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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Belen" data-source="post: 236702" data-attributes="member: 1405">A reply for KestrelKestrel,You sound a lot like me, or the GM that I used to be.  I had players who walked all over me.  One guy used to find creative uses of spells.  For instance, he somehow cheesed a spell that I wrote!  However, I learned how to deal with power gaming in that campaign.  Here are some things that you may find useful:1.) Modules are written with combat in mind.  Any module that WOTC produces will be heavily combat oriented.  The reason for a GM is to fix the holes left in the module.  If you run a module, then you must tailor it to your world.  If you play in a established world, then make it your own.  I once ran the original Temple of Elemental Evil.  As a 1e adventure, it was 100% combat-minded, yet the adventure ended up with more story than combat and it took nearly a year to run a module.  You have to supplment your own RP and minor adventures and hooks into any adventure.2.) Did I hear that you have NPCs helping them!?  Never, ever run NPCs as permanent editions to the party.  There are a few reasons for this:a. In combat, you have to beat yourself.  You have to attack the PCs with the monsters, but are then responsible for fighting them too.  This is way too much conflict of interest.  b. Our cheesemeister, powergamers use the NPCs to find out GM knowledege, even if you never give them useful info or use the NPCs to steer things on a course you like, these gamers will always let you do the work.c. If you want RP, then why would you have yourself stuck in a situation where you'd have to have the NPC you're running with the party talk to the NPC that is talking to the party.  This just looks like you talking to yourself and gamers will watch rather than interact.d.  If they cannot handle the adventure with only three or four PCs, then tough.  Run something else, lighten the load, or let them die.  It is the job of the PCs to survive, not the job of the GM to make certain that they survive.3.) Be consistant.  4.) Have consequences: You know that old adage "There is always someone out there smarter than you."  Well, there is always one NPC that is better than a party member.  I call it Karma.  If a player starts talking like he can survive anything, then I have his karma catch up with him.  For instance, I had this one fighter who constantly made fun of the other players in the group because they had died before.  He treated people like crap.  After he got in the face of a lord, I had the lord hire an assassin to get the fighter.  Guess what happens to any sleeping character who fails there listen check?  The fighter had to make a fortitude save DC 10+ the damage dealt.  Hmmm.....sneak attack....the save ended up being 56.  The fighter did not roll a 20, therefore he died.  Get the pciture?  Eventually, the others ressurrected him, but he never made fun of them again.5.) Make your own stuff.  I saw that you had some of your own players post.  Don't worry about what you write so much.  You can place module in the framework of your own writing.  It takes a bit more work, but they will find something unique far more fun than a carbon-copy module.6.) NPCs!!!!!!!  Have them interact with NPCs.  They do not have to be good NPCs.  In my last campaign, this evil barbarian ranger followed the party around.  He would get to a village before them with his cronies and butcher the village.  For a while, the PCs felf impotent and hopeless as they could not save anyone.  Japheth would visit them at night an gloat.  The one time they attacked, all five of them lay near death and he gloated all the more.  It became a goal for them to get Japheth, although they had a hefty fear of him.  They would plan traps, interact with NPCs such as constables and innkeepers just to get word of Japheth or find a way to get him.  The power gamers became roleplayers because they had to get Japheth.I am sure I have more suggestions, but I am done for now.  Write me if you want to talk more sometime.  I am happy to lend my XP.Dave<a href="mailto:david@jbmr.org">david@jbmr.org</a></blockquote>

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