Do you have a player like this in your group?

[Dougal DeKree]

“Wait, what game are we playing? What is this about? What skills am I to use in this situation?”

This comes exactly from the mouth of Frank. All his characters are named Frank, since he never bothers to think of a name. He rarely gets what system is being played (although we only play D&D3E, SW D20, AU and Spacemaster), he never knows, what skills his char has (he always plays either a tech or a druid with always the same set of skills) and after the group discussed a situation for about 20 minutes or when asked about his opinion, he will usually answer "what? where are we? what are we doing there? i don't get it!". Also he never talks in or out of character.
First i thought that this was fun, but since i am GMing Spacemaster (doing all tables on my own) and must describe the same situations (let alone important facts of the story!) over and over, it really starts getting on my nerves. Wednesday the group was fighting a light destroyer in SPACEcombat - in the middle of it he asked "we are in SPACE?!" with a surprised look on his face. That was after two hours of playing SPACEmaster, where the group started from a SPACEstation into SPACE to do SPACEy stuff...with their SPACEship.

Does anyone out there have someone like that, too? Please, sooth me and tell me I am not alone here! Oh, and any other comments would also be welcome.

Dougal

 

[pogre]

I describe the lair of the lich king to my players. I describe the lich. I discuss all things about the lich. I finally tell them to roll initiative.

My player: What are we fighting?

Nice guy, but lost so much of the time. We just play D&D. God help us if we tried ANOTHER game!

 

[Turanil]

Does anyone out there have someone like that, too? Please, sooth me and tell me I am not alone here! Oh, and any other comments would also be welcome.

Indeed, you must have done BAD things in your former life to be plagued with such an annoying player. It's karma you know; you will have to suffer for your past misdeeds. (And no, I never encountered a player like that, but I was neither evil in my former life... )

I am GMing Spacemaster

WHY?!, yes why the hell everytime the word Spacemaster is in front of my eyes I instead do read Spacehamster?? (and then think this comical game must in fact be terribly idiotic...).

 

[James Heard]

I'd toss a guy like that, but one of my former players used to carry on about the guy he played D&D with for several years that not only could not remember which dice to roll for what (with flash cards that they placed the dice on, no less) but still couldn't reliably IDENTIFY which die was which the whole time.

On the other hand, I've been prone to "what are we doing and where?" questions on not too rare occasions, especially in intraparty conflict sorts of games like VtM - because it's less important to pay attention the GM when you're watching the other player's eyes and trying to figure how to make 'em flinch.

 

[Bront]

I'll admittedly space out of a game on occasion (which usually ends up annoying me more than anyone else), but I am not that bad (I usually hear most things, and consider myself generaly good with rules).

I have played with people who are 100% incapable of understanding a rules system of any kind. Well, that's not true, but a 3 year learning curve on basic rules is a bit much. I don't expect people to know every rule, and I do understand when people have trouble finding information on a character sheet (Though, since we've been using the same format sheet for a year now, I would think they would be getting better), but sometimes it can be disheartening to have a dramatic moment ruined by having to explain to someone how to make an attack or skill roll.

 

[Dougal DeKree]

...one of my former players used to carry on about the guy he played D&D with for several years that not only could not remember which dice to roll for what (with flash cards that they placed the dice on, no less) but still couldn't reliably IDENTIFY which die was which the whole time...

That sounds suspiciously like Frank who is carried to our group by someone else...but you are not playing in germany, i guess?!?

Indeed, you must have done BAD things in your former life to be plagued with such an annoying player. It's karma you know; you will have to suffer for your past misdeeds.

Hmm, when i was a teen I played Palladium and actually liked it more than D&D? Is that it? I repent!

WHY?!, yes why the hell everytime the word Spacemaster is in front of my eyes I instead do read Spacehamster?? (and then think this comical game must in fact be terribly idiotic...).

Oh...hmm...i think you solved my problem with this. I do have the stats for the killer rabbit from the old Rolemaster books, so maybe i should just introduce the "MUTANT TELEPORTING KILLER SPACEHAMSTER" that teleports in every time Frank lost ground and attacks someone. Maybe inside of a closed Spacesuit? Appearing in the helmet and then scuttling down...MUAHAHAHAAA. Errm. Sorry.

 

[diaglo]

hi my name is Frank/David... i mean diaglo.

i used to do this when i first started gaming back in the 70's.

but i started writing a player journal... and a referee journal... so i didn't forget important facts.

now it bugs me only a little when another player asks me what i'm talking about when we are gaming. i mean i wrote this thing so i could go back and be ready for the session. (the current game is the story hour in my sig) so when the DM says, "BBEG Blot appears" i know exactly who he means. i can go right into my action..... well i can't... b/c the other players don't do the same. so.. we spend an hour with me trying to stay in character and not just yell, "BBEG Blot was from room X during Session 35" :\

 

[DaveMage]

What's this thread about?

 

[devilbat]

What the hell is the Internet?

 

[Renton]

My worst player - whatever you describe, whatever situation you present the characters with, leads to the well-reasoned response of:

"Killit!" "I killit!" "Killit!"

Ok,. so we were young and high on caffine, but damn that got old quick.