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Problem players and you

I will provide a different view.

When the party goes left, and another player goes right, that player is often trying to hog the spotlight. They want some 1 on 1 time.

If you assume you know why the problem is happening, and you act on that, and you are wrong, you are doing the player, and your game, a disservice.

Whatever happened to asking? When in doubt talk about problems.

Maybe the player really isn't a good tactician, and doesn't understand that the challenges are geared for a party that is cooperating.

Maybe, you, as the GM, haven't actually been giving that player as much spotlight as you think, so they are trying to grab it where they can.

Maybe... seventeen other things. The point is that unless you find out why the player is doing this, your response to it is apt to be the wrong one.
 

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A pc who refuses to function effectively should reap the rewards of his behavior. The rogue that sneaks off on his own when the rest of the party is going elsewhere should find himself either fleeing to rejoin his friends or dealing with a full-scale encounter by himself.

If he's actually trying to be sneaky/scout, it's different- he would try to avoid engaging monsters, etc- but it sounds like this guy is what you would term an 'outlier'- he gets off on doing stuff that the party doesn't expect, running off on his own and trying to spotlight hog.

Enforce the consequences of his actions. Maybe he dies a lot because of it. He'll learn or quit. Either way, problem solved.
 


I will provide a different view.



If you assume you know why the problem is happening, and you act on that, and you are wrong, you are doing the player, and your game, a disservice.

Whatever happened to asking? When in doubt talk about problems.

Maybe the player really isn't a good tactician, and doesn't understand that the challenges are geared for a party that is cooperating.

Maybe, you, as the GM, haven't actually been giving that player as much spotlight as you think, so they are trying to grab it where they can.

Maybe... seventeen other things. The point is that unless you find out why the player is doing this, your response to it is apt to be the wrong one.

this.

I would like to add also that the chances of working it out so that you actually keep the player and/or their behavior improving, is pretty much hinged on treating the player like you would like to be treated.

If you have a player that consistently makes poor tactical decisions, you could try advising them that it is probably a poor idea to split from the party and go off alone in a dungeon environment. If a rogue is not flanking repeatedly, try asking them if they realize how much their DPS will increase if they do flank as a rogue.

You find your player is just trying to find their footing in the game. Or as Umb said, it could be a variety of other reasons. It does not always have to be my player is a PIA because hes a rude :):):):)er. Of course that could be the reason :) But IMO it should not be the first assumption.

Run em through the hand hold for a bit. If ti becomes evident that the player is acting out just to be contrary, then pull them aside the first few times and ask them why they are being contrary, and what they hope to accomplish by doing so. If they continue doing it then start asking them these questions in front of their peers, if it still persists, then squish them a few times and let their character have the full effects of their actions. Or even better, ALMOST squish them, and let the other party members save their characters butt in a way that makes the saviors look like a hero and the standout look a fool.

If all else fails and it is really grating you, then remove the player. But be careful about this. It is my experience that when someone is acting out in an RP game, their intent is not usually: Annoy the piss out of my friends and peers. Find out what it is and work with it. I have some really awesome long term great friends who started out as that annoying player in some group I was in.

Love,

malkav
 

When you say you're giving the player suggestions/tips, it kind of depends on how you're doing it. if during the scenario, he(assuming a he) moves to a spot and you tell him 'are you sure you want to do that, how about here instead for better cover' then that could get annoying ('why is the dm trying to play my pc?') -- so i'd suggest making more nonspecific situation comments to the group. "So i'm noticing some of you run out of surges fast and it's bothering you -- are there ways the group can address it?"

ultimately, that sort of question usually comes full circle to talk about things you may have already been suggesting (like don't let the rogue get his rear in such tight spots to begin with) but it puts the conversation in their hands and allows some of the other people to mention stuff without it coming from you.

