D&D 5E What to do if a player keeps reading the adventures

[Sunseeker]

Except that, in this case, the player who read ahead did use that knowledge to spoil the game (or does telling the other players "this NPC has a secret" not count as a spoiler?). If I were a fellow player, I'd be pretty pissed that I'd been cheated out of the possibility of discovering that on my own. Even if that secret would have involved treachery.

I'm all for players using meta game knowledge, personally. It just opens up a new dimension with which to mess with them. But the issue here isn't really what means the player is using to be disruptive. The issue is that a disruptive player is being disruptive.

Right, I understand that using any knowledge, in or out of game, or body parts or music or anything and the kitchen sink to be disruptive is a problem of course.

What I see however in people's responses is reacting to the knowledge he has, and the way he's using it, which are two different things.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

What if he's played/run this adventure before and he just knows it from experience? Is one immature because they've played D&D sometime in the last 40 years?

What if he read up on them ages ago and has a good memory, maybe he really liked this adventure and was really looking forward to playing it some day, is he immature because his biology affords him a good recollection of past events?

Let me see...

What do you guys suggest when a player keeps reading the adventures before we play them. We're playing through the official adventures released by Wizards and the player reads ahead for each adventure so he knows what's coming.

It seems pretty clear to me that the situation faced by the op has nothing to do with what you describe. It's just outright cheating.

 

[Sunseeker]

It seems pretty clear to me that the situation faced by the op has nothing to do with what you describe. It's just outright cheating.

Cheating is a heavy word.

While I agree that what he's doing with the knowledge he's gained is damaging to the game and that might constitute cheating, having the knowledge and how you use it are two different things.

 

[the Jester]

Cheating is a heavy word.

While I agree that what he's doing with the knowledge he's gained is damaging to the game and that might constitute cheating, having the knowledge and how you use it are two different things.

Yes, but we're discussing a specific player who behaves in a specific way. Pretending that we're talking about the larger issue of players who have read or played modules in the past is missing the forest for the trees.

 

[Umbran]

The guy is reading the adventure before playing, I don't think that someone who does that qualifies to join a mature adults conversation in the first place.

Irrelevant. The GM should keep the moral high ground, and do what he or she ought, even if the player in question is an immature nozzle.

Plus, the frequency with which people misunderstand each other is great. However much we think this person is violating a sacred code, maybe they just aren't as indoctrinated as we, and maybe, just maybe, they can come around to acceptable behavior with a discussion.

It is a *conversation*. This is *not costly*. It is *not a burden* to chat with the guy once more, just to be sure.

 

[Sunseeker]

Yes, but we're discussing a specific player who behaves in a specific way. Pretending that we're talking about the larger issue of players who have read or played modules in the past is missing the forest for the trees.

The discussion of the individual is not separate from the discussion of the group. While it would be nice to say that every case is individualized, the simple fact is that humans don't work that way.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I personally have played a few modules with having read. Them I prefer to DM so when I do this. It's mainly to see how I can improve as one and take ideas from how they run the module. I don't use out of character knowledge and I let the other players take the lead with things. Going with the majority on stuff allowing my opinion to be what I think my character would want.

If you get him to play more like this you would likely have a better time. Though I would not want him reading any future books you get.

 

[JackOfAllTirades]

Cheating is a heavy word.

Yes it is.

I would never use it lightly, unless I was absolutely certain that it was appropriate, and that it wasn't being applied unfairly. Now, having got that disclaimer out of the way, I can tell you this:

He's cheating.

 

[pming]

Hiya.

Honestly, if talking to the guy isn't gonna change his evil ways... take one aspect, a big one, of the adventure and change it. You don't have time to do the whole thing, I get that. But you probably have a few minutes every day or so to type out a few notes and changes.

For example, if the adventure has some NPC with a "big secret", as you said a few pages ago, think of a different secret he could have...oh, and change "he" to "she". Then, before the PC's can zero in on that NPC who they "know has the secret" (due to Mr.SuperSelfConscious)...kill the NPC dead! I guarantee the look on the face of Mr.SSC there will be priceless! In one fell swoop, you just showed him that reading the adventure is pointless, and acting on it even moreso. He will likley be thinking "Oh, great, now how are we supposed to find out about The Hidden Cave of Secrets?!?"... he may even blurt that out.

In short, have his acting on "insider info" turn out to be outright false or shift it to something else. This will serve a few purposes. First, as I said above, it shows him it's pointless to pre-read the adventure. Second, it shows him you are in control of the major aspects of the plot line (and lets face it, HotDQ and RoT are plot-lines... not a lot of variation). Third, and last, it may just outright frustrate him enough that he chooses to leave the group. I can easily see him saying something like "Well, there's no point to playing, really....not if the DM is just going to change things willy-nilly when he fells like it!" (...fully and completely oblivious to the hypocrisy of his words, of course).

Or...just keep killing his characters so he spends all his time making new characters so he can't interfere with the other players as they actually play the game.

(OK, ignore that last part...I guess...yeah...that'd just be mean and spitefull...amusing, but mean... ).

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Shasarak]

Hiya.

Honestly, if talking to the guy isn't gonna change his evil ways... take one aspect, a big one, of the adventure and change it. You don't have time to do the whole thing, I get that. But you probably have a few minutes every day or so to type out a few notes and changes.

For example, if the adventure has some NPC with a "big secret", as you said a few pages ago, think of a different secret he could have...oh, and change "he" to "she". Then, before the PC's can zero in on that NPC who they "know has the secret" (due to Mr.SuperSelfConscious)...kill the NPC dead! I guarantee the look on the face of Mr.SSC there will be priceless! In one fell swoop, you just showed him that reading the adventure is pointless, and acting on it even moreso. He will likley be thinking "Oh, great, now how are we supposed to find out about The Hidden Cave of Secrets?!?"... he may even blurt that out.

Ha, now no one can find out about The Hidden Cave of Secrets!

Now everyone will respect my authority! lol