Do you have trouble "Laying down the law"?

[Lord Xtheth]

I was just reviewing some characters (Via the character builder) and noticed that one of my players "Fudged" his stats and a couple magic items when he updated his character at some point.

I promptly sent out a mass email to my regulars stating that actions such as this will no longer be tolerated (But I did not point out a guilty party). I also added the potential punishment that anyone continuing this activity will no longer be welcome in my games.

I figured that a warning like this would be fair.

Has anyone else had to "lay down the law" in a similar fashion for any game system?

Have you had trouble confronting your players (and posably friends) about their "cheating"?

 

[ggroy]

It depends on the situation.

In the case of somebody cheating on their magic weapons, in the past I sometimes put a "curse" on the incriminating magic weapon which would make it non-functional or even explode at random, all without telling them.

In the case of fudged stats, I would secretly place a penalty whenever the cheater used that particular stat. Sometimes I would even double the penalty for fun to see whether they get the message.

If somebody still insists on cheating despite the warning signs, I'll just send tougher monsters to fight the cheaters while doing a bit of my own "cheating" on them, such as the particular monster regenerating 10 hit points every time the cheater hits the monster.

 

[RangerWickett]

The proper response, I feel, is to be open and honest to the player. Tell them you don't think their stats fit the rules, and you want everyone to play by the same rules.

Consider why someone would cheat with their friends. Ask if the person has a complaint about your game not being fun because they always miss, or because they're not getting what they want. If either is the case, I think it is much better for the health of your game and your friendship to talk openly about it, rather than having either person try to get what they want discreetly.

Remember, just because you're GM doesn't mean you're more important than your players. You're all friends, and friendships don't often work when one person views himself as being 'the law.'

You should talk the situation over with your player first, then get the whole group together and figure out what everyone's opinion is. Me personally, I don't care if a player cheats. He comes to have fun, and if he has fun cheating, well . . . it's not a competitive game. I don't lose anything if he kills my monsters faster. But I would talk to him and see if there's anything I can do to help him enjoy the game more, because again, it's not healthy to lie to your friends.

 

[Umbran]

In the case of fudged stats, I would secretly place a penalty whenever the cheater used that particular stat. Sometimes I would even double the penalty for fun to see whether they get the message.

I am for clear communication between GM and players. If you have a problem with a player, you talk to the player. You don't match shenanigans with shenanigans and hope they get the hint, and punish them even further if they fail to understand.

I have never had such problems in tabletop games, but I've seen it in live-action games (with larger player groups, it is easier for GMs to lose track of details). I have seen folks expelled from games for such behavior. It isn't fun, but it is a GM's job.

I find that about half the time, it isn't actually willful cheating. Honest mistakes do happen. So, I find it best to be non-confrontational. Don't accuse until you are sure it is outright cheating. "Joe, I see you have more skill points than you should here - do you know how that happened? We'll have to fix it to get it in line with everyone else..."

 

[ggroy]

I am for clear communication between GM and players. If you have a problem with a player, you talk to the player. You don't match shenanigans with shenanigans and hope they get the hint, and punish them even further if they fail to understand.

I don't regularly use the "fight fire with fire" strategy of matching shenanigans with shenanigans, unless the particular cheating player is completely belligerent beyond any reasoning. I've had to deal with such individuals in the past, and eventually kicked them out of the game.

 

[Bumbles]

There's a reason many GM's keep the character sheets.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

I have talked to that particular player privately before. I've cought him several times fudging dice rolls, stats, damage, magic items etc. I've also confronted him in game sessions.

I figure giving everyone in the group a strict "this is how things work" is a good way to cue him in. If not, he can find another group. He's still my friend, but I stop having fun when he blatantly disregards the rules.

 

[Dyson Logos]

I've had issues with players cheating in the past. We switched to a rule of rolling in the centre of the table.

Then we stopped inviting him.

 

[tmatk]

I have talked to that particular player privately before. I've cought him several times fudging dice rolls, stats, damage, magic items etc. I've also confronted him in game sessions.

I figure giving everyone in the group a strict "this is how things work" is a good way to cue him in. If not, he can find another group. He's still my friend, but I stop having fun when he blatantly disregards the rules.

So this is a recurring issue? Unless he's a friend, or you are hurting for players, IMO give him one more warning then boot him. It's hard enough to run a game without having to double check everything a cheater is doing.

Cheating is lame. Cheating at a non-competitive story telling game is just pathetic.

 

[ggroy]

The belligerent cheaters I've had to deal with previously, were almost always the munchkin hardcore powergamer types. To them, a game is more than just "a game".

When these people were younger, they were the same types who would always used "cheats" on arcade video games such that they would hog a machine for hours and hours at a time. Whenever their character man died in a video game and/or the game was over, they would always kick the coin box on the arcade machine afterwards. Not surprisingly, these types got thrown out of video arcades very frequently. (That is, back in the day when video arcades were on every second block in the middle of the city).