Post/Author/DateTime	Post
punching bag 05-30-05, 11:51 AM	It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to play a good game of D&D, and I’d been craving the fun and adventure of role playing. So, after a long break from gaming I decided to find a group in my area and try again. Things were looking up – I’d found a role-players association close to home, and went to a social night in the hopes of finding a group. The meeting went well, and I found a DM who was planning on running a short adventure. He’d been playing for a long time, was a member of the local association, and the RPGA. He had lots of tournament experience, and seemed knowledgeable. As I said, things were looking up. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The time to play was set up. We arranged to meet at the DM’s house. (At least he said that it was his house.) There were 3 PC’s – two with a lot of experience, and one complete newbie. No problem. Things seemed on the up and up. So I spent some time goofing off at work dreaming up a character concept and background. I dug my books, dice and my old-school lead mini’s out of storage and drove to his house. So far so good. I stopped off to buy some beer and munchies – I mean it was a nice day outside, we were all of legal age and we were supposed to BBQ some dinner. I arrived at the house and went to the backyard and stopped dead in my tracks. There were a bunch of parents hanging around, and tons of kids running all over. I had walked into a child’s birthday party. Things were getting stranger by the minute. So I asked if I was in the right place, and where I could find my DM. They told me that he was in the basement. Warning lights started ringing in my head, but I bravely entered the building and started my decent into gaming hell. “Please God, please tell me that he doesn’t live in his parent’s basement”, I prayed out loud. (Said in best DM style suspense filled voice: ) “You see a flight of stairs before you that lead into a dark basement. What do you do?” I carefully descend the staircase, trying to listen, spot and smell my surroundings. “The staircase leads to a T-Intersection. There is a closed door straight ahead. To your right you see an unfinished room that contains a furnace and laundry machines. Filthy laundry covers the floor, and damp towels hang from makeshift clotheslines. To your left is small kitchen. You can see a countertop and sink that is strewn with the remnants of a past meal. Dishes are piled high in the sink. There is a door that is slightly ajar leading off the left side of the kitchen. You think that you can make out the shape of a toilet and various no-name brand soaps, shampoos and other personal hygiene products in the shadowy darkness. The basement smells vaguely of mold and BBQ’d sausage. What do you do?” I knocked on the door, and things quickly proceeded to fall apart. I was the first to arrive, and I think that I woke him up from a nap. He led me into a cramped, one room basement apartment that was filled with comics and D&D books dating back to the “E. Gary Gygax” era. I found out that he was renting the basement, so my fears of playing with a 35 year old guy who lived with his parents were wrong. Still, things were looking grim. I offered him the beer, saying that I’d brought it to share with dinner. He replied that I shouldn’t have brought it, as he “looks down on drinking and role playing.” What had I gotten myself into?? Anyway, he takes the beer and puts it in the kitchen. Not in the fridge though. My God! I looked up the stairs and contemplated a quick escape. If I threw my dice in his face, I might have been able to distract him long enough to make a break for the back door. Alas, I was not to be so lucky. The other players started arriving. So I cracked one of those beers and resigned myself to whatever fate may bring. The new player turned out to be a woman. A faint glimmer of hope returned to me, as a mixed group usually tones down the levels of geek testosterone. Again, I couldn’t be more wrong. The game started, and the DM read out some poorly conceived character backgrounds that loosely described why we were traveling together. The first encounter went something like this: “You are riding down the road, and see a monster roll for initiative”. Sadly, this was as good as it got. We were basically told what we were doing, with very little choice. All aboard the railroad express. During combat, he routinely told the new player what she was doing, what her character said, and he even moved her miniature around the battle mat. The only thing he let her do was roll her own dice. This was her second time playing, and she was still having problems understanding the whole “roll a d20, add your modifiers and compare to a target number” thing. Why he made her play the cleric I’ll never know. Spellcasting was a disaster. So I sat there, nursing my beer as he explained for the one hundredth time that she could trade any one of her spells for a healing spell. We took a break for dinner, which consisted of BBQ’d sausage. No bun, no salad, no side dish, no nothing. Just a plate with a sausage and some cutlery. The downward spiral continued but the worst was yet to come. The “adventure” was full of gully dwarves. It seems that he thinks that “kender and gully dwarves are funny!” Next came the rules “interpretations”. Melf’s acid arrow did splash damage. Anyone wielding a melee weapon automatically got an attack of opportunity on someone who was wielding a ranged weapon. Not USING a ranged weapon in melee, but just holding one. So you could charge a guy with a bow and get two attacks on him just for closing the distance. If two guys were attacking the same target in melee, they automatically got the flanking bonus. Anyone could “push past” an enemy, without provoking AoO. He had no idea of “cover” vs missile fire. When my character hit someone with a sap, doing non-lethal damage, it killed the guy. My God! When the night finally came to an end, I quickly gathered my things and ran for the fresh air. But not before grabbing my beers!!
