How do you leave a gaming group?

[Tuzenbach]

Go out memorible. Show up for the last session. Make sure it will be the last session, for them as well as you. When your character is on watch, kill all the other characters while they sleep, take all of they're stuff.

Dammit! I was gunna say that!

But seriously, show up for this last session and announce at the beginning that your thinking of trying a few new tricks in that session to "enhance the role-playing experience". Then, when a major combat scenario happens, nonchalantly help the opposing side destroy your former allies. And when they start to shout "WTF..?!?!" Just counter and say, "Dudes, it's all part of a cool plan. Just wait and see! Trust me!". Just keep saying that and keep killing them until they make you leave. Then you can say "DUDES! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WAIT AND SEE! YOU'VE RUINED OUR PLAN!!!" Those'll be your famous last words. LoL

 

[Gumby]

How I left my last gaming group:

We were all teachers for the Anchorage School District - I taught U.S. History at Bartlett High School, Jack and Amy worked over at neighboring elementary schools, and the other two (who often didn't show up because they could never budget their time, and were always making lesson plans at two in the morning) taught over at Romig Junior High. The DM was Jake (not to be confused with Jack), and he taught math at East High. Wonderfully, we all smoked, so there wasn't any difficulties with asthma or allergies or anything.

Jake was okay when he wasn't gaming, but give him a DM hat and the guy was an amazingly arrogant bastard. He'd cut people off mid-sentence, blatantly ignore character backgrounds, re-arrange things so that monsters weren't where they were two rounds ago, and things like that. The way he saw it, the game was his to run, and the players should just stay the hell out of his way if they didn't like it. But the big problem was... he'd correct people's math. When he wasn't even right. These arguments would sometimes take a half an hour, and everyone would be so upset that we'd just end the session early and take off. We kept coming back though, and I'm still not sure why.

The night I left, I was playing a dwarven thrower (not the artifact, just a Dwarf Fighter who threw hand-axes about), and out of nowhere, Jake decided to change the damage for hand-axes from 1d6 to 1d4. He claimed that to really do any damage with a thrown axe, I'd have to hit the target solidly with enough of the blade to do some serious chopping damage, and given the fact that the axes were twirling about, there was no sure way to do that. I objected of course, as I was already sixth level, had weapon focus and weapon spec, and certainly didn't appreciate my weapon being nerfed months into the campaign.

We stood over the table and yelled at each other for about five minutes, and by then I had had enough. I grabbed a crystal ashtray and chucked it at his face. It hit him right below the left eye, right where the bony protruding part of the eye socket sticks out the most and sort of shifts into the cheekbone. It broke the lens of his glasses, and quite a bit of blood dripped out. I didn't really notice how much blood, because I was jumping up and down, waving my arms like a gorilla, and screaming, "HOW MUCH DAMAGE DID THAT DO, JAKE? HOW MUCH DAMAGE? YOU THINK A D4 OR A D6?"

Amy (who was crying - turns out she and Jake were seeing each other behind Jack's back) grabbed a steak knife, brandished it at me, and yelled, "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" I just roared, picked up all my dice, and threw them all down on the gaming table, scattering them everywhere. (Lost a good d20 that way.) There was lots of swearing which I won't repeat here, and I eventually stormed off to my car and left, after slamming Jake's front door so hard the wreath fell off (this was Christmas-time, a month or so back).

Jack told me a week ago that Jake ended up with three stitches, and told the ER doctor he fell down some stairs. Jack kinda found the whole thing funny in retrospect, because Amy left him for Jake. Jack and I are going to start up an Exalted campaign next weekend, which should be fun.

 

[Ferox4]

Well........that was colorful.

I wonder if they play D&D in prison?

 

[dreaded_beast]

Similiar thing here. If I am the DM I would appreciate a chance to address any problems before it comes to your leaving. If I am not able to fix the problems, your welcome to leave.

Actually, you want to leave because i don't want you there, that is why I didn't "fix" the problem. Your leaving has been my plan all along, glad you finally got the message.

