How do you handle campaign cheaters?

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Thats harsh.

Fudging dice rolls doesn't bother me - as long as it doesn't happen more than once or twice in any given game. Knowing the dungeon isn't a problem as long as the player doesn't act the same as the character.

He's not playing the same game as you. Keep him if you want - just make it clear that he's not doing what everyone else is doing. As people have said, he's playing a video game - an unadulterated power trip.

I know it must be harsh, but I'd give up on the WMD for now. Chances are it's already been ruined. You can always use parts of it later - not all is lost.

Just make sure he knows that he's not playing the game - and that it's impossible to win.

In fact make him run a game. Don't cheat or anything. Just make make him run a campaign for awhile - it lets the players know the effort that has to be put in. In my group every player has done at least a few one shots - it makes them understand a bit easier.

 

[Nail]

Cheating often happens because rules and standards aren't clear.

Unfortunately, you usually find out the standards aren't clear until after someone cheats.

Be sure to take this as a lesson, DM: be crystal clear with your players about what is expected.

 

[dren]

If I were the DM, I would leave the group.

I have told all of my players that I have lots of fun DMing but when the game is no longer fun, I will no longer run the games. Period. If the rest of the players want to kick the offender out and then ask me to continue, that's more than fine. But I have enough bs in the real world. I won't put up with it in my fun time. All of my players know it - and I doubt any of them would like to see if I have the resolve to live up to my promise.

Game ON!
Dren

 

[BlueBlackRed]

Make his life a living Hell!

Throw "friendly" NPC's at him that like to backstab just him at the right moment.

If he suddenly "Takes 20" on something, let him find a wonderful item. The one described in the book. Just cursed. If he has accomplies in the group, make it a berserker curse that makes him swing at them.

If he has weaknesses exploit them constantly. All intelligent monsters just happen to get lucky or just figure them out.

When he starts to whine, reply, "Go cry it your mommy ya baby. I spent $100 on this thing and you wasted it for me. Now you can either drop all of your foreknowledge of this dungeon or you can go home and whine about how 'I mistreated you'. Ya cheater!"

Too many people are just a tad too nice to their players. If someone has foreknowledge of the dungeon, they will exploit it to either "win" or use it to become the "star" of the campaign. The "winner" type will eventually become bored and blame you. The "star" type will make it boring and frustrating for everyone.

Don't be nice. Be honest. And if you have to be a jerk. Every group needs one good cynical jerk. It keeps everyone honest.

 

[Tinner]

The eror of his ways

Personally, when this has happened to me, I don't make a big deal about it. In fact, if I catch them unaware, I don't even mention it.
Instead, I just alter the game on the fly so that if Room 23 was supposed to have a cache of gems hidden in the bed leg, it now has a poison gas trap hidden in the bed leg.
Anything that was good is now bad, and vice versa. It has never failed to teach a cheater the error of their was IMO. What's even better, is sometimes the cheater will complain and blurt out "But that's not what's in the book!" and then you have him by the short and curlys.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

I know it must be harsh, but I'd give up on the WMD for now.

I don't really have anything to add to this thread other than I really got a kick out of the Freudian slip, there.

 

[the Jester]

Please let us know how this works out.

 

[Harmon]

Cheating often happens because rules and standards aren't clear.

Unfortunately, you usually find out the standards aren't clear until after someone cheats.

Be sure to take this as a lesson, DM: be crystal clear with your players about what is expected.

<double take> "What-?"

So as GMs we should tell our Players- "I do not want you researching, reading or looking for or at information on the module I am going to be using."

Sorry, if I misinturpted what you said here, but that's what it seems to me that you're saying. I would think that the vast majority of Players, GMs, people in general would not need to be told "don't cheat," that seemslike a common sense thing to me.

 

[BlackSilver]

Bit long winded- sorry about that

Blacksilver,
what you say distresses me. I understand being the only person willing to DM, but if you are willing to take on that role, then you still need to be trying to have fun. When the DM isn't having fun, it makes it harder for the entire group to have fun. Then you end up with secondary issues.

Seriously, what would it take for you to have fun as the DM? Do you just not enjoy the process at all? Do you lack the energy and time to put together what you think will be a good game? Is it possible to have fun with being the DM for you or are you sucking it up as the DM because nobody else will?

A long time ago I started gaming- we had one DM. He grew tired and we started gaming less and less to allow him to come up with campaign. He told us that we would have to gain a new DM or he would have to locate a new group to game with, one that he could Play in as well as GM for.

One of the Players got disgusted and left- never heard from him again (what was his name? Emm- not important). The other Players and myself took up a position as DMs, and the group lasted a few more years. Finally life happened on such a scale that we lost touch (military, college, marriage, children, multiple jobs, etc.) and well we moved on to other groups.

I have many times volunteered in groups to allow the GMs a chance to play, thou I have never joined a group as a GM. In my most recent group, one that I have been with the longest I started GMing when we lost one GM, leaving us with one.

My Players have told me that I appear to love to GM but in reality I do not, I hate the process, I loath the prep time and I hate trying to keep things rolling. All in all I am a Player that GMs so that others can play.

I feel that I am robbing the GM of his game time by stepping away from the position of GM, but I know that I cannot GM as things stand now. I can barely look at one Player at the table as it stands now- I wonder how I will be able to play my present characters feeling as I do (betrayed, slapped with the trust I extended, etc.), but I will forgive and hopefully in time forget, because that is my way.

Hold no grudges; release the energy of anger and frustration, because it’s not worth carrying, because those that gave it to me aren’t worth my carrying such energies about with me.

As you seem interested in my lack of interest in GMing Bard I do it so that others can have fun, so that I can “pay my way,” as it were, while there are those that refuse to pay in order to play its not their way to pay their fair share and I can accept that, it is my way to pay. (Does that make sense?)

The group will be getting together soon and I need to get ready. Everything will work its way out, I know that, and I will eventually get back to GMing and my Players will show their true colors again and my friends will do what is right by me as I will them.

Thank you, blessings, and I will let you all know how this turns out as soon as I can.

 

[BSF]

Blacksilver,
thank you for sharing. It sounds like you are in a bit of a predicament. You obviously value the contribution you make to the group when you step into the GM role. Yet you do not enjoy making that contribution.

I GM because I truly enjoy running the challenges, but I have definitely had times where I burned out and wanted to do something else. I think I am very fortunate right now because if I feel a bit of burnout, I know one of my players would be willing to run a game or two. (Hi Macbeth!) I have not always been so lucky and I have left games, and groups, because I no longer enjoyed running the game.

Best of luck with it all though. And if you do get back in the GM chair, work to make it fun for you as well as everyone else. Feel free to post, or even take it out of channel. Drop me an email if you would like davidmoore @ zianet.com Maybe just having someplace or somebody to bounce ideas off can help you find gming joy? I don't know. But as one gamer to another, you have got to have fun with what you are doing in your game, regardless of the role you are currently sitting in at the time. So take it easy, whip up a cool PC to play, let the across table frustration go and have fun.

That's what it is all about.