weasel fierce 05-30-05, 12:09 PM	No beer while playing D&D ? Im horrified! oh.. the other stuff was pretty bad too
The Man from Uncle 05-30-05, 12:18 PM	At least you saved the beers. I am lucky with the place I play. If I leave a few beers one week I know that they'll probably still be there next week. And if they are not....i'll just drink the DMs beers instead. That is a fightening picture though. I could actually smell the laundry powder in the next room from your description. As the tension set in I could imagine the reflex judder as a small pastic football hit the basement ventilation window So, I bet you can't wait to go back next week! If i were you i'd bring a hip flask full of scotch. No screwing about going to fidge/warm kitchen surface...go straight for your inside pocket.
Draco Strang 05-30-05, 12:24 PM	Yea...walking into a kid's birthday party with beer and dice (while not knowing a damn soul) has got to be the most awkward gaming situation I've heard as of late. Congratulations. I would seriously recommend not going back. Find a new group, and take the girl with you. For the love of God....take the girl.
Thoronmir 05-30-05, 12:37 PM	I would seriously recommend not going back. Find a new group, and take the girl with you. For the love of God....take the girl.I second Draco's motion to commandeer the girl and find a new group (or build your own). The only possible criticism I might offer is that I would never bring alcohol to my first session with a new group simply because you never know how people might react. But that's usually the type of thing I discuss with a potential new group before I join.
75RD Drum Clip 05-30-05, 12:45 PM	I would seriously recommend not going back. Find a new group, and take the girl with you. For the love of God....take the girl. I too would recommend leaving the group and inviting the gal to join you in finding or creating a new group.
J.Augustus Rose II 05-30-05, 12:45 PM	Yow. When I first read the title of the thread I thought this would be one of those "3.0/3.5 edition SUCKS!" threads but it turned out to be much, much worse. I just...ugh...I have no words. That whole scenario was just effed up. Grab the girl, and the beer, and run away. Far away. Pitch some caltrop d4's behind you to slow down the basement dwellers. Just run. Dear god, man, just run.
punching bag 05-30-05, 12:55 PM	I second Draco's motion to commandeer the girl and find a new group (or build your own). The only possible criticism I might offer is that I would never bring alcohol to my first session with a new group simply because you never know how people might react. But that's usually the type of thing I discuss with a potential new group before I join. Bringing the beer might have been a mistake. However, I did meet these people at a bar, and we were told that there was going to be a backyard BBQ. Summer, outdoor BBQ, usually equals beer in my book. I suppose it was wrong. However, the point I was trying to get across was the feeling of disappointment that I felt after find a group, making a character and starting to play, only to find the situation that I described above. I thought it was humorous and wanted to share!
Super Guy 05-30-05, 01:32 PM	Man... that sucks. But it's hilarious the way you put it :)
Julia of Hillsdown 05-30-05, 01:49 PM	I laughed, I cried, I concur with the others. Save the girl before she burns out on the game. This was not a good introduction for her either. What did the other player do, the other experienced one? Did he go along with the DM, waiting like you to make his escape? If so, see if you can take him too for a new group.
punching bag 05-30-05, 02:43 PM	I laughed, I cried, I concur with the others. Save the girl before she burns out on the game. This was not a good introduction for her either. What did the other player do, the other experienced one? Did he go along with the DM, waiting like you to make his escape? If so, see if you can take him too for a new group. I’m glad you liked the story. I hope that my descriptions were good enough to conjure up the feelings that I had. It was VERY creepy down there. I guess I don’t really like gaming where someone sleeps. As for the other two players: I deliberately tried not to talk about them in my rant. They are both nice people, and I don’t want to make fun of them. The other guy is very experienced and a good player. The woman was very new to the game, and English wasn’t her first language. So she was having a lot of trouble understanding the rules and the descriptions, and was shy about getting into character. Hey, if I was trying to learn a complicated game in a language that I wasn’t comfortable with, I’d have trouble as well! I’d gladly play a game with the guy again. I think that the woman needs a better DM and some more experience with the rules before I’d play with her again. I think that I might finish this adventure with this group, but that’s it. There’s another meeting of our role-players group in a couple of weeks, and I’ll see if I can find another group then. I’ve read some of the other “my DM sucks” threads on this board, but I didn’t think I would find one who hit on so many of the “DM don’ts” in one session! However, If I find another horror story, I’ll post another rant! :D
LCD2YOU 05-30-05, 02:58 PM	don't go. Save yourself and the rest of us from that fate. However, save the other players. Run your own game.
