Why players misbehave (from a teacher's perspective)

[Wasteland Knight]

I feel this is a well reasoned theory. As a teacher, this post literally feels like reading a classroom management book.

But, unlike the classroom we do not need to accept everyone. I feel most problems that do occur spring forth out of miscommunication, unclear expectations, or people not gelling personally. There is little that can be done about the third, but the other two can be improved upon.

I have also run the D&D club at high school, and I can tell you their problems generally originate outside the game. The consternation caused at a D&D table about breakups, who's whose best friend, social status decline or incline, etc. is real. But that is the nature of growing up.

The bolded part is incredibly important. Playing at any particular table should be considered a privilege, not a right.

 

[BookTenTiger]

The bolded part is incredibly important. Playing at any particular table should be considered a privilege, not a right.

Absolutely! And if you have carefully covetted a group of wonderful players and you have no misbehaviors, awesome!

And if you are having problems, these are some ideas that could help!

 

[Jd Smith1]

Absolutely! And if you have carefully covetted a group of wonderful players and you have no misbehaviors, awesome!

And if you are having problems, these are some ideas that could help!

Never trust anyone who feels the need for that many exclamation points.

 

[Jd Smith1]

One of the games I run, with my eldest son as a player (15 when the game started), includes two other father-son pairs. It was deliberately arranged, at least partially, as a parent+child game to give the younger ones the opportunity to interact in social situations with adults (and their parents) and help their social development. We still do goofy things, laugh, and have a good time, but the younger ones get to experience normal social boundaries and see that you can have a lot of fun within those boundaries.

A classic case of proper expectation management.

Any social activity is best planned to include people who share the same expectations, from fishing to bowling to softball.

 

[Schmoe]

A classic case of proper expectation management.

Any social activity is best planned to include people who share the same expectations, from fishing to bowling to softball.

The one difference being, in this case I use certain strategies to get people to conform to expectations when they otherwise might not. A classic case of behavior management.

 

[Jd Smith1]

The one difference being, in this case I use certain strategies to get people to conform to expectations when they otherwise might not. A classic case of behavior management

Possibly.

 

[Umbran]

Never trust anyone who feels the need for that many exclamation points.

Mod Note:

Please stop taking jabs at people.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Reminder: This is from a teacher's perspective. It's called Why Player Misbehave... but I could just as easily have called it Why Human Beings Misbehave... If you want to disagree with me, you are free to, but I really encourage anyone who disagrees to come up with other reasons players misbehave and other solutions!

This next one is a problem I see at the table where I play all the time.

3. Perceived Incompetence

What it looks like: Player gives up on turn ("I don't know, I don't do anything"), player "forgets" the rules, player suddenly struggles to add numbers, player accuses others or GM of cheating...

Why it's a problem: RPGs can be pretty complicated, and players who feel like they cannot grasp the rules often feel as if the game, or other players, have an advantage over them, and may act out because of that.

During the session: Simplify the rule for the player ("Don't worry about the grapple rules, just make an Athletics check..."). Make a GM judgment call and say you can look up the specific rules after the game. Switch from a mechanical storytelling mode to a theatre-of-mind storytelling mode. Encourage the player just to describe their action, and handle the mechanics yourself. Revoice the player's hesitations as an in-character decision ("Your barbarian takes some time to carefully study the battlefield. Don't worry about this round, you can join in next round when you are ready.").

Before the next session: Offer to review the game rules with the player. Create reference materials for the player character's mechanics or often confusing game mechanics. Make the consequences of success and failure more transparent. Collaborate with the player to create some communication tools you can use together to simplify their choices in combat (Player: "I am going to Smite him with my sword!" GM: "Okay, you roll a 12, which gives you a 19, hitting the enemy. Cross out one spell slot, you do a total of 24 damage!")

 

[GMMichael]

3. Perceived Incompetence

What it looks like: Player gives up on turn ("I don't know, I don't do anything"), player "forgets" the rules, player suddenly struggles to add numbers, player accuses others or GM of cheating...

Why it's a problem: RPGs can be pretty complicated, and players who feel like they cannot grasp the rules often feel as if the game, or other players, have an advantage over them, and may act out because of that.

Sometimes this is Ingrained Incompetence.

For example, in a typical D&D combat, if I roll under 11 for my PC, I give up on my turn. It's not because I don't know the rules. But often, the DM and the adventure module are fixated on a specific outcome, like causing maximum damage to the opponent(s). Unless my character is optimized for causing damage, or lucky on the dice, the DM won't pay much attention to what I want to do.

One perceived solution still applies: switch to theater of the mind. Another: narrate, as GM, outcomes to every turn, not just the ones that fit the goal of the encounter.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Sometimes this is Ingrained Incompetence.

For example, in a typical D&D combat, if I roll under 11 for my PC, I give up on my turn. It's not because I don't know the rules. But often, the DM and the adventure module are fixated on a specific outcome, like causing maximum damage to the opponent(s). Unless my character is optimized for causing damage, or lucky on the dice, the DM won't pay much attention to what I want to do.

One perceived solution still applies: switch to theater of the mind. Another: narrate, as GM, outcomes to every turn, not just the ones that fit the goal of the encounter.

This reminds me of DM'ing advice I read, which was basically for the DM to give a quick statement at the end of teach turn that summarizes what just happened, and gives an opening for the next player.

So let's say the Barbarian misses the Vampire with his greataxe, and that's the end of their turn. The rogue is next.

DM: "Rogue, you see the barbarian swing with his axe, but the vampire jumps out of the way. The vampire's attention seems on the barbarian, her back is turned to you. What do you do?"

This helps all the combat flow together, but it also means that the barbarian's miss isn't just a bad roll, it creates a narrative opportunity for the rogue.