|
I have DM'd many games. They were with people who have been playing for years as I have. I'm DMing a game with my family right now. IT IS HORRIBLE!!! EVERY SESSON IS WORSE AND WORSE. Let me describe the situation a little better.
I have 3 players in my game, my GF, her brother,and their cousin. The cousin is very relaxed and dosnt cause problems, very passive agressive.
The brother is your generic "I have to play a fighter in every game" has no ability to RP and does the " I punch him in the face" or the "do what I say or die" new player crap, that male players do. And he's older then I am.
Then you have my gf who for lack of a better term is "touchy". She cannot let in game and out of game stay seperated and when she RPs she clls people by their real name.
The brother and sister fight like... well brothers and sisters, and will take up between
3-4 hours of the game fighting.
So whith this said how do i:
Get them to rp better
Get them to stop fighting
Get them to understand that a character with a 14 is a genius and wouldn't do the same stupi stuff every game (getting your self killed)
That running into a Group of mobs solo is stupid
That if you are being tortured that you don't " take it like a man"
I honestly haven't ever had so much trouble, and swear to god I DM'd rpga for 10-14 year olds
Hahahaha! You're so screwed! There's no way for you to win! All you can do is see how exactly this will get you into deep s!&@... :P
|
|
Optimism and patience.
Be optimistic that they will begin to catch on to getting into character more. Be patient until that happens, it will take time.
As far as the GF, train by example. Always refer to each player by character name. Encourage the others to do the same. Say the character names repeatedly. Also, put out name cards in front of each player to encourage use of their character names. I think over time she will adapt.
For the brother, I agree with the natural consequence advice. Maybe an army of gelatinous cubes is a little over the top, but give the bad guys 10ft reach weapons so that they can poke the fighter every time he zooms up close to them.
Finally, when the bickering starts, throw a wandering monster at them. Nothing brings warring factions together faster than a common enemy.
|
I want to tank you for your advice. I'm going to be patient, use name tags, get them drunk and toss jellys at them every 5 seconds rofl. Seriously though I'm going to remember this thread next session.
Or toss jello shots at them, that takes care of the Jellys and the drunk with less effort on your part
Owner - Johnny Scott Comics and Games
|
Honestly, your best bet would be to invite them to sit in on one of your other games. If you don't have any other current games going, take them down for game night at the local FLGS. As newer players, they may not understand the concept of the RPG, and may benefit from seeing experienced players play the game.
For example:
Your GF's brother may not know any other way to role play, especially if his only RPG experience is based on PC games.
Your GF may also have issues role-playing - Not because she doesn't want to, per se, but maybe because she'd be doing it in front of her family and she's afraid she'll embarass herself - especially if she's the only one doing it.
Seeing others play the game could help them overcome their fears/frustrations, and help make the game more enjoyable for all of you.
Hope this helps!
I suspect the brother wants to be a badass and everyone to recognize his badassness. Every attempt to 'take him down a peg' is going to frustrate him and add to outrageous badassery.
Get them to rp better
That which gets measured, gets done. Reinforce positive behavior. When they do something you want them to do, reward them. Immediately. Tell them why. Keep doing it. It can be XP. It can be the NPCs responding in a positive way. It can be you saying you liked what they did there.
Get them to stop fighting
Talk to them about it. Explain it is disrupting the game and making it unfun for you. Ask them what you can do to minimize this disruption so everyone can enjoy the game more.
Get them to understand that a character with a 14 is a genius and wouldn't do the same stupi stuff every game (getting your self killed)
Talk to them. Give them an opportunity to back out of bad decisions. You can tell them their character is smart enough to know this is a bad idea. If they continue anyway, they will suffer the consequences.
That running into a Group of mobs solo is stupid
See above. Reckless actions can also be an indicator of a bored player. If they have no investment in their character and/or they have not gotten to take out their daily frustrations by punching someone in the face for over five minutes, they might look for ways to get attention. Any kind of attention.
Again, talking to them is your best bet. If they are bored or need to take their frustrations out find a way you can accommodate them. Increase your pacing. Give them a villain to really hate and lots of squishy minions to beat on.
That if you are being tortured that you don't " take it like a man"
Again, I think the brother just wants his character to be Arnold Schwarzenegger and you are totally getting in his way, dude. Talk to him. If this is, in fact, the case, make sure to give him the opportunity to be badass, but make sure to let him know that sometimes he is going to fail. If you get player buy-in, they are much more likely to work with you. Everyone can not be the most awesome-est person ever all the time.
Finally, when the bickering starts, throw a wandering monster at them. Nothing brings warring factions together faster than a common enemy.
I like this idea. Not only does it have the potential to stop the fight, but it also brings everyone's attention back to the game.
In terms of reinforcing roleplaying, some version of 'action points' or 'hero points' might help. Give out an 'action point' every time a player does something particularly clever or true to their character, and let them use the action point for a +4 on any d20 roll. Hopefully, they'll see the connection between roleplaying and the potential for badassery.
I find that one of the hardest but most important things to do early on as a GM is to establish tone. If the players don't know at the end of the first session that you want to be running a 'serious' game (as opposed to a silly or light-hearted game), it will be very hard to rein them in subsequently. If everyone's on the same page, however, they'll create characters they'll be more willing to invest in.
Usually, I prepare a bit of intro text for every game I run, giving the players an idea of the world and the sort of stories I'd like to cooperatively tell. If the game is supposed to be 'serious' the intro reflects that, while a funny game's intro can be filled with bad puns and double-entendres.
How do you track initiative? Bit of a strange question, but I track initiative by writing the character's names and their initiative count on the battlemat. As a result, I'm saying the character names constantly, and the players always have them right there to refer to.
Just a couple of thoughts.
|
I had a problem like that for some friends back in the time I was GMing (I only play now).
What I think you should do is inspire them, make them feel important and crucial in your campaing, and when they are feeling confident, throw a big challenge to them, one that they can only win by working together.
That will help to make the party members more close, and the bickering and fighting should stop.
Hahahaha! You're so screwed! There's no way for you to win! All you can do is see how exactly this will get you into deep s@@!... :P
WOW! Lots of really good and constructive advice in this thread. Unfortunately, I think KaeYoss has it nailed. Great tactics, for a battle that cannot be won. Hope I am wrong, but it will be great memories if not.
Greg