Thanatos02 05-30-05, 02:59 PM	Have you, on the other hand, contemplated being a DM? Your description was much above average, and I got into the story. ^.~
green_yawgmoth 05-30-05, 03:34 PM	Your style of writing is excellent and I suggest that you steal away the girl and show her what actual RPing is by DMing your own game. Or at the least, co-DM with someone; that can be quite fun. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif
punching bag 05-30-05, 03:45 PM	I think I'm still a long way from trying to DM for myself. I'm coming off a long break in RP'ing and the only 3.5 edition book I own is the Player's handbook. I'd love to craft an adventure for some players, but I fear that I couldn't devote the proper amount of time to it. I'm renovating my house, have a baby on the way and oh yeah, a full time job. I mostly like to play RPG's to get away from all of that stuff for a few hours - to be immersed in a fantasy world. Plus, I haven't tried to DM in over 10 years..... :( Who knows what will happen though.
crazy_cat 05-30-05, 04:07 PM	I agree with the suggestion a few posts above - Find another group. Failing that, take on the DM's role yourself - you seem to be able to conjure up and relay scenes of horror through words alone, so go for it :) Toronto is a big city, isn't it? (I seem to remember it being quite big when I was there back in '96 for a couple of weeks) What you describe though is I'm sure a commonplace happening when joining a new group or meeting new players. I've recently started playing D&D again after a close to 10 year absence (was reintroduced by the NWN PC game, and oh-boy is 3.5 different from AD&D) and harboured fears of something similar when I started looking for a group in my area. Turned out there wasn't a local group to join, and I eventually found (via the wonders of the interweb thingy) some other lost souls in my area who were in a similar position. There are now 6 of us (DM and 5 PC's) and things are going very well. My advice when trying to meet/find/join new players or a new group: - Find out about them before meeting them. We exchanged alot of e-mails before we met and established that in principal we might be compatible gamers - ie similar ages, prefer RP to HnS, had all DM'd at some time etc. - Meet them before you sit down for a gaming session. We met for a beer to start with and talked about gaming (and a whole lot of other sh*t) We then went for a curry and talked more gaming - when X announced (tongue in cheek ) that if we played Dark Sun then he would be a half dragon Ninja PC we all knew things would probably work out OK :D - First session. We just rolled up some PC's and refreshed ourselves on the rules and picked our DM's brain for background info on Dark Sun (A setting which I think only he had previously played or DM'd) - First actual playing session. Our DM threw a background at us and then let the PC's interact and spend most of the first session getting to know each other. There was combat and adventure, but it was designed (I think, from a players perspective) to pull the PC's together as a group so as to face greater challenges in later sessions. - If it's not working either do something to change it, or leave (Thats just an opinion, I've no experience of this) On the beer question - I used to drink whilst I played at college, I used to drink whilst playing NWN, and I drank during our new groups first gaming session. I don't drink during them now, we are all on tea or soft drinks, but this is because most of the others are driving (I'm hosting the game) and I'm not going to drink whilst the rest of them look on in envy (and an envious and thus antagonistic DM is something I want to avoid ;) ) Good luck finding a group that suits you. EDIT: Various Typos.
