Recently, I DM'd a campaign for my friends that took place at a school for wizards, because I wanted to try a campaign with the new spells. What i didn't account for was the chaotic jumble that is my friend group. I have goody 2 shoes, one power hungry player, and one who has never played as anything other than a chaotic evil psycho.
The goody 2 shoes chose an illusioner wizard, tried to avoid combat, and never cast an illusion spell for the whole 5 hour session. The power hungry player was an abjurer wizard, interrupted frequently, and referenced jujutsu kaisen every time he cast a spell. The psycho wanted to "take the genocide route" constantly reminded me that he was "infected by an all powerful parasite that appeared at midnight and was unkillable, and attempted to assassinate the principal of the wizard school.
I want to try another, longer campaign that I don't have to end after the first session, and need help dealing with these people
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I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
Talk to them about their behavior. Or realize this group is incompatible and find other folks to play with.
I already tried that, and I have no other friends 😔
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
So, I guess you're left with a few options. If their playing is really annoying, it could be they actually don't want to play, and this is their way of passive-aggressively acting out that behavior. In that case, you stop playing with them. You could try talking with them again, and asking if they actually do enjoy playing, because this playstyle is not fun for you. So, either you all need to try and meet each other part way (since it almost seems like you all are playing four different games), or you just need to stop.
Another option is seeking out a group that's looking for players (either in person or online), and then you make some new friends. Not to replace these friends, but just to make some new ones, which is always a good thing.
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
You could also try talking to them about the experience that is wanted at the table.
For example, all your characters are heroes, they are looking to the good of the community, they may want things like fame, fortune or personal glory, but they understand that they need to work together to combat the evil in the land.
Having expectations on what the characters are and that they are all working together for the good of the world and that they know their actions have consequences in the world and the characters don't want those. For example, just annihilating an entire tribe of Orcs will cause other Orcs to exact revenge by massacring innocent villages would be enough for their characters to not want to bring that onto the community.
Having problem players can be frustrating, and I've had situations where players had such diverse backgrounds and interests that they would never become real-life friends. But over time, I've developed some house rules that I clearly explain to all my players at the start of a campaign, and it has really helped smooth out my games even with some of the most hard-headed and troublesome folks that I have run games for:
1.) Every player can choose to play their character how they want to, and no one else is allowed to bully, harass, or tell that player what they should do next. Strategizing is always encouraged, and group discussions are reasonable as long as there is no yelling, name-calling, or outbursts of emotion. But when it comes time for a player to decide what their character will do, everyone else must politely wait for that decision. (Often, as the DM, I will tell the players, "Discuss among yourselves," while I go and get a soda, stretch my legs, or start to get tools out for the following scenario in the game. It's an effective way to encourage strategy and allow the players to figure stuff out without it getting heated).
2.) During combat, each player will get time to say what their character will do. No one is to touch or move another player's board marker (i.e. figurine) without permission from the player controlling that marker first. (How I run combat is to literally go around the table player to player and ask them specifically what their character is going to do. If anyone tries to interrupt or interject, I'll say, "Hold on a sec. Your turn is coming up soon, let XXX finish their turn.")
3.) Remember, this is a game, but it is a "roleplaying" game. That means that some players will want their characters to act a specific way, whether as a pacifist sorcerer or a murder-hobo barbarian. In other words, don't take anything in the game personally. It's role-playing. None of this is real.
Using these rules, I have found that my games run much smoother, and everyone seems to be happy because everyone feels like they had their say and got to do what they wanted.
On a side note, as a GM, you have to anticipate your players will make everything go off the rails, and it's up to you to decide how the world would react, which often will take the campaign into a different direction and sometimes lead your players to learn hard lessons.
I'm not suggesting this would have fixed your specific issues, but I have found these rules to be very helpful at my table over the years.
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
Recently, I DM'd a campaign for my friends that took place at a school for wizards, because I wanted to try a campaign with the new spells. What i didn't account for was the chaotic jumble that is my friend group. I have goody 2 shoes, one power hungry player, and one who has never played as anything other than a chaotic evil psycho.
