Just a quick intro : I DM in the Baltimore area. I've been the store DM for a FLGS, been offered DMing jobs at 2 other stores. I've ran 3 games a week with an average of 10 players each, while playing in another game. Due to my job, ( I work for another game company) I have had to cut back on DMing and even rules knowledge. The two things I am most proud of as a DM is that people always come back to my table, and when I DM, I actually end up with a list of people who want in my game.
I recently, at the last minute, was asked to DM a new group made up of some veteran players, and some new ones. One of these guys has to be the worst player I have ever seen. Not that he didn't know the rules....he just was a bad player.
-I have a very generous system for rolling up characters. The rolls should all be witnessed. Apparently, he rolled next to someone, but they didn't really look at his character. I know he had 3 18's, a 16 and maybe a 17. Only one of his stats were low, and by that I mean a 12. He also, using a d12, never rolled below an 8 on his unwitnessed hit points rolls.
He also showed up without a character on startup night, after I had posted and said to him IRL we're starting on Thursday with 10th level characters. So he rolled one up, and I admit, I was having fun gaming and didn't go over his character with a fine tooth comb.
-To control magic item influx into the game, I started the players without any magic items ( although some veteran players brought old, long cherished characters who already had magic into the game, I knew what they had and was fine with it). I had a list of reasonably powered items that I felt the players would need, and would put them on par with the other characters. This player began whining immediately about his lack of power. Magic items a good character does not make.
-Whining about every house rule or change I came up with. I made 2 house rules, and one in game rule, and he started whining about them. One rule is that we use a non grid board for combats. For many reasons I will not go into here, I don't use a grid. I believe this makes for a fairer and faster combat. The second rule was one for convenience. I slowed down XP awards so that characters wouldn't jump in level during the adventure. IMHO XP awards should come at the end of an adventure, not during, but for spellcasters who need XP to make magic, I give some out. I also believe slower progression is better for the game as it allows you to develop your character and not play someone for a year and then finding out he's ridiculously too powerful and unplayable. It's fine to disagree, but to continue to whine and harp about it....
As an aside, he also whined about me giving bonus XP out for character development things, like posting pics!
Finally, I ruled that a Knight could not use his challenge ability against someone who could not speak his language. He whined about that, and the following week brought the books etc and quoted them at me. I guess he fails to understand that the rules are only guidelines, and as DM I get to make the call.
As a player he also was horrible. When protecting some peasants frightened by a demon, he "intimidated" them into being quiet. A LG knight does not intimidate scared serfs, he inspires them. His social and people skills were horrible..., insulted people at the table, threatened to throw things at people, somethings I can't repeat......Now, we do have a hazing period, but it is all in good fun and not personal. He responded poorly to it, and we stopped, and apologies were later made. He heckled people on our boards for having different opinions on some issues, and when called on it, did not apologize to them. He threatened the NPC wizard who was charging a modest fee for identifying items ( LG Knight, remember?) and ordered him to work for free or not be protected from the monsters in the forest.
This guy represents everything that is bad in a DnD gamer. Whines when rules go against him, whines he doesn't have magic items, cheats at his character creation, had horrible social skills...He has even insulted us by posting about our group, and I feel he owes us an apology. If he had issues with the game, fine, but he claimed to be inexperienced, and should have learned from us, and learned from our collective wisdom at playing this game. Our group has been around for 15 years. Thats 15 years straight of playing DnD EVERY weekend for 5-6 hours. So we know what we are doing.
I don't want to come across as arrogant. We gave this guy 3 sessions to change, thinking maybe he was just not used to a good, mature adult gaming group. If he had problems, he should have come to me privately and asked what he was doing wrong, or voiced his concerns, or asked for advice or why I was doing things a certain way. Instead, he doesn't even have the courtesy to tell me pre-game he's not coming, so I had to wing half a session, and then he slurs us. I take that personally, because I have had kids come to me and say, "you inspired me how to play the game, you taught me everything I know about gaming, I've won tournaments because of you." I try to make people better at gaming, and get them to have fun. I know based on my track record I do so. I've had players pick up the phone, call me, and say in 20 years of playing DND, today's session was the most fun I ever had.
