I have a very annoying party. One is practically a perfectionist and very impatient, another is bored and tired a lot (or so she says... probably an excuse to dismiss herself from D&D), the other is actually pretty chill. I find no problems from him.
Anyways, 2 out of 3 of my party members are difficult to deal with sometimes, but when I end a campaign, they seem to celebrate, and not because they completed it, but rather in a rather impatient way.
Every time they roll and they miss or something, they force me to make the roll into an automatic 20 to the point they might yell at me! They drive me so crazy that sometimes, I yell back!
But about that "chill" guy, and he is, he seems to enjoy my campaigns, that's a good sign! He doesn't care about misses or hits, he just plays.
I also love d̶̡̼̥̻͙̣̼̿͂͐͘ę̴̢̨̛̼̙̤̻̞̠̗̳̝̦̹̹̦͍̉̏͛̽͠͠sţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏ru̸̮̭̪̠͆̑̍́̈́̑̾̒̑̂̕ͅc̶̢̜͓̮̩͎͕̄́͑̃̈͋̈͌̑̽͠ͅͅţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏io̵̪̭̞̗̝͙̝̬̥͕̒ͅn̸̨͖̳͓͍̜̬̗̪̜̪̗̺͆̏̆̊́̈́̿̎̅̈͠͝͝ in my campaigns! In other words, i'm an evil DM.
Getting in the moment and being frustrated on a miss is fine, but shouting you down to change it to a 20? Sounds like they need to write a story about their self-insert super badass instead of playing DnD.
Yeah. Seems like they don’t want to play. Talk with them out of character and see what’s up. And if you need to let them go, New players are usually pretty easy to find.
1) Never yell back at your party, and always do your best to avoid losing your temper at them. These things only escalate and make the situation much worse.
2) Talk to your players, privately tell the ones that you are frustrated with that the campaign cannot if they keep up with their problematic behavior. When they ask for automatic nat 20's, don't budge/say no/politely refuse/tell them that's not how the rules work. If they refuse to stop and keep being such difficult players, it's time to move onto step 3.
3) Just leave the group if you feel you need to. The DM should have fun too, and if your players are preventing you from having that, then it is perfectly viable and alright to leave the group. Bring the polite player with you to your next table if you still want to play with him.
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BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
First important question: Are these people your friends outside of the game? That's important, because if they're your friends outside of the context of D&D, the situation is a little more delicate. Based on what you've said, I think the cleanest solution is to shorten the campaign to end soon, then keep the player you're getting along with and pick up a couple new players to build a new gaming group.
There's a saying that, "bad D&D is wors than no D&D", and there's truth to that. My suggestion would be to after wrapping up the current story, run a series of one-shots with new players as a way of screening them for who you think will be a good addition for your group, then when you have at least a couple more (in addition to the friend who's presumably staying) you can start a new campaign, without the problems you're currently dealing with.
I'd also very much recommend Session Zero, where you lay out your expectations, including how rulings and disagreements will be handled. A player shouting at the DM because he doesn't like how he rolled is not OK.
Yikes. This goes beyond metagaming, to the point of literal manipulation. Try explaining the rules of the game to the players, and that failing is part of playing it. If they still don't get it, I'd suggest removing them from the group (bar the chill guy).
As for the bored/tired player, if she doesn't want to play D&D, she's under no obligation to. Try asking if she actually wants to play, and if not, don't force it. I've actually got a player like this. They rarely show up, and when they do, they're not even paying attention to the game. Their character is important to the story, so I've instead opted to convert their character sheet into an NPC stat block.
was playing DND together their idea or yours? Cause it really has to be driven by a mutual enthusiasm for the game, otherwise eventually you end up with this.
I can totally relate to this post!!!! I am new to D&D and I am Dming for 4 of my teenage boys who want to play and are new as well . My 17 yr old nephew has also joined the games. I am so frustrated because my 4 sons 12-15 just want to fight amongst themselves constantly and throw tantrums over their rolls and loot, and an npc not being what they want or saying what they want. I am so lost on how to make a cohesive team out of my grumbling teens. But no one I know plays D&D so I cant just give up on them. I just don't know how to get some cooperation out of them. Best of luck to you and your game. I hope they appreciate all the time you pour into this game for them to get to enjoy it. It really is a big deal to spend your time and creativity and in some cases money for people to not enjoy or even appreciate it. You are awesome for trying!
