Been a DM for a very long time with many a campaign under my belt. Back in the day I never had to deal with how should I say, flaky, caustic and / or wacky players until I started DM'ing after getting out of the military. So with that said, what red flags pop up when you are dealing with players joining your campaign? For instance, a player sends you a 7500 word doc on their character back round along with some crazy ass ideas, you end up helping that player with their character for alot of hours and try to skim through their characters backround but your eyes end up glazing over after the first paragraph (this not Robert E. Howard stuff and more akin to a depressed edge lord) do you accept such a player? (This player ended up quitting the game mid way). Had another player that swore so much, my players complained that he needed to be kicked. I do not mean an occasional cuss word, I mean every other word out of this dudes pie hole was a cuss word. (I adhere to the NCO's Creed when DM'ing) So anyway, what red flags pop up in your mind when DM'ing players or interviewing them for your campaign?
Swearing is a part of life, particularly within the military. Pretty much it was always present amongst the junior ranks when I was serving in the 90's. My guys get reminded not to swear around the kids - now that we are older and have families but otherwise it is part of normal conversation.
I was thinking about players that check e-mails and texts during a game, especially if it is during a combat encounter. Players that forget their character sheet (but everyone plays online now so ...) or their dice, or never bring a snack, or ...
Any time a player starts cutting off other players other than when the whole table has broken into a wide open cacophony and one player is wise enough to ask everyone to be quiet so one person can speak at a time ...
A Player frequently correcting the DM, even if they are right, but especially if it is an opinion on how the situation should be handled ... These things, when they have to happen, need to be handled between sessions in private.
In general any antisocial behavior, grandstanding or passive aggressive behavior is a sign the player expects to be in control and doesn't respect the DM.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Any player who is repeatedly distracted (usually with outside electronics) and distracts other players.
A player who tries to DM or to micromanage other players characters. [Note: This is very different from a player helping someone new to understand game mechanics, generally distinguishable by the second party wanting help vs feeling they are always getting unwanted advice or not being allowed to play their own character.]
A player who constantly acts contrary to the interests and desires of the rest of the party.
A player who constantly tries to monopolize everyone's time and attention.
The player who has to be better than anyone else in the party. Is always competing with them and demands more /better items than other party members possess.
That said, I have been very fortunate. Not only has my core group been together for years, but our two newest additions really seem to be fitting in well with the whole group dynamic and style of play. The table is a bit crowded, but everyone is having fun. The Red Flags are things I have noted in the past with different combinations of players.
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Howdy-
Been a DM for a very long time with many a campaign under my belt. Back in the day I never had to deal with how should I say, flaky, caustic and / or wacky players until I started DM'ing after getting out of the military. So with that said, what red flags pop up when you are dealing with players joining your campaign? For instance, a player sends you a 7500 word doc on their character back round along with some crazy ass ideas, you end up helping that player with their character for alot of hours and try to skim through their characters backround but your eyes end up glazing over after the first paragraph (this not Robert E. Howard stuff and more akin to a depressed edge lord) do you accept such a player? (This player ended up quitting the game mid way). Had another player that swore so much, my players complained that he needed to be kicked. I do not mean an occasional cuss word, I mean every other word out of this dudes pie hole was a cuss word. (I adhere to the NCO's Creed when DM'ing) So anyway, what red flags pop up in your mind when DM'ing players or interviewing them for your campaign?
Someone who says “But that’s what my character would do.”
Sometimes they’re just immature or new to the game, and you can work with them. Most of the time, they’re jerks.
Swearing is a part of life, particularly within the military. Pretty much it was always present amongst the junior ranks when I was serving in the 90's. My guys get reminded not to swear around the kids - now that we are older and have families but otherwise it is part of normal conversation.
I was thinking about players that check e-mails and texts during a game, especially if it is during a combat encounter. Players that forget their character sheet (but everyone plays online now so ...) or their dice, or never bring a snack, or ...
Any time a player starts cutting off other players other than when the whole table has broken into a wide open cacophony and one player is wise enough to ask everyone to be quiet so one person can speak at a time ...
A Player frequently correcting the DM, even if they are right, but especially if it is an opinion on how the situation should be handled ... These things, when they have to happen, need to be handled between sessions in private.
In general any antisocial behavior, grandstanding or passive aggressive behavior is a sign the player expects to be in control and doesn't respect the DM.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Any player who is repeatedly distracted (usually with outside electronics) and distracts other players.
A player who tries to DM or to micromanage other players characters. [Note: This is very different from a player helping someone new to understand game mechanics, generally distinguishable by the second party wanting help vs feeling they are always getting unwanted advice or not being allowed to play their own character.]
A player who constantly acts contrary to the interests and desires of the rest of the party.
A player who constantly tries to monopolize everyone's time and attention.
The player who has to be better than anyone else in the party. Is always competing with them and demands more /better items than other party members possess.
That said, I have been very fortunate. Not only has my core group been together for years, but our two newest additions really seem to be fitting in well with the whole group dynamic and style of play. The table is a bit crowded, but everyone is having fun. The Red Flags are things I have noted in the past with different combinations of players.