Dealing with a non-disruptive problem player

[Ralif Redhammer]

Hrm, that is a tough situation. Reminds me a little of some of the players I’ve dealt with in the past. The ones that just “roleplay” the same character, no matter what the setting, again and again. Most of the time, if they don’t have other problems, I just let it go. Though a lot of the time, it does seem to be paired with other issues.

That being said, if there’s a real disconnect between the one player and the rest of the group as to play style and tone, that is a problem.

When it comes to mercenary vs. heroic play style, if you’ve got the majority of the group wanting do a task because it’s right and good, and then there’s one person wanting to get paid, and refusing to budge on that, I think it’s perfectly fair to pause things and just tell the group “okay, I need a show of hands - are you telling the king that it would be an honor to provide aid, or are you telling the king that you’ll need to see the color of his gold first?” It’s an easy way to get group consensus and move on.

Now as for the role-playing issues, one thing I’m fond of doing is putting “Tarantino scenes” in my games. Short sections where it’s just the PCs sitting around, talking. Ask what each character is doing, eating, drinking, and/or talking about. Award inspiration to those that really get into it. And while chances are, it won’t change how the one player does things, it might help to encourage role-play if it’s not just seen as reserved for interactions with NPCs, but also other PCs.

 

[drnate29]

Loving the flow chart [MENTION=20564]Blue[/MENTION] put up........

To home in on the "have an adult conversation" starting point on said chart, I'd recommend, with permission from the others in the group, to spend a bit of session time when starting a new campaign to directly ask the player to create a new PC concept. Be direct, but still nice. Make it clear you are looking for something brand new because his efforts affect everyone else. If he still won't change, and gives no truly defendable reason not to, I'd agree with others here that would encourage him to be part of other activities but not the gaming table.

 

[Grogg of the North]

I have, unfortunately, been in this situation twice recently. The biggest thing you can do is talk. If you don't communicate then this won't get resolved. You'll wind up secretly resenting the Problem Player (PP) until it all just blows up. So, here's my two coppers....

0 - If you're just starting up a new campaign, talk to your players beforehand and set out clear expectations. One I saw, and have used is, "I don't expect you to be good; I expect you to be heroes." So even if you have a mercenary character and they're backing out of the suicide mission, at the last minute just as they leave the room they go "Ah ... dangit!" and come running to the rescue.

1 - Talk to the rest of the group. Is everyone bothered by your PP running "Generic Mercenary #59342" or is it just you? If it is just you, then you should either let it go or let someone else DM for a while. Maybe a change of pace will give you a different perspective.

2 - Okay, if the rest of your group feels that PP needs to change it's time to sit down with your problem player. It sounds like they don't respond via email outside of game so I would suggest inviting them out for coffee or a beer and do it then. Ask about their character and maybe point out the similarities to "Generic Mercenary # 342". Perhaps they don't realize that it's the same character. I've twice had players who only played the same "Chip on their shoulder, chaotic stupid mercenary".

Maybe PP wants to try something different but is scared/shy/nervous. Maybe PP has always wanted to play a benevolent healer but is intimidated by the book keeping? Let them know that you or anyone in your group would be willing to help. Or perhaps PP is just intimidated by roleplaying. I played with a woman that was a great person but when it came time to roleplay would get very quiet. She didn't like being in the spotlight.

3 - If you and the PP can't come to an agreement then it's time for the ugly divorce. A short email is all you need. "Hey, I don't think this is the right game for you. We'll let you know when we start something else."

I hope that helps!