I can totally relate to this post!!!! I am new to D&D and I am Dming for 4 of my teenage boys who want to play and are new as well . My 17 yr old nephew has also joined the games. I am so frustrated because my 4 sons 12-15 just want to fight amongst themselves constantly and throw tantrums over their rolls and loot, and an npc not being what they want or saying what they want. I am so lost on how to make a cohesive team out of my grumbling teens. But no one I know plays D&D so I cant just give up on them. I just don't know how to get some cooperation out of them. Best of luck to you and your game. I hope they appreciate all the time you pour into this game for them to get to enjoy it. It really is a big deal to spend your time and creativity and in some cases money for people to not enjoy or even appreciate it. You are awesome for trying!
Just tell your sons that you are the DM and you will not tolerate their fights and tantrums. If they refuse to change their behavior, then it is perfectly alright to tell them that you cannot continue going out of your way to make and run a game for them if they are going to be so ungrateful.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explainHERE.
was playing DND together their idea or yours? Cause it really has to be driven by a mutual enthusiasm for the game, otherwise eventually you end up with this.
It was both of our ideas. I'm more of the DND addict, they party altogether are friends who decided that it'll be fun to do DND together. You know what, I think it might be how I run things with my campaigns that might be why they're upset.
I also love d̶̡̼̥̻͙̣̼̿͂͐͘ę̴̢̨̛̼̙̤̻̞̠̗̳̝̦̹̹̦͍̉̏͛̽͠͠sţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏ru̸̮̭̪̠͆̑̍́̈́̑̾̒̑̂̕ͅc̶̢̜͓̮̩͎͕̄́͑̃̈͋̈͌̑̽͠ͅͅţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏io̵̪̭̞̗̝͙̝̬̥͕̒ͅn̸̨͖̳͓͍̜̬̗̪̜̪̗̺͆̏̆̊́̈́̿̎̅̈͠͝͝ in my campaigns! In other words, i'm an evil DM.
was playing DND together their idea or yours? Cause it really has to be driven by a mutual enthusiasm for the game, otherwise eventually you end up with this.
It was both of our ideas. I'm more of the DND addict, they party altogether are friends who decided that it'll be fun to do DND together. You know what, I think it might be how I run things with my campaigns that might be why they're upset.
Talking to other players when you have an issue is usually the best option.
Every time they roll and they miss or something, they force me to make the roll into an automatic 20 to the point they might yell at me! They drive me so crazy that sometimes, I yell back!
No D&D is better than bad D&D. I wouldn’t put up with that crap at my table, and neither should you. Drop ‘em like they’re toxic, ‘cause they are. Keep the chill one and find other new people to play with.
Thank you! I feel bad lol mom guilt. I know they want to play so bad but it does matter how you treat people. No other DM is going to tolerate their behavior. I want to make them see that its not me being mean but that I want everyone to have a great time. Thanks for the support boringbard!
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I have a very annoying party. One is practically a perfectionist and very impatient, another is bored and tired a lot (or so she says... probably an excuse to dismiss herself from D&D), the other is actually pretty chill. I find no problems from him.
Anyways, 2 out of 3 of my party members are difficult to deal with sometimes, but when I end a campaign, they seem to celebrate, and not because they completed it, but rather in a rather impatient way.
Every time they roll and they miss or something, they force me to make the roll into an automatic 20 to the point they might yell at me! They drive me so crazy that sometimes, I yell back!
But about that "chill" guy, and he is, he seems to enjoy my campaigns, that's a good sign! He doesn't care about misses or hits, he just plays.
Anyways, that's all I want to share...
Monsters: Brathkal
Weapons: Sword of Ni , Bow of Ni
Spells: Zone of Ni
I also love d̶̡̼̥̻͙̣̼̿͂͐͘ę̴̢̨̛̼̙̤̻̞̠̗̳̝̦̹̹̦͍̉̏͛̽͠͠sţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏ru̸̮̭̪̠͆̑̍́̈́̑̾̒̑̂̕ͅc̶̢̜͓̮̩͎͕̄́͑̃̈͋̈͌̑̽͠ͅͅţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏io̵̪̭̞̗̝͙̝̬̥͕̒ͅn̸̨͖̳͓͍̜̬̗̪̜̪̗̺͆̏̆̊́̈́̿̎̅̈͠͝͝ in my campaigns! In other words, i'm an evil DM.
May be time to snip them from the gang, honestly.
Getting in the moment and being frustrated on a miss is fine, but shouting you down to change it to a 20? Sounds like they need to write a story about their self-insert super badass instead of playing DnD.
Yeah. Seems like they don’t want to play. Talk with them out of character and see what’s up. And if you need to let them go, New players are usually pretty easy to find.
