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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bullgrit" data-source="post: 2704222" data-attributes="member: 31216">I've noticed a serious problem in my group, and I'm wondering if it is just our group or if it is common. I can't imagine that it is just us, but I don't remember this problem so much with other groups I've played with. And I've seen this problem with our group both as a Player and when I DM. It doesn't seem to be just one or two people, but rather everyone (including myself) at one point or another.There is a terrible breakdown in communications.To illustrate, let me completely make up some examples:DM: "This guy <moving a mini> steps over to you and attacks. <rolls attack. hits. rolls 2d6 damage>Player 1: "2d6 damage? What kind of mace is that?"DM: "Its a greatsword."Player 1: "A greatsword?! I wouldn't have moved near him if I had known that. I'm only a rogue."DM: "I said it was a greatsword when you first saw him. And he hit Player 3 with it last round."Player 1: "You did?"Player 2: "Yeah, I heard it and saw it."Player 3: "Me too. I knew it was a greatsword."Player 4: "I didn't know that. I thought it was a mace."* * *Player 2: "OK, I'll run and jump over the pit. <rolls Jump check>DM: "It's thirty feet wide!"Player 2: "What? I thought you said it was ten feet wide and thirty feet deep."DM: "No, I said it was thirty feet wide and thirty feet deep."Player 1: "I heard the thirty feet wide."Player 3: "What pit?"Player 4: "Yep, thirty feet wide. You surprised me when you talked about jumping it."* * * Player 3: "I'll search this door <pointing to battlegrid> for traps, and then listen at it."DM: "That's not a door, its a fireplace."Player 3: "I thought you said it was the only other door out of the room."DM: "Nope. I said the door you came in was the only door out of the room."Player 1: "I knew it was a fireplace. It's even got a burning fire in it."Player 2: "I thought it was a book shelf."Player 4: "I heard him say it was a fireplace. He said there were some books on the mantel over the fireplace."* * *I hope I showed it well enough. There is often someone(s) who misses a sentence or two from the DM or from a Player, or who completely messes up what someone says (a few books on the mantel "became" a bookshelf to someone). Sometimes a Player (or the DM) goes for several minutes, (or a whole game session) with misinformation because communication sometime got misunderstood.There's been times when a whole 5 minutes can be spent straightening out some misunderstanding. The miscommunication itself is not the big deal that I'm asking about, though. Miscommunication and misunderstandings can and will happen in a verbal game. The thing that astonishes me about all this is how one or two persons out of the 4, 5, 6, or 7 total can hear it wrong, or maybe they are the only ones who heard it right.For instance, the DM describes something, then 5 minutes later when something "serious" is occurning based on that description, 2 of the 4 Players have misunderstood, but the other 2 Players completely heard and understood the DM's words. And it's not always the same Players misunderstanding or correctly understanding. There's no pattern that I can see.Sometimes I'm the one (as a Player myself) correcting a misunderstanding Player, sometimes I'm the one getting my misunderstanding straightened out. And sometimes it's the DM who has misunderstood or not heard a Player say something that all the other Players heard.It's really weird. And it happens often enough that I've been noticing it regularly. At least once a game session -- sometimes several times a game session. Sometimes the miscommunication causes a serious problem.I've even seen it happen with written communication. For instance, I have a piece of paper that we used (I was DM, this time) when one PC spoke the language of some humanoids the party encountered at the entrance to a wild town. The PC "explained" to the humanoid squad leader that the party was a band of traders come to trade with the humanoids. Bluff and Diplomacy got the group into the town to see the chief. When introduced to the chief the next morning (maybe 20 minutes Real Time after the initial conversation with the squad leader), the chief asked what they had to trade. The face-man PC said they didn't bring anything to trade because they didn't realize the humanoids were traders. What? That struck me as odd, but the conversation continued and the PCs got the info and directions they came for anyway.Later I got out the pieces of paper we had used for the earlier conversation, and sure enough, right there in his own handwriting, the Player had written that his group were traders come to trade. But then 20 minutes later (Real Time), he thought *I* (the DM) had been the one to initiate trading.Again, I understand how this can happen occassionally. But this seems to happen all too often in our group. Complete misunderstandings. Meanings twisted. Statements completely missed. Things heard that weren't actually said. Etc. And always, some Players hear and understand completely, while others missed it -- so it's not like the communication wasn't clear from the mouth of the person speaking. Something happens between the ears of one or two listeners.So, do you encounter this problem often? How to fix it? If it was just a matter of a DM not communicating well, that I know how to fix. But when it is a matter of one or two out of a group not getting the communication, I don't know how to fix it (especially as it isn't always the same person(s)).Bullgrit</blockquote>

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