Irritation at my group

[ThoughtBubble]

With one glaring exception, last session was wonderful. However, that one thing got me annoyed, and I find that it doesn't go away.

I find that one or two things my group does gets unbelievably on my nerves. It's the case of repeated behavior that just drives me crazy. Last session, Kay, an NPC the players are escorting, gets tired of being badly treated (ignored except to be the butt of jokes by one character), and decides to make her escape. Before she leaves though, she gets money from two of the members of the party. They wake up, to find her gone. The party finds news of her, having been shopping in several places, and finally being spotted at the local harlotry. So, after milling about for a little, the human fighter (Mezzik) and the dwarven rogue (Degir) go in. They talk with the receptionist, giving her Kay's description. The receptionist says that she hasn't heard anything about it. Due to a sense motive check, Degir sees through her lie, and repeats his question, which is again denied. Degir pulls out his axe, advances, and repeats the question. The receptionist balks, says that she doesn't know where she went, and yells for the guards. The players make a hasty exit. A bit of searching later, they find a cloth store that they believe is acting as an additional exit. While Degir distracts the clerk, Mezzik sneaks in the back. He picks an unoccupied room at random and begins searching it for clues. After a few such failures, he steps into an occupied room and says "I'm looking for a girl, She's about this high and has dark hair. Have you seen her!"

The woman in the room looks at the fully armed and armored warrior, dirty and bloody from his travels. Then she screams for help.

And here is where it breaks down. This is the point where Mezzik's player turns to me and says "Why is she screaming? That doesn't make any sense."

"She's scared," I reply.

"I'm not gonna hurt anyone."

"You did just barge into her room. And you are armed and armored, and you've been on the road for a week."

"What's that have have to do with it? I'm sure that happens all the time."

"Dude," Degir's player says "How many swords do you carry?"

"Only one now."

"And the two throwing axes."

"But those are at my hips!" Mezzik's player protests. "And it's not all that weird!"

"Ok." I say, trying to end this with an analogy. "If some guy came in the front door in riot gear, carrying a Colt forty-five, how would you react?"

"It's not like that at all. I'm sure they get adventurers in here all the time! And adventurers always have their stuff! What would they wear?"

"Try pants" Degir's character said. "It might work better next time."

The joke got everyone laughing, and I pulled back in with "She screams again, and you hear footsteps coming down the hallway from the back."

The thing is, I'm still aggrivated about it two days later. I'm willing to listen to when a player thinks I'm making an unfair decision, but this sort of action rubs me the wrong way. Unfortunately, there's a strict tendancy to refute any sort of responsiblity for any action that is less than satisfactory. After all, it couldn't be his fault that she's scared. We've had a two hour arugement about this sort of thing before, on a set of bad tactical decisions that lead to the death of a character. Unfortunately, between this, his attitude that "If I search randomly long enough, I'm sure to find the aswer", and his tendancy to take it up with me when things don't go well, I get very frusterated with him.

But, just to get your opinion, do you think the brothel girl screaming was an appropriate response? Would it have been an appropriate response if you'd heard several minutes ago that the bouncers had trouble with armed men? And, do you think I'm over-reacting?

Thanks for the time and responses.

 

[Mark]

The player has excuses for his character's behavior. Depending on how detailed you describe general life in your campaign in other situations, they may or may not be valid. Perhaps you could give us more information on the way you run your game you we have a better frame of reference in which to make suggestions for how to help?

 

[apocalypstick]

I tink it was an appropriate response.

Of course, I also think weapons and heavy armor should be left at the inn, and that characters who have been on the road for weeks, or in a dungeon, or whatever, should visit the bathhouse before they go out on the town.

I mean, really... walking down the street covered in orc blood with a sword dangling from your hip is just begging for the town guard to take an unhealthy interest in you.

It's just common sense. Though, as a player, I have forgotten once or twice.

(The Duke was quick to remind me. )

 

[Celtavian]

re

I think you handled the situation find. If your player didn't tell you that he changed and cleaned up, then he probably looked like some mean, intimidating adventurer out for blood.

I usually wear light armor or clothing when walking about town. I definitely don't wander around with my suit of Fullplate on unless I am expecting battle.

 

[TalonComics]

I agree on the reaction of the girl screaming.

As for dirty PCs: Is there a Wizard in the party? If so then there's only one word for filthy PCs: Prestidigitation! It clears everything and brightens colors!

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL! It cools your drinks! It mends small holes in your clothes! It even makes your friends laugh with your "Magic Mustache" antics!

Now how much would you pay?100 gold? 50 gold? Noooooooo! It's a zero level spell that lasts for an hour!

Keep your friends smelling of that "new PC" smell for days!

~D

 

[Kyramus]

I concur with the girl's reaction. After all, if this is a suspension of disbelief in the game, then wy would the pc ask why the girl is screaming.

 

[Numion]

But, just to get your opinion, do you think the brothel girl screaming was an appropriate response? Would it have been an appropriate response if you'd heard several minutes ago that the bouncers had trouble with armed men?

Yes and yes. I think it's quite common even from cinematic point of view that girls scream when confronted by armed men in their bedrooms. Common convention in films and books, at least. IRL I don't know .. except that I'd scream if an armed person entered my room!

And, do you think I'm over-reacting?

