Advice on Whether or Not to Join Encounters

[Pour]

I had a lot of fun at game day, and I could forgive a lot in the spirit of inducting new players and generally celebrating the game... however, I admit our DM was terrible: timid, mumbling, and not nearly familiar enough with 4e rules to facilitate a game day event. This is the second time I've been burned at this shop with a new DM, and it's ultimately what convinced me to drop last Encounters season.

I really don't want to be a rules lawyer or a jerk, but there is only a certain threshold I can take before, in my opinion, we're not playing the game everyone planned to, things like ignoring the more complicated mechanics of people's powers because he couldn't understand them, ignoring attempts to role play or explore (even with the limited degree the session allowed- we couldn't even talk to dock hands or guardsmen) because he was so dependent on the adventure booklet, reverting back to certain 3rd edition rules like Sleep not affecting undead and standing from prone provoking OAs simply because of lack of rules knowledge. He didn't spend any time describing things unless sorely pressed, and it often felt we were moving from his lowly spoken monologues to confusing combats.

He was flustered much of the time, and stalled twice via cigarette breaks, and I feel for the guy, I do, but he shouldn't have put himself in that situation. Running a game day event is not the place to cut your teeth, and many times the DM responsibilities fell on me, lest the whole table collapse. I spent the hour with new players drawing up their characters. I was the one they often referred to for rulings, half the time the DM along with them, the other half to his frustration. I didn't argue with the DM, I tried to be just a player, but still, for all the work I did I should have just DMed the table myself.

The only real saving grace was how great the party was. I won't go into detail, but they really were a nice, eager and creative group that were often robbed out of really fun experiences save when we created them ourselves via inter-party rp/interaction/jokes.

Despite the difficult session, all of them want to come back and run through the whole Encounters season and there in lies my dilemma. They've asked me to become a permanent addition to their Encounters group, but I just don't think I can handle this sort of DM for the whole 13 or so weeks. At the same time, I really like the party and I'm not sure it will even work without me there for rules referencing and creative prodding.

That puts me in a bit of a spot, as I don't want to overshadow the DM or be 'that guy', but I want these new gamers to learn the rules and experience a fun season.

Ugh, what do I do?

 

[McTreble]

You got a couple of potential paths ahead of you.

1) Suck it uo and keep playing with the current DM. He sounds like a joke, and an overall detirment to not only your game, but the product itself. If you stayed, you might serve as a reminder that not ALL DMs are easily flustered and ignorant of many rules.

2) Ask the guy if he would want to switch with you. Since you seem to be DMing by proxy anyway, why not slip in the role and finish what he started?

3) Depending on the situation of the players, form your own gaming group! Even if you schedule it for the 2 hours a week at the same time as Encounters, you could circumanvigate the entire issue and take the group under your wing.

Not sure if any of that helped, but those are some options as I see them.

 

[Saracenus]

Here is my perspective.

I spent the first two season of Encounters building up a competent judge core. I didn't play much at all those first two seasons. I DMed a little bit, but my first job was to make sure all the admin stuff got done and my judges were up to snuff. I was the support staff and DM trainer.

Currently I still do the background admin stuff but I mostly play at a table once a week (occasionally I will fill in for a judge who cannot make a session or if we get a lot of walk-in traffic and have to make an additional table).

Currently we run a solid six tables a week and we probably will jump to seven tables with the Neverwinter season.

Here a few things I did:

1) I clearly set expectations on my DMs. They needed to be on time or contact me that they were going to be late and provide an ETA.

2) I made a Portland, OR wide DDE DM mail list for all stores so we could share info, resources and cover for each other.

3) I made sure that if a DM had a personal conflict that prevented them attending a game, that they ask for a replacement in a timely manner.

4) First rule of D&D Encounters is, IS IT FUN. If it isn't, don't do it.

5) I made sure to have an email conversation talking about the encounter a couple days ahead of the game. I would have a short 5 min. Judges meeting to go over any rough spots and let my DMs voice any questions or concerns.

6) I made my judges take control of their tables. If a ruling was made, stick to it and keep the game moving. If you were shown that you were wrong after the fact make and apology and do better next time.

I was blessed with lots of good people who stepped up early and now I have a DM that started out as a player and just completed her first season as a judge.

Also as a general rule I make my judges take a break from Encounters after 2 seasons to recharge their batteries. The only exception is Max Hobbs, the Energizer Bunny of DDE DMs. He has been DMing every season for me and still going strong.

