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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tolen Mar" data-source="post: 1254117" data-attributes="member: 1295">Hello All, I just waded through all 6 pages of this thread and I am amazed at how similar many of these stories are to my own.  My player, named James, is the one who would bring booze to the house even though it would make the rest of us uncomfortable.  James would always play the man in black who climbed up the nearest tree and snipe at passers-by with his bow/rifle/thrown rock.  If he wasnt sniping, he would be picking pockets.  Wash rinse repeat.  He'd pick the merchants pockets, get caught, and in the middle of the ensuing battle try again.  He would pick the wizards pocket and wonder why he ended up unconscious.  He would pick the barmaids pocket (!?!), though that one was just to get slapped (he seemed to enjoy it).If you tried to talk to him about it, he trotted out the old 'I was just acting in character' defense.  3 different systems, 3 different setting types, and he always played the same.  We were getting rather annoyed about it.(This, BTW, is the light version.  To detail all of the things he did would take too long.)So my solution was to start over.  I created a set of rules and a new premise.  To make a long story short, I dissallowed thieves and evil alignments.  I required my players to come up with a background for the characters before we began to play and specifically dissallowed his favorite 'my parents were killed when I was young.'  I emailed the rules to all of my players, and everyone loved the idea.  The next session everyone was ready to go with the best, most exciting characters we ever played (you know, the kind that end up in the hall of fame years later, never forgotten).  All except James, that is.  Two weeks later, I got a nasty email back from him railing on and on about how I was stifling his creativity and how I didnt like a game or a player unless they perfectly matched my idea of a good thing.  Maybe that was true, but after trying for weeks to get him to straigten out, no one missed him coming around anymore.I'm inclined now to remember one of my worst players (as an example that things can change for the better).  Barry was a character in and of himself. My wife used to go to the same camp he did and can regale me with tales of terror about how he acted those days.  (He claims he doesnt remember it).  At any rate, this guy liked to argue and cause all kinds of trouble.  He was one of the guys who would argue aver a ruling for an hour, even during a games session just because he could.  Once he was invited to our Star Fleet Battles group by my friend.  I warned said friend that this was a bad idea, but he persisted.  After Barry left that night, my friend turned to me with a look of shock on his face.  "I warned you he would be like this."  I said."Yeah, but I didnt think he would be THAT bad."So we reluctantly start a new RIFTS campaign, I had just downloaded a mega-huge netbook of OCC's and RCC's to use.  I must have been out of it, because I ended up letting Barry play a highlander-style immortal.  I quickly learned how big a mistake that was.  The very first shop the PC's went into, Barry starts causing trouble.  Just for the fun of it, he starts to accost the shopkeeper.  Before it is over, we have just finished a huge gunfight with a SWAT team (well, the RIFTS equivalent anyway), and narrowly made our escape.  His excuse was that he could do what he wanted, he couldnt be killed.Well, because of that session and that remark, I decided to show him no character was immune to the gods (the DM).  I designed an adventure locale that was basically an old salem witch town.  It was run by the local preacher who would rail on and on about the evil ones and how they would corrupt a soul...yada yada yada.  Said preacher invited the PC's to dinner, where we saw that he had a beautiful backwoods daughter.  He took the bait.  The preacher found them in ah...post-coital bliss (Can I say that without offending anyone?).  And immediatly determined he was a devil spawn.  Took the PC's, locked them up, and sentenced Barry's character to death.  By Guillotine.  In the Public Square. Needless to say, after the quickening destroyed several houses nearby and lit a minor forest fire, the locals were even more convinced of the preachers accuracy in spotting demons.  Incidentally the rest of the PC's were able to negotiate their release.  (Also, the party had a gargoyle-like character, but the preacher didnt pick on it 'because as misshappen as it is, it is little more than a creature and is yet beyond morals.')Barry didnt come around for a few months.  He was reluctantly let back into the group with many promises that he wouldnt act over the top anymore.  Strange thing is, right about that time, he really changed.  He was far less of a jerk anymore.  He didnt argue just to hear his own voice.  His crudeness level dropped way low.  Now he is one of my best friends and we still game today.  Even my wife (who couldnt stand him) is surprised by how different he is.  I just wish I knew what happened.  He is a completely different person now.</blockquote>

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