Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dungeon_Master 03-02-04, 04:16 PM	It seems like I complain about my players alot. And they complain about my DMing style ("To much talking! I wanna kill stuff!" "WHAT?! WHAT THE :censored: IS WITH THIS -2?! I ONLY HAD FOUR MUGS OF ALE!" "I want more magic items." "Gimme something to fight." "Uh, do I get to fight something?") It seems that they dislike my style of DMing, which is deep immersion storytelling. When I get one of them interested, the rest are bored. And I don't like endlessly rolling dice and calculating for combat, or focusing on just one PC character, as they each seem to want me to do. None of thse guys have offered to DM yet though. So, am I the problem, or should they suck it up and at least TRY roleplaying (most of them won't put forth the effort).
Krelios 03-02-04, 04:17 PM	It's their fault. If they don't want to play the game you're prepared to run, they can run one on their own. Besides, hopefully when they grow up a bit, they'll realize that there's more to roleplaying than rollplaying.
Bacon and Eggs 03-02-04, 04:20 PM	Sounds like you are playing with a batch of Expressives. It's their way. The next question is, do they act this way about Everything in their life? If so, then this may be the way that they show affection. Try not to take it it personally if this is the case. If not, find a wall and relax. :banghead:
Sucineri 03-02-04, 04:35 PM	Assault the situation with confusion in the next game. Sit on the couch, or their side of the table..and have the dm screen and all the DM stuff on the DM's side set up and ready to go..then just sit there and wait til someone goes to DM..and if they ask why you are with them on their side say "Oh..umm..I quit, so show me how you like it done"..and if nobody steps up still, go back to the DM chair and say "If you don't want to show me what I am doing wrong, then I am doing everything right, if I am wrong then roll up new characters" "Why new characters?" "Oh, cuz all the other ones just died..cave/building/tree/elephant fell on them and they died."
Krelios 03-02-04, 04:38 PM	Originally posted by Sucineri if I am wrong then roll up new characters" "Why new characters?" "Oh, cuz all the other ones just died..cave/building/tree/elephant fell on them and they died." Childish. All your players will do is fuss/quit/throw a tantrum.
Ivellios Thornbriar 03-02-04, 04:59 PM	I agree that they are being a little B..er, whiney. However, as the DM it IS your responsibility to ensure that the have a good time. After all, it IS a game, and noone wants to play a game thay don't like. I can sympathize, though. MY PCs gets mad if they go 5 minutes without killing something. I also like the deep immersion storytelling style, so i made a compromise to something in between. If there was a good bit of storytelling, i would reward them with some high-action random encounters. A high level spellcaster for a BBEG is usually good for both action and story, as a wizard has great spells, and can manipulate almost anybody.
NestroEmichae 03-02-04, 05:17 PM	If you want to just scare them into being quiet, pick up a copy of the Psychopath's Bible (it's not what you think), keep it positioned within reach and so that the players can read the title, and then simply pick it up and calmly flip through it when they start to complain. If they keep complaining, act like you are reading it and occasionally let out a sinister chuckle. I pulled that in CoC game, but it wasn't because of complaints. It was actually the actions of a cultist they were trying to negotiate with. It scared the players because they began to doubt whether I was roleplaying or serious.
SputnikCorp 03-02-04, 05:51 PM	have you tried comprimising. make your games more to their tastes, yet keep your own style. my games are a healthy mixture of both RPing and blood bath. maybe if you see the game out of their eyes and tailor the game accordingly, they'll quit there :censored::censored::censored::censored: :censored:ing.
Dungeon_Master 03-02-04, 06:14 PM	I will say no ones left because of this yet. :) The main reason for the lack of continuous fighting is that they seem to deal with everything I give them with out and out combat. This annoys me greatly. :mad: Eh, where do I get the Psychopath's Bible? :devil:
NestroEmichae 03-02-04, 06:41 PM	Type the name in the Yahoo search engine. You'll get about a dozen or so online stores wanting to sell it to you. Since it's an occult book, you'll have to shift through the alternate religion books such as the Satanic Bible and the crap books such as versions of the Necronomicon. Edit: It's easier to just use Amazon.
