Problem players

[cadflash]

Hi all, I'm a new DM and I have a group of 6 players playing d&d 3.5, recently I've has some problems between two players, one is constantly questioning others role playing choices, enforcing alignments and policing them for meta knowledge, these things in generally are fine but its getting to a point that it's frustrating and disruptive, also questing me a lot, thinking he knows the rules better ect.

The other player that is disruptive mostly just acts selfishly, not working cooperatively and working to help his character over the party.
The other party members have told me they are annoyed by these two and I was looking for some advice on dealing with these issues fairly.

Thanks DM Daniel

 

[Lindeloef]

Talk to them to. That's the best way to handle it. If they continue to do that crap after you told them to cut it? -> kick them out of the group.

 

[steenan]

As always in such a situation, the first thing to be done and the most important is to talk with the player in private. Don't attack them. Explain what you see and how it affects sessions; ask why they do what they do and try to understand.

It is possible that your player is a jerk and you need to get rid of them. Don't hope that you'll reform a person who is intentionally disruptive.

But it's also possible that they misunderstood your game's priorities or don't realize they are disruptive. If so, explaining it will help. In general, most interpersonal conflicts in RPG groups come from misunderstandings and hidden assumptions.

And there is a third possibility, that is, that your player resorts to rules-lawyering because they feel unfairly restricted in a way that ignores the rules, while other players are allowed to ignore rules for their benefit. In such case, it's either your error as a GM or a result of playing a game that does not fit your intended playstyle - it's on you to correct this.

 

[Elf Witch]

As others have said talk to your players. I would do it privately and without the you do this wrong and need to stop. Instead find out why they do the things they do. The one player who is telling others how to play may be frustrated at what they see as lack of role playing. It is very possible that game styles among your players may not mesh well.

I have a rule at my table that I strictly enforce and that is other players cannot tell other players how to play their PCs. As for questioning alignment that is only allowed in character and if I think it is goes to far I will put a stop to it.

 

[was]

...Before singling people out, talk to the group as a whole. Tell them that you feel the need to set up houserules to keep the game running smoothly. Tell them that everyone will vote on a potential houserule and that the majority rules. That way, it is the group censoring the poor behavior and not you as the DM.
...Make sure that you go first and that you have a list of possible houserules. Include not telling others how to play their characters, metagaming and running selfish characters. You might also want to include a houserule where players always speak in character. If the other four players agree with you, than you should easily see all of your houserules enacted.
...After you have read your list, and everyone has voted upon them, ask them if there are any that you have forgotten to mention or that they would like to see put into effect.
...Keep the focus on the will of the entire group and not your individual preferences. Once the houserules are in place, the troublesome players have the option to either adjust their playstyle to the rest of the group or leave and find another group which more closely matches their desired style of play. Either way, you place the decision in their hands.

 

[cadflash]

Thanks everyone, I'll let you know how it goes

 

[sgtscott658]

I'm not a velvet glove type person, if the player is annoying or disruptive, ill just boot him from the group end of story. Game time is too precious to coddle problem players.

Scott

 

[Technomancer]

Hi all, I'm a new DM and I have a group of 6 players playing d&d 3.5, recently I've has some problems between two players, one is constantly questioning others role playing choices, enforcing alignments and policing them for meta knowledge, these things in generally are fine but its getting to a point that it's frustrating and disruptive, also questing me a lot, thinking he knows the rules better ect.

The other player that is disruptive mostly just acts selfishly, not working cooperatively and working to help his character over the party.
The other party members have told me they are annoyed by these two and I was looking for some advice on dealing with these issues fairly.

Problem player 1: Next time he questions another PCs actions, tell him that the PC's player can play their own character. Simple as that; "So and so can play their own character". Tell him as soon as he does it.

Problem player 2: Sounds like something that should be dealt with IC; the other PCs should take his PC to task over his actions

 

[Umbran]

Problem player 2: Sounds like something that should be dealt with IC; the other PCs should take his PC to task over his actions

I disagree. Issues between players should not be worked out between characters. Resolving player issues by in-game proxy is kind of the definition of passive-aggressive, and negative reinforcement (swatting someone with a rolled-up newspaper when they do something wrong, f'rex) is not a reliable training technique.

You're supposed to be mature adults. Act like it. Talk about your issues like you were reasonable people. If the player comes back to you stating that he or she is aware of how this all looks, and knows it won't make the character friends in the party, and that's okay by them, then you can play it out in-game.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Very good advice here from the other posters. The only thing I have to add is give the guy the benefit of the doubt. He may not realize his behavior is disruptive until you talk to him about it. As an example, I once tried to simulate a very low wisdom in one of my PCs by doing or saying the very first thing that popped into my head. I had a blast, but I had no idea that one of the other players was really mad about my character's dumb moves until we talked about it.