Am I being unreasonable?

[Cadfan]

Don't let him use two bucklers. It might seem like a small advantage (+1 ac), but just wait until high level and he's wearing two +4 bucklers.

 

[Thurbane]

Anways, your friend is in the wrong and has been for 18 years. Its time to put your foot down. Its time for your friend to get over his petty childish cheating ways. Its time for him to play like a mature adult is supposed to play games. By the rules. Maturely.

Wow. Sounds like you have a very personal axe to grind here. I am assuming something similar has happened to you?

Again I reiterate - even if it is the case, stooping to sarcasm and snark in an email is doing little more than stooping to his "childish" level. If the player is a rampant cheat, put your foot down as a DM by all means. Heck, I've done so myself. And in this age of player entitlement, it can often be hard. But the best way to get the point across, IMHO, is to remain level headed and take a firm tone. Throwing a tantrum yourself will do little but erode any "high ground" you already have in the matter, and possibly even make the player more determined to try and sneak more cheating past you in "retaliation".

Even the OP has already acknowledged that he could have handled it more tactfully, and that they have mutually apologised to each other.

 

[Will]

I'd let him use two bucklers.

A +1 shield bonus and a +1 shield bonus... yep, total of +1 shield bonus. Named bonuses don't stack.

But hey, there's always shield bash.

 

[Warren Okuma]

So I guess what I'm really after is a bit of validation.
What do you other Enworlders think? Am I being unreasonbale?

Cheers,
Glen

Why ask us? Ask the others in your group. They matter, we don't.

Just run rules as written. Saves a lot of headaches.

 

[delericho]

A +1 shield bonus and a +1 shield bonus... yep, total of +1 shield bonus. Named bonuses don't stack.

I think the OP was letting him stack the bonuses.

But hey, there's always shield bash.

Can't bash with a buckler...

 

[Will]

Stacking bonuses... I figured this was yet another rule the OP had missed.

As for shield bash... I stand corrected.

 

[Gort]

It seems a great pity you got thrown into the DM seat for a group of more experienced players - learning the rules as a DM sounds really harsh.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

So I guess what I'm really after is a bit of validation.
What do you other Enworlders think? Am I being unreasonbale?

Cheers,
Glen

I think that both of you are being a little unreasonable and a little reasonable at the same time...wow that sounded really hippie-ish.

Okay let's start with this player of yours. It's reasonable to want to play an effective character and to play the archetype that you want at the same time, something which is unfortunately not possible under the RAW for TWF warrior-types. It was totally unreasonable for him to go ahead and break RAW without asking you first, and to now gripe about it.

Likewise, it is reasonable for you to want to stick to RAW even if it makes his character lame. He knew what he was getting into from level 1. The tone of your email is a bit unreasonable though--quite probably justified, but not reasonable and I can almost guarantee you that it'll cause you trouble down the road.