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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Peni Griffin" data-source="post: 3421973" data-attributes="member: 50322">Is it everybody, or is it one person?If everybody, resign as DM.  Seriously.  Tell them that you obviously aren't the DM they want since they keep trying to do things their way instead of your way, and promise to abide by the rules set by whichever one of them steps up to bat.  Either you get to play, or they back off.  Win-win.  Save the DM work you've done for a later time when you can put together a more compatible group.You should also consider whether, if everyone is doing this, some fault accrues to you.  Have you been as clear as you thought you were?  Did anything you say have the potential to cause confusion?  Do you have e-mails sitting unanswered in your inbox that asked questions about the campaign?  Have you been capricious at all?  If so, don't be afraid to clear the air.  Ask each person what he understood the rules to have been.  If everyone has a different idea, or they all got hold of the wrong end of one particular stick, there's a communication problem and the onus of fixing that is on you.If only one person is the problem - you'll have to gauge his personality.  Some people just have to challenge authority and it won't matter what rule you set, they'll challenge it.  Settling the dominance hierarchy is literally more important to them than anybody's good time, including their own.  You can slap such a person down, hard, in a dominance battle, or you can convince him that following the rules is his own idea.  Anything else, you lose him, and that's not a bad thing even if you like the guy.  You don't have to be able to play with somebody to be friends with them.  Other people just need a little more attention, or have to fiddle with rules in order to have fun, or have some other playstyle or personality quirk that's manifesting in this way.  In that case - it's time to develop some people skills.  Figure out what's causing the behavior and you'll find a way to change the situation to elicit better behavior.  Sometimes the solution is counterintuitive.  Some people will push and push and push until you suddenly throw a tantrum (you would be ASTONISHED how many people won't believe that I'm serious about my requirements until I throw a hissy fit - I'm talking building contractors, shop personnel, fellow workers, all kinds of folks!), when they suddenly realize they're bugging you and turn sweet as pie.  I hate that throwing a tantrum is at the right time and of the requisit intensity is a life skill for me, but it's that or not get stuff done.</blockquote>

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