alternatively, give his -character- reason to want to stick with the party. some sort of mark of justice effect (for his crime he has to hang within a certain distance of an official... if someone in the party is an official). or maybe he meets someone/greater being/npc that gives him a personal quest and that personal quest gives him in-character reasons to want to hang around the other pcs. maybe he has to guard a certain other pc because their destinies are tied together and it will bring him great rewards in the future. maybe he's asked to spy on a certain other pc and report back every night using a special one-way communication stone until he receives further instructions (of course, he may never get those further instructions or it could be a plot device for later on, hopfully after he's learned the lesson of 'hang around the party if you want to live')


how well this (or any suggestion) works depends on the personalities of your players and also on what sort of relationship they have amongst each other. - sotake any of these ideas with a grain of salt... :)
 

Cry......cry a lot. It has helped me so many times. When a player starts being a problem, I turn on the waterworks and start babbling. Blowing your nose into tissue helps a lot too.

Then, when everyone has paused in disbelief, I start rambling about how "I try so hard to be a good DM, but I'm a failure. Somebody always has to be disruptive in the game and all I want to do is provide people with a fun session. But no matter how hard I try, somebody always has to cause problems. Why god....why can't people just chill out and be cool? Why do you keep forcing these douchbags on me? What have I done to displease you? Can't you just turn him into salt or something the next time he causes the group grief? Please, I beg of you!"

If that doesn't work, just hang out with him and ask him why he keeps doing the things he does that annoys you. See if you guys can work it out. If he doesn't change, then.....ready, aim, boot! If enough people boot problem players more often, then maybe they'll be on good behavior when joining a new group. Then hopefully we'll have less problem players when they realize they aren't going to get away with it.
 

I will provide a different view.



If you assume you know why the problem is happening, and you act on that, and you are wrong, you are doing the player, and your game, a disservice.

Whatever happened to asking? When in doubt talk about problems.

Maybe the player really isn't a good tactician, and doesn't understand that the challenges are geared for a party that is cooperating.

Maybe, you, as the GM, haven't actually been giving that player as much spotlight as you think, so they are trying to grab it where they can.

Maybe... seventeen other things. The point is that unless you find out why the player is doing this, your response to it is apt to be the wrong one.
I pretty much have to agree with this 100%. One of the huge advantages of playing a game face to face over online is that everyone is right there to talk to. In cases like this, I tend to be very direct and say "this is pretty much a team based game, so by going off by yourself, you're not only likely to get into something you can't handle by yourself, but also cut into everyone's fun. Are you sure you want to do that?"

And follow that up with "what's going on here?" if the situation continues. It's hard to be direct and avoid the passive aggressiveness, but trust me, it really works out better in the long run.

Why someone does something is the clue to figuring out how to fix it.

--Steve
 


On another occasion the player (a rogue) is currently trapped by some drakes, the shaman gave allies CA against some enemies so he may hit them better and the paladin cleared a path so he may escape afterwards. The rogue then proceeds to hit a target he doesn't have CA against and stays there. Now the player is complaining that he is running out of healing surges, yet the rest of the party is on 9-11 healing surges left.

I currently have no idea how to deal with the player because I am giving him tips but he ain't listening to me much. Anyone got any tips?

If he's unwilloing to listen, and unwilling to cooperate, let the dice fall where they may and let the character die. Its a lesson he may need to leran repeatedly.

Sorry, dont have any problem player issues currently. If you cant work with the gaming group, you dont make the cut. Only one or two have ever not been asked to stay. One just couldnt keep the schedule and never came back, the one guy who WAS a problem player- left without saying.

He was starting to be a problem. We generally work together, but he made a character that didnt fit in. Further claimed he was a cleric- but really was a rogue that was being a charlatin that was starting to actively work aganist the party cleric- who was doing good works in the city.(the worst part was he was an ineffective character- he just couldnt do anything really that well the party needed). Needless to say, actively working against the party's cleric's interest brought down on his head a world of anger from the rest of the party who depended on the cleric's healing(3.5 game). The last session his character was around(he didnt show, but left the DM detailed email) afterwards he was given a nice talking to by the cleric while the angry barbarian held his ankles above bridge with a very very long fall.

We gave him ample opportunity to come clean and work with us, but if he stayed around and refused? His character would have died.
 


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