Hey guys, I was wondering on how to deal with this. My group is about 9 players. me being the newest, not counting the dm and one of our players playing a rogue wishes to steal from other pcs, which is pretty obvious as he has before, but when that player isnt around i.e. before he arrives or after he leaves he tells one player specifically what he was planning and everything he was planning to steal and when. How do i confront the dm about this?
Hey guys, I was wondering on how to deal with this. My group is about 9 players. me being the newest, not counting the dm and one of our players playing a rogue wishes to steal from other pcs, which is pretty obvious as he has before, but when that player isnt around i.e. before he arrives or after he leaves he tells one player specifically what he was planning and everything he was planning to steal and when. How do i confront the dm about this?
My 2 cp...
Sometime before the game starts, or perhaps after it ends, I'd look at the DM and say,
"Hey. So, I'm not having fun when Craig steals my stuff. It's cool when he steals NPC stuff...but, I don't want him to take MY stuff. So, as the DM, if Craig says, "HeyDunGeonMasTErIwaNNasteAlJason'sthings!" (Craig talks like a Spongebob meme, obviously) please respond with: "Craig, don't ask me (the DM) if you can steal Jason's character's stuff. Ask Jason if it'd be okay for you to take his things." to which I would politely reply, "Hell no, Craig. Don't touch my stuff."
The social dynamics of the group of characters in a campaign should, regardless of whatever those social dynamics are going to be, be a thing that the entire play group are in agreement on - and I mean the entire group, not just a majority.
Which means, when applied to the scenario described, that a player character should not be allowed to steal from other player characters if any of the players are not in agreement regarding the frequency such an event can take place, what mechanics (if any) will be involved in resolving such an event, and what potential consequences are allowed to follow (i.e. can your character murder the thief character in their sleep as payback for their stealing something from your character, or are forms of payback limited to those which don't result in the player of the thieving character having to make a new character if they want to keep participating in the campaign).
My advice regarding handling this situation is simple: bring it up to the DM that you have disagreements with how things are currently being handled, suggest the group work out an agreement like I mention above, and if there is any response other than complete agreement that no one should have to "deal with it" that they don't like what is allowed in the game-play and working towards the group as a whole being satisfied, cease playing with that group immediately for the sake of your own sanity - and most important of all, don't do anything petty or in an attempt to get back at the thief's player in-character unless that is what the whole group agrees should be the way to play, because if you do stuff like Grimmric has suggested without the rest of the players agreeing in advance about acting that way, you are being just as much of a problem player as the player of the thief is (and are likely to be responded to as if you were actually a bigger problem, because people will be in the mindset of "it was bad enough when it was just some minor thefts among the party, but now we've got [insert your actions here] working against the party too.")
Unrelated, mostly, but yesterday I discovered that there was an animated film of Dragon's of Autumn Twilight! 10 years and I never knew that.
OK, it wasn't LOTR (The animated one that got stuck halfway) but ah, sweet nostalgia.
But my point is there is a kender in it who is constantly finding himself in possession of his friend's belongings.....
Much as I would like to agree with AaronofBarbaria, as he makes sense from a game playing / social evening standpoint, if your group are role-playing rather than just enjoying some good ole hack'n'slash, then you should ask what your character would do in this situation... I know what I would do...well not exactly, but it might involve rashers of bacon or perhaps 'Wanted' posters appearing around town. Possibly laxatives. Stealing is illegal, and stealing from friends is reprehensible...but vengeance (apparently) is honourable and so satisfying.
If things go badly, leaving the group is better than 'putting up' with a situation that is leaving you frustrated - we have school, jobs, wives or husbands, and other idiot drivers to provide frustration in our lives. Gaming should be enjoyable or why bother. 9 players? I bet you could find 3 or 4 others to start a splinter group if the rogue is annoying them as much.
I wish I knew 8 people who would want to play D&D our way...
In simple terms, the player is a jerk, and, if the DM is allowing it, the DM is quite possibly a jerk. In the first campaign I ever played back in maybe 1981-1982 (yes, I'm old) we hacked our way through White Plume Mountain, got all the treasure, and, on the way out, rested in a cave. The player keeping watch announced he was slitting all our throats and stealing the stuff, and the DM said it was fine. I never played with that group again, because that's not the kind of group I've wanted to play with. My current group has a standard rule that anything PvP-related is banned unless both players agree to it, and it's much better.