PrinceAzar 05-30-05, 04:28 PM	...all these people treating alcohol as if it's something sacred, pretty gross. I don't see D&D and hangovers going well together, but that's just me. I don't like to drink, or would allow it at my game, would you alienate me? Just some food (alcohol) for thought. :rolleyes:
punching bag 05-30-05, 04:53 PM	Hmm.. The beer issue wasn't the main point of the post. Just some of the humour in my opinion. Let me reiterate. 1) Met these guys in a bar. 2) Having a BBQ for dinner. 3) Summer time. 4) Didn't want to show up empty handed. 5) One six-pack for four people is hardly the stuff of hangovers. 6) Might have been a mistake. 7) Booze was a minor part of an experience that I found funny, disturbing and macabre all at the same time. Also, I would not frown on anyone who chose not to drink alcohol. On the same note, I would not look down on anyone who chose to drink responsibly in a social setting consisting of people who are 30+ years old. It's not like I was stealing Burbon from my Dad's liquor cabinet for the explicit purpose of getting stinking drunk. Sharing a drink and a meal among friends is not so uncommon.
PrinceAzar 05-30-05, 05:30 PM	Did you get any wierd stares from the parents? And for the record, I only mentioned the beer because so many other posters did. I wonder why you guys needed alcohol to have fun though, i mean that stuff only tastes good once you kill your taste buds anyways. :confused: I'm pretty lucky, so far my DMs have had us play in semi-normal places. Local library. Attic with a large front window and circulation system. Coffee shop Living room. That place sounds like a make-out nightmare, though. :P
Eidrog 05-30-05, 06:10 PM	:rofl: Loved the post! :)
Draco Strang 05-30-05, 06:28 PM	And for the record, I only mentioned the beer because so many other posters did. I wonder why you guys needed alcohol to have fun though, i mean that stuff only tastes good once you kill your taste buds anyways. :confused: Boy, you or someone you know must have had some horrible experiences with alcohol, because you seem to view it as the ultimate evil. Now, I lived in England for four years in a small town up north, and virtually everyone had some sort of alcohol throughout the day. Children had some smallbeer during dinner, and adults had it all throughout the day. No, it wasn't all they drank but indeed it composed a significant portion of their liquid intake. Not everyone drinks to get drunk man. I can't tell you how many times I've had a beer with dinner, and no more. Some people like the taste. Was everyone stumbling around drunk? Was cirrhosis the leading disease? Was everyone an alcoholic? No, no, and no. It's just a beverage of choice. My little sister can't abide by any carbonated soft drink. But she sure doesn't walk around telling everyone how foul they are, and how they bring you down. (And they are unhealthy). It's a beverage, and it's a game.
J.Augustus Rose II 05-30-05, 06:32 PM	Please don't get him started again. It was bad/Chick-ish enough the first time around. :rolleyes:
Draco Strang 05-30-05, 06:35 PM	Please don't get him started again. It was bad/Chick-ish enough the first time around. :rolleyes: True. I quit.
PrinceAzar 05-30-05, 06:39 PM	Wether or not I have, or have had, or will have experiences dealing with alcohol doesn't reduce the fact that it doesn't induce anything positive other than short-term gains. It's easy to narrow me down, blame me and ridicule me than the population at large because i'm far less capable of defening myself and voicing my opinion. If you're so nearsighted as to keep pegging me as the supposed enemy of D&D and various role-playing games, Mr. Chick, maybe you should re-evaluate your statements... :rolleyes: Just because you grow up insensitive and used to it, just because you imbibe it and laugh in reverly, doesn't mean it's "ok" or even "great" to drink. The fact you're pairing it with D&D at the same time also ridicules the image that goes with it as a "drinking" activity. There are other far better tasting and less damaging brew, drinks, concoctions one can drink than the myriad of alcoholic drinks out there. People go on about the benefits of drinking once and again...but does this seem like a genuine healthy habit, or a justification to drink or try other drinks? There ARE far healthier and less damaging ways to keep the body fit and clean, but you rarely hear about them because they're not as risqué or "cool" to get into. It's a shame Prohibition didn't work, so many lives and accidents would have been avoided had it not been for alcohol. And before you comment it is the fault of the individual for failing to control themselves, consider this: there are plenty of people who are fine other than a low tolerance for alcohol, does that make them bad? No, but had an entirely optional drink not been there, they possibly could have been in better positions than before. By the way, thats good your sis doesn't drink soda. Though far less a problem than alcohol(though you may debate this) it's still pretty unhealthy to consume.
ArtEChoke 05-30-05, 07:16 PM	Please keep your personal psychosis in your underwear drawer where it belongs and stay on topic, jeez. @Punching Bag, I'm looking forward to what happens next, do keep us informed.
