Boredom [rant]

[Telperion]

[Rant Activated]

So how do you combat this horrible thing called boredom?

There's probably something interesting in the campaign that you are currently playing in, but it just eludes you from one session to the other. There is character interaction, but it simply doesn't concern your character. There are wars, big things that go bang and everything else seems to be there, but it just doesn't seem to involve your character in any way. You feel that one of the players in the group is monopolizing the GM's time and the rest of you are...well...eating unhealthy "food" and trying not to yawn all the time. Where does the line go between being conciderate towars other players and just plain out being ignored by anyone and everything in the game world?

And you just get the feeling that the GM is expecting you to create your own happy little adventures, and just enjoy playing by yourself while he wields the enormous club that reads "Meta-Plot". The GM ignores your character because it isn't your turn to play yet. The other guys have these interesting, useful, character that further the "Meta-Plot", but yours is just hanging around to wait his time. It seems that you about to burst with boredom, and yet you are waiting for that little crumb of acceptance and attention from the GM. And just hoping that maybe your character can do something meaningfull, other than stand around and look stupid for the whole session. And there it comes: the Golden Moment. The one thing that you have been waiting for at least 4 - 6 sessions. The one thing that you character actually knows how to help with, and shines in that one impossibly unimportant way.

And what happens? The GM swings that club that reads "Meta-Plot", and just showes the offending event off the gaming board and into the trash can where it belongs. Do you ever feel like you are playing an NPC and the GM just likes to have a group that has more players than two in it? It really doesn't matter that the four other players in the group are there just to fill in on the two important players and to provide them with the occasional service, which could very well be handled by NPCs.

Well, I certainly feel better for having gotten thing out of my system...*sighs and goes to sleep*

[Rant Disabled]

 

[diaglo]

been there. done that. quit that group. i still have the scars.

 

[BlackMoria]

Sounds like you feel that your character (and hence, you) are being ignored or left out.

Sensible stuff to try it speak with the DM about. See if a mini-plot or whatever can be formulated in which your character is central or more involved in. Suggest some ideas to the DM if he lacks for ideas.

Of course, the above assumes a DM which is willing to listen and act.

What character do you run? Post that and perhaps the other board members can make suggestions on what to do with the character than may help.

 

[Hjorimir]

While I can certainly feel your pain, there is another side to some situations like that (not that this is the case with you, of course). But sometimes, as a DM, you have this nice group of adventurers who all want to go in the same direction. Did I say all? Ooops! I mean all but one.

This one player wants to turn left, instead of right (along with the rest of the group). The player complains that you're not giving him/her enough attention. You, as the DM, have to consider how much face time to give to a single player when multiple others can enjoy the same time together.

So, while I do agree that individual role-play opportunities are a must, D&D remains a group activity. Just wanted to play the other side of the dialectic here.

 

[BlackMoria]

Like the lyrics to a song - 'You gotta fight, for the right, to party'

Meaning, if you are being largely ignored, sometimes you have to get in the face of others (and in a nice fashion). If you make a case for whatever and the DM and/or other players dismiss you out of hand (ignore you), then re-state the case you are making and don't cave. This requires for them to interact with you in some fashion, and win or lose the case you are making, you have been involved in the process.

If you take this approach, don't be confrontal for the sake of being confrontal. If you honest think your idea/plan/whatever is worthy of consideration, then vigorously put it forward and if it gets shot down, ensure it gets shot down on its lack of merit, not because you get a 'no' from the others and now you just roll over and play dead because you are rejected.

This ensure that others must interact with you and shows that you have a stake in how things are planned and how decisions are made. If you are involved, then it shouldn't be boring for you.

 

[Telperion]

Okay, here I am again . Rested and not really feeling like ranting any more. So, lets see if I can bring up some constructive points to argue:

My character is a bard. The idea behind the character is that he has traveled around the world, pretty much seen it all and knows the in's and out's of most of the civilizations out there. Of course when I say "the world" I'm talking about one continent and the Material Plane. So, that area doesn't actually encompas the whole world, but the area that the GM has set aside for our campaign.

As we travel from one local to the next the GM gives us fairly good information on all sorts of interesting things that a foreigner probably wouldn't know. That's because my character is in the party. Otherwise he probably wouldn't give us the name of the place. My character is also very good with languages, and so when a conversation begins there's no problem with talking because my character is there to translate whatever is being said. If there are any customs or rituals that the locals think the party should follow, then the GM mentions these, because my character is there to tell these things.

One of the darker aspects of my character is called Profession (interrogator). So, I'm also fairly good with making people talk (plenty of ranks in Intimidation as well). When we capture a prisoner the GM hands us nice little details of this and that, and it usually furthers the meta-plot nicely.

Now you would probably think that while my character is doing all this lovely interacting and playing that I, as a player, am having a good time too? Wrong. The problem is that the GM doesn't want to waste our time roleplaying these things that my character is designed for. Instead he just throws the necessary information at us and then goes on to describe more interesting stuff. Which invariably has something to do with either the wizard or fighter in our group. The problem being that my character isn't so knowledgeable about magical arts or military strategy/tactics that he could realistically participate in the conversations. Not that it really helps to hang around and throw in little bits of "wisdom" every now and then. The players handling the wizard and the fighter have everything very well in hand and are happily chatting with the GM while the rest of the group is sitting on the sidelines and yawning their jaws off. Usually about 2 - 4 hours into the session the GM, Wizard and Figther have formulated whatever plans and ideas they want to go with and then we proceed to go trough them. Well, since my character isn't as good with the sword as the fighter or as good with the evocation school spells as the wizard I'm basically left out of the fights for fear that my character might get in their way.

