What Would You Do: The Halfling Problem

[randcortin]

That's the last thing I want to happen, is for him to find these boards. There's been a lot of talk about Keith, and not much of it good. We just had a big fight over the level you start your PC at when the previous one dies, and it consisted of calling us stupid whiners, nasty e-mails, and (I suspect) retribution for us challenging his rulings. That's what I suspect is the reason for the halfling bounty: a strike at Samnell, denying him of his favorite race or else the threat of being hunted down like a fox.

If he did find his way over to these boards, things would probably get nasty pretty quick.

 

[Samnell]

That's what I suspect is the reason for the halfling bounty: a strike at Samnell, denying him of his favorite race or else the threat of being hunted down like a fox.

I'm not willing to endorse that scenario yet. I don't think there's evidence for it. You're right that our backgrounds seldom do much beyond cause problems for us, though.

Granted, in the past my requests have been singled out for rejection for reasons I don't yet grasp. That wouldn't bother me except that they are agreed to in one session and then a month later are rejected. I requested a break from constantly gaming in basically the same setting doing the same thing, being caught up in a three-way war. After three sessions we learn that the evil we have been fighting is actually tied into the war.

I am at a loss to explain this.

 

[Vocenoctum]

Why are you guys in the game?

The DM might not be striking at you because you disagreed with him, but he IS specifically striking at your characters, in a very "players vs DM" way.

In my game, the city just recently threw off an occuping force. The majority of the halfling's were quite oppurtunistic, and people consider ALL halfling's to be thieves. Dwarves sold weapons to both sides, and people don't like them very much either. The city is Neutral at best, nowhere near LG.

There is NO WAY the city would endorse violence against a race.

Your DM is screwing with you intentionally. Perhaps in retribution, perhaps because he believes that "they enjoy the challenge". Either way, why play in the game?

 

[Bob Aberton]

I've been reading these posts, and I just can't hold it in any longer. Samnell, randcortin,

YOUR DM SUCKS

Sorry if I offended, but I just can't stand DMs like the one you describe. IMHO, he is definately gunning for the PCs. Does he take sadistic pleasure in torturing PCs 'til they scream? Does he revel in TPKs?

For the love of God, GET A NEW DM


Again sorry if I offended, really, don't get me wrong, you might love your DM, but it seems to me that he just isn't being fair...

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Why are you guys in the game?

Is this the only game in town? If so, maybe join an online game. Or start a new game. Don't invest all that energy and creative output for a schmuck DM.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Oh, also, rename this thread. You don't have a halfling problem. You have a DM problem.

 

[randcortin]

Keith is evil. I mean, he is VERY EVIL. Beyond the normal evilness that every good DM has, he outevils them by far. He was considering buying an old church so he could desecrate it and play D&D among symbols of Satanism on the walls and ceiling. I agree we need to get a new DM, the risk in proposing it however, is that if the motion for a new DM fails, there WILL be retribution, make no mistake. If he even knew we were discussing it on the ENworld boards, he would get even madder than he was this last week, and that was pretty ****ing mad.

Is this the only game in town?

It took us the better part of two years to be able to hook up with our current gaming group. The problem lies in a lack of a central gaming store that sells D&D. The only store in town that sells D&D is Waldenbooks, and if we were to look for a new game we would have to post fliers all around town, and it'd be hard to do it quietly so that Keith wouldn't notice our treachery.

Besides, Keith is a great DM. Wait, make that an otherwise great DM who makes really bad DM decisions once in a while.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Halfling Ninja Brigade - Shadowdancers, Rogues, Ninjas, and any other prestige class that might be warranted. Have the halflings go on a rampage and kill everything...

I agree, it's a problem with a poor DM. If talking to him doesn't help, you may want to leave the game if it makes you that unhappy. Alternatively, you could get into DMing your own group - maybe your DM could learn something from you.

[EDIT] I definitely hear you on the lack of a central gaming store - even at college, I'm having the same problems finding a group. I've pretty much resigned myself to waiting until I go away to grad school. But that's because Binghamton sucks.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Holy shyt, are you frickin' serious? Buying a church just to spite people who probably don't deserve it anyway?

I mean, I usually don't deign to personal instults as a rule, but what is is wrong with this fruknut? Good DM or no, he sounds like a pretty bad *person*.

That out of the way, there may be ways to solve this...use it to mess with his plot. Move away, ignore the plot he has set up to save your lives, choose an outrageous ECL race when this guy dies (which he probably will), arrange for the family to try to kill off some figures that have been instrumental in the system, try to team up with a good person, organization, or dragon in a foriegn land...

Take the riegns away from him. You play your characters, you have motivations, you go do what your character would do.

Maybe if he realizes it's stemming from his own dickheadedness, he won't be so so inclined to do it again, realizing it only ends up getting people mad and destroying his story.

Then, try to get someone else to DM for a while, and tell him that your histories are working to your disadvantage (maybe during the table, or during character creation). Heck, have a trusted party member kill you, take your head for the bounty, keep your body and move to a new land, and then revive you there with the bounty you collected, and a bit left over. Grow a beard and carry around an axe. Get a hat of disguise. If all else fails, act wounded and ineffectual and "fall on your dagger." When he tells you to do a new character, whip out the same character sheet. Repeat ad nauseum.

Those are probably some bad ideas at the end, but still...

Yeesh, I have a hard time taking this guy with any seriousness after these plans have been revealed. Send him to get help. Wow.

 

[Samnell]

Holy shyt, are you frickin' serious? Buying a church just to spite people who probably don't deserve it anyway?

I think the church thing had more to do with being able to get it reasonably cheap compared to a regular house and his appreciation of the irony involved in gaming there. It's possibly I'm being overly charitable, though.