This is a little long, but its mostly because i'm a little bitter
Before I start. a few facts:
1. I'm a junior in high school
2. All the players are sophmores save me
3. We've been playing on and off since they started high school, so about two years.
4. We've only played 3e.
5. Our campains so far (not me DMing), are basically hack and slash, with thin plot and crazy antisocial characters. I didnt DM those, and usually my characters were the least... liberal of the lot.
6. We have never had a campain survive beyond 8th level.
So here's the deal. I've been a long time playing, and I've always wanted to DM. I think I'm a pretty creative guy, and I'd make a pretty good DM.
I can act: I do voices, and facial expressions, and hand movements, and everything when I do NPCs. Its half the fun.
I can write: I write in my spare time, and i think i do an OK job with describing the scene, arching the storyline, etc.
I know the rules: I've been playing long enough that I, well, know the rules.
I prep: I spent a long time preping for sessions. I have stats for everyone important, names and a feeling of thier power level for everyone who isnt, possible dialog, maps, the whole nine yards.
I can wing it: I'm pretty good at going with the flow, making things up as i go along.
All in all, i think that given the chance i would be a pretty good DM.
So finally, the group gives me the chance.
They say, "You, you DM this time. We want you to."
I say, "Well, sure guys. But I gotta tell you. I like the roleplaying. I like the heroic, epic storyline. I like the valient heros, what with the saving the day, and the getting the girl, and the piles of gold. Are you OK with playing that way: Epic scope, mentally stable characters, working for the good of the world, that whole deal?"
They say, "Yah, we're getting a little tired of killing goblins and stuff. Dungeon-crawls get boring. And maybe it would be nice to play some normal characters for a change. Epic scope would be good. Yah, sure we agree to be good."
And I say, "Give me a week."
So, tonight we played. Mind you, I spent about three hours doing "real" prepwork, and all week doing "mental" prepwork.
I show up on time. Everyone except the host (who lives down the street from me) shows up about... an hour late.
"So, guys, do you have your heroic characters?"
Player T: "Well, yah. I have an elven fighter. He has a bow. He kills evil."
"Well, thats good. I look forward to DMing a hero like that."
Player A: "Well, yah, my gnome barbarian is ready. What with his six donkeys loaded up with illicit drugs and BoVD torture equipment."
"Umm... thats not really what I had in mind. Is he... nice to people?"
Player A: "NOOO! He hates people. He's crazy."
"Well, maybe the rest of the party will get him to shape up. So, Host, whats your character?"
Host: "Oh, he's a mage. But he doesnt cast offesnive spells."
"So, a defense mage?"
Host: "Sort of. He doesnt really like magic. He likes swords. See, he casts shield and obscuring mist, then he dons his full plate and wades into battle. But he's nice to people."
"Well, its not what I had in mind, but at least you stuck to the PH. Player K, whats your character?"
Player K: "I dont have one. Can I play a Hengaokai (shapeshifting humans from oriental adventures, his favorite book)"
"Umm... no. Thats a bit weird. Can we get started?"
And they say "OK!"
So what do they do?
The first NPC is a kobold druid, the son of a mage in town. They cant decide whether to truss him, iron maiden him, or just simply cruisfy him, so tehy end up just letting him leave. This encounter was suposed to be a flavor encounter, to introduce a helpful NPC to the characters, and to maybe improve their standings in the town tehy are going to, which distrusts strangers. It should have taken about five minutes. It took forty.
So then they get to town. A guard asks "who goes," and their response, well, I cant say it on these boards. It involved illegitamate children, and feces, and nasty things in reference to the location of the towns stables.
They spent the next twenty minutes (real time), belittling the guard, who by this time has called for reinforcements, who they also belittle. That encounter should have a. been a plesant one after the inital hostility of a secluded townguard and b. taken about three minutes. So far, they havent even gotten to a STATTED character yet. Everything I do to try to push them along, only makes them do dumber and dumber things. After everything I said came five minutes of debate over the best way to belittle me, or the NPCs, or the game in general.
What am I to do when they wont take anything seriously? Should I just let them fight the much larger town militia, who would probably outright kill them? Should I just start yelling? What?
So I left. I packed up my dice and left. "Notify me when you graduate from second grade." I said.
As I was leaving, the host said, "We're willing to give you one more chance, and we promise not to fool around."
THEY want to give ME another chance? Shouldnt it be the other way around?
I just kept walking.
"Grow up," I said.
--------------------------------
Wow... that was long.
So, did I do the right thing in leaving? I'm to angry to tell.
Oh, and in case you think up other options, there are a bunch more players at my school who would love to let me DM. I'm just wondering what I should do wiht this group.
