GM gripes about players..

545: Can you not just skip a couple of days? Start the next session with "after resting up for a couple of days, you get back on the road ..."

While I am a player in that one particular group, I had two other players who seriously got on my nerves.

First thing, I hate lame, badly researched names. And one of the players just had to come up with a Japanese sniper apparently named by Sodom (if you need a reminder, Sodom is intended to be that clueless idiot sort of weeaboo everyone hates). Unsurprisingly, my Playful Hacker calls him "Sushi".

Another one is even worse. Since we're playing a homebrew system heavily based on XCOM, he's playing an UFO-obsessed tinfoil hat loon. That and his backstory totally broke my Willing Suspension of Disbelief. The good thing is that apparently the whole party wants to punch him out as soon as he winds up.

"what the complete, unabridged, 4k ultra HD fuck with bonus features" - Mark Von Lewis

Please tell me there's a recurring NPC named Gomorra? Or a guy named Lot with several daughters.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

I think you misread his post.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great

One of the things that causes me headaches are players who want a character who is inappropriate to the setting or theme of the story. "Yes, I know you want to play a Mad Scientist with a genetically-enhanced octopus companion, but this is an Occult Detective story set in Vampire The Requiem. Are you going to haul around your super-octopus in a tank all night?"

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.

It's a Cthulian style octopus that swims through the air! There's no need for an aquarium!

Clearly the solution is for him to play a Genius.

@555 Since you seem reticent to use the appropriate term for such a thing, a quote from Andrew Rilstone:

"Munchkin: One who, on being told that this is a game about politics and intrigue in 17th century Italy, asks to play as a ninja."

edited 5th Aug '14 5:33:31 AM by 32_Footsteps

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.

Oh, I'm well aware of that quote. And actually had something almost identical happen one. It was going to be about Vampire politics in 19th century London, and one player wanted to be a Moroi, basically one of the Reapers from Blade 2.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.

The closest I had to anything like that was a homebrew fantasy world where elves and dwarves were explicitly stated to historically have good relations (mostly on the theory that their lands weren't bordering and they found mutual trading benefited both species), and one player still wanted to play a fanatical dwarf out to destroy "oppressive" elvenkind. I eventually relented after I specifically told him that everyone, including other dwarves, would think he was nuts for acting that way... and he thought that made the character better.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.

I think he got it, though.

Of course, don't you know anything about ALCHEMY?!- Twin clones of Ivan the Great

I agree. That is interesting.

Get the dwarf tin-foil hat and it'd be all set.

And yet, my brain instantly leapt to a number of ways to play a ninja character in a way that would actually fit in with a game about politics and intrigue.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

I'd actually think that G Ms should be allowing player to do what they want as long as they can find a way to fit it into the tone and theme of the agreed game.

My first thought was Assassin's Creed: The RPG.

The Revolution Will Not Be Tropeable

Admittedly, that's not one I had considered ... but sure ... soon as you explain how the genetic memory works with the undead.

I was more considering a vampire ninja in France, under the cover of being an ambassador/merchant/messenger, whose specialty naturally is infiltration and stealth skills used in assassinations and espionage. Such a character could be a freelancer, an exile, or under the control of a rival elder from the east seeking to limit European imperialism and keep their own domain secure.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

A latent bloodline power that causes newly embraced vampires to spontaneously rewatch past experiences of their ancestors? I've actually seen a few Merits based on the idea, with the mechanics being basically Common Sense plus or as a skill/dice pool bonus and/or story advancer.

edited 14th Aug '14 9:09:43 PM by Earnest

I have to share this, as a coda to what now feels like my infamous Pathfinder campaign.

The GM of my current Friday game wants to take a break, so it's time once again to look at what other sessions could be run. The GM immediately suggests going back to my Pathfinder game. I'd like to note that this is the same guy who got dubbed Uncommunicative Player when I talked about him in this thread. That the whole group once spent minutes castigating me for "saying something stupid" rather than investigate where the bad guy's alibi broke down in the middle of investigating. One where I'd have one player complain about too much Railroading and a second player would complain about not enough Railroading... and the complaints would be about the exact same session. The session where Problem Gamer said that I had no right to proclaim what is an alignment violation when every single rule specifically stated that I had all of the rights to do so.

Before I responded, I looked back in this thread to see the comments I made about things at the time. Christ, it sounds like I'm struggling with Stockholm Syndrome in some of those posts. I merely responded "I am not up for running a game at this time," and left it at that. I'm not going to antagonize myself by putting myself through the ringer of running these jokers again. At least one person is learning from that experience.

Reminder: Offscreen Villainy does not count towards Complete Monster.

Yeah, being a DM is tough when your player base is ... uncooperative.

Being a DM is tough even when the playerbase is cooperative Eh Tomu?

On a more serious note, I did get a first hand look at Dming over the last year, I have one thing to say.

No shipping. Seriously, All humans lack sexual organs and are incapable of reproducing in my worlds. Babies magically appear, but not for any P Cs.

Just saying, Trying to explore the frailty of the human mind doesn't work really well as a theme, When a PC faces squid, eldritch horrors and dark places, and the greatest damage overall to his/her sanity, was his/her waifu/husbando breaking up with him/her.

edited 31st Aug '14 7:55:53 AM by stevebat

Apocalypse: Dirge Of Swans.

Yea shipping can be a problem. Especially since q good portion of the players I have can generously be described as weeboos.

I'm baaaaaaack

If you're referring to SSS, I consider that to be an exception. I was in no state to be D Ming at that time in my life ;P My campaigns since have fared much better, though I've had a long string of uncooperative players.

As a DM, I've never really had players engage in relationships with other P Cs or NP Cs or anything. But as a player, I've been in campaigns where that's occurred. Generally has worked out just fine.

edited 31st Aug '14 8:55:53 AM by TheyCallMeTomu

You guys make it sound like everyone has really dysfunctional group that keeps playing together anyway for some reason ._.;

That's pretty much what online gaming is all about!

My current group is really solid though. But you basically have to "cycle" through players. You start by weeding out the irresponsibles-the people who just don't show up and the like. You then sift through the people who have irreconcilable differences in gameplay ideology. Things like how much story versus exploration there should be.

edited 31st Aug '14 10:17:59 AM by TheyCallMeTomu

Well the thing about online gaming, is that good online Rpers are quite rare, and everyone has high expectations.

Tabletop Gaming online is like playing Pubs in Dota 2 or Raiding LFR. it's full of shit/trash talking and bickering.

edited 2nd Sep '14 5:41:06 AM by stevebat

Apocalypse: Dirge Of Swans.