DM kickbacks, or, how to win an election. [Archive] - Wizards Community

DM kickbacks, or, how to win an election. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
thecosmicgoose
12-11-06, 12:31 PM a long standing practice in my gaming circle is GM bribery. most of the time this is pretty standard stuff, you get a beany for bringing sodas to the game (which can never be to much) or snacks, or hosting the game, and so forth. and sometimes a little under the table stuff to, like buying the GM a pack of cigarettes.

just out of curiosity, what kind of bribes have you all, as GMs, taken? or as players, offered? and for what kind of rewards?
Tevish Szat
12-11-06, 12:34 PM In my first campaign (played in), a bribe of candy for any sort of attack was equivilent to either True Strike ("Okay, you hit") or Maximize spell. After that as a player, and as a DM, i have not seen bribes.
Bowmore
12-11-06, 12:34 PM There are only two bribes in my games.

You gain a level for treating the group to pizza (always at least two pizzas). It may sound like a big deal, but it really wasn't -- there were always at least three of us throwing money in for pizza. This has only happened on two occasions in four years.

You can reroll one roll of your choice during the game and take the better roll if you provide the group with drinks. This happened far more often than treating the group to pizza, as a 24-case of sodie pop is much cheaper than two pizzas.
doogiegonegood
12-11-06, 12:39 PM 1,ooo xp for dressing up, 500xp for candy for everyone
Bruunwald
12-11-06, 12:53 PM There is no bribing in my game.

In fact, my game seems to more often than not see me starving for hours while intensely running the session I have spent weeks, money, effort and materials preparing, all the while my wife battling the asshat munchkin of the group to try to stop him from inhaling every ounce of the pizza I chipped in more money than anyone else to buy, so that I might be allowed to nibble one measely, greasy and cold piece when we finally get a break. (Yes, it is no surprise that the worst, most selfish player is also the guy with the hollow leg, who sometimes eats entire plates of food before anyone else can have even a bite.)

My players are largely selfish people who require bribes, rather than giving them. Not that they haven't occasionally chipped in for a present or two around Christmas time (always game-related and something that will help me make the campaign more fun for them). But I don't consider those things bribes. More like a minor acknowledgement of the funds and resources I put into giving them a game the rest of the year.

This situation was sort of inherited by the current group from members of the previous, longterm group. Most notably one incredibly disruptive player who was firmly in the camp of "the DM as servant." He used to argue that it was a given that the DM would have no fun, being that his role was subservient to the players' roles, so why bother trying? Though he is gone from the game now, some of his bad ideas linger on. Most notably in that the players think that giving the DM a hard time is acceptible.
Demarest
12-11-06, 01:13 PM This situation was sort of inherited by the current group from members of the previous, longterm group. Most notably one incredibly disruptive player who was firmly in the camp of "the DM as servant." He used to argue that it was a given that the DM would have no fun, being that his role was subservient to the players' roles, so why bother trying? Though he is gone from the game now, some of his bad ideas linger on. Most notably in that the players think that giving the DM a hard time is acceptible.

DM's are not subservient to the players' wishes. I think this player needs to be reminded that the DM is playing for his own delight as well as the players'. The joy a DM gets out of creating a world that the players enjoy as they're playing it is reward enough for me. Of course, my players are also conscious of all the work I put in for my sessions and so the usually treat me respectfully because of it.

I haven't been able to DM for months, as I have been looking for a new group (moved to a new city) but now I've found one, and will be starting again in the spring. In the meantime I've been working on my world (one city in particular) and some of the players in the spring have seen sneak peaks of it. They can't wait for the game. Again, remind your players that the DM is playing this game for them for his own enjoyment as well. And if they can't respect you or that principle, then they don't deserve to be playing in your game. And you shouldn't have to put up with them.
Loki5654
12-11-06, 01:27 PM The trick, as a DM, is not to get them to bribe you to gain your favor, but to get them to bribe you to avoid your wrath.:D
Bruunwald
12-11-06, 01:29 PM DM's are not subservient to the players' wishes. I think this player needs to be reminded that the DM is playing for his own delight as well as the players'. The joy a DM gets out of creating a world that the players enjoy as they're playing it is reward enough for me. Of course, my players are also conscious of all the work I put in for my sessions and so the usually treat me respectfully because of it.

I haven't been able to DM for months, as I have been looking for a new group (moved to a new city) but now I've found one, and will be starting again in the spring. In the meantime I've been working on my world (one city in particular) and some of the players in the spring have seen sneak peaks of it. They can't wait for the game. Again, remind your players that the DM is playing this game for them for his own enjoyment as well. And if they can't respect you or that principle, then they don't deserve to be playing in your game. And you shouldn't have to put up with them.

