DM Intervention

[Chimera]

I think the single worst thing any GM can do is plan for the conclusion. If you expect and demand the players do X (and don't tell them this), then you are planning for failure. Players will come up with options and ideas that have never crossed your mind, and sometimes never in a million years think of the ONE SOLUTION that you have in your head.

It's Negative Railroading. There is only one solution to this puzzle and your have to find and walk that path, or you fail.

 

[catsclaw227]

I'm not sure if the two players who complained to him are the same two players described as the "trouble" players.

Are people not showing up because of:

1. difficult life schedules from inflexible players
2. difficult life schedules and an inflexible game-time
3. disinterested and generally inflexible player schedules
4. disinterested, but generally flexible and on-time players
5. beer-and-pretzel players that aren't really having fun (#4, but not very hardcore players)

Incomplete gaming groups tend to fall apart quickly. Add in a TPK-machine for a DM and I can't understand how games can get past a few sessions without falling apart.

Even though he may be "hardcore", is the DM really goos so the other players keep coming back for more?
4.

 

[DonTadow]

Might be easier just to run a game for your wife

Again, this situation has nearly nothing to do with us outside of the fact that 2 of his 4 players are players in my campaign (they are the ones who complain) and the other player (the power gamer) is a former player. I am very lucky enough to be running the awesome Zeitgeist campaign with my wife, and a few other players.

Yes, the former player is one of the eccentric players and yes, my campaign does run a lot smoother without two eccentric players. I don't mind busting my ass for a great game, but its easier when i only have to plan for one eccentric player and Zeitgeist does a great job of using its themes to give everyone something to do.

[MENTION=59911]catsclaw[/MENTION]
It's 3 from what I understand, but again, I only hear what they tell me at game and my wife's frustration when she talked about the game.

 

[korjik]

I have been leaning more towards the mind my own business. The only reason I entertained the thought of intervening is , before my wife quit, she wanted me to talk to him. Now I have no vested interest other than the gripes i hear at my game and wanting to see a friend succeed.

My wife has told me the reason that they die is because the DM does not adjust the module to 2 "eccentric" personality players. One player is the kind of guy who hates feeling like he's on a railroad. So he goes off and does things that will not be obvious. He does not like to powergame, and makes characters that he has described as "useless".

The other guy is a powergamer who likes to test his powerful builds by seeking over the top challenges.

These two guys barely get along in real life, and thus never work well together unless you give them a thread that unites their two obsessions.

My wife described an inccident last night of the last TPK. They were walking across a field, there are tracks of a lvl 15 creature (they are 5). Instead of going to the town like they are suppose to. player 1 goes to hunt down the creature. Player two goes along to test his character out. The other two characters walked away but out of guilt went to help in the end. TPK.

Also, they tend to rarely have a full session, so often 2 or 3 people will be missing, but the DM never scales down the module.

Why do the others even play if there are two problem players? Especially ones that complement each others bad tendencies and have no corresponding good ones?

Tracking down a too powerful monster isnt not being obvious, it is being dumb. Going along for the challenge is more dumb.

This sounds alot more like a player problem than a DM problem.

 

[Wycen]

From what I'm reading the "problem" will solve itself sooner or later when the other group has reset so many times they don't care about the campaign anymore.

I do not think you should try to "intervene" with the other DM.

 

[Kzach]

My wife has told me the reason that they die is because the DM does not adjust the module to 2 "eccentric" personality players. One player is the kind of guy who hates feeling like he's on a railroad. So he goes off and does things that will not be obvious. He does not like to powergame, and makes characters that he has described as "useless".

The other guy is a powergamer who likes to test his powerful builds by seeking over the top challenges.

Wow. So, they create the problem and then blame someone else for it. They sound like real winners.