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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 4602724" data-attributes="member: 18280">What seems to have happened here is that you made an IF/THEN statement; i.e., if X then Y, where X is the desired outcome and Y is the conditions placed upon that outcome.  The players, wanting X (you to DM) agreed to Y (your rules, etc.), but then tested to see if commitment to Y was required to achieve X.  And it was not.What you should do is determine what conditions are necessary to make DMing worthwhile to you, make a new IF/THEN statement with those exact conditions, and accept the consequences of not achieving them.Example:DM Joe hates, cannot stand, and absolutely is repulsed by oranges.  So he makes a rule:  "IF I am to run this game, THEN there can be no oranges eaten at the table."If Player Bob begins eating an orange at the table, DM Joe has three choices:  (1) continue to DM for everyone, (2) remove Player Bob from the table, or (3) stop DMing.  If he chooses (1), it shouldn't surprise him that Player Sue and Player George feel entitled to eat oranges at the table, too.  Indeed, the only real value to the IF/THEN statement was to cast doubt upon any future IF/THEN statements DM Joe might make.If he chooses (2), there is an immediate penalty for eating an orange, but if Player Bob was important to the group -- or his character was! -- Player Sue and Player George might be harshly penalized as a result.  Moreover, the DM now must decide what to do with Player Bob's character.  If the character is now simply "not there", might oranges appear at the table every time a PC death, a tight spot, or a TPK is looming?If he chooses (3), Player Sue and Player George end up paying for Player Bob's eating the orange.  But, if DM Joe is really serious about the whole "no oranges" thing, he should take this option.  When Players Sue and George complain, DM Joe is justified in saying, "I told you all about the no oranges rule.  You might want to talk it over with Bob.  I'll be ready to run next week, if you still want to play."  Of course, he might discover that his benefit (X) isn't as much of a benefit as he thought......he might end up alone next week.Of the three, though, I would recommend (3).RC</blockquote>

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