While I appreciate your support it's important to note that I mentioned the player in question is no longer with us. That player was kicked out years ago. He no longer plays any RPGs at all, so probably does not need reminding of something that is no longer relevant to him, and of which he was reminded ceaselessly back when did pretend to care, to no avail.

He was the only person who actually thought that the DM was subservient. I never said I agreed with him. I didn't and I don't. Neither does anybody else, but they do still sometimes act in a buttheaded way, I think because they saw him getting away with it for so long, and came to believe that to some extent it is acceptible to be a jerk.

However, I was mostly exaggerating about the current group for the sake of humor. Well, except for the food-happy munchkin. That guy really does eat everything on everybody else's dime. (And the bite in the butt is, he's the only one with money. He lives in a huge house on a hill, yet he mooches off of everybody else!)

Actually, my players do appeciate the time and effort I put into it. However, they are selfish for the most part and bribes would be out of the question. Anyway, I've been doing this for twenty-five years. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd have stopped a long time ago.
Demarest
12-11-06, 01:45 PM Sorry, I must have misread your post. Ah, well, players will act buttheaded from time to time.
caeruleus
12-11-06, 01:46 PM As a DM, I've accepted a bribe once, back in highschool. A guy offerred me 3 or 4 boxes of Oreo cookies (back when I'd eat that crap :yuck: ) to let him make up a new character class (using the 2e DMG rules to make up a class). The funny thing is that I would have let him do that anyway. Not that I told him that.

As for my current group, however, I doubt it would occur to any of us to even try. That's just not the sort of game we play.
RobbyPants
12-11-06, 01:46 PM One time I took a 6 pack of Michelob Light, a bag of Fritos, and some cheese dip and gave the paladin in the group a Holy Avenger. How ironic: the player of the LG paladin PC giving bribes ;)

It was a fairly high level group, and it was a good time in-game to upgrade his weapon anyway. I think I made him trade in his old one (I don't rememeber the specific in-game details).

This remindes me of the "Bribe GM with Food" card in Munchkin :P

1,ooo xp for dressing up, 500xp for candy for everyone
That would be awesome at low levels!!!
Lorianne
12-11-06, 03:26 PM I've never (seriously) taken bribes from my players.
I did give them some extra XP to just gain a level when they just finished a part of their (then) current quest, but that was more as an overall award for their efforts during the game than the candy which was offered...

But any 'regular' bribing is not something I would like to see at my games. And, luckily, I do not expect my players to make any serious attempts.
Critical_Failure
12-11-06, 03:57 PM our Dm is the streighttest person i know, i mean nearly everyone else is more corruptable...

..ive met solars that are more likely to give you 10xp for the diamond sportscar than this guy.

he is the best DM i've ever played for though
EscherEnigma
12-11-06, 07:31 PM The trick, as a DM, is not to get them to bribe you to gain your favor, but to get them to bribe you to avoid your wrath.:D

I think at that point it's not a bribe, it's appeasement.

anyway.

Hrm... bribing GMs? Well... I think I've tried to bribe my boyfriend with sex once or twice, but mostly as a joke. Since we run a round robin DM group it would get expensive to bribe the DMs, since you would have to bribe 4 of the 6 people who come to the game.

Oh, and that reminds me. There is one GM who runs one nighter Paranoia games for the college students once or twice a semester. His policy that is if you bring soda or snowballs (pink sugary thing thats a 'happy pill') you get a guaranteed slot.

