"....so we tossed the jerk out...."

[ThirdWizard]

I have never had a problem player.

 

[JoeBlank]

As I said in the other thread, it amazes me to no end that some people think gaming is an excuse not to behave like a proper house guest. I suppose some people are just jerks.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

As I said in the other thread, it amazes me to no end that some people think gaming is an excuse not to behave like a proper house guest. I suppose some people are just jerks.

Indeed. It’s threads like these that scare me into only playing PbP…

 

[sniffles]

I just have to make a point that some of the bad behaviors being discussed in Edemaitre's list are subject to opinion. In my group several of us have dietary restrictions, so we typically all bring our own food and don't share, though occasionally someone may bring a "group" dish. My fiancee also has a tendency to fall asleep during the games, but he wakes up again immediately if anyone addresses him, so as long as he doesn't snore it doesn't bother anyone.

So just how do you kick someone out of a game? I've seen a lot of stories about bad players being shown the door, but few descriptions of the method used. Do you take JoeGKushner's advice and tell the person flat out that they're not welcome anymore - and why, or do you take the less painful option of making up an excuse to exclude the person? Or something in between?

I'll give an example myself: A friend of mine did something during a D&D game that really irritated the other players, one in particular. The player who was irritated was preparing to run a campaign of his own, and the offending player had already made a character. But after the event in question, the player/GM decided he didn't want that player in his game. We were going to play at the offender's home because the GM's home was inconvenient for him to travel to, so we just moved the game to the GM's house and told the offending player that we'd had to change the location due to scheduling issues. The thing is, we're still friends with the offender and participate in other games with him, so we didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him he wasn't welcome in that one game.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Perhaps the most disturbing thing I ever saw him do: I am sitting beside him, and he has an open bag of bubblegum. I gradually become aware that he is unwrapping a new peice of bubblegum every, oh, five minutes over the course of the night until the bag is empty. There are just smooth wrappers left, and no sign of old gum. His speech does not become slurred or muffled, so unless he is unusually gifted in that department or has cheeks like a chipmunk, he's not chewn but eaten an entire bag of bubblegum.

Gee, everyone swallows gum once in a while (don't they? don't look at me like that!), but eating an entire bag?

I could imagine committing some gaffes in my life, but some people are just not taught manners at all.

 

[was]

I once gamed in a pick-up group that had one of those obnoxious, always has to be the center of attention, guys. He wasn't around for long. However, it wasn't his attitude or playing style that caused us to let him go. It was the fact that he apparently didn't know how to take a bath.

 

[BlackSilver]

We try to avoid tossing people out of our group. The problems we have had has all been from one Player-

- He thought that insults were fun to throw about, even when asked multiple times to stop they continued.

- He thought we had a maid. He would not take care of his soda cans, cups, plates, or anything else. He would fix himself a cup of chili or soup (which he brought)- pour the can into a bowl and place it in the microwave to heat without covering it. Big mess. The worst part of that was his bathroom aim- very poor.

- Barrowing books when his is just an arms reach away.

- Parking so no one else could park. His car leaked oil too.

Finally, at my wits end with him it came to the groups attention that I was done with the group because of him. They rallied to me, and he found out that my requests meant that I wanted him to be more aware of others. He begged to stay, said he would change. The group said- "bye-bye," and I said "wait."

He got three chances to clean up his act or get out. Nearly two years later he has one chance left and is one of the most considerate people I know (he stays after to clean up, and treats people with more respect).

We have been really lucky to have such a great group. Though we have had a few "my cousins in town for the weekend and wants to join us," situtations that we have not been happy with.

 

[Nareau]

The worst player I've ever encountered was a guy we found over the Net. He and his wife were in our area, looking for a game, so we gave it a shot.

When he, his wife, and their 3-month-old baby showed up, we all knew it was a mistake. The child screamed the whole time. He and his wife were unbearable in and of themselves.

Over the course of the evening, I came to realize that this guy, this very guy, was the same guy who had recently written an article in our school paper comparing homosexuality to bestiality. It was a strange experience...I began reviling him for two totally different reasons at the same time.

I think they might have left early because--surprise!--their child didn't want to be there. Moments later, we all agreed that the cavern our party was in collapsed, crushing only the two newest PC's.

Spider

 

[VirgilCaine]

I think they might have left early because--surprise!--their child didn't want to be there. Moments later, we all agreed that the cavern our party was in collapsed, crushing only the two newest PC's.

I prefer having them ripped apart by demons.

 

[StupidSmurf]

I just have to make a point that some of the bad behaviors being discussed in Edemaitre's list are subject to opinion. In my group several of us have dietary restrictions, so we typically all bring our own food and don't share, though occasionally someone may bring a "group" dish. My fiancee also has a tendency to fall asleep during the games, but he wakes up again immediately if anyone addresses him, so as long as he doesn't snore it doesn't bother anyone.

So just how do you kick someone out of a game? I've seen a lot of stories about bad players being shown the door, but few descriptions of the method used. Do you take JoeGKushner's advice and tell the person flat out that they're not welcome anymore - and why, or do you take the less painful option of making up an excuse to exclude the person? Or something in between?

I'll give an example myself: A friend of mine did something during a D&D game that really irritated the other players, one in particular. The player who was irritated was preparing to run a campaign of his own, and the offending player had already made a character. But after the event in question, the player/GM decided he didn't want that player in his game. We were going to play at the offender's home because the GM's home was inconvenient for him to travel to, so we just moved the game to the GM's house and told the offending player that we'd had to change the location due to scheduling issues. The thing is, we're still friends with the offender and participate in other games with him, so we didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him he wasn't welcome in that one game.

Oh by all means...there's always exceptions.

But we had one guy who SNORED when he fell asleep, and the stuff he brought that he didn't share was Sprite, cookies, and chips. Naturally, he helped himself to the stuff everyone else brought. He was eventually yelled at, and to his credit, changed his ways.

It's difficult to tell people they're not welcome. I myself consider it an absolute, back-to-the-wall, all other options exhausted, last resort. I hate it.

Interestingly enough, I'm considering relaying one story about one of our ex-gamers....the whole incident reeks of "double-you-tee-eff", and is just really sort of "out there". But it DOES have elements you'd find in either a Soap Opera, Lifetime Network, or a so-called Romantic Comedy.