I recently, at the last minute, was asked to DM a new group made up of some veteran players, and some new ones. One of these guys has to be the worst player I have ever seen. Not that he didn't know the rules....he just was a bad player.
-I have a very generous system for rolling up characters. The rolls should all be witnessed. Apparently, he rolled next to someone, but they didn't really look at his character. I know he had 3 18's, a 16 and maybe a 17. Only one of his stats were low, and by that I mean a 12. He also, using a d12, never rolled below an 8 on his unwitnessed hit points rolls.
He also showed up without a character on startup night, after I had posted and said to him IRL we're starting on Thursday with 10th level characters. So he rolled one up, and I admit, I was having fun gaming and didn't go over his character with a fine tooth comb.
-To control magic item influx into the game, I started the players without any magic items ( although some veteran players brought old, long cherished characters who already had magic into the game, I knew what they had and was fine with it). I had a list of reasonably powered items that I felt the players would need, and would put them on par with the other characters. This player began whining immediately about his lack of power. Magic items a good character does not make.
-Whining about every house rule or change I came up with. I made 2 house rules, and one in game rule, and he started whining about them. One rule is that we use a non grid board for combats. For many reasons I will not go into here, I don't use a grid. I believe this makes for a fairer and faster combat. The second rule was one for convenience. I slowed down XP awards so that characters wouldn't jump in level during the adventure. IMHO XP awards should come at the end of an adventure, not during, but for spellcasters who need XP to make magic, I give some out. I also believe slower progression is better for the game as it allows you to develop your character and not play someone for a year and then finding out he's ridiculously too powerful and unplayable. It's fine to disagree, but to continue to whine and harp about it....
As an aside, he also whined about me giving bonus XP out for character development things, like posting pics!
Finally, I ruled that a Knight could not use his challenge ability against someone who could not speak his language. He whined about that, and the following week brought the books etc and quoted them at me. I guess he fails to understand that the rules are only guidelines, and as DM I get to make the call.
As a player he also was horrible. When protecting some peasants frightened by a demon, he "intimidated" them into being quiet. A LG knight does not intimidate scared serfs, he inspires them. His social and people skills were horrible..., insulted people at the table, threatened to throw things at people, somethings I can't repeat......Now, we do have a hazing period, but it is all in good fun and not personal. He responded poorly to it, and we stopped, and apologies were later made. He heckled people on our boards for having different opinions on some issues, and when called on it, did not apologize to them. He threatened the NPC wizard who was charging a modest fee for identifying items ( LG Knight, remember?) and ordered him to work for free or not be protected from the monsters in the forest.
This guy represents everything that is bad in a DnD gamer. Whines when rules go against him, whines he doesn't have magic items, cheats at his character creation, had horrible social skills...He has even insulted us by posting about our group, and I feel he owes us an apology. If he had issues with the game, fine, but he claimed to be inexperienced, and should have learned from us, and learned from our collective wisdom at playing this game. Our group has been around for 15 years. Thats 15 years straight of playing DnD EVERY weekend for 5-6 hours. So we know what we are doing.
I don't want to come across as arrogant. We gave this guy 3 sessions to change, thinking maybe he was just not used to a good, mature adult gaming group. If he had problems, he should have come to me privately and asked what he was doing wrong, or voiced his concerns, or asked for advice or why I was doing things a certain way. Instead, he doesn't even have the courtesy to tell me pre-game he's not coming, so I had to wing half a session, and then he slurs us. I take that personally, because I have had kids come to me and say, "you inspired me how to play the game, you taught me everything I know about gaming, I've won tournaments because of you." I try to make people better at gaming, and get them to have fun. I know based on my track record I do so. I've had players pick up the phone, call me, and say in 20 years of playing DND, today's session was the most fun I ever had.
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