But thats about all the bribing I can think of.
Seghan
12-11-06, 08:06 PM A little taste for the DM doesn't tend to lead to anything specific where I am, just usually a better bit of luck here and there. More often that not, it is pure rp, your character gets good luck with the ladies, a bit o' reputation, or something similar. It is never anything too important, but that plays into the way bribes are viewed in the group.
In terms of the role of the DM, as someone who is a player much more often than a DM I see the bribe more as a token of appreciation. As much as there are people who enjoy DMing, in certain ways it is a sacrifice and it always helps to have fringe benifits such as a sixer of beer (or Faygo) to make him or her feel like the players appreciate the rather vast amount of effort that goes into good DMing. [/SAPPYNESS]
stargate525
12-11-06, 09:20 PM I only accept bribes when they want me to do something I would have agreed to/was going to do anyway. I mean free stuff is free stuff, right?
Starchaserva
12-11-06, 10:06 PM Don't get me wrong, bribes are nice, and sometimes they can be a good way to spread some good will, but I think it's a little senseless if someone has to give his DM something in order to get him to do something. If I want to do something you don't want me too, I shouldn't have to give you something in order too. I'd rather argue my way into it or do something else than have to tithe to the DM. I hate DMs like that, but thats just my opinion. What if one player is poor, and another isn't and he can afford to butter up the DM, where's the fairness in that?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
thecosmicgoose 12-11-06, 12:31 PM	a long standing practice in my gaming circle is GM bribery. most of the time this is pretty standard stuff, you get a beany for bringing sodas to the game (which can never be to much) or snacks, or hosting the game, and so forth. and sometimes a little under the table stuff to, like buying the GM a pack of cigarettes. just out of curiosity, what kind of bribes have you all, as GMs, taken? or as players, offered? and for what kind of rewards?
Tevish Szat 12-11-06, 12:34 PM	In my first campaign (played in), a bribe of candy for any sort of attack was equivilent to either True Strike ("Okay, you hit") or Maximize spell. After that as a player, and as a DM, i have not seen bribes.
Bowmore 12-11-06, 12:34 PM	There are only two bribes in my games. You gain a level for treating the group to pizza (always at least two pizzas). It may sound like a big deal, but it really wasn't -- there were always at least three of us throwing money in for pizza. This has only happened on two occasions in four years. You can reroll one roll of your choice during the game and take the better roll if you provide the group with drinks. This happened far more often than treating the group to pizza, as a 24-case of sodie pop is much cheaper than two pizzas.
doogiegonegood 12-11-06, 12:39 PM	1,ooo xp for dressing up, 500xp for candy for everyone
Bruunwald 12-11-06, 12:53 PM	There is no bribing in my game. In fact, my game seems to more often than not see me starving for hours while intensely running the session I have spent weeks, money, effort and materials preparing, all the while my wife battling the asshat munchkin of the group to try to stop him from inhaling every ounce of the pizza I chipped in more money than anyone else to buy, so that I might be allowed to nibble one measely, greasy and cold piece when we finally get a break. (Yes, it is no surprise that the worst, most selfish player is also the guy with the hollow leg, who sometimes eats entire plates of food before anyone else can have even a bite.) My players are largely selfish people who require bribes, rather than giving them. Not that they haven't occasionally chipped in for a present or two around Christmas time (always game-related and something that will help me make the campaign more fun for them). But I don't consider those things bribes. More like a minor acknowledgement of the funds and resources I put into giving them a game the rest of the year. This situation was sort of inherited by the current group from members of the previous, longterm group. Most notably one incredibly disruptive player who was firmly in the camp of "the DM as servant." He used to argue that it was a given that the DM would have no fun, being that his role was subservient to the players' roles, so why bother trying? Though he is gone from the game now, some of his bad ideas linger on. Most notably in that the players think that giving the DM a hard time is acceptible.
Demarest 12-11-06, 01:13 PM	This situation was sort of inherited by the current group from members of the previous, longterm group. Most notably one incredibly disruptive player who was firmly in the camp of "the DM as servant." He used to argue that it was a given that the DM would have no fun, being that his role was subservient to the players' roles, so why bother trying? Though he is gone from the game now, some of his bad ideas linger on. Most notably in that the players think that giving the DM a hard time is acceptible. DM's are not subservient to the players' wishes. I think this player needs to be reminded that the DM is playing for his own delight as well as the players'. The joy a DM gets out of creating a world that the players enjoy as they're playing it is reward enough for me. Of course, my players are also conscious of all the work I put in for my sessions and so the usually treat me respectfully because of it. I haven't been able to DM for months, as I have been looking for a new group (moved to a new city) but now I've found one, and will be starting again in the spring. In the meantime I've been working on my world (one city in particular) and some of the players in the spring have seen sneak peaks of it. They can't wait for the game. Again, remind your players that the DM is playing this game for them for his own enjoyment as well. And if they can't respect you or that principle, then they don't deserve to be playing in your game. And you shouldn't have to put up with them.
Loki5654 12-11-06, 01:27 PM	The trick, as a DM, is not to get them to bribe you to gain your favor, but to get them to bribe you to avoid your wrath.:D