The goody 2 shoes chose an illusioner wizard, tried to avoid combat, and never cast an illusion spell for the whole 5 hour session. The power hungry player was an abjurer wizard, interrupted frequently, and referenced jujutsu kaisen every time he cast a spell. The psycho wanted to "take the genocide route" constantly reminded me that he was "infected by an all powerful parasite that appeared at midnight and was unkillable, and attempted to assassinate the principal of the wizard school.
I want to try another, longer campaign that I don't have to end after the first session, and need help dealing with these people
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
.-. .- -. -.. --- -- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . .-.-.-
Talk to them about their behavior. Or realize this group is incompatible and find other folks to play with.
I already tried that, and I have no other friends 😔
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
.-. .- -. -.. --- -- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . .-.-.-
Well, that's unfortunate.
So, I guess you're left with a few options. If their playing is really annoying, it could be they actually don't want to play, and this is their way of passive-aggressively acting out that behavior. In that case, you stop playing with them. You could try talking with them again, and asking if they actually do enjoy playing, because this playstyle is not fun for you. So, either you all need to try and meet each other part way (since it almost seems like you all are playing four different games), or you just need to stop.
Another option is seeking out a group that's looking for players (either in person or online), and then you make some new friends. Not to replace these friends, but just to make some new ones, which is always a good thing.
Ok, I'll try that next time.
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
.-. .- -. -.. --- -- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . .-.-.-
You could also try talking to them about the experience that is wanted at the table.
For example, all your characters are heroes, they are looking to the good of the community, they may want things like fame, fortune or personal glory, but they understand that they need to work together to combat the evil in the land.
Having expectations on what the characters are and that they are all working together for the good of the world and that they know their actions have consequences in the world and the characters don't want those. For example, just annihilating an entire tribe of Orcs will cause other Orcs to exact revenge by massacring innocent villages would be enough for their characters to not want to bring that onto the community.
Just my thoughts.
Having problem players can be frustrating, and I've had situations where players had such diverse backgrounds and interests that they would never become real-life friends. But over time, I've developed some house rules that I clearly explain to all my players at the start of a campaign, and it has really helped smooth out my games even with some of the most hard-headed and troublesome folks that I have run games for:
1.) Every player can choose to play their character how they want to, and no one else is allowed to bully, harass, or tell that player what they should do next. Strategizing is always encouraged, and group discussions are reasonable as long as there is no yelling, name-calling, or outbursts of emotion. But when it comes time for a player to decide what their character will do, everyone else must politely wait for that decision. (Often, as the DM, I will tell the players, "Discuss among yourselves," while I go and get a soda, stretch my legs, or start to get tools out for the following scenario in the game. It's an effective way to encourage strategy and allow the players to figure stuff out without it getting heated).
2.) During combat, each player will get time to say what their character will do. No one is to touch or move another player's board marker (i.e. figurine) without permission from the player controlling that marker first. (How I run combat is to literally go around the table player to player and ask them specifically what their character is going to do. If anyone tries to interrupt or interject, I'll say, "Hold on a sec. Your turn is coming up soon, let XXX finish their turn.")
3.) Remember, this is a game, but it is a "roleplaying" game. That means that some players will want their characters to act a specific way, whether as a pacifist sorcerer or a murder-hobo barbarian. In other words, don't take anything in the game personally. It's role-playing. None of this is real.
Using these rules, I have found that my games run much smoother, and everyone seems to be happy because everyone feels like they had their say and got to do what they wanted.
On a side note, as a GM, you have to anticipate your players will make everything go off the rails, and it's up to you to decide how the world would react, which often will take the campaign into a different direction and sometimes lead your players to learn hard lessons.
I'm not suggesting this would have fixed your specific issues, but I have found these rules to be very helpful at my table over the years.
Aight y'all, thank you!
I'm just your everyday dungeon master. Ignore that jar full of souls. And those bones in the corner are just props, don't worry. I'm definitely NOT a lich. Definitely.
Yes, I like beholders. Yes, I curated an exquisite personality for commoner #2864. Yes, my catchphrase is "are you sure?"
.-. .- -. -.. --- -- / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . .-.-.-