Did I overreact?

[hong]

You don't know Thing One about my campaign.

Pot. Kettle. Black.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Note that when you say you don't want to waste time "on role-playing every scene the PCs choose to create," it sounds like you don't want the PCs to choose their direction. THe halfling-in-a-bar scene coulda been tons of fun to play through; I gave four examples of how to turn it into an interesting, dramatic scene.

However, in this case, I think the DM missed an opportunity to play out a great scene that could have helped define the halfling's personality.

Daniel

When you put it that way, I must agree, Daniel.

"it sounds like you don't want the PCs to choose their direction." I see how it could sound that way...actually, 3 out of my 5 players are brand new to RPGs and the other 2 are out of practice. My camapaign had been pretty linear so far, simply because they don't know enough to pick their own direction.

Believe me, I've left them options and we've made little progress on those occasions.

I am looking forward to the point when they do self-motivate, because I do love to improvise. (Probably couldn't tell from my posts here...)

Anyway, I still think there's not much else to say without knowing why the DM chose to throw the halfling out. I think I just read the original post a little differently...the player griping about how he was made a fool of, and he argued with the DM, "and my wife agreed with me too!" Sounds like there could be a lot of reasons why the DM did what he/she did...not all of them related to game mechanics.

But I could be wrong.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Pot. Kettle. Black.

And yet, I'm not the one who diverged from the topic at hand to say, "Gee, Hong...if you feel that way then your campaign must really suck."

Nor am I saying it now. Although I do know that you have run games in FR, and I've looked at a few of your story hours, and thought they were interesting.

 

[hong]

And yet, I'm not the one who diverged from the topic at hand to say, "Gee, Hong...if you feel that way then your campaign must really suck."

Don't post provocative stuff, then.

Nor am I saying it now. Although I do know that you have run games in FR, and I've looked at a few of your story hours, and thought they were interesting.

Ah, right. Geoff Watson was the DM for those. I was just one of the boofhead players (the "joke").

 

[reveal]

Anyway, I still think there's not much else to say without knowing why the DM chose to throw the halfling out. I think I just read the original post a little differently...the player griping about how he was made a fool of, and he argued with the DM, "and my wife agreed with me too!" Sounds like there could be a lot of reasons why the DM did what he/she did...not all of them related to game mechanics.

But I could be wrong.

Guess I have to defend myself now.

I didn't gripe that I was made a fool of. I griped that I was railroaded into a situation without being given any opportunity to defend myself. I said that my wife agreed with me too (by the way, don't make it sound like I was whining by saying "and my wife agreed with me too!") to illustrate the point that I wasn't the only one who felt this way.

I told everyone else to wait outside for a few minutes then to come in. Why? Because it would be easier to gather information about something without being in a group of people. Doing it solo would be easier to do. But I DID tell them to come in. I didn't say not to, I just said not at the same time.

As for being mad because I was "made a fool of" that could not be further from the truth. So I was tossed out of a bar. Big flippin' deal. I could have cared less.

But when I spend the time to create a character who I am having fun playing and I am forced by an arbitrary (I say arbitrary because sometime the DM makes us roll for things and sometimes he doesn't, but it never seems to be for the same reasons) decision to just "throw me out" because a) he wanted to and b) I cracked a joke.

All I asked for was a chance to get out of the situation, that's all. Nothing else. Hell, if he had said "you try to get away and fail and they throw you out" after I rolled a dice, then I would not have complained. It would not have taken up game time (rolling a dice, failing and the DM saying you get tossed out cannot take more than 30 seconds) and that would have been that.

And we play every Saturday from 4pm to about 11pm or Midnight, so we are not lacking for time.

 

[Tom Cashel]

reveal:

Sorry to make you have to "defend" yourself! Just hoping to get all sides of the story.

But okay, I realize now that I was looking at this whole case from a way too uptight point of view. As I said, I was looking at it solely from the DMs (possible) point of view.

But if there's no rhyme or reason to the DM's spates of arbitrary decision-making...well, that can get annoying as a player. And taking the time to make an interesting character so the DM can toss you around is annoying too.

As I said (several posts ago...), it's not a time issue, so why not play out the scene? Okay, I'm in agreement.

hong:

As we all know, Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. Perhaps that is why you take my statements as provocative.

Oh, wait...being an American, that is surely the pot calling the kettle black.

But I'd better be smugly abbreviated:
Hey, hong--pot. kettle. black.

Ooh, I feel so cool now.

 

[hong]

As we all know, Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. Perhaps that is why you take my statements as provocative.

Criminals with BEER! The BEER is VERY! IMPORTANT!!

Oh, wait...being an American, that is surely the pot calling the kettle black.

Are you suggesting that AMERICAN BEER compared to AUSTRALIAN BEER is the POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK?

HAW HAW! American beer is, at best, a GRAYISH SHADE OF PALE!

But I'd better be smugly abbreviated:
Hey, hong--pot. kettle. black.

Ooh, I feel so cool now.

That's because you're not wearing pants. I heartily endorse posting to web boards while not wearing pants. As I am doing now.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Hong, I've misjudged you. You're all right.

And American beer is more like a jaundiced shade of piss, actually.

Hail Eris.

(I wonder if I can take off these pants at work?)

 

[Umbran]

As a number have noted, we here can speculate until we are blue in the face. We can make criticism or give support to the DM's actions until Doomsday. I am no longer sure it's relevant.

There's an old saying - "You have to pick your battles."

The DM is human. The players are human. No human ever sees all of another's actions as 100% optimal. Whether it's a matter of an actual right/wrong, or just a matter of perception is not important. It is important to realize that you will, on occasion, disagree with the DM.

You are engaged in a cooperative story-telling effort. Cooperation implies compromise. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes someone else does. In joining up, you implicitly agreed to accept the occasional sub-optimal scenario for yourself.

Now, as this is a cooperation, sometimes you should get what you want. The question is, is this the proper time and event to push for that? Remember, the character came to no harm. Given that, is this important enough to make a fuss over?

 

[reveal]

As a number have noted, we here can speculate until we are blue in the face. We can make criticism or give support to the DM's actions until Doomsday. I am no longer sure it's relevant.

There's an old saying - "You have to pick your battles."

The DM is human. The players are human. No human ever sees all of another's actions as 100% optimal. Whether it's a matter of an actual right/wrong, or just a matter of perception is not important. It is important to realize that you will, on occasion, disagree with the DM.

You are engaged in a cooperative story-telling effort. Cooperation implies compromise. Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes someone else does. In joining up, you implicitly agreed to accept the occasional sub-optimal scenario for yourself.

Now, as this is a cooperation, sometimes you should get what you want. The question is, is this the proper time and event to push for that? Remember, the character came to no harm. Given that, is this important enough to make a fuss over?

I completely agree. I probably wouldn't have made a big deal of it, but my 6 week old son had thrown up on me twice that evening and I was really, really tired.

I probably wouldn't have gotten as upset if I had been clear headed.