I've seen some good advice on these threads, so lets see what you guys have for this:
I'm running a campaign and for the most part my players seem to think I'm doing a good job, which is awesome. Things are pretty good for the most part, but there is one major problem:
Two of my players can't seem to get along. Now, they aren't at each other's throats, but they have a really hard time not taking their arguments out-of-character.
an example: We'll call the characters Steve, Hank, and Mitch. Steve and Hank are brothers while Mitch is... not. Anyway. Steve likes playing a character with flaws and does it pretty well - His character is believable, if a bit goofy sometimes, and is a joy to roleplay across from (as a GM). Hank, on the other hand, comes from a background where character development is less important to the game, which isn't a strike against him by itself.
What the problem seems to be is that these two players argue incessently because Hank (the old power-player) and Steve (The new character-builder) can't seem to mesh. When one makes a decision, the other attacks them OOC for it. When one succeeds they gloat and use it as justification for more personal attacks later.
I've made a point of telling both of them that if they can't get their stuff together that the game is over and we'll try again in a few months. I'm not thrilled at that prospect - we've all put a lot of time and effort into the campaign so far, but I see no other way to make okay.
I like both players a lot. One's my roommate and the other's one of my best friends, and most of the time they get along okay-ish, but their experiences at the table are coloring more and more of their interactions.
I'm hesistant to punish them in-character for their bickering because I don't want to use meta-stuff as an excuse to TPK, but at this point i'll try just about anything.
ideas?