Thanks in advance,
Irony
Before I start. a few facts:
1. I'm a junior in high school
2. All the players are sophmores save me
3. We've been playing on and off since they started high school, so about two years.
4. We've only played 3e.
5. Our campains so far (not me DMing), are basically hack and slash, with thin plot and crazy antisocial characters. I didnt DM those, and usually my characters were the least... liberal of the lot.
6. We have never had a campain survive beyond 8th level.
So here's the deal. I've been a long time playing, and I've always wanted to DM. I think I'm a pretty creative guy, and I'd make a pretty good DM.
I can act: I do voices, and facial expressions, and hand movements, and everything when I do NPCs. Its half the fun.
I can write: I write in my spare time, and i think i do an OK job with describing the scene, arching the storyline, etc.
I know the rules: I've been playing long enough that I, well, know the rules.
I prep: I spent a long time preping for sessions. I have stats for everyone important, names and a feeling of thier power level for everyone who isnt, possible dialog, maps, the whole nine yards.
I can wing it: I'm pretty good at going with the flow, making things up as i go along.
All in all, i think that given the chance i would be a pretty good DM.
So finally, the group gives me the chance.
They say, "You, you DM this time. We want you to."
I say, "Well, sure guys. But I gotta tell you. I like the roleplaying. I like the heroic, epic storyline. I like the valient heros, what with the saving the day, and the getting the girl, and the piles of gold. Are you OK with playing that way: Epic scope, mentally stable characters, working for the good of the world, that whole deal?"
They say, "Yah, we're getting a little tired of killing goblins and stuff. Dungeon-crawls get boring. And maybe it would be nice to play some normal characters for a change. Epic scope would be good. Yah, sure we agree to be good."
And I say, "Give me a week."
So, tonight we played. Mind you, I spent about three hours doing "real" prepwork, and all week doing "mental" prepwork.
I show up on time. Everyone except the host (who lives down the street from me) shows up about... an hour late.
"So, guys, do you have your heroic characters?"
Player T: "Well, yah. I have an elven fighter. He has a bow. He kills evil."
"Well, thats good. I look forward to DMing a hero like that."
Player A: "Well, yah, my gnome barbarian is ready. What with his six donkeys loaded up with illicit drugs and BoVD torture equipment."
"Umm... thats not really what I had in mind. Is he... nice to people?"
Player A: "NOOO! He hates people. He's crazy."
"Well, maybe the rest of the party will get him to shape up. So, Host, whats your character?"
Host: "Oh, he's a mage. But he doesnt cast offesnive spells."
"So, a defense mage?"
Host: "Sort of. He doesnt really like magic. He likes swords. See, he casts shield and obscuring mist, then he dons his full plate and wades into battle. But he's nice to people."
"Well, its not what I had in mind, but at least you stuck to the PH. Player K, whats your character?"
Player K: "I dont have one. Can I play a Hengaokai (shapeshifting humans from oriental adventures, his favorite book)"
"Umm... no. Thats a bit weird. Can we get started?"
And they say "OK!"
So what do they do?
The first NPC is a kobold druid, the son of a mage in town. They cant decide whether to truss him, iron maiden him, or just simply cruisfy him, so tehy end up just letting him leave. This encounter was suposed to be a flavor encounter, to introduce a helpful NPC to the characters, and to maybe improve their standings in the town tehy are going to, which distrusts strangers. It should have taken about five minutes. It took forty.
So then they get to town. A guard asks "who goes," and their response, well, I cant say it on these boards. It involved illegitamate children, and feces, and nasty things in reference to the location of the towns stables.
They spent the next twenty minutes (real time), belittling the guard, who by this time has called for reinforcements, who they also belittle. That encounter should have a. been a plesant one after the inital hostility of a secluded townguard and b. taken about three minutes. So far, they havent even gotten to a STATTED character yet. Everything I do to try to push them along, only makes them do dumber and dumber things. After everything I said came five minutes of debate over the best way to belittle me, or the NPCs, or the game in general.
What am I to do when they wont take anything seriously? Should I just let them fight the much larger town militia, who would probably outright kill them? Should I just start yelling? What?
So I left. I packed up my dice and left. "Notify me when you graduate from second grade." I said.
As I was leaving, the host said, "We're willing to give you one more chance, and we promise not to fool around."
THEY want to give ME another chance? Shouldnt it be the other way around?
I just kept walking.
"Grow up," I said.
--------------------------------
Wow... that was long.
So, did I do the right thing in leaving? I'm to angry to tell.
Oh, and in case you think up other options, there are a bunch more players at my school who would love to let me DM. I'm just wondering what I should do wiht this group.
Thanks in advance,
Irony
Good luck.
)
