Do you have a player like this in your group?

[megamania]

What the hell is the Internet?

It's awesome! They have the internet on computers now!

 

[diaglo]

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!

that's cuz he didn't understand why a Leek would have a layer.

miscommunication is sometimes the problem.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

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...).

But at least you still realize it's SPACE!

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

My old group had a player that, during roleplaying, would invariably pull out a magazine or his laptop. And then be totally confused when someone asked him a RP question.

He would do the same thing during other people's actions in combat. To his credit, he'd already have his next action planned out - but often what he had planned became moot by the time his action came around. (i.e. "I cast flame strike on monster1!" Blank stare from group. "Eh, dude, someone killed monster1 a while ago.")

The DM eventually banned books, magazines, and laptops from the gaming table.

At which point he started reading gaming books to the same result. *sigh*

 

[Aeson]

I wasn't paying attention. What are we doing? What ever it is I kill it.

 

[DaveMage]

I wasn't paying attention. What are we doing? What ever it is I kill it.

I take its stuff...

 

[Hijinks]

I'm guilty of knitting during RP sessions but I try to pay attention!! I just get so bored while everyone discusses the fine points of this uber_weapon_01 versues that uber_weapon_02 or whether he can actually cast that spell in that specific instance.

Maybe write the guy a cheat sheet of the basics: "#1: We are in space. #2: You are playing a druid. #3: The skills for your druid are on page 34 of the handbook in your lap...."

 

[Xath]

I played with a guy who would fall asleep almost on cue at midnight, every time we gamed. When we'd wake him up, he'd have similar questions. We solved this by just handing his character over to someone else at the stroke of 12.

 

[sniffles]

I'm guilty of knitting during RP sessions but I try to pay attention!! I just get so bored while everyone discusses the fine points of this uber_weapon_01 versues that uber_weapon_02 or whether he can actually cast that spell in that specific instance.

LOL!! One of my friends knits or tats lace during games, but she's always paying attention - it just gives her something to do besides stare at the table while the guys go off on one of their interminable strategizing discussions.

I admit to being one of the people who used to read (or draw) during games, and would sometimes respond with, "What?" when it was my turn. But I try nowadays to pay closer attention. I don't always succeed, but I try. Unfortunately it seems to be a virus. A few months ago I watched one of my friends sit reading a game book (for a game he was going to be running, not for the game in progress), and respond with a blank look when the GM called his name. Sigh.

Maybe Frank has a learning disability?

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

My brother-in-law Bill is pretty close to what you describe. You can paint a picture for him on what his PC sees, experiences, hears and he will use his favorite 4 worded question (and mean it!), "I don't get it?" Quickly followed up by, "Now tell me this again." You usually have to explain it to him "again" at least 3 times. He has been playing for years and still doesn't understand why certain things take place with game mechanics! He can also be majorly clueless to plot hooks. For a true example this sequence of events happened in a solo adventure my brother Dave was running and Bill was the PC with several henchman:

Dave: "Okay, you've been exploring the forest three days. As you travel on the morning of the fourth day you see what appears to be a ruins of some kind?

Bill: "What do I see again?

Dave: "Bill, off to your right you see ruins through the trees. It looks pretty massive in scope."

Bill: "I go on."

And thus ends that adventure. Duh!