Post/Author/DateTime	Post
StormKnight 04-28-06, 11:03 AM	Looking at the "defective DMs" thread, I noticed lots of defective traits I've seen in DMs. I also thought of the things I've been accused of, or accused other DMs of, that when I learned all the facts really weren't quite accurate. So, vent, rant, rave (even post coherently if you want, but what fun is that?)...things that DMs get accused of doing wrong and what you'd really like to say about it... #1) That fight was way too hard! We barely stood a chance! Were you even watching the dice?!? You guys kept rolling horribly, they kept rolling really well! It was a fnerkin GOBLIN, you should have creamed it! #2) That obstacle was absurdly tough! It was sheer luck we came up with that plan, I don't know you ever expected us to think of that. We probably all would have died. It wasn't fair. Actually, I never expected you to come up with that plan. I'd thought of six different ways of solving that, and you came up with yet another solution. Maybe it wasn't as hard as you realize, eh? #3) I am so sick of all the railroading in this game! Its been ridiculous and unfair! Hey, you people insisted I run this module! You insisted you wanted to play it! Its not my fault a bunch of supposedly professional game writers couldn't come up with anything better than that! #4) I never get to use any of my non-combat skills! Well, have you ever TRIED? Did you ever bother to try to sneak past something? Or talk to one of your foes? Did it ever occur to you that you actually can just USE your skills to gain advantage out of your environment and don't have to wait for me to put a skill check in front of you for it? #5) Its so unfair! Your girlfriend is always doing better in fights! You're just favoring her! Have you by any chance noticed that she's playing a deadly, tough fighter, while you are playing a hodgepodge jack of all trades who never tries to do anything but act like a tough fighter? #6) This is so unfair! There's no way all those low level human cultists can keep making their will saves against my spells! You're not even rolling! Maybe if you'd stop pointing the finger for two seconds, you'd realize that maybe there is a REASON I'm not rolling. Then maybe you'd think for half a second about all the other clues you have pointing to the cult really being a group of disguised undead! Please continue the rants!
Slider33 04-28-06, 11:19 AM	Maybe if you'd stop pointing the finger for two seconds, you'd realize that maybe there is a REASON I'm not rolling. Then maybe you'd think for half a second about all the other clues you have pointing to the cult really being a group of disguised undead! This is one I worry about sometimes. A few times a player would assume (due to a high roll, modifier, skill check) that they should have succeeded at something but didn't. It's hard sometimes because there usually is a very good reason the DM has up his sleeve that the players don't realize yet. They might think we're cheating but we're not, I promise!! ;)
Arganis 04-28-06, 11:28 AM	Have you by any chance noticed that she's playing a deadly, tough fighter, while you are playing a hodgepodge jack of all trades who never tries to do anything but act like a tough fighter? :rofl: So the ghost is posessing Niole and taking him into the Tomb. I guess [GM] is forcing us down there. I'm not forcing you to do anything. If you really don't want to go down there, grapple the ghost til it leaves the body and kill it instead of whining that you're not in control.
Sulaco 04-28-06, 11:29 AM	#6) This is so unfair! There's no way all those low level human cultists can keep making their will saves against my spells! You're not even rolling! Maybe if you'd stop pointing the finger for two seconds, you'd realize that maybe there is a REASON I'm not rolling. Then maybe you'd think for half a second about all the other clues you have pointing to the cult really being a group of disguised undead! Man I hate that one. Players who whine and whine and whine about the way something is but never once stopping to think about why it might be that way. Instead they seem content in assuming that you, the DM, are either stupid or a dick and have no idea what you are doing.
imperialjunkie 04-28-06, 11:37 AM	#5) Its so unfair! Your girlfriend is always doing better in fights! You're just favoring her! Have you by any chance noticed that she's... ...incredibly hot and you are a short fat man with greasy hair and two t-shirts to your name? Who do you think I'm going to favor?! ;)
terrainmonkey 04-28-06, 12:04 PM	What do you mean you are lowering a level when i get raised?! The Player's handbook doesn't say that! Oh, i'm sorry, i thought i could just change the rules because I'm the DM. you have heard of "house rules" haven't you? This is one of those i've been using since 1st edition. If you don't like it, you can roll up a new character. That zombie just picked up his arm and regenerated it? The monster manual doesn't say that! You're cheating!" No, if you had listened, you are in a zone of Negative Energy created by the Uber Necromancer Lord who's castle you are assaulting. If you remember, i explained the feeling of unease you got when you entered, and the -2 you all have to hits because of a morale penalty. There's a very good reason, you just have to figure it out. "What do you mean, the demon lord attacked me?! He was fine when we negotiated with him not to! We were leaving his Cave of Eternal Peril!" Yes, you are correct. he was negotiating with you and was fine, RIGHT UP UNTIL THE POINT YOU GAVE HIM THE FINGER AND SAID "OKAY, GO AWAY NOW WE'RE DONE WITH YOU, LEAVE US ALONE OR YOU'LL BE MY B**CH." What did you expect him to do, invite you back and share tea and crumpets with you? "I was invisible, how did that dragon see me? That's not fair!" Umm, because she is a great wyrm red dragon and you were plundering her treasure when she was about 20 feet away, or did you not take that into account when you went straight for the horde? in 26 years, i have bunches more, but these are the ones i remember right off hand.
