The Fine Art of Quitting a Bad Game

[Storm Raven]

I just saw this post. I suggest thinking before you post. It is against gaming etiquette to steal players from a game just because you disagree with the other players and the DM and are not having fun.

Umm, no, it isn't. If you aren't having fun, and want to play with some guys by starting another campaign, asking them if they want to play in that campaign is not "against gaming etiquette". The players are not your property, and if someone offers them a better game and they switch, then that is your own fault, and no one else's.

 

[Montague68]

What would you value more, a sword that a DM gave you, or one you earned through a mighty fight with some watertrolls? What makes for a better story?

The players only went through 1 session before I started handing out the magic items. I needed to see what the power levels were and what they needed in terms of magic so that they could all be pretty equal. Thus, the paladin got her Holy Avenger, so I could adjust things for the players. Its working out pretty well. Agent Oracle reminds me of a baby who wants all the candy in a bag now.

I don't haze players. One of the other players joked about it, and in the session during a lull some of them drew a pic of the player and put funny sayings on the shirt...like, I rolled a 1 for penis size. I let it go cause it was harmless in my eyes. When AO started getting upset they stopped and later apologized.

At the end of that session, I'll note, AO said it was a good one and he had had fun, before leaving.

Am I control freakish? I think all good DM's are, to an extent. You have to control the game or it gets out of hand and fun for no one. If you have ever read Knights of the Dinner Table, look at BA. He's totally pushed around by his players. Look at Brian though...he is supposed to be a legend at DMing, and he is a control freak. So is Nitro. Are these bad examples to use? I dunno, but I think they reflect the experience of the KODT writers as to what a good and what a bad DM are like.

If I were a control freak, I would have said no to the paladin and the monk being used. I want people to have fun, and play what they want. I think the Knight class is a joke, but I let AO play it because he wanted to. <shrugs>

I agree DM's need to be somewhat of a control freak, but the wording in your first post was kind of unclear. Without actually being there, it's rather hard to judge what exactly went on.

The impression I got was that AO walked into an established group, saw a bunch of heavily geared players (including a paladin with an HA) and was told no, you can't have any magic items. If as you say this group was equipped as such only after one play session perhaps AO should have been more patient.

Sounds like bad communication and personality conflict. C'est la vie sometimes with RPG's

 

[DethStryke]

Umm, no, it isn't. If you aren't having fun, and want to play with some guys by starting another campaign, asking them if they want to play in that campaign is not "against gaming etiquette". The players are not your property, and if someone offers them a better game and they switch, then that is your own fault, and no one else's.

Quoted for Truth. If your game is strong, then you have nothing to worry about.

I would contend that announcing in front of everyone would be against social ettiqutte though. Even if you're right and telling the truth, to simply sit up in front of the entire group and say "hey, cause this guy over here sucks, I'm gonna roll my own game and if you or you (pointing to two of five people) want to ditch these losers, then let me know."

Definately something you offer perspective players in private face-to-face or through email.

 

[Keifer113]

Umm, no, it isn't. If you aren't having fun, and want to play with some guys by starting another campaign, asking them if they want to play in that campaign is not "against gaming etiquette". The players are not your property, and if someone offers them a better game and they switch, then that is your own fault, and no one else's.

Offering other players a spot in another game is fine. I took that post as saying, this game sucks, lets leave it for another game. That is rude. Giving a choice of games is fine. Disrespecting someone is entirely different.

Put it this way, if you were dating someone, how would you feel if another guy or girl walked up to the both of you, said, hey, he.she is ugly( pointing at you), leave them for me?

 

[Felix]

Between Agent Oracle and Keifer113 I feel like I am in the middle of a lover's spat... with the other one in the same bloody room, neither of them talking to one another.

Posting, "I just don't know how to say it, he is bad at X" is saying, "Dude, you suck at X" except that it isn't to that person's face.

Neither of you like the other's gaming style (or perhaps you don't like each other period), and you gaming together isn't going to work out. Tell each other that and this lover's quarrel can end.

Let the other players come and go as they please, and don't seek justification from a website full of people you don't know.

 

[Keifer113]

Between Agent Oracle and Keifer113 I feel like I am in the middle of a lover's spat... with the other one in the same bloody room, neither of them talking to one another.

Posting, "I just don't know how to say it, he is bad at X" is saying, "Dude, you suck at X" except that it isn't to that person's face.

Neither of you like the other's gaming style (or perhaps you don't like each other period), and you gaming together isn't going to work out. Tell each other that and this lover's quarrel can end.

Let the other players come and go as they please, and don't seek justification from a website full of people you don't know.

You almost hit the point of the posts right on the head.

If you didn't fit in, and didn't have fun, move on. Don't go on a board and slur the game and the people. Cause it will come back and bite you.

 

[Felix]

Cause it will come back and bite you.

I posted the same thing on your thread.

 

[Keifer113]

I agree DM's need to be somewhat of a control freak, but the wording in your first post was kind of unclear. Without actually being there, it's rather hard to judge what exactly went on.

The impression I got was that AO walked into an established group, saw a bunch of heavily geared players (including a paladin with an HA) and was told no, you can't have any magic items. If as you say this group was equipped as such only after one play session perhaps AO should have been more patient.

Sounds like bad communication and personality conflict. C'est la vie sometimes with RPG's

Naw, just the paladin and monk, and the monk was giving up his few magic items anyway.

You are right, Say La V.

 

[Storm Raven]

Offering other players a spot in another game is fine. I took that post as saying, this game sucks, lets leave it for another game. That is rude. Giving a choice of games is fine. Disrespecting someone is entirely different.

Put it this way, if you were dating someone, how would you feel if another guy or girl walked up to the both of you, said, hey, he.she is ugly( pointing at you), leave them for me?

If your relationship is strong, you won't have anything to worry about. Getting hot and bothered about this sort of thing is an indication, to me, that a DM doesn't have much confidence in the enjoyability of his own game.

 

[Storm Raven]

Am I control freakish? I think all good DM's are, to an extent. You have to control the game or it gets out of hand and fun for no one. If you have ever read Knights of the Dinner Table, look at BA. He's totally pushed around by his players. Look at Brian though...he is supposed to be a legend at DMing, and he is a control freak. So is Nitro. Are these bad examples to use? I dunno, but I think they reflect the experience of the KODT writers as to what a good and what a bad DM are like.

I'd say you have things exactly backwards. Being a good DM requires that you not be a control freak. You must be willing to let go and allow the players the freedom to control the direction of the action, because if their choices aren't the most important element of the game, you may a well be writing a story rather than DMing. BA is puched around by his players because he is a bad DM who is trying to be a control freak. Brian and Nitro are 'legends of DMing" in Hackmaster, a game system that is a lampoon of bad D&D and RPGing to begin with - taking their "control freak" attributes as indicating that is a "good thing" for DMing is sort of like taking Basil Fawlty's character attributes as an example of those that make a great innkeeper.