Virel
First Post
Gaming last night, I noticed the groups magic user "shadow tracking" all of the damage and to hit rolls against the monsters. His character failed his fear save and was running for it. The beholder had charmed two members of the party and sent them off after the magic user, who fled the dungeon on a preceding round. The magic user wanted to run side action against the two other PC's, I told him to wait until we wrapped up against the beholder before we did that.
The group was in earnest combat but not life or death against a severely wounded beholder. The Beholder had only a handful of hit points left. His main eye was undamaged, he'd lost six of his ten eye stalks, one of the remaining ones was close to being destroyed with 3 or 4 hit points left, the other three eye stalks were undamaged, his main body had exactly 3 hit points left. The party was basically one successful attack against the main body from defeating it. Two fighters were up to swing. One did and missed. The other started to roll.
At this point the magic user announced, the beholder had only three eye stalks left not four as I had indicated at the start of the current round. I stated the beholder had four and started to go on. He whipped out his shadow tracked damage sheet and declared it did not because since I don't let him or other players see my damage notes, he keeps up with his own tracking of the parties damage.
I was pretty much stunned. In part because I had asked the group of players to give this fellow a try out. He's played in other groups I've DM'd but I've never found him disruptive in the past.
Breaking with tradition, I told him the 4th eye stalk had 4 hit points left. He started arguing that it didn't that such and such damage by so and so took place on round such and such and he was sure it had taken 8 pts of damage not 4 as I stated. I check my notes and I had 4pts of damage marked. 2 from fire & 2 from a hit. I told him that wasn't what my notes showed. Several other players, about 3/4 of the group told him he was way out of line at the same time. He insisted he was right. They told him it didn't matter what was on his sheet what mattered was what was on the DM's sheet. The DM takes care of that not players.
He continuted to press the matter. Honestly, in 17 years of DMing, I've never had something like this happen. I was taken aback and at this point, anger washed over me like a white sheet of flame. I told him that my notes had for the eye stalk and four remained. He kept disputing. Several players were visibilty upset and told him to quit arguing with the DM, that I was fair in my treatment and dealings in the way the game was ran. He said something else. I said lets get back on task.
Here's where the problem came. My concentration was shattered. I had no idea where I was game wise. The fighter rolled. He had to tell me two or three times that he hit and what his damage was. I knew at that point. I was more upset than I realized. Never had this happen in a game session before.
I told the group, I needed five to collect my thoughts on the game. Thing is I couldn't collect them. All I could think about was, how this player had just out of the blue disrupted the game session when his character wasn't even present. Several players followed me out of the session and wanted to talk about how inappropriate the other players actions were. I just told them I needed a few mintues alone.
After about ten minutes, I knew I couldn't DM fairly because I was mad. I refuse to DM in that sort of situation. That's never happened to me before. I've always been able to shake stuff off, but the more I thought about it I realized, it wasn't a math error or a misunderstanding being questioned, it was something else on a personal level.
I went back and told them, I only DM when I know I can be objective and unbiased toward the players. The argument the player started had me doubting if I would be fair or objective going forward so I was calling the session.
I gathered my stuff up. I over heard bits of what other players were saying to the magic user's player. He was apologizing within minutes, repeatedly. I told him not worry about. When I got home, there was an email apology waiting. This surprised me.
How do I shake of the lingering effects? Right now I don't want to play D&D and I sure don't want to DM. While this player helps with lots of other out of game stuff, I really don't want to deal with him again. One of his emails is asking me to teach him how to DM.
Any suggestions of "getting" my neutrality back, putting this event out of mind getting excited about the game again? I would appreciate them.
FWIW - this didn't happen with my long time group, it happened with the new group that started.
The group was in earnest combat but not life or death against a severely wounded beholder. The Beholder had only a handful of hit points left. His main eye was undamaged, he'd lost six of his ten eye stalks, one of the remaining ones was close to being destroyed with 3 or 4 hit points left, the other three eye stalks were undamaged, his main body had exactly 3 hit points left. The party was basically one successful attack against the main body from defeating it. Two fighters were up to swing. One did and missed. The other started to roll.
At this point the magic user announced, the beholder had only three eye stalks left not four as I had indicated at the start of the current round. I stated the beholder had four and started to go on. He whipped out his shadow tracked damage sheet and declared it did not because since I don't let him or other players see my damage notes, he keeps up with his own tracking of the parties damage.
I was pretty much stunned. In part because I had asked the group of players to give this fellow a try out. He's played in other groups I've DM'd but I've never found him disruptive in the past.
Breaking with tradition, I told him the 4th eye stalk had 4 hit points left. He started arguing that it didn't that such and such damage by so and so took place on round such and such and he was sure it had taken 8 pts of damage not 4 as I stated. I check my notes and I had 4pts of damage marked. 2 from fire & 2 from a hit. I told him that wasn't what my notes showed. Several other players, about 3/4 of the group told him he was way out of line at the same time. He insisted he was right. They told him it didn't matter what was on his sheet what mattered was what was on the DM's sheet. The DM takes care of that not players.
He continuted to press the matter. Honestly, in 17 years of DMing, I've never had something like this happen. I was taken aback and at this point, anger washed over me like a white sheet of flame. I told him that my notes had for the eye stalk and four remained. He kept disputing. Several players were visibilty upset and told him to quit arguing with the DM, that I was fair in my treatment and dealings in the way the game was ran. He said something else. I said lets get back on task.
Here's where the problem came. My concentration was shattered. I had no idea where I was game wise. The fighter rolled. He had to tell me two or three times that he hit and what his damage was. I knew at that point. I was more upset than I realized. Never had this happen in a game session before.
I told the group, I needed five to collect my thoughts on the game. Thing is I couldn't collect them. All I could think about was, how this player had just out of the blue disrupted the game session when his character wasn't even present. Several players followed me out of the session and wanted to talk about how inappropriate the other players actions were. I just told them I needed a few mintues alone.
After about ten minutes, I knew I couldn't DM fairly because I was mad. I refuse to DM in that sort of situation. That's never happened to me before. I've always been able to shake stuff off, but the more I thought about it I realized, it wasn't a math error or a misunderstanding being questioned, it was something else on a personal level.
I went back and told them, I only DM when I know I can be objective and unbiased toward the players. The argument the player started had me doubting if I would be fair or objective going forward so I was calling the session.
I gathered my stuff up. I over heard bits of what other players were saying to the magic user's player. He was apologizing within minutes, repeatedly. I told him not worry about. When I got home, there was an email apology waiting. This surprised me.
How do I shake of the lingering effects? Right now I don't want to play D&D and I sure don't want to DM. While this player helps with lots of other out of game stuff, I really don't want to deal with him again. One of his emails is asking me to teach him how to DM.
Any suggestions of "getting" my neutrality back, putting this event out of mind getting excited about the game again? I would appreciate them.
FWIW - this didn't happen with my long time group, it happened with the new group that started.