halzmar of geoff 03-02-04, 08:29 PM	The problem with groups and deep immersion roleplaying is that you can only have one person talking at a time - so while you are doing some RP with one player the rest are sitting there - if it goes on for more than 5 minutes they begin to get bored - because let's face it nobody shows up to the table to watch someone else play. It might be fun to do the RP, but it's absolutely agonizingly boring to sit by quietly not cracking jokes and watch - you end up feeling kinship with Simon from american idol. Add to that the difficulty in doing cut scenes where you stop a conversation midway through and give someone else a chance to play as when you go back to them the tempo just isn't the same. When the group is together play D&D by the rules that's monsters and dice and all the nice stuff that everyone enjoys as a group - and award XP for defeating encounters without combat they'll wise up quickly to the fact that they can talk their way through more encounters than they can hack through in a night thus macking on XP. Then on off nights have one or two PCs come over to Roleplay through whatever you'd like - that way nobody is bored to tears annoying you, and the PCs get the time and attention from you they want while they RP.
Dungeon_Master 03-02-04, 10:49 PM	Good point. And we might be close to doing that anyhow. We're down to two members, one who is only available on weekends. We're going to have one extra player next week though, who is a much better DM than I am, and will temporarily be taking my place. :) So I'm, looking forward to the break. :D I will admit, this was mostly a rant thread. x_X; Probably a waste of time.
Tevish Szat 03-02-04, 11:55 PM	Originally posted by Dungeon_Master "To much talking! I wanna kill stuff!" "Fine, a rogue who was picking your pocked decides to stab you in the back for 5d6 sneak attack. Fort save please." (Blade poisoned with black lotus extract) Originally posted by Dungeon_Master "WHAT?! WHAT THE :censored: IS WITH THIS -2?! I ONLY HAD FOUR MUGS OF ALE!" "Would you prefer i use the standard rules where each dose (mug) deals 1d2 Dex and Wis?" Originally posted by Dungeon_Master "I want more magic items." Start handing out cursed items. Originally posted by Dungeon_Master "Gimme something to fight." Trapdoor Tarrasque. Originally posted by Dungeon_Master "Uh, do I get to fight something?" "Yes, a Great Wyrm Red Dragon Dracolich that swoops out of the sky at you." Really, the players, if they have a problem, they should present it in a civil and reasoned manner, not whining. Whining deserves the GMing Song (http://www.somethingpositive.net/songgm.html):rant:
NinjaHedge 03-03-04, 05:02 AM	why do DMs want to make the experience as miserable for their players as possible? Where'd this notion come from that you're like their parents, responsible for placing blame and punishing? Grow up. If they're not having fun, play differently, deal with their complaining, or stop DMing. It's just that simple. Asking what they should do is irrelevant, you have no control over their behavior, weather or not they "should" do what you want them to.
Raynard the Black 03-03-04, 05:21 AM	I myself was running my group the way I wanted for a while. I got tired of all the complaints about when can I roll initiative. Cries of "I attack it?" when confronted by a little old lady who wanted directions. (A little exageration about the above examples, but my point is made.) I sat down after getting endless complaints about my DM style and started to consider what it was that my players really wanted. They asked for hack and slash and that is what I gave them. After a while, they got bored with going from one orchestrated combat to another. I started slowly including non-combative encounters into the game in between mindless slugfests. Surprisingly they didn't complain. You may find that if you give them what they want, they might realize that what they thought they wanted was not really all it was cracked up to be. They might start appreciating you more when you provide them with a well-rounded adventure. They may even enjoy the occasional all non-combative adventure (maybe I went too far here!) My point is that if your players are complaining, and all of them have the same gripes, you should listen to these gripes and try to give them what they feel is lacking in your game. You need to realize that your players expectations and your expectations may not be the same. If this is something that you feel you cannot do and you cannot compromise the way you run your game, then you may want to consider stepping down and finding a new DM. I recommend keeping everything on a mature level. Discuss things with your players and learn to have thick skin when they complain about the game. Nobody is perfect. Your DMing style may not be right for your group. Your options are to either step down or try to give your players the game that they want. You don't have to cave in to their every whim, but trying to make your players happy is not a sign that you are player-whipped. I just means that you are a good DM that is trying to help your players have a good time. As a side note, it is also your players' responsibility to make sure that you are having fun as well. If you feel that going to the game is not so much fun as it is a chore then you need to talk to your players about how you feel. The name of the game is communication. You listen to your players and they listen to you. When this occurs everyone has fun.