Do you have trouble "Laying down the law"?

[Mallus]

I game with people I like and trust, so this doesn't come up. If mistakes are made/caught, then we discuss/fix them. No one 'lays down the law', no ultimatums are issued.

Before I'd accuse someone of cheating, I'd treat it as a honest mistake, bring it up in the open --naming names-- and go from there. I wouldn't game w/someone I honestly felt was a persistent, not to mention belligerent, cheater.

 

[JeffB]

MO 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.

This

and

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

a big THAT

 

[Lord Xtheth]

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.

Well, its not realy a question of whether or not I should do somthing about it... because I have.

This is a good friend of mine, I've been dealing with his "cheatery" for a couple of years now. Here I am, still in the "early stages" of DMing 4E and he's cheating left right and centre throwing my calculations and behind-the-scenes work off.

My thoughts were if anyone else has had any trouble talking to friends, relatives, players, or whoever about their cheating ways?

 

[Umbran]

My thoughts were if anyone else has had any trouble talking to friends, relatives, players, or whoever about their cheating ways?

Given that the one thing you don't want to do is accuse someone of cheating when actually they are just mistaken, or you are mistaken, there's some steps you can take to correct both cheating and errors:

If it is on paper, you can be non-confrontational, "Joe, these points don't add up. You must have made a mistake..." The offender has thus been caught, and knows that being caught again will look fishy.

This is expedited by occasionally asking to look at character sheets from multiple people in the party. "I just want to make sure I remember what you can do/have available..." So it doesn't look like anyone is being singled out.

If it is dice rolling, have the dice rolled in the open for everyone. And, occasionally ask folks to give run down the bonuses they get on a particular roll - again, for your own edification as DM.

If the player continues under such scrutiny, have a simple, sober talk with them. Lay out your evidence, and how you'd like them to proceed within the rules. Mature people can handle this. Immature people may not be able to - but you probably don't want them at your table anyway.

 

[amysrevenge]

And, occasionally ask folks to give run down the bonuses they get on a particular roll - again, for your own edification as DM.

I think I might start doing this one myself...

 

[Aberzanzorax]

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

Personally, I HATE cheating.


However, I wonder about the truth of the quoted statement. Whenever I find someone's behavior intolerable, I try to examine it from their own perspective.

Maybe, in a non-competitive game the person justifies it as "I'm not cheating the other players, I'm just making it a bit easier on myself...it's not as though I'm BEATING them."

In essence, I wonder if, because it is not as though there are winners or losers, that the offender feels justified in making his character work at the level he/she wants it to work...even if that means not playing by the same rules as everyone else.

I could also imagine someone with either low self esteem or low self efficacy (in terms of believing they're not "good" at the game and need an edge to keep up, including things like "I don't really get the rules" and "the dice hate me, I'm always unlucky" and even "the others are more sophisticated roleplayers, I need some way to contribute").

Sometimes people cheat to bring themselves up to average (in their minds) rather than to "win" or "outshine" the others.

Just playin' devi's advocate, here, though.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Cheating at a pen and paper RPG has got to be about the most pathetic thing I can think of. Its not like you can really 'Win' at D&D. So you managed to do a bit more damage. Whoohoo for you I guess.

I suppose if you were just trying to mess with your DM, I could see the point. If you thought your DM was a bit of a prick for making the game too hard to enjoy, I could see the point.

But assuming the game is run reasonably and fairly by the DM, why do this? Running your attacks as though you had a +3 magic weapon instead of a +1, or using a potion of healing you pulled out of your arse is a bit on the weak side. Its not like killing Korgol the grand orc Cheiftan is going to do much more then momentarily impress a bunch of your friends.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Rechan]

I had to "lay down the law", but only on rare occasions. Primarily back in high school; I had a habit of saying "Yes" to a powergamer friend of mine when I should've said "uh, no". Twice he made uberbroken characters. Each time I had to lay down the law and say, "Hand me your sheet, make a new guy."

 

[Pseudonym]

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.

Why the heck are you still gaming with this guy?

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.

Friend or no, cheating at games becomes unexceptable at some point in Elementary school. Certainly not in anything associated with adult behavior. Kick him to the curb and get another player.

 

[fba827]

it really depends on the nature of the infraction and my relationship with the person.

in some cases i have no problem laying down the law (in as diplomatic a way as i can muster). in some cases i haven't been able to do so (i am not the confrontational sort by nature so if someone's personality is of a 'certain type' i just wouldn't be able to do it). and there are some cases where it wasn't severe enough in relative scope to the type of game group (i.e for a oneshot thing the chance of it recurring are 0; or just old friends playing in a silly way not taking anything seriously at all), etc