man behind close doors, but in front of the other players. The officer had this to say (read DM)

"Join my intellegence divison as spys or face captial punishment for your crimes."

I joined. Then he asked me to chose who should live and join me or die in my party. I admit I chickened out and said they all live. The grenade bozo, said I would regret that. Next game, I saw that bozo had a new character and his old one is a NPC who is giving him greif.

I don't like that you DM is being sneaky about this, but from what I gather is that you are a "Regular Role-Player" among a group of "Social Gamers." By social, I don't mean that they like to focus on the politics or courtly intrigue. I mean that the game is secondary to them hanging out. To them, DND is one step above TV, and Cartoon Network at that.

I can almost see that when they create characters "spontaniously" they let the dice fall where they may and then sort of whip up a goofy character to amuse themselves with it. THe DM could create a whole long campiagn and the Players, not the PC wouldn't catch any of the clues. They are make the game session a parody of fantasy tropes and they know it. It can be fun sometimes.

Personly, I'd still suggest Toon for these guys.

 

[Limper]

Wow! I havn't heard anyone mention Toon in ages. Could you even find that anymore?

If I quit this campaign, it does leave me somewhat bored. I could dust off my old copy of Tunnels and Trolls and my assortment of Solo Adventures for it......

OR I could try for a bit of personal satisfaction and do the no win path of PK-man. In the realm of rationalization this works fine, see they like to make new characters right? So if I kill lots of their PCs then I'd be making them happy, right? And making myself happy. How is this a no win scenario? It looks all win-win to me.
Plus I can use Rasputins Law to justify my actions.

 

[Crothian]

You kill them, they kill you. It becomes nothing more then a Mortal Combat game. But, I guess if you and them like that sort of thing, go for it. I've never seen a PKing situtaion turn out good though.

Edit: Toon, I've seen many for sale at cons and even in the used bin at gaming stores and I've seen them at Half Priced Book Stores. Ebay, and many of the used gaming stores on line should have them. I can never find what I'm looking for with out of print games, but I can always find these old games that I don't want to play anymore.

 

[Limper]

Crothian and others: Are you suggesting that Petty Vengence is NOT a virtue? That Conflict and Strife should be avoided?

I MAY take your advice (theres a bitter angry voice screaming not to do this somewhere in my skull). Any ideas on how to find a group I would fit better with? Theres an awful lot of stylistic differences between groups and finding a new one is WAY difficult. It just saddens me to not find out what was to be in my DMs world HE was good it was just "others" who caused me skull pain. I can probably get him to tell me the story over a beer or twelve, but as I'm sure you know its just not the same.

 

[Pielorinho]

You're like the woman dating the chump. You got four choices that I can see:

1) Stay with him: you can change him! (Fat chance)
2) Stay with him: you can put up with him! (Possibly)
3) Dump his sorry butt and make his life miserable! (Possible)
4) Dump his sorry butt and move on with your life. (Very possible)

It's pretty unlikely that you'll change this group's playstyle, although it may be worth a try: explaining to them that you'd like to play some more plausible characters, folks who put a high priority on survival, and see if they're willing to give it a try. But my guess is that they'll continue trying to outdo one another in stupidity.

You can stay with the group, but I doubt that you'll grow to enjoy their style of play. It sounds like you are, like I am, pretty oriented on having a cool storyline; these jokers don't sound like that's a major concern for them.

You can kill off the other PCs, but in the end, there'll be little satisfaction: you'll just have soured the fun for some other people, and it'll make everyone a little more miserable.

Or you can gracefully drop out of the group. Which sucks, but if you're not having fun, it's worth considering.

In any case, good luck!
Daniel

 

[Crothian]

Crothian and others: Are you suggesting that Petty Vengence is NOT a virtue? That Conflict and Strife should be avoided?

I MAY take your advice (theres a bitter angry voice screaming not to do this somewhere in my skull). Any ideas on how to find a group I would fit better with? Theres an awful lot of stylistic differences between groups and finding a new one is WAY difficult. It just saddens me to not find out what was to be in my DMs world HE was good it was just "others" who caused me skull pain. I can probably get him to tell me the story over a beer or twelve, but as I'm sure you know its just not the same.

Personally, I'm amazed on when people say they can't find groups. I've been playing since '82 and I've never been without a group. One group dies, another is always there with in a week. I sometimes recruit people, other times find a new group. I have a friday group that is slowlying dieing. So, I posted in the Gamers looking for gamers forum and within a few days I was invited into a new group. I also found another person who was thinking of forming a new group and if anything happens with that he'll e-mail me. Make an effort to find people, it has always worked for me. Obviously, it does depend on were you are. I'm in a descent size city with a huge University, and many smaller colleges.

 

[Nightfall]

Ghack....... When the team is down, show some caution. Has any DM ever put a HEAL party button in a trap infested Crypt?

Only if the party has some undead working for it! But I feel your pain Limper. Silly hobbit PC should KNOW better than to press a button JUST because it's there...of course the stupidity of some is just so over...or rather underwhelming...

 

[Suldulin]

If you've the DM's support to kill the problem pc's, rather then lowering yourself to them, ask him(the DM) to make sure that when the player trys to kill the party, 'fix' it so that it only takes out said player's character and has minimum effect on everyone else???