Bruunwald 12-11-06, 01:29 PM	DM's are not subservient to the players' wishes. I think this player needs to be reminded that the DM is playing for his own delight as well as the players'. The joy a DM gets out of creating a world that the players enjoy as they're playing it is reward enough for me. Of course, my players are also conscious of all the work I put in for my sessions and so the usually treat me respectfully because of it. I haven't been able to DM for months, as I have been looking for a new group (moved to a new city) but now I've found one, and will be starting again in the spring. In the meantime I've been working on my world (one city in particular) and some of the players in the spring have seen sneak peaks of it. They can't wait for the game. Again, remind your players that the DM is playing this game for them for his own enjoyment as well. And if they can't respect you or that principle, then they don't deserve to be playing in your game. And you shouldn't have to put up with them. While I appreciate your support it's important to note that I mentioned the player in question is no longer with us. That player was kicked out years ago. He no longer plays any RPGs at all, so probably does not need reminding of something that is no longer relevant to him, and of which he was reminded ceaselessly back when did pretend to care, to no avail. He was the only person who actually thought that the DM was subservient. I never said I agreed with him. I didn't and I don't. Neither does anybody else, but they do still sometimes act in a buttheaded way, I think because they saw him getting away with it for so long, and came to believe that to some extent it is acceptible to be a jerk. However, I was mostly exaggerating about the current group for the sake of humor. Well, except for the food-happy munchkin. That guy really does eat everything on everybody else's dime. (And the bite in the butt is, he's the only one with money. He lives in a huge house on a hill, yet he mooches off of everybody else!) Actually, my players do appeciate the time and effort I put into it. However, they are selfish for the most part and bribes would be out of the question. Anyway, I've been doing this for twenty-five years. If I didn't enjoy it, I'd have stopped a long time ago.
Demarest 12-11-06, 01:45 PM	Sorry, I must have misread your post. Ah, well, players will act buttheaded from time to time.
caeruleus 12-11-06, 01:46 PM	As a DM, I've accepted a bribe once, back in highschool. A guy offerred me 3 or 4 boxes of Oreo cookies (back when I'd eat that crap :yuck: ) to let him make up a new character class (using the 2e DMG rules to make up a class). The funny thing is that I would have let him do that anyway. Not that I told him that. As for my current group, however, I doubt it would occur to any of us to even try. That's just not the sort of game we play.
RobbyPants 12-11-06, 01:46 PM	One time I took a 6 pack of Michelob Light, a bag of Fritos, and some cheese dip and gave the paladin in the group a Holy Avenger. How ironic: the player of the LG paladin PC giving bribes ;) It was a fairly high level group, and it was a good time in-game to upgrade his weapon anyway. I think I made him trade in his old one (I don't rememeber the specific in-game details). This remindes me of the "Bribe GM with Food" card in Munchkin :P 1,ooo xp for dressing up, 500xp for candy for everyone That would be awesome at low levels!!!
Lorianne 12-11-06, 03:26 PM	I've never (seriously) taken bribes from my players. I did give them some extra XP to just gain a level when they just finished a part of their (then) current quest, but that was more as an overall award for their efforts during the game than the candy which was offered... But any 'regular' bribing is not something I would like to see at my games. And, luckily, I do not expect my players to make any serious attempts.
Critical_Failure 12-11-06, 03:57 PM	our Dm is the streighttest person i know, i mean nearly everyone else is more corruptable... ..ive met solars that are more likely to give you 10xp for the diamond sportscar than this guy. he is the best DM i've ever played for though
EscherEnigma 12-11-06, 07:31 PM	The trick, as a DM, is not to get them to bribe you to gain your favor, but to get them to bribe you to avoid your wrath.:D I think at that point it's not a bribe, it's appeasement. anyway. Hrm... bribing GMs? Well... I think I've tried to bribe my boyfriend with sex once or twice, but mostly as a joke. Since we run a round robin DM group it would get expensive to bribe the DMs, since you would have to bribe 4 of the 6 people who come to the game. Oh, and that reminds me. There is one GM who runs one nighter Paranoia games for the college students once or twice a semester. His policy that is if you bring soda or snowballs (pink sugary thing thats a 'happy pill') you get a guaranteed slot. But thats about all the bribing I can think of.
Seghan 12-11-06, 08:06 PM	A little taste for the DM doesn't tend to lead to anything specific where I am, just usually a better bit of luck here and there. More often that not, it is pure rp, your character gets good luck with the ladies, a bit o' reputation, or something similar. It is never anything too important, but that plays into the way bribes are viewed in the group. In terms of the role of the DM, as someone who is a player much more often than a DM I see the bribe more as a token of appreciation. As much as there are people who enjoy DMing, in certain ways it is a sacrifice and it always helps to have fringe benifits such as a sixer of beer (or Faygo) to make him or her feel like the players appreciate the rather vast amount of effort that goes into good DMing. [/SAPPYNESS]
stargate525 12-11-06, 09:20 PM	I only accept bribes when they want me to do something I would have agreed to/was going to do anyway. I mean free stuff is free stuff, right?
Starchaserva 12-11-06, 10:06 PM	Don't get me wrong, bribes are nice, and sometimes they can be a good way to spread some good will, but I think it's a little senseless if someone has to give his DM something in order to get him to do something. If I want to do something you don't want me too, I shouldn't have to give you something in order too. I'd rather argue my way into it or do something else than have to tithe to the DM. I hate DMs like that, but thats just my opinion. What if one player is poor, and another isn't and he can afford to butter up the DM, where's the fairness in that?