The fighter bellows commands and his army does the job. The wizard speaks in magical tongues and blasts the offending enemies the GM has set against us this session to bits and that's it. Sure: my character is there. Singing his Bardic Song and walking behind all those ranks of soldiers. When the fighting start I occasionally even cast a spell or two. Too bad those spells available to me have fairly little actual meaning to the outcome of a battle. So, once again while my character is going off to battle I start yawning and wonder what I'm supposed to do for the next few hours while the battle is being played out?

O' did I mention that my characte also has fairly good stealth skills? Well, so do about a 100 scouts in the fighter's army. So, why should I endanger my life just so the GM can give me the same information that he already gave to the other players while I was still mucking around in the hills and trying to find out about those enemy forces moving in our direction?

The one big problem seems to be that this is obviously a military campaign, and a while a bard has all sorts of important skills I'm left with a few minutes of actual roleplay out of a session of about 5 hours. I'm a bit lost as to what I'm supposed to do with my character, and the GM isn't really helping by hopping from one glorious battle scene to the next. And if there is some politics, diplomacy and such in between, then it is assumed that my character handles it and we move on to more important things. Such as that next army that is approaching...

 

[ThoughtBubble]

My character is a bard.

Well, there's your problem.

Have you tried talking to your DM about it? If doing so is still in your future, consider buttering your words appropriately. A few honeyed turns of phrase will work more wonders than a valid complaint.

Do other people in the group have the same problem?
Is it possible that the other two players are offering more hooks? In my stretches as DM I've tended to do this, simply because the fighter and the rogue were the only two who really wanted to try anything (the wizard and cleric were fine with sitting around and had almost no history).

Anyway, can't offer too much more advice. But here's one of my expierences: I was a hazardous rescue (ambulance for wilderness areas) driver/nurse from 20'th century preserved till after the apocalypse along with several other people. Though trials and tribulation, despite my best efforts I felt like nothing I did was relevant. Tracking inevitably ended up with a dead end, never had to 'use' my driving skill once, and first aid amounted to a roll followed by a + hp score. So, after talking with the GM about getting some recognition from someone (and to his credit, he tried), I badgered our contact for information and actually furthered the plot. After still getting no props, I got in an arguement with everyone, and made sure there were lots of witnesses (to show I was acting on my own). Then I broke into their computer lab, raided their file system (Breking in with an axe) and interrogated some of the workers. I ended up getting carted off, taken to see the BBEG, discovering the truth behind the conspiracy, getting neat new equipment, and being brainwashed to be a fanatically loyal soldier (the in-game effect of which was that I called the BBEG 'daddy'). That last bit all happened in one on one sessions, but it really helped. Had the game not stopped just before I could have been brought back into normal sessions. Oh, and while I was out, the party got shot till mostly dead, and lost their stuff. Though I'm sure it's all coincidence.

Hm, you know, maybe some one on one sessions to bulk out your portions (until they can fit in the game proper) might work.

 

[Telperion]

Yes, there are other players who have the same problem. They also have fairly specialized characters that aren't usually needed in times of war, great events and so forth. If the game "toned down" abit, then everyone would probably get to play a bit more. As it is: what good is your talent of opening locks and sneak attacking for, when there's a hoard of 2000 barbarians running your way?

I actually just e-mailed my GM and basically went on knees and begged for help. Not something I do very often, but felt that it was worth the effort to save this character. And also to remain in this campaign.

It isn't so much that two main characters in this group offer more plot hooks, but that they have the necessary resources and experience to drive the meta-plot along. This creates scenes where the two players are having a good time and the rest of the group are waiting for their turn to have a good time.

Hopefully my GM has some bones to throw at me, so I can really get back in the game. Otherwise...what's the point when I'm not really roleplaying?

 

[ThoughtBubble]

Right, so the trick is to come up with ways your character can fit within the meta-plot to get some screen time and then think of how to get your DM to like the ideas.

Is intrigue out? How about trying to win a neutral faction to your side by using all those cool bardic abilities? Assasination probablly won't work well. Dissuading an enemy army? Using your song to get the king behind your plans? Going on a long journey to gain the blessing of the goddess of tactics (who lives at the top of the ruins of a keep atop the highest mountian, where she can overlook the whole world) by giving her a poem so epic you need to go on a journey to meet the greatest bardic sages living to compose it?

Hm... that's all I've got.

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

Sounds like you and your GM have got different expectations about what the game should involve...

Couple of thoughts:

Is it the fighters and wizards 'time in the spotlight' or are they 'always in the spotlight'? Sounds like the 2nd, but just curious.

How do the other not wizard/not fighter players feel about the way the games going?

Is it possible that your character is not one the GM knows how to run a game for? Could that be fixed by playing something else? Would you consider that?

Have you player with this GM before? Were their other campaigns any more fun for you? Was this one ever fun?


Anyhow, I think talking it over with the GM is probably the best way to go. Are they the sort of person you could do that with... I'd work out what the problems are and try to tone them in a constructive way - always think that goes down better.

Worst comes to the worst. Figure the game is meant to be fun. If it's one your never going to enjoy then I'd look at other options:

Dropping out of this campaign: Play in later one or with another GM.
Find another gaming group.