Maybe a bit. It's not something you should get too worked up about. The other players sided with you, so it wasn't that bad. Don't let your game be halted by the players objections. I'm all for allowing players' input, but once that input is said there's no need to keep pressing the point.

In short: I think it would be okay for a player to ask "why does she scream?", because he may not realize how intimidating the situation might be for the girl. After you've explained why that is, the player should keep silent on the subject.

So, my advice for you is to cut such interruptions by players short.

 

[Drawmack]

Any time there a player in my game has an RP problem I explain it, if that explaination is not satisfactory they may leave or wait until break or session wrap to talk to me about it. Rules I'll discuss and look up because I could be wrong. But with RP of the NPCs I am the DM and I am right. That is how they react and that is all there is too it.

 

[IndyPendant]

I can be an harsh GM when it comes to things like this. If the competence level of the local guard/militia/whatever was reasonably good (and if the town wasn't a full-size city for the party to get lost in, I suppose), I would have had the town looking for people with their description. Let's see...human in armour with five million weapons and a dwarf in lighter armour also with weapons. Again, unless the city is huge (and the phrase 'the local harlotry' tells me it isn't) the guard'll find the PCs pretty quickly. (And keep in mind there's none of this complete bull(voluntary censorship) we have today where the perp of the crime is a poor innocent that's been mistreated as a child, and needs to be handled with kid-gloves to avoid the cops being sued by him; he's committed a crime, and needs to be dealt with, end of story.)

At this point, I would just have them harrass and threaten the PCs. As long as the PCs don't continue their stupidity, that's all that will happen, because a) I don't want to be too mean, particularly if the player was new; maybe he's played in some campaigns where the GM is afraid to punish his players too realistically. Also, b) all the PCs did in this case was threaten. Not too bad for a first offense. Just make it *very* clear that the local cops are ready and willing to take things to the next level if the PCs are.

In fact, that is what I would recommend you do if at all possible next session, if it's feasible from a continuity perspective; they've now harassed and threatened not one, but *two* business establishments. (In one case, one of them actually drew weapons and threatened--at the least--bodily harm!) Time for the cops. If the PCs have any intelligence at all, they'll get they point: they aren't gods, and can't just stomp around waving axes (think guns) and demanding vengeance. And if the PCs do continue their rampage--smack them down. You *must* do this, or you'll lose all credibility in your player's eyes, and they'll become worse and probably totally out of control.

Remind the PCs: *they're* the strangers here. Most cops will protect the locals from the strangers without even thinking about it. If your PCs insist on 'realistic', historical examples, just describe how bands of Gypsies were treated from the moment they entered most places.

And, finally, the 'fact' (assumed here) that adventurers are a dime a dozen can actually work against the PCs here. When the local cops are hunting for them, all the description they need is that they are 'adventurers, one a human male and the other a dwarf male, both dressed for combat and not like wizards'. Being part of a common but minority group can be a detriment...: )

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Well, different games are different. In some of the games I've played in, it is assumed that adventurers are running around towns wearing full armor, weapons, etc. And that there are so many adventurers, and that even some non-adventurers still carry weapons on them to protect them from thieves, bandits, etc. In these games, I've seen local laws stating things like "as long as no one draws any weapons, and causes no harm, then nothing is wrong." No one really questions adventurers barging into places they aren't supposed to be, because it happens multiple times per week as someone seaching for the "long lost artifact of Bob" or looking for clues as to where the orphans went, etc shows up. Guards and Law Enforcement treat adventurers like members of their own force, assuming that they are out enforcing law and justice and have reason to do the things they do.

In other games, more gritty, realistic games, the guards arrest people for bringing weapons into a city, and no one is allowed to wear armor. Guards question people and come running when anyone displays a weapon or casts a spell within a city. Adventurers get arrested rather than praised when they kill 6 people and then say "but they were all members of a secret, evil cult."

In the latter type of campaign, your thoughts are perfectly justified. In the former, they confuse players. I believe that the reason there was a disagreement is that the player has likely played in at least one campaign that was more like the former before and assumed all games were like that.

It may actually be an issue that you cannot fix. If the player has played a lot of games where what he did was perfectly acceptable, he may not want to play in a game that is so much different from what he is used to.

To be fair, it seems that was is "common sense" for some players isn't for others. In one game I was in, the DM had all our horses run away during the night because we didn't specify we were tying them up before we went to sleep. This caused a large arguement where the players told the DM that in every other game they were in, they didn't have to specify they were doing common sense things (i.e. eating and drinking regularly, going to the bathroom, cleaning themselves whenever they got the chance, changing clothes, starting a fire, tying up horses, etc.) He informed us that if we don't say we are doing it, than we don't. Different DMs have different ideas as to what "Everyone should know". If you don't tell your players in advance, I would advise not getting angry at them for choosing a different option.

We actually got yelled at by one DM, when we found out about an ambush coming up ahead. We decided to walk into the ambush and then when they attacked us, we kill them (we knew they were mostly orcs and we were around 4th level). The DM got all annoyed and almost ended the game because of what he thought were a bunch of stupid players who didn't understand anything. He had one of the ambushers run away immediately and warn the camp that we were going to that we were coming, then gloated for the next hour or so about how it wouldn't have happened if we had used "real" tactics.

Majoru Oakheart