Draco Strang 05-30-05, 07:17 PM	Ok...Ok.....we get it. Alcohol=Bad Complete Abstinence=Good I have no problem with people that don't drink. I just get irritated when they spout off about the evils of alcohol to anyone and everyone in sight. I drink on occasion, and in spite of it am able to run 5-minute miles, have played sports my whole life, get good grades, and am socially well-adjusted. Yea, I know...hooray for me, right? But there are also tons of others just like me that get on fine, and have a beer or two when the sun goes down. It's just that when someone brings a 12 pack to their gaming night, it really isn't the end of the world man. Especially if it's not your group.
punching bag 05-30-05, 07:19 PM	There's no need to hijack this thread and turn it into a drinking vs no drinking thread. Like I said before: I thought it would be a nice guesture to bring a SMALL QUANTITY of beer to a BBQ, so that we might share some over dinner. This might not have been the right thing to do, but it certainly wasn't the main point of the post. I just needed to tell this story to someone. Just wanted to get it off my chest and hopefully make some people laugh. I know that I'm still laughing. It was like every bad stereotype associated with D&D rolled into a evening of gaming. :rolleyes:
PrinceAzar 05-30-05, 07:36 PM	But one thing you never did answer, what was the table/surface you played on like, the chairs, did you feel comfortable at all besides the noxious odors, the dishelved atmosphere and foul lighting? It's odd, because some sessions where I enjoy playing in general were pretty uncomfortable(solid wood floor in the attic) or tile and such. I had another favorite Dm, who despite the lack of furnishings, ran a level 7 game that lasted us a little under a month, but we hardly cared because his company was entertaining. Conversely, i've been invited to exceedingly clean and well polished homes where the Dm didn't allow for any flexibility, the game ended up being a bust, and the best thing I can say for that day was that the couch was nice :D By the way...how did the sausage taste? :P (p.s. Draco, you're an exception, not a rule, as a general thumb, those who avoid alcohol usually have a chance to do better/are less impeded by it, that's all. Oh, and contrary to my overzealous behavior on these boards in regard to alcohol, I don't reflect this in real life, if offered drinks i refuse them, if coerced or ridiculed, i defend myself, simple as that.)
punching bag 05-30-05, 08:02 PM	The table we played on was an old, rickety piece of junk. The four legs had all been broken at their joint to the table top, and had been hastily repaired by screwing a number of screws into each corner. The table pulled apart so that a leaf could be put in, so that the table could accept the large vinyl battlemat - Probably the only nice piece of gear in the basement. I got the couch, an old, shapeless brown mass that had little or no springs in the seat. The others each took chairs that squeaked and rocked as they moved. At one point we were cautioned not to lean on the table, as it was beginning to sway and buckle if we stood up and leaned over it's surface. I'm surprised that the whole structure didn't collapse in on itself. It certainly appeared that a strong breeze would knock it over. As for the sausage. Not bad. However I felt like Eric Cartman from "South Park". "and what type of side dishes will we be enjoying tonight? Am I to understand that there will be no side dishes?" In otherwords, a very spartan "meal". I got the impression that this guy only ate sausages, based on some of his comments and the lingering sausage smell. I know that I was constipated the next day, I can only imagine in horror what this guys gastro-intestinal tract is like. :P
SonsOfKyuss 05-30-05, 10:52 PM	To be honest, if it were as bad as it sounds, I would have chugged the sixer, then ate enough sausage that I could throw up and have a half-way decent excuse to flee the cesspool. As for the whole alcohol sub-thread, some people don't want it in their lives and others do. My roommate's ex-girlfriend died temporarily due to alcohol overdose (long story short, survived only because she had three kidneys), a buddy of mine (a bartender actually) had his throat slit and was stabbed and slashed 17 times while he was passed out drunk, and a friend was date raped while drinking. So I am well aware of all the terrible things that can happen while drinking. Does that mean that I choose not to drink? Heck no! After I started drinking I lost 80 pounds and was able to raise my GPA from 0.52 to 3.25. To drink or not to drink is a personal decision, and to be around alcohol and people who drink it is also a personal decision. The only advice I feel safe giving is that you should base your opinion of someone on their actions and not the label of the beverage in their hand. Unless the label says Bud Light (Those guys can all go eat sausage in the basement).
FineasBoggs 05-30-05, 10:56 PM	This is a funny thread. Fortunately, never had the experience! WHEW!
ORC_Tuhteth 05-31-05, 12:48 AM	This has officially meandered off-topic. :)