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Message: <blockquote data-quote="silburnl" data-source="post: 1052046" data-attributes="member: 13560">I've read through this thread and I'm amazed... the "DM's Girlfriend" type was a cliche back in the 80s - don't these people have any style or originality in their disfuntional play???Seriously though Zogg there's a crucial question that needs answering - is the Uber-Wizard guy an asshat or does he just play one on TV? I mean its clear that he's grooving on the "I'm the baddest and I get to play with all these kewl toys my wife gives me" but is this a core element of his playing enjoyment (Munchkinus rampantius) or is it just a bad habit he and his wife have fallen into (Powerludus deleterii)? The answer is important because if its the former then you are SOL and should boogie on out of Dodge pronto, whereas if its the latter then you've got a shot at changing things for the better.If you do think its worth trying to make a difference then as a first step you need to recognise that the problem lies in the meta-game, its about the unwritten rules of how the group works and what you are trying to achieve with the game. As such it needs to be addressed in the meta-game, so vindictive mob-style hits on Uber-Wizard's familiar aren't a productive way forward (I was glad to see you pull back from this tactic - IMO it would have been disastrous besides being pretty lousy roleplaying).Secondly I think you need to be clear in your own head what you want to achieve. Obviously (but it bears repeating) you want to Have Fun, but what kind of Fun exactly? Gamers differ on what constitutes Fun (see "Robin's Laws of Good Gamemastering" for an introduction to the principal types) and a large subset of the problems groups encounter is when different players bring unstated assumptions about how Fun is to be achieved to the table - as an earlier poster said, you and the Uber-Wizard guy are effectively playing in different games - the only way forward is to recognise this fact and then work out some common ground whereby your two games are aligned sufficiently that you both get teh Fun. If you do some thinking about what you don't like and what you do then when it comes to the point of sharing your concerns (with the DM and/or the wider group) you will have something a bit more constructive to put on the table than a resounding "This game sucks!" - satisfying though that may be. By analysing your play style you can work up a list of essentials, desirables and nice-to-haves which you can use as negotiating chips when it comes to thrashing out what Needs To Be Done so that everyone can get to the Fun.Thirdly the situation shouldn't be allowed to fester, however neither should you be plotting a coup. Sound out the other players certainly (you want to get an idea of what their idea of Fun is after all) but the objective you need to be working towards is an airing of your concerns and a discussion of what can be done to make things better for everyone (including the Uber-Wizard guy - do you think that, deep-down, he's not a little bit disapointed by his 'look at my buff-itude' wankfests?). Try and set this up to happen on neutral ground, preferably not during an actual session and make sure that noone (especially the DM) feels ambushed by it. Be assertive, constructive, fair and non-confrontational - you have identified a problem and this is all about getting to solutions, not finger-jabbing or point-scoring; be ready to dicker and give things up in order to get to an acceptable compromise.Finally you should recognise that although you might think the Uber-Wizard guy is only playing an asshat you could be wrong and actually, he is an asshat. If he (or his SO) blow up, get defensively emotional, start raving about 'treacherous players' , question your sanity, refuse to acknowledge there's a problem or even pretend to meet you halfway then wish them well, pick up your dicebag and go find another group. Sometimes you give it your best shot and your best shot isn't good enough; thems the breaks and no gaming is better than disfunctional gaming.Hope this helpsLuke-- # include wiity_sig.his</blockquote>

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