BeerMan5000 04-28-06, 01:20 PM	Hey, I'm the first to agree that good DM's catch a fair amount of flack. Actually, what really makes me nuts is when horrible DM's start complaining in very talented DM's games. It's enough to make me have my halfling go postal. usually the guys that complain the most are the most quirky when they run a game and have the least interest in making a game fun. Also, they are the ones who are always bugging you to run a game.. so they can complain non-stop all the way through it. oh yeah, I know. We can start a thread on 1001 Defective Players later.
Bhairavi 04-28-06, 01:57 PM	I have a note in my house rules designed for most of these situations. I don't have a copy with me ATM, but it goes something like this: If you think the DM has made an error involving the rules, politely say so. If the DM responds that no, in fact she has not made an error, drop it. There's probably something going on that you don't know about, or that you haven't taken into account. Of course, this probably won't work on really obnoxious players . . .who would find a way to rules lawyer this rule . . .
Dauthi_King 04-28-06, 03:52 PM	I hate when players don't run away from a fight they can't win and then complain that it was unfair. Well not everything is going to be scaled to your level (ecpecialy when you say something like "I go into the BBEG evil palace and raid it for all his stuff") The PC should know when something has taken massive dmg from them but still apears unharmed...they should run.
kelvinaw273 04-28-06, 04:23 PM	What do you mean I can't have a Half-Fiend Warlock/Blackguard/Infernal Destroyer as my character? I worked on the Infernal Destroyer class for months so I could playtest it. This game sucks! Er, I did say this new campaign would be starting at first level with core races only, no evil alignments didn't I?
DaMullet 04-28-06, 04:27 PM	Here's one for those DMs who rotate weekly (or monthly, etc.) I swear, if my character dies, there'll be hell to pay in two weeks when I'm DMing! Shut up. You were imitating the dance from Thriller while balancing on a 6 in. piece of plywood that was on fire. You deserve to die.
Bruunwald 04-28-06, 04:44 PM	I have a feeling most every complaint in this thread will involve a matter of a lack of trust on the part of the player(s). I've suffered through most of these myself. Sometimes it was a new player of the sort of temperament that automatically suspects the DM before ever playing with him. Sometimes it was a longterm player who just didn't understand the limitless possibilities of what can be built by a clever DM armed with just three core books, and temporarily panicked. But in every case, it came down to a matter of trust. The guys you haven't played with before don't trust you yet, and the panicky guy either has a bad memory and has forgotten that you are reliable and fair, or just pleads temporary insanity. I find the least problem comes from total newbs or part-timers who are in awe of your knowledge and so trust you implicitly. Or better, those who have been with you for years, have seen their patience pay off with the revelation of what's really going on, and can relax and give you the much-coveted (and much earned) Benefit of the Doubt.
Bruunwald 04-28-06, 04:52 PM	"I've decided this DM is hiding things from us all over the place in his dungeons and we don't know it! If I don't search every wall and floor and ceiling, I'm going to miss something important!" No, you are a metagaming, greedy dork who can't tell the difference between real-world wealth and imaginary wealth. Your own desire to find everything you assume there is to find and to gain every outside advantage until each encounter has lost its challenge is a boring drag on the game and its soul. Try thinking like your character instead of a guy who knows he's playing a game and wants to beat the DM at it.
sdragon1984 04-28-06, 06:20 PM	"I've decided this DM is hiding things from us all over the place in his dungeons and we don't know it! If I don't search every wall and floor and ceiling, I'm going to miss something important!" No, you are a metagaming, greedy dork who can't tell the difference between real-world wealth and imaginary wealth. Your own desire to find everything you assume there is to find and to gain every outside advantage until each encounter has lost its challenge is a boring drag on the game and its soul. Try thinking like your character instead of a guy who knows he's playing a game and wants to beat the DM at it. i'd argue the reasoning behind this one. if my buddies and i just cleared out a large underground house full of hallways, id want to check out what was in each room. i may not be expecting treasure, but i could at least stop and look at the interesting bricklaying pattern or the design on the old tapestry hanging on the wall. i'd imagine many adventurers are of the same "to the victor" mindset.