Long story short, if you've got a group where certain players think it's fun to screw with other players and the DM supports that, either ask the player and DM to stop, or leave and find a new group. Running an evil, backstabbing campaign can be fun if everyone agrees, but, if not, leave. Everybody should be in agreement whether these kinds of things are OK for the group. If they are, great, if not, find someone else to play with.
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Hey guys, I was wondering on how to deal with this. My group is about 9 players. me being the newest, not counting the dm and one of our players playing a rogue wishes to steal from other pcs, which is pretty obvious as he has before, but when that player isnt around i.e. before he arrives or after he leaves he tells one player specifically what he was planning and everything he was planning to steal and when. How do i confront the dm about this?
Its hard to have a group where somebody steal from other players.
Think about how you would do if a friend in your real life steal from you.
Either confront and tell him to stop or tell him to leave the group. You have a group in the game that should be compatible and to have their back.
If you have lost something to him and you are a healer, then dont heal him.
If you are a fighter, then dont save him when he fights. If he dies a couple of times, he might change his ways.
But its always sad when there is contention in the group.
I'm not stupid. I'm just unlucky when I'm thinking.
The social dynamics of the group of characters in a campaign should, regardless of whatever those social dynamics are going to be, be a thing that the entire play group are in agreement on - and I mean the entire group, not just a majority.
Which means, when applied to the scenario described, that a player character should not be allowed to steal from other player characters if any of the players are not in agreement regarding the frequency such an event can take place, what mechanics (if any) will be involved in resolving such an event, and what potential consequences are allowed to follow (i.e. can your character murder the thief character in their sleep as payback for their stealing something from your character, or are forms of payback limited to those which don't result in the player of the thieving character having to make a new character if they want to keep participating in the campaign).
My advice regarding handling this situation is simple: bring it up to the DM that you have disagreements with how things are currently being handled, suggest the group work out an agreement like I mention above, and if there is any response other than complete agreement that no one should have to "deal with it" that they don't like what is allowed in the game-play and working towards the group as a whole being satisfied, cease playing with that group immediately for the sake of your own sanity - and most important of all, don't do anything petty or in an attempt to get back at the thief's player in-character unless that is what the whole group agrees should be the way to play, because if you do stuff like Grimmric has suggested without the rest of the players agreeing in advance about acting that way, you are being just as much of a problem player as the player of the thief is (and are likely to be responded to as if you were actually a bigger problem, because people will be in the mindset of "it was bad enough when it was just some minor thefts among the party, but now we've got [insert your actions here] working against the party too.")
Unrelated, mostly, but yesterday I discovered that there was an animated film of Dragon's of Autumn Twilight!
10 years and I never knew that.
OK, it wasn't LOTR (The animated one that got stuck halfway) but ah, sweet nostalgia.
But my point is there is a kender in it who is constantly finding himself in possession of his friend's belongings.....
Much as I would like to agree with AaronofBarbaria, as he makes sense from a game playing / social evening standpoint, if your group are role-playing rather than just enjoying some good ole hack'n'slash, then you should ask what your character would do in this situation...
I know what I would do...well not exactly, but it might involve rashers of bacon or perhaps 'Wanted' posters appearing around town. Possibly laxatives. Stealing is illegal, and stealing from friends is reprehensible...but vengeance (apparently) is honourable and so satisfying.
If things go badly, leaving the group is better than 'putting up' with a situation that is leaving you frustrated - we have school, jobs, wives or husbands, and other idiot drivers to provide frustration in our lives. Gaming should be enjoyable or why bother.
9 players? I bet you could find 3 or 4 others to start a splinter group if the rogue is annoying them as much.
I wish I knew 8 people who would want to play D&D our way...
Roleplaying since Runequest.
In simple terms, the player is a jerk, and, if the DM is allowing it, the DM is quite possibly a jerk. In the first campaign I ever played back in maybe 1981-1982 (yes, I'm old) we hacked our way through White Plume Mountain, got all the treasure, and, on the way out, rested in a cave. The player keeping watch announced he was slitting all our throats and stealing the stuff, and the DM said it was fine. I never played with that group again, because that's not the kind of group I've wanted to play with. My current group has a standard rule that anything PvP-related is banned unless both players agree to it, and it's much better.
Long story short, if you've got a group where certain players think it's fun to screw with other players and the DM supports that, either ask the player and DM to stop, or leave and find a new group. Running an evil, backstabbing campaign can be fun if everyone agrees, but, if not, leave. Everybody should be in agreement whether these kinds of things are OK for the group. If they are, great, if not, find someone else to play with.