The 10 Commandments of Good Role-Playing
Hi!
I'm new here, but I've been GMing for some years already. However I decided to join internet community just now to learn new insights and ideas.
My first question is such - how do you spot a munchkin?
Let's presume that sometimes they can be useful and are necessary to balance systems (if you're creating your own RPG systems as I do), but overall minmaxers and munchkins can be annoying if you're trying to run a more role playing game, than just hack-and-slash.
So what are your tips how to spot them and how to deal with them? I believe here have to lots of experience gamemasters that can share their stories.
I know you could spot them easily in
a situation like this. But I'm sure there are way more interesting situations and observations to be made.
Here is some sure-fire and sound advice for you:
1. Be sure to call players who do not play the way you want them to munchkins. They will respect the fact that you have contempt for them and will lead to more, albeit louder, dialog.
2. When a munchkin is hiding amongst your group by pretending to play reasonably, be sure to add even more non-combat and/or pointless roleplaying encounters to try and bore the player into revealing his true nature. Munchkins are sneaky SOBs who sometimes like to assume that there are times when combat is better than diplomacy. We all know that combat is for roll-players.
3. Make sure you force your players to devote at least 10,000 words to his character's background and motivations. Be sure to override any background you feel isn't gritty or realistic enough. All players in a real roleplaying game are required to be either a gruff hero with a heart of gold type, or an orphaned gruff hero with a heart of gold or a mysterious dark gruff hero with a heart of gold.
4. Munchkin players frequently complain about a lack of treasure. Be sure to remind such players that they are only allowed to find non-magical treasure and potions in your game, because your game is low-magic and realistic.
5. Caution your munchkin players that Dungeons & Dragons is only a title and that in fact there will be no dungeons and/or dragons of any kind in this simulationist low-magic fantasy role-not-roll-playing game.
6. All characters will roll 3d6, in order, for their ability scores. They will re-roll any scores that may make said character useful. When they ask why they must re-roll you will state that his dice are not balanced.
7. Players will not be allowed to use miniatures because they are training wheels to munchkinism.
8. Players will play only heavily house-ruled versions of OAD&D or 2e (if necessary). 3x is restricted because it is abusive. 4e is banned because it is fun.
9. Talk of WoW shall be limited to how much you hate it and how it stole your other friends lives. The other friends who would have played in your awesome homebrew campaign had they not gotten sucked into the pursuit of leet gear.
and finally . . .
10. Players must agree to and sign a legally binding contract to defer to your style and amount of role-playing. You may at any time deem a player is insufficiently involved because he looks bored, and force him to speak in a goofy accent for any action he would like to take in game to avoid metagame talk. You should reward him for choosing to play a female character, especially if said female character is a fellow male character's wife. You will require that all of your game sessions last at least 5 hours, because if you have nothing better to do than speak in a Scottish accent all night, neither will they.
I hope this advice helped.
