Player Not Suited to Roleplay

[Mithrall_Marshalltown]

Hi,

I'm new to organized play. I'm used to GM'ing home games, where a player who is causing irreconcilable issues can just politely be asked to leave.

Now I'm playing Pathfinder Society; I've been asked to GM and it's something I'd like to do. However. There is one regular player at the FLGS who I am just not comfortable GM'ing for. He comes in with his father, and has what I would guess is moderate-support-needs autism. Now, obviously none of this is his fault, but he is lacking most of the essential skills to participate in a collaborative role playing game: turn taking, waiting to speak, choosing and executing an action in combat, paying attention during scenes, following simple directions such as group saving throws, etc. It slows everything down to a crawl, derrails role play, and creates honestly uncomfortable moments when he says inappropriate things. He's mostly a gestalt speaker, using quotes from media and not really able to hold a conversation. I honestly think his father brings him in out of a selfish desire to play himself, not considering what this young man wants or is capable of.

As a player, I've decided I will be bowing out of any Pathfinder Society games this father/son sign up for -- they have as much a right as me to be there, and if this player's behaviors are intolerable for me it's ultimately my problem. But the FLGS really needs GMs, and I would love to do it... but I just cannot GM for this player. Do I have any options here? I hate letting one person have so much power over potential gaming events.

[Pirate Rob]

May I suggest talking to your local organizer about your concerns.

They are likely much more familiar with the local situation as well as in a potential position to do something about your concern. Sometimes it takes one more complaint, especially from somebody with a new perspective to get changes rolling that make for a healthier local environment.

Or they may have a solution that works nicely for everybody.

[Blake's Tiger]

Pirate Rob is correct: this is a discussion best held with your local organizer. You could also consider asking the father (or the VO) how you could adjust your GM techniques to help the son respond faster.

I would also give up on any illusions that you can maintain a certain tone or gravitas in your games. Plenty of players find roleplay difficult, and plenty of adults throw out movie or TV quotes and references that deviate from the setting and/or tone of a given scenario.

[Darrell Impey UK]

Not a happy situation for anyone. The only thought that comes to mind is regarding you comment on "slowing things down"; if it can help things fit into the time that the venue allows better, maybe try Quests rather than full adventures? This might help some with attention span too.

[Leomund "Leo" Velinznrarikovich]

From a slightly different perspective, it may be best not to GM. The purpose of this game is for everyone to have an enjoyable time. This includes the GM. Many of us engage in this game for a little break from rl to relax and play in a way that we find enjoyable. If there are people whose play is incompatible with yours, it is what it is. Neither is wrong, merely incompatible. Accept the incompatibility for what it is and move forward accordingly. Often, I find, avoiding incompatibility works well enough. It is certainly less than ideal, but it is a compromise.

I have some people who I enjoy playing with and request that I join their games. And, I've also been kicked out of games and probably been listed as incompatible to some other players. This is a game with expansive opportunities to derive enjoyment. It is inevitable that there will be some irreconcilable differences sometimes.

[Hilary Moon Murphy]

As someone who ran Organized Play games for a boy scout group where half the players were on the autism spectrum, I will say that merely being on the spectrum does not make a player unsuited for roleplay. But it might be different roleplay than you were expecting as a GM.

I also acknowledge that the autism spectrum is a wide, wide umbrella that encompasses many different kinds of players. My own son loves organized play games because it gives him a way of socializing that is easier for him. There are missions in Organized Play, and all the players are working together on the same project. He can go right to the mission and the problem solving without having to so some of the unorganized (and to him, semi-meaningless) small talk that more free-wheeling social situations like parties offer.

I have had great experiences with autistic players, who often are some of the most eager and inventive players I have had the joy to GM for.

But it sounds like the player that the OP is discussing is having a more challenging time of things. If the child truly cannot grasp the rules, combat, or roleplay, then perhaps simpler games would be a better fit for him. This is something that would be a good thing to discuss with your local organizer or VO.

Not every player is a fit for Organized Play. There are also cases where the player and the GM may be a poor fit for each other. Goodness knows that there are some players (a very small list) that I will not GM for again.

Good luck with all of this. It's definitely a social conundrum, and I don't envy you trying to figure out what you need to do here.

Yours,
Hmm