1) Never yell back at your party, and always do your best to avoid losing your temper at them. These things only escalate and make the situation much worse.
2) Talk to your players, privately tell the ones that you are frustrated with that the campaign cannot if they keep up with their problematic behavior. When they ask for automatic nat 20's, don't budge/say no/politely refuse/tell them that's not how the rules work. If they refuse to stop and keep being such difficult players, it's time to move onto step 3.
3) Just leave the group if you feel you need to. The DM should have fun too, and if your players are preventing you from having that, then it is perfectly viable and alright to leave the group. Bring the polite player with you to your next table if you still want to play with him.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.First important question: Are these people your friends outside of the game? That's important, because if they're your friends outside of the context of D&D, the situation is a little more delicate. Based on what you've said, I think the cleanest solution is to shorten the campaign to end soon, then keep the player you're getting along with and pick up a couple new players to build a new gaming group.
There's a saying that, "bad D&D is wors than no D&D", and there's truth to that. My suggestion would be to after wrapping up the current story, run a series of one-shots with new players as a way of screening them for who you think will be a good addition for your group, then when you have at least a couple more (in addition to the friend who's presumably staying) you can start a new campaign, without the problems you're currently dealing with.
I'd also very much recommend Session Zero, where you lay out your expectations, including how rulings and disagreements will be handled. A player shouting at the DM because he doesn't like how he rolled is not OK.
Yikes. This goes beyond metagaming, to the point of literal manipulation. Try explaining the rules of the game to the players, and that failing is part of playing it. If they still don't get it, I'd suggest removing them from the group (bar the chill guy).
As for the bored/tired player, if she doesn't want to play D&D, she's under no obligation to. Try asking if she actually wants to play, and if not, don't force it. I've actually got a player like this. They rarely show up, and when they do, they're not even paying attention to the game. Their character is important to the story, so I've instead opted to convert their character sheet into an NPC stat block.
[REDACTED]
was playing DND together their idea or yours? Cause it really has to be driven by a mutual enthusiasm for the game, otherwise eventually you end up with this.
I can totally relate to this post!!!! I am new to D&D and I am Dming for 4 of my teenage boys who want to play and are new as well . My 17 yr old nephew has also joined the games. I am so frustrated because my 4 sons 12-15 just want to fight amongst themselves constantly and throw tantrums over their rolls and loot, and an npc not being what they want or saying what they want. I am so lost on how to make a cohesive team out of my grumbling teens. But no one I know plays D&D so I cant just give up on them. I just don't know how to get some cooperation out of them. Best of luck to you and your game. I hope they appreciate all the time you pour into this game for them to get to enjoy it. It really is a big deal to spend your time and creativity and in some cases money for people to not enjoy or even appreciate it. You are awesome for trying!
Just tell your sons that you are the DM and you will not tolerate their fights and tantrums. If they refuse to change their behavior, then it is perfectly alright to tell them that you cannot continue going out of your way to make and run a game for them if they are going to be so ungrateful.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.It was both of our ideas. I'm more of the DND addict, they party altogether are friends who decided that it'll be fun to do DND together. You know what, I think it might be how I run things with my campaigns that might be why they're upset.
Monsters: Brathkal
Weapons: Sword of Ni , Bow of Ni
Spells: Zone of Ni
I also love d̶̡̼̥̻͙̣̼̿͂͐͘ę̴̢̨̛̼̙̤̻̞̠̗̳̝̦̹̹̦͍̉̏͛̽͠͠sţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏ru̸̮̭̪̠͆̑̍́̈́̑̾̒̑̂̕ͅc̶̢̜͓̮̩͎͕̄́͑̃̈͋̈͌̑̽͠ͅͅţ̵̢̼̹̭̖͔͎̞̪͇͚̞̇̀̇̀̒͂̇̍͊̏io̵̪̭̞̗̝͙̝̬̥͕̒ͅn̸̨͖̳͓͍̜̬̗̪̜̪̗̺͆̏̆̊́̈́̿̎̅̈͠͝͝ in my campaigns! In other words, i'm an evil DM.
Talking to other players when you have an issue is usually the best option.
[REDACTED]
No D&D is better than bad D&D. I wouldn’t put up with that crap at my table, and neither should you. Drop ‘em like they’re toxic, ‘cause they are. Keep the chill one and find other new people to play with.
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Thank you! I feel bad lol mom guilt. I know they want to play so bad but it does matter how you treat people. No other DM is going to tolerate their behavior. I want to make them see that its not me being mean but that I want everyone to have a great time. Thanks for the support boringbard!