Seriously, go ahead and leave. Just don't be surprised if you find out they were glad you left. It used to amaze me when a player I tolerated would finally quit playing and then I would find out the rest of the players couldn't stand them either. They just tolerated him because they thought I liked them (the player who left)! Go ahead and quit, you'll probably all be happier.

Similar thing here. If I am the player, and the DM says things like he would appreciate a chance to address any problems before the player leaves and when attempts are actually made to do so, the DM is too arrogant at times to even consider that he could even be the cause of said problems.

Actually, I want to leave because I don't want to be there, that is why I didn't "fix" the problem. My leaving has been my plan all along, glad your too arrogant to understand that.

Seriously, I'm gonna leave. Just don't be surprised when your players leave and they are glad they left. It just amazes me when old players get together and then we would find out the rest of the players couldn't stand some of the crap the DM made them put up with. They just tolerated because everyone else thought everyone else liked him (the DM we left)! We quit and we are happier.

Seriously.

 

[Acid_crash]

Quit, find another group, and have a blast and to hell with the arrogant bastard DM. I would rather not play then have to play with a DM like that.

 

[Mark]

I found a solution in an old favorite...

One day, however, he arrived unexpectedly to examine the plans. He walked heavily round the shed, looked closely at every detail of the plans and snuffed at them once or twice, then stood for a little while contemplating them out of the corner of his eye; then suddenly he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans, and walked out without uttering a word.

Best of luck!

 

[silburnl]

How I left my last gaming group:

[Snipped description of affray and aggravated assault resulting in actual bodily harm]

Ummm is this for real? I mean Jake sounds like an irritating wanker of a DM, but do you really think that a *game* was worth running the very real risk of serious criminal charges or getting stabbed by a steak-knife?

Then there's the fact that you have just used a public forum to describe yourself 'seeing red' and assaulting a close friend in his home as a result of a petty social argument in a manner that would seem to show little or no remorse or even a recognition that what you did was especially remarkable.

I have to say if what you described actually happened, then the thought of you supervising children makes my blood run cold. In my unprofessional opinion you have anger management issues and should be seeking help.

Regards
Luke

 

[Umbran]

Hey, this thread was starting to be interesting. Let's not hijack off into nastiness, okay, guys?

 

[Silver Moon]

Hey, this thread was starting to be interesting. Let's not hijack off into nastiness, okay, guys?

I think we should take the post as a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration and leave it at that. Now, can we please have some more creative song lyrics on the topic?

 

[Mark]

Now, can we please have some more creative song lyrics on the topic?

On the North side of Chicago
At the famous Games-Plus store
Well, if you go play there
You better just beware
Of the Old Man DM Gore

Now that DM, he is trouble
And he always schemes and plots
All the downtown players call him Critical Hit
But the owners sell him lots


Chorus:

And he's mad, mad DM Gore
Craziest game, Hack & Slash Galore
Always gets the TPKs
Got a binder full of PC slays


Now that DM he's a killer
If he's cut he bleeds ice cubes
And he gives his creatures high CRs
Just to sucker all the Newbs

He got a custom DM screen there
With some extra panel charts
On the DM side, in detail, describes
Bout your mangled body parts


Chorus:

And he's mad, mad DM Gore
Character sheets cover up the floor
Has a tarrasque breeding farm
House rule - Double Harm


Now Friday 'bout a week ago
Gore sharpened his dice
But in through the door
Came a young min-maxer
Been to epic levels twice

So Gore ran his first encounter
But the munchkin knew the game
Had a ream of paper, and all the PCs
Were written up the same

Well they played late after closing
And by early morning light
The kid's still buzzin on his Code Red Cola
And the DM lost the fight


Chorus:

And he's sad, sad sleeping Gore
Wasn't up to the all-night chore
Maybe in his younger days
Now he's in a purple haze

Yeah, he's sad, sad sleeping Gore
Wasn't up to the all-night chore
Now that he's been usurped
Dreamin of a switch to GURPS