Many of my DMs now have colonized other game stores and practically every store in Portland has a DDE game night.

The short answer is take over, groom a couple of folks to be DMs and once the program runs itself, sit back and enjoy some gaming.

My Two Coppers,

 

[Pour]

I appreciate the advise, guys. For whatever reason, this is really bugging me. The shop is closed Mondays, but Tuesday I think I'm going to go in and see if they'll let me be a DM for the season despite the late notice. I tried once before a couple of weeks ago, but I was sort of dismissed because the organizer didn't really know me. I've put in some face time, though, and maybe he'll allow it. Then I could potentially offer to DM some of that group, or anyone else, and still feel like I was doing my part.

If that doesn't pan out, I'll talk with the DM Wednesday before the game and offer to take over. If that doesn't work, I think I'll play through the night (I made CB sheets for everyone and I definitely want to deliver those) and respectfully drop out.

At that point, I'll probably take down a few emails and offer to run some games for them myself.

 

[S'mon]

I appreciate the advise, guys. For whatever reason, this is really bugging me. The shop is closed Mondays, but Tuesday I think I'm going to go in and see if they'll let me be a DM for the season despite the late notice. I tried once before a couple of weeks ago, but I was sort of dismissed because the organizer didn't really know me. I've put in some face time, though, and maybe he'll allow it. Then I could potentially offer to DM some of that group, or anyone else, and still feel like I was doing my part.

If that doesn't pan out, I'll talk with the DM Wednesday before the game and offer to take over. If that doesn't work, I think I'll play through the night (I made CB sheets for everyone and I definitely want to deliver those) and respectfully drop out.

At that point, I'll probably take down a few emails and offer to run some games for them myself.

You have an excellent plan!

I think the most important thing here is your back-up option, take people's emails and offer to run a regular game for them. Even if the store/bad DM do let you run Encounters, it's probably a very good idea to recruit the other players for a 'real' game on a different day. I suspect that's exactly what WoTC is hoping will happen with these Encounters sessions, that they'll springboard lots of real D&D campaigns full of paying customers!

 

[Pour]

Well that didn't go so great...

When I went in to talk to the organizer, my Encounters DM and one of the players were there. The player eagerly asked me if I would be joining them tomorrow night, which I said I wouldn't be, which kind of spurred a panic from the player and more or less nerd rage from the DM.

The DM at first tried to pass it off casually, even joking, 'I didn't think my DMing was -that- bad", I just didn't have the heart to tell him it really was. I dropped off the CB printed sheets for the party like I promised, complete with sticky notes which had my email if they ever wanted to play a game... but my Encounters DM then took all the sheets from behind the store counter and stuffed them into his gaming folder. I doubt the party will ever see those sticky notes. Oh well.

On the up side, ran into a friend at Hot Topic looking to start up a game again, so I think I'll be DMing in the near future, I just wish I could have included some of those new guys and showed them how a 4e game could be run.

 

[OnlineDM]

Wow, that's a bummer. Can you talk to the organizer privately? If this DM is chasing you away with his poor gaming, he's probably chasing others away too.

 

[jimmifett]

I occaisionally play with players that take smoke breaks, much to my annoyance. I understand that the low will saved among the population get themselves addicted to the foul things, and I don't mind if they take thier break while I'm drawing a new map or during a scheduled break.

But two minutes. Not 5, not 10, not 15. 2 Minutes. If I have pre-printed maps, like encounters, well then your smoke break is SOL. Even worse when they decide to take smoke breaks between turns, or outside combat bc they just simply don't care about the role-play portion.

Thankfully, some of the smoking players have taken to odorless eletronic cigarettes, which don't bother me at all. I much prefer that as they don't have to walk away from the table.

 

[SpydersWebbing]

Do you like playing with the people that much? You could try to get your email out to the players again. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?

 

[Pour]

Honestly, my plan moving ahead is to let this Encounters season go and organize something myself with the people I know, then maybe try again next season. I stop in the shop now and then (I usually buy comics there every few weeks and sometimes Magic cards), and if I see one of those players I'll gladly offer my email, but I couldn't begin to describe how awkward today's visit was and I'm not too inclined to DM at the table next to that guy, or my previous DM from the Evard season who wasn't that cordial or knowledgeable, either.

I know this must sound like some Encounters horror story, but I do advocate the program and I believe it's a success, it's just been a big miss with me two seasons in a row.