penalty for cheating

[BVB]

Let's say a player is found to have been using a "cheater's" icosahedron die that has an extra 20 instead of a 1. We don't know how long he's been avoiding fumbles and upping his odds of nat crits. He appologized, but didn't seem very sincere.

Is one week of exile from the gaming table a fair punishment, or should we push for more?

 

[Crothian]

Depending on the person and what I thought of him, I'd probably just ban him.

 

[James McMurray]

Oust him. You don't need gamers like that at the table. If he isn't sincere, then he'll just find other ways to cheat.

 

[ForceUser]

Let's say a player is found to have been using a "cheater's" icosahedron die that has an extra 20 instead of a 1. We don't know how long he's been avoiding fumbles and upping his odds of nat crits. He appologized, but didn't seem very sincere.

Is one week of exile from the gaming table a fair punishment, or should we push for more?

If he needs to cheat to feel like he's having fun, let him. My DM doesn't watch every die roll, or every hit point roll upon leveling. He trusts us to be honest, and if we're not honest, well, if that's what we need to do to have fun, so be it.

That said, every group is different; my DM's attitude is that because he knows we don't cheat, so really, the point is moot. If his cheating is causing tension at the table or lessening the enjoyment for others, then he needs to shape up or ship out. Be firm.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

If you don't think he's sincere, then maybe ask him to leave. There's part of me that would be likely to give him one more chance if this wasn't part of a pattern, but if he doesn't seem sincere, then that'd likely be a waste. A week's exile seems like a kind of odd punishment to me, for some reason.

Best,
tKL

 

[Particle_Man]

I don't see why you guys want to bother playing with a cheater at all. Assuming that you do, I'd say the penalty should be that all his rolled 20's have to be rerolled (and rerolled again and again, until something other than a 20 is rolled). This would remain in effect for a time equal to half the time that the guy has been playing with you. This should effectively counter the fact that until now, half of his "20s" were not really 20s. As an alternate punishment, if the number NOT on the fake d20 was a low one, like a 1, then simply replace all rolled 20's with the other number (this saves time from rerolling) for the time duration listed above.

By the way, in the future have this guy roll someone else's dice for all future dice rolls. And check his other dice to make sure that he hasn't been cheating with them either.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Adso]

Let's say a player is found to have been using a "cheater's" icosahedron die that has an extra 20 instead of a 1. We don't know how long he's been avoiding fumbles and upping his odds of nat crits. He appologized, but didn't seem very sincere.

Is one week of exile from the gaming table a fair punishment, or should we push for more?

This is someone you game with, a buddy, a friend, someone who shares the same fun thing you do. While there is a part of me that says get rid of the bastard ;-) it seems to me that what you want to give him is a warning that such behavior is not cool. That warning should carry a message "this is how we start. Continue and things get worse." In that way a week seems reasonable...although I think that I would deduct XP and maybe gp. He gained them through cheating, so taking them away seems appropriate, and may be ultimately less disruptive to the group.

If it happens again, increase the fine (or duration of the ban). If it happens a third time, look for a new player.

 

[clark411]

One week seems pretty paltry for using a cheating d20. I'd either kick him out of the group, take council from the other players and do something between their wishes and yours, or at the very least give him a month without.

Its mostly the lack of sincerity that would annoy me. If I was a player with that guy in my group, I wouldn't want to sit at the same table. If I was DM, I wouldn't want to give him a portion of my attention, friend or not.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

Assuming that you do, I'd say the penalty should be that all his rolled 20's have to be rerolled (and rerolled again and again, until something other than a 20 is rolled)....[snip by tKL]...As an alternate punishment, if the number NOT on the fake d20 was a low one, like a 1, then simply replace all rolled 20's with the other number (this saves time from rerolling) for the time duration listed above.

By the way, in the future have this guy roll someone else's dice for all future dice rolls. And check his other dice to make sure that he hasn't been cheating with them either.

Hmm. I think if you wanted to play with his die rolls, though, the second of your two options is better—faster, easier. That said, if you've got him using clean dice, why not just play and let the dice do their thing? At some point, you're going to have to trust him and, IME, he'll (hopefully) be more trustworthy if you show trust in him. If he still cheats, the boot's all good, but I think that having someone constantly check on him or swapping out numbers on his rolls is going to lead to more bad feelings.

Best,
tKL

Edit: Changed "some" in the last sentence to "more."

 

[Pbartender]

It pretty simple...

From now on in your game, all 1's = 20's and all 20's = 1's.

Then let him roll that die all he wants.