Failing motivation to adventure

[sniffles]

I think players either have to overlook the "what would my character do" aspect occasionally or make a point of creating a character who will go along with the group. Otherwise, why are you roleplaying in a group? Case in point, one of my PCs really doesn't have a lot in common with the party, but she sticks with them because as an elf she feels sort of responsible for these "youngsters", and as a druid/ranger she can keep them from doing too much damage to the natural world.

A friend of mine had his PC choose not to go along with one adventure in the campaign in my story hour. The player felt his PC would be useless in the mission we were going on. Luckily he changed his mind after a bit and roleplayed riding out after us. He ultimately was very useful. Sometimes you do have to just make a reason to be there, because if you don't, no one else will.

 

[devilbat]

Nothing drives me crazier then when a player proclaims "why would I be travelling with this party." Generally, I go to great lengths to create motivation and reason, but every so often you'll get a player that ignores everything you put in front of them.

I usually end up saying "do, or do not, just make a decision so the game can continue."

 

[Greylock]

Nothing drives me crazier then when a player proclaims "why would I be travelling with this party."

This reared it's head in emails recently in the game I play in. I felt no need to respond. My character is motivated by a search for knowledge, another character is driven by the need to explore, another wants to rid the world of evil, another is just a happy wanderer. If the fifth player can't find a reason to be travelling, then yes, roll up a new character - please. This part of the game is not supposed to be that hard.

 

[Silveras]

The first time...
I have run a game for a party so fed up with the antics of one player and his characters that the other characters sneaked out of the inn without him. The characters paid their bills, but they wanted to be long gone before his character woke up.




The second time ...
In my homebrew, most "modern" kingdoms have laws regarding the use of magic as well as the use of physical weapons. Charms, especially compulsions, are considered off-limits without official approval, and the uses of other spells are regulated. Casting *any* kind of spell on someone else without prior permission is considered a type of attack.

So there was a PC Illusionist (2nd Edition game) who cast detect evil on the party in the tavern while I was doing the campaign introduction. The party noticed, and the players referred to the background information packets I had given out. The PC was beaten to a pulp and asked never to show his face again.

Shortest career on record in my games.

I am still not sure whether to be pleased that the Players had actually read the background information I had given them, or to be dismayed at how one of them had failed to grasp what it meant.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Again (as with alot of the "Alignment" and "Role Playing" threads I've seen in general lately), this is one of those things I crack down alot about.

I get on these boards and I feel like such a draconian monster.

But it's part of my effort to put more fun in the "20 minutes of fun in 4 hours of gaming". I've got no patience for stuff that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game for people. The party's cohesion is one of the things that just SHOULDN'T be an issue that takes up table-time. If somebody wants a character concept that might not adventure, then he'll have to come up with a secondary character that DOES adventure ... and if his characters are behind everybody else because they're splitting XP, that's his deal. Of course I wouldn't suggest it ... there will be other times where other concepts may be better suited, so there's no real reason to shoe-horn a certain character into a game that'll detract from everybody at the table's fun.

--fje

 

[Kid Socrates]

I was in a group where the mage was trying to domesticate/clean up the barbarian and that was their major thing, and when the other fighter in the party needed to go clear something up with her family, they felt no real need to do anything about it because they were busy (the mage and barbarian's players were also dating in real life, which led to good chemistry at times, but often to the expense of the plot).

So it came down to the two fighters to do -all- the work that session, infiltrating the inn where the nobles were staying, going in disguise (using one of my THREE magic items, a potion of alter self), finding out the plot to kill the other fighter's father, trying to leave, being found out, trying to fight off four bugbears with class levels by myself with a rapier, luckily having the other fighter pick that moment to burst in, using the SECOND of my three magic items, a potion (or something) of Fly, and trying to outfly three Fireballs through empty city streets, making crazy-lucky saves, and then doubling back around with 4 HP to grab the other fighter, dodge an arrow by one point, and escape.

And then get griped at by the mage's and barbarian's players for hogging the action.

Rassumfrassum.

