Blow Ups

[Jon_Dahl]

I just... barely... managed to contain myself.
Today's session was a culmination of a story-arc that has continued for three years. In addition this was the chance for a PC squire to finally earn his spurs and become a knight. Add in a few more dramatic details and you have today's cocktail ready.

Then our newest player (he already had played three session with us) shows up drunk, stinking liquor, coughing his lungs out, TALKING REALLY LOUD (I live in an apartment building filled with conservative pensioners) and practically blind (he had lost his eyeglasses while drinking). He also hadn't slept all night. He was absolutely horrible and embarrassing, especially because *I* had invited him. I wished that the ground had swallowed me.

I tolerated his behaviour throughout the session because I thought to myself that facing this drunkard would lead to a blow-up and a scene. I tried to finish the game early but my players asked me to continue, so that was really a positive sign which indicated that all hope weren't lost after all.

After the game I called him and told him never, ever even dream of showing up to my games in that condition. He was apologetic and backed down. I swear if he had belittled the situation or made any excuses, he would be dead to me right now, both as a friend and a player. After the phone-call I sent SMS to all the other players apologizing for his behaviour and promised that it would not happen again.

I know that this wasn't an actual blow up but it was a real close shave.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Please click here to listen to the episode.

BWWAAAA! (Flips over the table, throws a chair across the room and then runs out the door.)

 

[Boz Shulun]

BWWAAAA! (Flips over the table, throws a chair across the room and then runs out the door.)

Get back in the hut, you daft bastard!

 

[SnowleopardVK]

I've seen exactly one horrible blow up story, involving a paladin and a cleric. Though in this case the paladin was absolutely not the one at fault (incidentally, wall of text. Sorry for that).

Basically the cleric thought that they should be in charge of the group, though the Paladin had been officially elected group leader. One night, cleric confronts pally about this while the rest of the group are asleep (and not nearby and able to wake at the sound of trouble, everyone else was in their own room, being guests at a castle).

Paladin points out that it had been the group decision for her to be leader, and cleric gets aggressive, doesn't offer any debate, just keeps asserting "I'm in charge now". Pally attempts to compromise, saying "you can be in charge of your own actions if you wish, you're under no obligations to take orders from me, but I have my own master, and me taking orders from you would disobey his wishes. So I can't do that."

Paladin turns to go back into her room, thinking that her compromise has settled the issue.

Cleric: "I draw my sword and attack her from behind."

Cleric was super-optimized, pally was not, and despite cleric's immediate fall to evil, cleric forced Paladin to surrender. Cleric then declared Paladin was kicked out of the party. She would leave immediately, and would not be allowed to gather up her things first. If she refused, she would die.

Other players were starting to get restless, GM clearly had no idea how to handle the cleric's actions. Nobody seemed willing to speak up. Paladin swallowed her pride and left without her things. She then picked up a notepad and silently began writing, handing the note to her GM when she was done.

GM reads aloud "After being forced from the group, [Paladin] hitches a ride with the first caravan to [city], where her master dwells, as soon as possible. In doing so she is breaking personal oaths to not disturb him for assistance, but she believes it is her duty to separate [cleric] from her friends [rest of the party] as soon as possible, for their safety, and is willing to break her oath for that.

GM looks up from the note and continues, now no longer reading the text "[Paladin's master] agrees that the safety of her allies is of great importance, and sends her back, with assistance." She is now outfitted in loaned equipment, and accompanied by a quartet of 4 higher level paladins, and a moderately powerful wizard, the master's apprentice. Cleric is promptly thrashed in combat and imprisoned for the remainder of his short life (cleirc, unlike paladin, has no real friends or allies to speak of, and thus nobody ever makes any attempts to free him) before being presented to the city court and ultimately executed.

Cleric's player, who has been civil and friendly out-of-character until now throws a fit, claiming that the rest of the group (including those of us who played no real part in this nonsense) were out to get him, personally, for "no good reason". He yells, swears a lot, and repeatedly claims that the rest of the group, including the GM have to do what he says due to him having been playing D&D since first edition, and because he's a better optimizer.

Again everyone is being meek and not saying anything. I finally decided to talk back, and said he should probably leave, and that he shouldn't come back. He insulted me repeatedly and said him leaving wasn't anyone's decision but his own. After I spoke up though, the others started doing so as well. GM said he wasn't running a game for him any more, and the two players who owned the house said he wasn't welcome to be in their home any longer.

Guy keeps swearing, yelling, saying nobody has the right to kick him out of the group or the house but himself, tries to kick the rest of us out of the house (including the two who owned the place). Suddenly the police show up. A neighbour had called them because of all the shouting. Player was "escorted" out, and beyond that, I don't know or care about what happened to him.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The WTForce was strong in that one...

 

[Dioltach]

Cleric's player, who has been civil and friendly out-of-character until now throws a fit, claiming that the rest of the group (including those of us who played no real part in this nonsense) were out to get him, personally, for "no good reason". He yells, swears a lot, and repeatedly claims that the rest of the group, including the GM have to do what he says due to him having been playing D&D since first edition, and because he's a better optimizer.

Again everyone is being meek and not saying anything. I finally decided to talk back, and said he should probably leave, and that he shouldn't come back. He insulted me repeatedly and said him leaving wasn't anyone's decision but his own. After I spoke up though, the others started doing so as well. GM said he wasn't running a game for him any more, and the two players who owned the house said he wasn't welcome to be in their home any longer.

Guy keeps swearing, yelling, saying nobody has the right to kick him out of the group or the house but himself, tries to kick the rest of us out of the house (including the two who owned the place). Suddenly the police show up. A neighbour had called them because of all the shouting. Player was "escorted" out, and beyond that, I don't know or care about what happened to him.

Wow. This reminds me of the old "Creepiest person you've ever gamed with" thread on Rpg.net.