Hi! I have a group right now that has been going well, for the most part. Most of the players are telling me that they've been enjoying the sessions. 1 player isn't having as much fun, if any. They have been showing signs of boredom and impatience. They've snapped a couple of times at other players.
I had a session 0 where I asked all the players what their expectations for the game are, we discussed homebrew rules, I let them know what my expectations are, and my style of the game.
I messaged the player in question recently and let them know what I've noticed. I asked them how I could help them have more fun, and made some recommendations on my end to help their enjoyment of the game. The response was cryptic - they alluded to how other players play, and said that they learned that they don't like it. The player commended me for my insight (not sure if they were being sarcastic), stated that they thought they were hiding it well, and said that they'll tolerate how others play.
The other players have already been affected. They've started asking me what's going on with Troubled Player. When a scene that centres on Troubled Player's character happens, the other players get shy and quiet.
What would you suggest to help Troubled Player have fun?
This might be one of those unfortunate situations where a player just doesn't click with the group.
It's probably worth having another informal chat with the player in question. I'd ask if they can expand on what it is about the rest of the group's playstyle that they don't like - I've had groups in the past where players felt the rest of the party was too slow, for instance, or that their character wasn't being heard in group settings. Sometimes its as simple as allowing for more OOC chat to speed things along, or adjusting your DMing style to shift the spotlight around more.
That said, it doesn't sound like this person is particularly keen to address their issues. If you reach out again and they still don't want to address things, you might want to consider sitting down with them and having a frank discussion over whether your table is right for them.
It sort of sounds like the player is "just dealing with" how much they don't like how others play because they want to play D&D and think that playing is better than not. But I think the truth is no D&D is better than bad D&D. This player is, sadly, also making D&D bad for the other players and making things awkward. The answer can't be that the player merely "lives with it."
Either they can be more open and honest with you about what they want or what is bothering them and you can try to fix it (probably not a good idea). OR you remove the player. Have a conversation that your table isn't a good fit. They probably were just looking for a different style of play all the way around. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is holding everyone's fun hostage because they aren't mature enough to remove themselves from the equation.
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DM: Adventures in Phandalin [Khessa], The Dread of Strahd[Darya], Dragons of Stormwreck Isle [Rook], Baldur's Gate Mysteries [4-Player] Player: Oona in MO's Icewind Dale Ru's Current Status
Thanks, everyone! I wanted to make sure that I gave the player a fair shake. I suspected that releasing the player was the right thing to do, but I wanted to see if anyone had an idea that I could try. I attempt to give every opportunity for a player to change or adapt, cuz I want to be able to change and adapt as a GM.
Sometimes, players just have different ideas of what makes role-play fun. I was once in a campaign with my brother and a few of my cousins, and it was a lot of fun! But, it was also frustrating. Pretty much everyone else in the campaign, including the DM, wanted to do a quirky, fun, silly campaign. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I was the oddball first-time player who wrote a dramatic backstory and gave my character a bold theme. Again, I was a first-time player, and a rather bad one at that. I ended up catching "main character syndrome" when the DM incorporated my backstory into the game. I was the one that was causing the issues, as I was the only one who disagreed on what genre the campaign should be.
If one player's desired theme clashes with the rest, including the DM's, it often creates friction and tension.
Hi! I have a group right now that has been going well, for the most part. Most of the players are telling me that they've been enjoying the sessions. 1 player isn't having as much fun, if any. They have been showing signs of boredom and impatience. They've snapped a couple of times at other players.
I had a session 0 where I asked all the players what their expectations for the game are, we discussed homebrew rules, I let them know what my expectations are, and my style of the game.
I messaged the player in question recently and let them know what I've noticed. I asked them how I could help them have more fun, and made some recommendations on my end to help their enjoyment of the game. The response was cryptic - they alluded to how other players play, and said that they learned that they don't like it. The player commended me for my insight (not sure if they were being sarcastic), stated that they thought they were hiding it well, and said that they'll tolerate how others play.
The other players have already been affected. They've started asking me what's going on with Troubled Player. When a scene that centres on Troubled Player's character happens, the other players get shy and quiet.
What would you suggest to help Troubled Player have fun?
Sometimes people and personalities just don't click. Learning to accept this and not try to force "fun" on people is the better option.
Personality mismatch. Talk with player and then let them go.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
Are they new to D&D? Could be they just don't like the game.
If they're not new, seems like they may not be a good fit for the table.
This might be one of those unfortunate situations where a player just doesn't click with the group.
It's probably worth having another informal chat with the player in question. I'd ask if they can expand on what it is about the rest of the group's playstyle that they don't like - I've had groups in the past where players felt the rest of the party was too slow, for instance, or that their character wasn't being heard in group settings. Sometimes its as simple as allowing for more OOC chat to speed things along, or adjusting your DMing style to shift the spotlight around more.
That said, it doesn't sound like this person is particularly keen to address their issues. If you reach out again and they still don't want to address things, you might want to consider sitting down with them and having a frank discussion over whether your table is right for them.
It sort of sounds like the player is "just dealing with" how much they don't like how others play because they want to play D&D and think that playing is better than not. But I think the truth is no D&D is better than bad D&D. This player is, sadly, also making D&D bad for the other players and making things awkward. The answer can't be that the player merely "lives with it."
Either they can be more open and honest with you about what they want or what is bothering them and you can try to fix it (probably not a good idea). OR you remove the player. Have a conversation that your table isn't a good fit. They probably were just looking for a different style of play all the way around. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is holding everyone's fun hostage because they aren't mature enough to remove themselves from the equation.
DM: Adventures in Phandalin [Khessa], The Dread of Strahd [Darya], Dragons of Stormwreck Isle [Rook], Baldur's Gate Mysteries [4-Player]
Player: Oona in MO's Icewind Dale
Ru's Current Status
Thanks, everyone! I wanted to make sure that I gave the player a fair shake. I suspected that releasing the player was the right thing to do, but I wanted to see if anyone had an idea that I could try. I attempt to give every opportunity for a player to change or adapt, cuz I want to be able to change and adapt as a GM.
Have you considered murdering them? (That was a joke please do not do this)
Being gender-fluid and pansexual makes roleplay a lot easier!
Sometimes, players just have different ideas of what makes role-play fun. I was once in a campaign with my brother and a few of my cousins, and it was a lot of fun! But, it was also frustrating. Pretty much everyone else in the campaign, including the DM, wanted to do a quirky, fun, silly campaign. And there's nothing wrong with that. But I was the oddball first-time player who wrote a dramatic backstory and gave my character a bold theme. Again, I was a first-time player, and a rather bad one at that. I ended up catching "main character syndrome" when the DM incorporated my backstory into the game. I was the one that was causing the issues, as I was the only one who disagreed on what genre the campaign should be.
If one player's desired theme clashes with the rest, including the DM's, it often creates friction and tension.
In the words of Matt Coville, "Not every band is Rush."