After that, the GM established that we were a party and needed to act as such from there on out, so the two meatshields didn't have to BS their way through any more encounters. I have never stretched so few skill points so far...

 

[TheGM]

No, the players I play with are generally pretty good about this - they know that without motivation to adventure they don't have a party, so they come prepared. And playing High Fantasy means they'll have a reason - the bad guys - soon enough after the characters first get together.

Once in a blue moon it happens. When it does I just leave that character alone. As long as the bored player isn't disruptive I don't ask them to leave, but I'm less likely to invite them back.

 

[Steverooo]

Have you ever seen a PC actually get left behind for some role-playing reason.

I've seen a party break up (in game) because they found they had no compatible goals, and no real reason to stick together. 2 of the 5 PCs continued the game with 3 new PCs joining.

Get left behind? No. Quit? Yes! I've been that player, many a time... Why GMs allow evil PCs and Paladins into the same game beats me! I always play XG (X-Good) PCs, generally NG, these days, although formerly LG. When I played in a campaign where we were supposed to be hunting Wererats, and one of the other PCs (a guy that many of us worked with, but had never played with, before) "tested" an NPC by cutting his throat, I objected, and tried to stop him. Other PCs blocked my path. Once he saw that the NPC bled, his responce was "Oh well, he's almost dead, already... Might as well finish him off!" I certainly felt no compulsion to continue with that group, or play with that player, again!

Another time, I played in one of those "You meet up along the road, and join together for "safety in numbers", and then something wierd happens!"-type games. I had a NG Elf, we also had an Orc, who took every opportunity to badmouth my PC, and more PCs kept popping in at every stop... My PC, being an Elf, was always attempting to find out whatever information that he could. This seemed to irritate the other PCs (even though he learned a lot). He was invited to leave the party by one of the PCs who didn't participate, much, and generally hassled by the other PCs. Eventually, after a fight, when the Half-Orc started up, again, and one of the new PCs who hadn't been picking on him, before, started in, I asked myself "Now WHY is my PC getting ready to go down into the dungeon with these people?" I couldn't find a reason, so I quit. The game folded, soon after, with a high PC drop-out rate.

In the very next campaign I played in, I ran into almost exactly the same situation... This was the one with the CE Priest of Gruumsh, the LG Paladin, and my NG Elf, among others... After telling the players about the last campaign, and that I wasn't interested in another party that couldn't cooperate, I was surprised that the HO stole a magical bow off my PC, and started a fight over it (after we'd agreed on how to divide treasure). I E-mailed the player, again, reiterated my position. An NPC asked us to stop the fight. The player wrote back and said he'd drop the PC, if it was a problem... Thus, imagine my surprise when his PC attacked mine, again!... In this case, I dropped the game, as well, and the campaign folded, almost immediately.

Funny how the "problem player" often turns out to be the life of the campaign, as well. I often wonder if the source of the other player's irritation is that their PCs are not the center of attention, and they feel that the information-seekers are keeping them off-stage, out-of-combat, or some such?

 

[just__al]

Have you ever seen a PC actually get left behind for some role-playing reason.

I've seen a party break up (in game) because they found they had no compatible goals, and no real reason to stick together. 2 of the 5 PCs continued the game with 3 new PCs joining.

Quasqueton

A fellow player had her Druid leave the group in the exact opposite direction of the rest of the group after a party blowup. The party blowup happened due to poor tacticts fighting mummys. She never made it to a temple in time before she died of mummy rot

 

[Janx]

I think there's some ground rules that have to be set up to avoid these situations, and then handle them when they do come up:

Prevention of Group Disintegration Rules
1. Players should always strive to find a reason to work together
2. Player should always strive to find and follow the plot-hook
3. GM should always work to involve all the players
4. GM should always work to provide plausible plot-hooks for players
5. GM should reward good behavior, and provide consequences for bad behavior

Resolution of Group Disintegration Rules
1. If a PC splits off from the party, the GM should put that ONE PC on hold, instead of delaying the majority of players
2. Truly disruptive PCs should be dealt with logically in game
3. Truly disruptive players should be dealth with politely out of game

Janx